Transmission and receiver system operating on multiple audio programs

• US 7,856,217 B1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1999
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Dr. Hark C. Chan
• Original Assignee: Dr. Hark C. Chan
• Inventors: Chan, Hark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US12/276,928
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 455/150.1, 455/186.1, 455/156.1, 455/161.1, 455/161.2, 455/3.06, 455/166.1, 455/185.1, 455/158.1, 709/219, 348/725, 348/468, 370/392, 370/395.64
• US Class Current: 455/150.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/25 Arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information

Abstract

A receiver contains a demodulator system that can extract digital data from wireless radio frequency signal. The digital data contains two sets of compressed digital audio data corresponding to two audio programs. The receiver also contains two decompressors. If a user selects a first audio program, a first compressor is used to decompress a first set of compressed digital audio data. If a user selects a second audio program, a second decompressor is used to decompress a second set of compressed digital audio data. The wireless radio frequency signal can be transmitted using a transmitter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating analog audio signal, comprising:

a demodulator for retrieving digital data from wireless radio frequency signal, the digital data comprising a first set of compressed digital audio data associated with a first audio program and a second set of compressed digital audio data associated with a second audio program, the first set of compressed digital audio data having been compressed outside of the apparatus from a first set of digital audio data, the second set of compressed digital audio data having been compressed outside of the apparatus from a second set of digital audio data;

a first decompressor comprising a first digital audio decompression algorithm;

a second decompressor comprising a second digital audio decompression algorithm;

a user interface allowing a user to select the first or the second audio program; and

a control subsystem for applying the first decompressor to decompress the first set of compressed digital audio data if the user selects the first audio program and applying the second decompressor to decompress the second set of compressed digital audio data if the user selects the second audio program.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and the second decompression algorithms comprises a motion picture experts group decompression algorithm.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and the second decompression algorithms comprises a voice quality decompression algorithm.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has a bit rate of less than 7 kilobits per second.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency signal comprises FM modulated radio frequency signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least the demodulator is powered by a battery of an automobile.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has been compressed using a parametric compression algorithm.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein another of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has been compressed using a motion picture experts group compression algorithm.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first decompressor and the second decompressor are software modules in a ROM.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the digital data comprises a command instructing the apparatus to perform a task.

25. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the digital data comprises a command instructing the apparatus to perform a task.

11. An apparatus for sending wireless radio frequency signal to a receiving device, the apparatus comprising a wireless transmitter for transmitting the wireless radio frequency signal modulated by a stream of digital data, the stream of digital data comprising a first set of compressed digital audio data associated with a first audio program and a second set of compressed digital audio data associated with a second audio program, the first set of compressed digital audio data having been compressed outside of the receiving device using a first digital audio compression algorithm and the second set of compressed digital audio data having been compressed outside of the receiving device using a second digital audio compression algorithm.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first compression algorithm comprises a motion picture experts group compression algorithm.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the second compression algorithm comprises a voice quality compression algorithm.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the second set of compressed digital audio data has a bit rate of less than 7 kilobits per second.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the radio frequency signal comprises FM modulated radio frequency signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the digital data comprises a command instructing the receiving device to perform a task.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein one of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has been compressed using a parametric compression algorithm and another of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has been compressed using a motion picture experts group compression algorithm.

18. An apparatus for generating analog audio signal, comprising:

a demodulator for retrieving digital data from wireless radio frequency signal, the digital data comprising a first set of compressed digital audio data associated with a first audio program and a second set of compressed digital audio data associated with a second audio program the first set of compressed digital audio data having been compressed outside of the apparatus from a first set of digital audio data, the second set of compressed digital audio data having been compressed outside of the apparatus from a second set of digital audio data;

a first decompressor comprising a first digital audio decompression algorithm;

a second decompressor comprising a second digital audio decompression algorithm;

a memory system for storing the first set of compressed digital audio data retrieved from the demodulator and not the second set of compressed digital audio data retrieved from the demodulator;

user interface allowing a user to select the first or the second audio program; and

a control subsystem for applying the second decompressor to decompress the second set of compressed digital audio data if the user selects the second audio program and for retrieving the first set of compressed digital audio data from the memory system and delivering to the first decompressor when the user selects the first audio program.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein at least one of the first and the second decompression algorithms comprises a voice quality decompression algorithm.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein one of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has been compressed using a parametric compression algorithm.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein another of the first and the second sets of compressed digital audio data has been compressed using a motion picture experts group compression algorithm.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein:

the digital data comprises a third set of compressed digital audio data associated with a third audio program,

the memory system further for storing the third set of compressed digital audio data,

the user interface comprises a first button to select one of the first and the third audio programs and a second button to select the second audio program, and

the control subsystem further for retrieving the third set of compressed digital audio data from the memory system and delivering to the first decompressor when the user selects the third audio program.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the user interface allows the user to turn off power to at least a portion of the apparatus, and wherein the memory system stores the first set of compressed digital audio data even after the user activates the user interface to turn off the power.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first decompressor and the second decompressor are software modules in a ROM.