Music play control apparatus using at least one earphone function key and method thereof

• US 7,783,057 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Choun Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Ping
• Application Number:
  US11/124,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20060009868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• Field of Search: 381/74, 381/77, 381/309, 381/370, 381/376, 381/384, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

A music play control apparatus and method for a music player using at least one earphone function key are provided which are capable of performing a music play control operation of the music player using earphones. In the music play control apparatus and method, an external key input from left/right function keys installed on the earphones is scanned. If a key signal is input from either the left or right function key, a value of the input function key is recognized and a music play control operation is performed by a predetermined function depending on the recognized function key value.

Claims

1. A music player control apparatus for a music player, the apparatus comprising:

an earphone having an earphone jack one end of which is connected with the music player, at least one earphone main body line-connected with the earphone jack and configured to output an audio signal delivered through the earphone jack, and at least one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone and to which a key signal for controlling a music play depending on a user selection using the at least one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body is input; and

an earphone function controller included in the music player, configured to receive a signal input from the at least one function key of the at least one earphone main body, and perform a music play control operation after recognizing the received signal, wherein the received signal is recognized on the basis of a number of pressings or a pressing time of the at least one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone and a current operation status of the music player, wherein when the at least one function key is pressed a short one time, a music play operation is performed and when the at least one function key is pressed a long two times, a forward skip operation is performed, and wherein when another function key of the at least one function key is pressed, a backward skip operation is performed and the music is selected.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body is connected with one or more port of the earphone function controller.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and at least one function key is installed on each of the left and right earphone main bodies, and wherein the function keys are set to have opposite functions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and at least one function key is installed on each of the left and right earphone main bodies, and wherein the function keys comprise an inverter key or a toggle key.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and at least one function key is installed on each of the left and right earphone main bodies, wherein a music play/stop and/or a skip control is performed using the function keys installed on the left and right earphone main bodies, wherein an earphone line is in audio communication with the at least one ear phone main body, and wherein the earphone line connects the earphone jack with the earphone main body and includes a signal line, a ground line, and a data line that delivers a signal from the at least one function key.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and at least one function key is installed on each of the left and right earphone main bodies, and wherein a volume increase/decrease and/or a volume mute/pause is performed using the function keys installed on the left and right earphone main bodies.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and if the current operation status of the music player is a play stop status, the earphone function controller controls performing a music play or a skip control operation depending on whether the at least one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone is pressed on the left or the right earphone main body.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the current operation status of the music player is in a music play status, the earphone function controller controls performing a forward or a backward skip operation.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the current operation status of the music player is in a music play status, the earphone function controller controls setting an interval-repeat-play start point using a specific one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone, setting an interval-repeat-play termination point using another function key after setting the interval-repeat-play start point, and playing a set interval repeatedly at the same time the interval-repeat-play termination point is set.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and if the current operation status of the music player is in a music play status, the earphone function controller controls performing a mute or a pause operation using either of the at least one function key on the left or the right earphone main body.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and the at least one function key comprises at least one function key provided on each of the left and right earphone main bodies and a volume increase/decrease is controlled depending on a number of pressings of one of the function keys, and a music skip or a continuous skip operation is controlled depending on a length of a pressing time of the another of the function keys.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the earphone function controller comprises a first controller that receives the signal input from the at least one function key of the at least one earphone main body and recognizes the input signal, and a second controller that performs the music play control operation based on a recognized operation value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one function key is directly installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone main body comprises left and right earphone main bodies and the at least one function key comprises at least one function key installed on each of the left and right earphone main bodies, wherein when the at least one function key installed on one of the left or right earphone main bodies is pressed a short one time, the music play operation is performed and when the at least one function key installed on the one of the left or right earphone main bodies is pressed a long two times, the forward skip operation is performed, and wherein when the at least one function key installed on the one of the left or right main bodies is pressed, the backward skip operation is performed and the music is selected.

15. An earphone apparatus for a music player, the earphone apparatus comprising:

at least one earphone main body of an earphone, the at least one earphone main body comprising at least one function key configured to communicate with a controller of the music player, wherein the at least one function key is installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone;

an earphone line in audio communication with the at least one ear phone main body; and

an earphone jack connected to the earphone line, wherein the earphone line connects the earphone jack with the earphone main body and includes a signal line, a ground line, and a data line that deliver a signal from the at least one function key, wherein the delivered signal is recognized on the basis of a number of pressings or a pressing time of the at least one function key installed on the at least one earphone main body of the earphone and a current operation status of the music player, wherein when the at least one function key is pressed a short one time, a music play operation is performed and when the at least one function key is pressed a long two times, a forward skip operation is performed, and wherein when another function key of the at least one function key is pressed, a backward skip operation is performed and the music is selected.

16. The earphone apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one function key is at least one of a music play/stop function key, a volume increase/decrease function key, an interval-repeat-play setting function key, or a music skip function key.