Method and system for controlling an accessory having a tuner

• US 7,441,058 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lydon, Gregory T., Filson, John B., Novotney, Donald J., Tupman, David, Bolton, Lawrence G., Tikalsky, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, RAYMOND NGAN
• Application Number:
  US11/519,386
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 710300-306, 710104-106, 710 8- 12, 710 36- 38, 710 62- 64, 710/72
• US Class Current: 710/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

A method, system, and connector interface for controlling an accessory. The method includes obtaining, by a portable media player, tuning information from the accessory; and controlling, by the portable media player, the accessory based on the tuning information. According to the system and method disclosed herein, the portable media player and accessory may utilize a plurality of commands utilized in a variety of environments such as within a connector interface system environment to control access to the portable media player.

Claims

1. A method for an accessory communicatively coupled with a portable media player, the accessory having a tuner for receiving radio signals, the method comprising:

receiving a first command from the portable media player, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner;

sending a second command to the portable media player, the second command including the tuner capability information;

receiving a third command from the portable media player, the third command requesting tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

sending a fourth command to the portable media player, the fourth command including the tuner state information; and

subsequently to sending the second and fourth commands, receiving one or more fifth commands from the portable media player, wherein the one or more fifth commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

subsequently to receiving the one or more fifth commands, sending a sixth command to the portable media player, the sixth command acknowledging the one or more fifth commands.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuner capability information includes one or more of:

band capability information, mode capability information, resolution capability information, or control capability information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuner state information includes one or more of:

current band information, current frequency information, current mode information, or current received signal strength (RSSI) information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more fifth commands include one or more of:

a command for modifying band settings, a command for modifying frequency settings, a command for modifying mode settings, a command for modifying power settings, or a command for controlling operation of the tuner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more fifth commands include a command for instructing the accessory to automatically send notifications to the portable media player indicating state changes to the accessory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, the portable media player is configured to verify that the accessory has been instantiated, verify that the tuner is physically present in the accessory, and verify that the tuner has been authenticated to interoperate with the portable media player.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, the portable media player is configured to detect the accessory and, upon detecting the accessory, present information pertaining to the tuner on a display of the portable media player.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a sixth command from the portable media player, the sixth command indicating that the portable media player has changed state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuner is a terrestrial tuner or a satellite tuner.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the sixth command includes tuner status information, the tuner status information indicating a status of the tuner after the one or more fifth commands are received by the accessory.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the information pertaining to the tuner includes one or more of:

tuner band, tuner frequency, music source, or Radio Data System/Radio Broadcast Data System (RDS/RBDS) data.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the portable media player is configured to change the information presented on the display based on the tuner capability information.

14. A method for an accessory communicatively coupled with a portable media player, the accessory having a tuner for receiving radio signals, the method comprising:

receiving a first command from the portable media player, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner and tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

sending a second command to the portable media player, the second command including the tuner capability information and tuner state information; and

subsequently to sending the second command, receiving one or more third commands from the portable media player, wherein the one or more third commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

15. An accessory for use with a portable media player, the accessory comprising:

a tuner for receiving radio signals;

an interface adapted to be coupled with a portable media player and configured to support a tuner protocol for exchanging with the portable media player commands and information related to operation of the tuner; and

a control module coupled to the interface, the control module being configured to;

receive a first command from the portable media player, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner;

send a second command to the portable media player, the second command including the tuner capability information;

receive a third command from the portable media player, the third command requesting tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

send a fourth command to the portable media player, the fourth command including the tuner state information; and

subsequently to sending the second and fourth commands, receive one or more fifth commands from the portable media player, wherein the one or more fifth commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

16. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the control module is further configured to:

subsequently to receiving the one or more fifth commands, send a sixth command to the portable media player, the sixth command acknowledging the one or more fifth commands.

17. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the tuner capability information includes one or more of:

band capability information, mode capability information, resolution capability information, or control capability information.

18. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the tuner state information includes one or more of:

current band information, current frequency information, current mode information, or current received signal strength (RSSI) information.

19. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the one or more fifth commands include one or more of:

a command for modifying band settings, a command for modifying frequency settings, a command for modifying mode settings, a command for modifying power settings, or a command for controlling operation of the tuner.

20. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the one or more fifth commands include a command for instructing the accessory to automatically send notifications to the portable media player indicating state changes to the accessory.

21. The accessory of claim 15, wherein prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, the portable media player is configured to verify that the accessory has been instantiated, verify that the tuner is physically present in the accessory, and verify that the tuner has been authenticated to interoperate with the portable media player.

22. The accessory of claim 15, wherein prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, the portable media player is configured to detect the accessory and, upon detecting the accessory, present information pertaining to the tuner on a display of the portable media player.

23. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the control module is further configured to receive a sixth command from the portable media player, the sixth command indicating that the portable media player has changed state.

24. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the tuner is a terrestrial tuner or a satellite tuner.

25. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the interface comprises a connector having a plurality of signal pins, the signal pins being arranged to mate with corresponding signal pins on a mating connector of the portable media player.

26. The accessory of claim 15, wherein the connector comprises a keying arrangement, and wherein one set of keys are separated by one length and another set of keys are separated by another length.

27. The accessory of claim 16, wherein the sixth command includes tuner status information, the tuner status information indicating a status of the tuner after receiving the one or more fifth commands.

28. The accessory of claim 22, wherein the information pertaining to the tuner includes one or more of:

tuner band, tuner frequency, music source, or Radio Data System/Radio Broadcast Data System (RDS/RBDS) data.

29. The accessory of claim 22, wherein the portable media player is configured to change the information presented on the display based on the tuner capability information.

30. The accessory of claim 25, wherein the plurality of signal pins includes a pair of serial pins and wherein the second and fourth commands are sent via a transmit pin of the pair of serial pins.

31. The accessory of claim 30, wherein the plurality of signal pins further includes:

a ground pin and a power pin adapted such that the ground pin makes contact with a corresponding ground pin in the mating connector of the portable media player before the power pin makes contact with a corresponding power pin in the mating connector of the portable media player;

a Firewire signal pin,

a USB signal pin;

a USB power pin;

an accessory identify signal pin;

an accessory detect signal pin;

a video output pin;

an accessory power pin;

a remote sense signal pin; and

a line signal pin.

32. An accessory for use with a portable media player, the accessory comprising:

a tuner for receiving radio signals;

an interface adapted to be coupled with a portable media player and configured to support a tuner protocol for exchanging with the portable media player commands and information related to operation of the tuner; and

a control module coupled to the interface, the control module being configured to;

receive a first command from the portable media player, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner and tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

send a second command to the portable media player, the second command including the tuner capability information and the tuner state information; and

subsequently to sending the second command, receive one or more third commands from the portable media player, wherein the one or more third commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

33. A method for a portable media player communicatively coupled with an accessory having a tuner for receiving radio signals, the method comprising:

sending a first command to the accessory, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner;

receiving a second command from the accessory, the second command including the tuner capability information;

sending a third command to the accessory, the third command requesting tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

receiving a fourth command from the accessory, the fourth command including the tuner state information; and

subsequently to receiving the second and fourth commands, sending one or more fifth commands to the accessory, wherein the one or more fifth commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

subsequently to sending the one or more fifth commands, receiving a sixth command from the accessory, the sixth command acknowledging the one or more fifth commands.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the tuner capability information includes one or more of:

band capability information, mode capability information, resolution capability information, or control capability information.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the tuner state information includes one or more of:

current band information, current frequency information, current mode information, or current received signal strength (RSSI) information.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the one or more fifth commands include one or more of:

a command for modifying band settings, a command for modifying frequency settings, a command for modifying mode settings, a command for modifying power settings, or a command for controlling operation of the tuner.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the one or more fifth commands include a command for instructing the accessory to automatically send notifications to the portable media player indicating state changes to the accessory.

39. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, verifying that the accessory has been instantiated, verifying that the tuner is physically present in the accessory, and verifying that the tuner has been authenticated to interoperate with the portable media player.

40. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, detecting the accessory and, upon detecting the accessory, presenting information pertaining to the tuner on a display of the portable media player.

41. The method of claim 33 further comprising sending a sixth command to the accessory, the sixth command indicating that the portable media player has changed state.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein the tuner is a terrestrial tuner or a satellite tuner.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein the sixth command includes tuner status information, the tuner status information indicating a status of the tuner after the one or more fifth commands are received by the accessory.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the information pertaining to the tuner includes one or more of:

tuner band, tuner frequency, music source, or Radio Data System/Radio Broadcast Data System (RDS/RBDS) data.

45. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

changing the information presented on the display based on the tuner capability information.

46. A method for a portable media player communicatively coupled with an accessory having a tuner for receiving radio signals, the method comprising:

sending a first command to the accessory, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner and tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

receiving a second command from the accessory, the second command including the tuner capability information and tuner state information; and

subsequently to receiving the second command, sending one or more third commands to the accessory, wherein the one or more third commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

47. A portable media player comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of media assets;

an interface adapted to be coupled with an accessory having a tuner to receive radio signals, the interface being configured to support a tuner protocol for exchanging with the accessory commands and information related to operation of the tuner; and

a control module coupled to the storage device and the interface, the control module being configured to;

send a first command to the accessory, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner;

receive a second command from the accessory, the second command including the tuner capability information;

send a third command to the accessory, the third command requesting tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

receive a fourth command from the accessory, the fourth command including the tuner state information; and

subsequently to receiving the second and fourth commands, send one or more fifth commands to the accessory, wherein the one or more fifth commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.

48. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the control module is further configured to:

subsequently to sending the one or more fifth commands, receiving a sixth command from the accessory, the sixth command acknowledging the one or more fifth commands.

49. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the tuner capability information includes one or more of:

band capability information, mode capability information, resolution capability information, or control capability information.

50. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the tuner state information includes one or more of:

current band information, current frequency information, current mode information, or current received signal strength (RSSI) information.

51. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the one or more fifth commands include one or more of:

a command for modifying band settings, a command for modifying frequency settings, a command for modifying mode settings, a command for modifying power settings, or a command for controlling operation of the tuner.

52. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the one or more fifth commands include a command for instructing the accessory to automatically send notifications to the portable media player indicating state changes to the accessory.

53. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the control module is further configured to:

prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, verify that the accessory has been instantiated, verify that the tuner is physically present in the accessory, and verify that the tuner has been authenticated to interoperate with the portable media player.

54. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the control module is further configured to:

prior to sending the first command, the third command, or the one or more fifth commands, detect the accessory and, upon detecting the accessory, present information pertaining to the tuner on a display of the portable media player.

55. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the control module is further configured to send a sixth command to the accessory, the sixth command indicating that the portable media player has changed state.

56. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the tuner is a terrestrial tuner or a satellite tuner.

57. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the interface comprises a connector having a plurality of signal pins, the signal pins being arranged to mate with corresponding signal pins on a mating connector of the accessory.

58. The portable media player of claim 47, wherein the connector comprises a keying arrangement, and wherein one set of keys are separated by one length and another set of keys are separated by another length.

59. The portable media player of claim 48, wherein the sixth command includes tuner status information, the tuner status information indicating a status of the tuner after the one or more fifth commands are received by the accessory.

60. The portable media player of claim 54, wherein the information pertaining to the tuner includes one or more of:

tuner band, tuner frequency, music source, or Radio Data System/Radio Broadcast Data System (RDS/RBDS) data.

61. The portable media player of claim 54, wherein the control module is further configured to change the information presented on the display based on the tuner capability information.

62. The portable media player of claim 57, wherein the plurality of signal pins includes a pair of serial pins and wherein the first command, third command, and one or more fifth commands are sent via a transmit pin of the pair of serial pins.

63. The portable media player of claim 62, wherein the plurality of signal pins further includes:

a ground pin and a power pin adapted such that the ground pin makes contact with a corresponding ground pin in the mating connector of the accessory before the power pin makes contact with a corresponding power pin in the mating connector of the accessory;

a Firewire signal pin,

a USB signal pin;

a USB power pin;

an accessory identify signal pin;

an accessory detect signal pin;

a video output pin;

an accessory power pin;

a remote sense signal pin; and

a line signal pin.

64. A portable media player comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of media assets;

an interface adapted to be coupled with an accessory having a tuner to receive radio signals, the interface being configured to support a tuner protocol for exchanging with the accessory commands and information related to operation of the tuner; and

a control module coupled to the storage device and the interface, the control module being configured to;

send a first command to the accessory, the first command requesting tuner capability information indicating one or more capabilities of the tuner and tuner state information indicating a current state of the tuner;

receive a second command from the accessory, the second command including the tuner capability information and the tuner state information; and

subsequently to receiving the second command, send one or more third commands to the accessory, wherein the one or more third commands include tuner control information for controlling the tuner, and wherein the tuner control information is based, at least in part, on the tuner capability information and the tuner state information.