MP3 player with code sensor

• US 7,400,937 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, King, Tobin Allen, Walmsley, Simon Robert, Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sellers, Daniel R
• Application Number:
  US10/917,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 726/27, 726/29, 726/30, 455/3.06, 707/1
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 : including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 : Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 : First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 : with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 : with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 : Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 : by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32778 : using a mark-sheet or machine-readable code request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 : Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 : sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 : Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 : Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 : of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/187 : Continuous sectional layer

Abstract

An MP3 player (10) is provided with an image sensor (16) capable of imaging invisible infrared tags (78) on a substrate (70). The tags (78) encode identity data which is directly or indirectly associated in a computer system with one or more audio clips in an MP3 format.

The MP3 player (10) can be used to select and play audio clips. It acquires tag identity data via the image sensor (16), transmits it to the computer system, and downloads associated MP3 clip(s) for playback via a speaker (22).

Claims

1. An MP3 player including:

at least a fixed memory for storing received audio data;

at least one sensor for sensing coded data on or in a substrate and for generating first data, the substrate being entirely tiled with the plurality of coded data tags;

a transmitter for transmitting, to a computer system, said first data or second data at least partially based on said first data;

a receiver for receiving, from the computer system, MP3 data associated with an identity derived from the first data; and

at least one audio output device for outputting an audio signal based on the received MP3 data, wherein

the audio player has an identity and further includes processor means to store the identity or data indicative of the identity with or in audio data stored in memory by modification of the audio file stored to include a unique identifier associated with said audio player, wherein playback of said files is limited to the original audio player or audio players owned by the same owners;

wherein the coded data comprises of a plurality of coded data tags, each coded data tag including data regarding an identity of the substrate and a position of the respective coded data tag on the substrate, wherein the at least one sensor senses at least one of the coded data tags and generates the first or second data representing the identity of the substrate and a position of the sensed coded data tag on the substrate, wherein the first or second data are transferred by the transmitter to the computer system to enable retrieval of the audio data using the first or second data.

2. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense the coded data on or in the substrate during movement of the MP3 player relative to the substrate.

3. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of coded data tags are invisible in the visible spectrum, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense the coded data.

4. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the MP3 player includes a microphone configured to receive audio signals, wherein the MP3 player is configured to record the received audio signals in memory.

5. The MP3 player according, to claim 4, wherein the MP3 player records an association between coded data sensed using the at least one sensor the coded substrate and the audio signals received by the microphone, wherein upon subsequent use of the at least one sensor to sense the coded data results in the MP3 player to use the recorded association to retrieve the audio signals and use the audio output device for outputting the retrieved audio signal.

6. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes information which is visible in the visible spectrum such that at least some of the coded data and the information is coincident upon the substrate.

7. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided in the form of a pen, wherein the pen is configured to simultaneously mark the substrate and sense at least some of the coded data when placed in an operative position relative to the substrate.

8. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a slidable collar operatively connected to a switch, wherein when the sensor is forced against the substrate in an operative position, the collar slidably moves to actuate the switch, wherein the switch actuates the sensor to sense coded data whilst the sensor is forced against the substrate.

9. The MP3 player according to claim 8, wherein the slidable collar is biased toward a first position wherein the switch is in an inactive sate, and wherein when the slidable collar is force against the substrate, the slidable collar moves to a second position causing the switch to be actuated to an active state thereby actuating the sensor to sense coded data for the period of time, and wherein when force is removed from the slidable collar the slidable collar returns to the first position thereby causing the switch to actuated to the inactive state.

10. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein in the event that the at least one sensor fails to capture at least one of the coded data tags, the MP3 player is configured to indicate to the user that the coded data was unsuccessfully sensed.

11. The MP3 player according to claim 10 wherein the MP3 player is configured to emit an audio tone to indicate that the coded data was unsuccessfully sensed.

12. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the MP3 player is a wireless telephone.

13. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein upon playback of the audio file using the MP3 player, the MP3 player is configured to transmit, to a server processing system, account data indicative a user'"'"'s account for debiting in response to playing the audio file.

14. The MP3 player according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes an accelerometer, wherein when the sensor is moved, the accelerometer senses the movement of the sensor and actuates the sensor to sense at least some of the coded data.