Virtual radio

• US 7,409,205 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Mittal, Nitin
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US10/879,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20060009199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/575.2, 455/556, 455/414.1, 455/3.02, 455/130, 725/19, 725/37, 174/254, 174/255, 174/256
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/12 wherein another information is substituted for the portion of broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format

Abstract

A portable electronic device such as a mobile station 22 has a broadcast radio receiver 60 and an internal storage 50 for storing media files 74, 76, 78, 80. When a received broadcast radio signal exceeds a quality parameter, that signal is sent to a speaker 56. Otherwise, the device 22 enters a virtual radio mode and plays the stored media files in an order that is not determined by the user of the device. The order is determined by an instruction stored in the internal storage 50, and switching to the virtual mode is based on a quality of the received broadcast radio signal. Media files may include entertainment music or video files, traffic and weather, DJ commentary, and advertisements. Various media files may be updated on different frequency intervals so that the content remains current, and to better commercialize the invention. Users may add personal media files and may select a genre or source for certain other media files.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a broadcast radio receiver to receive a broadcast radio signal;

an internal storage to store a plurality of media files and an instruction as to an order of play for the media files, said instruction as to an order of play received over a wireless link and each of said media files comprising an audio component;

audio output means for converting the received broadcast radio signal and the media files to an audible signal;

a switch to decouple the audio output means from the broadcast radio receiver and to couple the audio output means to the plurality of media files, said switch automatically actuated based on a quality of the received broadcast radio signal; and

a processor to play the plurality of media files according to the order of play when the audio output means is coupled to the plurality of media files, wherein said plurality includes at least a first and a second group of media files, and the instruction comprises;

a first instruction as to an order of play for the first group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a first station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the first group of media files; and

a second instruction as to an order of play for the second group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a second station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the second group of media files.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a mobile telephone.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a user interface by which a user may manually actuate the switch.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the order of play for the media files may not be altered by a user of the device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the order of play for the media files may be altered only in part by a user of the device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein at least one media file of the plurality and within the order of play comprises a disc jockey commentary.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein at least one media file of the plurality and within the order of play comprises an advertisement.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the electronic device further comprises a microphone and the plurality comprises at least three media files, at least one of which is received at the internal storage via the microphone, and wherein the instruction provides for sequencing each of the at least three media files within the order of play.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the switch further is to decouple the audio output means from the plurality of media files and to re-couple the audio output means to broadcast radio receiver based on a quality of the received broadcast radio signal.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the broadcast radio signal is selected from the group AM, FM, and digital FM radio.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a broadcast radio receiver to receive a broadcast radio signal;

an internal storage to store a plurality of media files and an instruction as to an order of play for the media files, each of said media files comprising an audio component, said instruction as to an order of play received over a wireless link and not normally alterable by a user of the device;

audio output means for converting the received radio signal and the media files to an audible signal;

a switch to selectively couple the audio output means at any instant to only one of the broadcast radio receiver and the plurality of media files; and

a processor to play the plurality of media files according to the order of play when the audio output means is coupled to the plurality of media files, wherein said plurality includes at least a first and a second group of media files, and the instruction comprises;

a first instruction as to an order of play for the first group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a first station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the first group of media files; and

a second instruction as to an order of play for the second group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a second station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the second group of media files.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the broadcast radio signal is selected from the group AM, FM, and digital FM radio.

13. A method of playing media files in an electronic device comprising:

wirelessly receiving at an electronic device an instruction directing an order of play for media files;

storing, on an internal storage media of the electronic device, a plurality of media files and the instruction directing an order of play for the plurality of media files;

receiving a broadcast radio signal at the electronic device;

coupling said broadcast radio signal to an audio output means of the electronic device;

automatically upon a quality of the received broadcast radio signal passing through a threshold quality parameter, coupling the plurality of media files to the audio output means and playing the plurality of media files in the order of play directed by the instruction, wherein said plurality includes at least a first and a second group of media files, and the instruction comprises;

a first instruction as to an order of play for the first group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a first station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the first group of media files; and

a second instruction as to an order of play for the second group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a second station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the second group of media files.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the plurality of media files comprise first-stored media files, the method further comprises:

receiving and storing at least one updated media file at the internal storage; and

sequencing the at least one updated media file in the order of play.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving and storing at least one updated media file comprises downloading the at least one updated media file via a wireless link.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving and storing at least one updated media file comprises receiving the at least one updated media file via a microphone of the portable electronic device.

17. An electronic device comprising:

first receiving means for wirelessly receiving an instruction as to an order of play for media files;

second receiving means for receiving a broadcast radio signal;

storage means for locally storing a plurality of media files each comprising an audio component, and for locally storing the instruction as to an order of play;

audio output means for converting the broadcast radio signal and the audio component of the media files to sound;

switching means for de-coupling the audio output means from the receiving means and for coupling the audio output means to the storage means automatically in response to a measured signal quality of the broadcast radio signal; and

processing means for sequencing the stored plurality of media files to the audio output means according to the instruction as to an order of play, wherein said plurality includes at least a first and a second group of media files, and the instruction comprises;

a first instruction as to an order of play for the first group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a first station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the first group of media files; and

a second instruction as to an order of play for the second group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a second station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the second group of media files.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the first receiving means comprises one of a mobile telephony receiver, wireless local area network receiver, and piconet receiver;

the second receiving means comprises one of an AM and an FM radio receiver;

the storage means comprises a computer readable storage media;

the audio output means comprises a speaker;

the switching means comprises an electronic switch actuated by a computer program executed by a processor, the computer program embodied on a computer readable storage medium; and

the processing means comprises a digital processor.

19. A program of machine-readable instructions, tangibly embodied on an information bearing medium and executable by a digital data processor, to perform actions directed toward selectively coupling audio output means to different input sources, the actions comprising:

locally storing an order of play, received over a wireless link, for a plurality of locally stored media files;

monitoring a quality of a broadcast radio signal at an electronic device;

responsive to the monitored quality passing through a threshold quality in a first direction, automatically de-coupling the broadcast radio signal from an audio output means of the device and coupling a plurality of locally stored media files to the audio output means and playing the at least two of the plurality of locally stored media files through the audio output means according to the stored order of play,

wherein said plurality includes at least a first and a second group of media files, and the stored order of play comprises;

a first order of play for the first group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a first station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the first group of media files; and

a second order of play for the second group that plays when the broadcast radio receiver is tuned to a second station and when the switch couples the audio output means to the second group of media files.

20. The program of claim 19, further comprising:

responsive to the monitored quality passing through a threshold quality in a second direction opposite the first, automatically de-coupling the plurality of locally stored media files from the audio output means of the device and coupling the broadcast radio signal to the audio output means.