Audio status information for a portable electronic device

• US 7,590,772 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2005
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Marriott, Greg, Hodge, Andrew Bert
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Niketa I
• Application Number:
  US11/209,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20070079027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 710/15, 710/18, 710/19, 713/300, 713/340
• US Class Current: 710/15
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

Improved techniques for providing status information associated with an electronic device to its user in an audible manner are disclosed. The status information can pertain to one or more conditions of the electronic device. The conditions can vary depending on the nature of the electronic device. As an example, where the electronic device is battery powered, one condition of the electronic device that can be monitored is a battery charge level.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing an indication of battery status to a user of a portable audio output device including a battery and operable to present audio output, the method comprising:

(a) monitoring, by the portable audio output device, a battery charge level of the battery when the portable audio device is active and presenting the audio output;

(b) obtaining, by the portable audio output device, based on the monitoring of the battery charge level, an audio snippet stored on the portable device and indicative of the battery charge level;

mixing, by the portable audio output device, the audio snippet with the audio output to provide a mixed output; and

(c) outputting, by the portable audio output device, the mixed output for the user, thereby providing an indication of the battery level without interrupting the presentation of the audio output.

2. The method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the portable audio output device has a speaker, and

wherein the outputting (c) outputs the audio snippet via the speaker.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable audio output device has a speaker jack and at least one external speaker operatively connectable to the speaker jack, and

wherein the outputting (c) outputs the audio snippet to the at least one external speaker via the speaker jack.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the other audio output pertains to a song being played by the portable audio output device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio snippet is a sequence of distinct tones or notes.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the sequence of distinct tones or notes follow a scale.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the scale is a rising scale.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio snippet is a spoken voice.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the outputting (c) comprises:

(c1) outputting a first tone or note representing a full charge status; and

(c2) subsequently outputting a series of tones or notes starting from very low charge status and proceeding to subsequent tones so long as the battery charge level is more than the charge level represented by the tone or note.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio snippet is symbolic of the battery charge level.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the outputting (c) comprises:

(c1) determining whether the audio snippet should be output based on the battery charge level; and

(c2) outputting the audio snippet when the determining (c1) determines that the audio snippet should be output.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the outputting (c) outputs the audio snippet in response to a user request for the battery status.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the user request is via a switch associated with the portable audio output device.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the switch is a battery status button provided on the portable audio output device.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

(d) outputting a visual indication of the battery charge level.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the outputting (d) of the visual indication is performed concurrently with the outputting (c) of the audio snippet.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the visual indication is provided in a blinking or pulsing manner such that it is substantially synchronized with audio characteristics of the audio snippet.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the portable audio output device includes a visual status indicator, and

wherein the outputting (d) produces the visual indication of the battery charge level using the visual indicator.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the visual indicator includes at least one Light-Emitting Diode (LED).

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the obtaining (b) comprises:

(b1) determining an appropriate audio snippet based on the battery charge level; and

(b2) retrieving the appropriate audio snippet.

21. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the outputting (c) comprises:

(c1) determining whether a preference setting enables audio battery status; and

(c2) outputting the audio snippet for the user only if the preference setting enables audio battery status.

22. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the monitoring, obtaining, mixing, and outputting are performed after receiving a battery status request from the portable audio output device.

23. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether to output an audio status and/or a video status.

24. A method as recited in claim 23, wherein the obtaining, mixing, and outputting are performed after receiving an indication that an audio status output is desired.

25. A portable media device, comprising:

an audio output device;

a device status monitor that monitors a device status of said portable media device when said portable media device is active;

a device status manager operatively connected to said device status monitor, wherein said device status monitor determines when the device status of said portable media is to be output to said audio output device;

a first memory device for storing a plurality of device status effects and media items; and

a processor for processing at least one of the device status effects to produce audio status data for said audio output device, thereby outputting the device status in an audible manner, wherein said processor implements an audio processing system and also processes at least one of the media items to produce output media data for said audio output device, and wherein said audio processing system concurrently outputs the audio status data and the output media data to the audio output device.

26. The portable media device as recited in claim 25, wherein the audio output device is a speaker.

27. The portable media device as recited in claim 25, wherein the audio output device is a headphone or at least one earphone.

28. A computer readable medium storing at least computer program code for providing an indication of device status to a user of a portable audio output device including an internal device, the computer readable medium comprising:

executable computer program code for monitoring a device status of the internal device;

executable computer program code for obtaining an audio snippet based on the device status when the portable audio output device is active;

executable computer program code for mixing, the audio snippet with the audio output to provide a mixed output; and

executable computer program code for outputting the mixed output for the user, thereby providing an indication of the device status without interrupting presentation of the audio output.

29. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 28, wherein the internal device is a battery, and wherein the device status being monitored is a battery charge level.