Audio output device selection for a portable electronic device

• US 7,930,007 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Andreasson, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aminzay; Shaima Q
• Application Number:
  US11/556,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20070281744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.2, 455/569.1, 455/567, 455/554.1, 455/557, 455/90.3, 379/428.02, 379/430, 379/431, 379/433.01, 381/74, 381/309
• US Class Current: 455/575.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H

Abstract

A portable electronic device can detect whether an output unit of an accessory is connected to the body of a user and determines audio output units to which its application will transmit audio signal. The portable electronic device comprises an interface connected to the accessory, an application handling unit and a control unit. The control unit determines if the accessory is attached to the body of a user, selects audio output units to be used for the electronic device and transmits audio signals to the selected audio output unit for the application.

Claims

1. A method for driving an accessory for a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

determining, with a first detector in a first audio output unit, if the first audio output unit of the accessory is attached to a body of a user;

determining, with a second detector in a second audio output unit, if the second audio output unit of the accessory is attached to the body of the user;

selecting the first audio output unit when it is determined that the first audio output unit is attached to the body;

selecting the second audio output unit when it is determined that the second audio output unit is attached to the body;

transmitting an audio output signal to the first audio output unit when the first audio output unit is selected; and

transmitting the audio output signal to the second audio output unit when the second audio output unit is selected.

2. The method as in claim 1, where, when it is determined that one of the first or second audio output units is attached to the body, no audio output unit in the portable electronic device is selected.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an occurrence of an event in the portable electronic device; and

transmitting a signal to at least one of the first or second audio output units to provide an alert of the occurrence of the event.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

choosing a vibrator included in the portable electronic device for signaling the occurrence of the event when it is determined that one of the first or second audio output units is attached to the body.

5. The method as in claim 3, where receiving the occurrence of the event includes receiving an incoming call.

6. The method as in claim 5, further comprising:

automatically accepting the incoming call after a predetermined number of alerting intervals when it is determined that one of the first or second audio output units is attached to the body.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the accessory is connected to the portable electronic device,

where selecting the first audio output unit is further based on determining if the accessory is connected to the portable electronic device and selecting the second audio output unit is further based on determining if the accessory is connected to the portable electronic device.

8. The method as in claim 1, where the portable electronic device includes a device audio output unit and the device audio output unit is selected when the first and second audio output units are determined not to be attached to the body.

9. The method as in claim 8, where the device audio output unit is in the portable electronic device.

10. A portable electronic device comprising:

an interface for connecting the portable electronic device to an accessory that includes a first audio output unit comprising a first audio component and a second audio component; and

a control unit to;

determine if the first audio output unit is attached to the body of a user, where, when making the determination, the control unit is further to;

determine if the first audio component is attached to the body of the user, or

determine if the second audio component is attached to the body of the user,

select the first audio output unit of the accessory when either the first audio component or the second audio component is determined to be attached to the body of the user,

select a second audio output unit of the portable electronic device when the first audio output unit is determined not to be attached to the body of the user, and

transmit an audio output signal to the first audio output unit or the second audio output unit based on the selection, where, when transmitting the audio output signal to the first audio output unit, the control unit is further to;

send the audio output signal to the first audio component when the first audio component is determined to be attached to the body of the user, and

send the audio output signal to the second audio component when the second audio component is determined to be attached to the body of the user.

11. The portable electronic device as in claim 10, where, when it is determined that the first audio output unit is attached to the body, no audio output unit in the portable electronic device is selected.

12. The portable electronic device as in claim 10, where the control unit is further configured to:

receive an occurrence of an event in the portable electronic device; and

transmit a signal to the first audio output unit to provide an alert of the occurrence of the event.

13. The portable electronic device as in claim 12, further comprising a vibrator and where the control unit additionally chooses the vibrator for signaling the occurrence of the event when it is determined that the first audio output unit is attached to the body.

14. The portable electronic device as in claim 12, where of the event includes receipt of an incoming call.

15. The portable electronic device as in claim 14, where the control unit is further configured to:

automatically accept the call after a predetermined number of alerting intervals when it is determined that the first audio output is attached to the body.

16. The portable electronic device as in claim 10, where the control unit is further configured to:

determine if the accessory is connected to the portable electronic device,

where selecting the first audio output unit is further based on determining that the accessory is connected to the portable electronic device.

17. The portable electronic device as in claim 10, where the control unit selects the second audio output unit when the first audio output unit is not attached to the body.

18. The portable electronic device as in claim 10, where the portable electronic device includes a portable communication device.

19. The portable electronic device as in claim 10, where the portable electronic device includes a cellular phone.

20. A portable electronic device, comprising:

means for determining if a first component, of a first audio output unit in an accessory for the portable electronic device, is attached to a body of a user;

means for determining if a second component, of the first audio output unit in the accessory for the portable electronic device, is attached to the body of the user;

means for selecting the first audio output unit when it is determined that the first component or the second component, of the first audio output unit, is attached to the body of the user; and

means for transmitting an audio output signal to the first audio output unit when the first audio output unit is selected, where the means for transmitting the audio output signal further comprises;

means for transmitting the audio output signal to the first component when the first component is determined to be attached to the body of the user, and

means for transmitting the audio output signal to the second component when the second component is determined to be attached to the body of the user.

21. A computer program product including a machine executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

determining, with a first detector in a first audio output unit of an accessory for a portable electronic device, if the first audio output unit is attached to a body of a user;

determining, with a second detector in a second audio output unit of the accessory, if the second audio output unit is attached to the body of the user;

selecting the first audio output unit when it is determined that the first audio output unit is attached to the body;

selecting the second audio output unit when it is determined that the second audio output unit is attached to the body;

transmitting an audio output signal to the to the first audio output unit when the first audio output unit is selected without transmitting the audio output signal to the second audio output unit when the second audio output unit is not selected.

22. A method comprising:

determining if individual components, of an audio output unit in an accessory for a portable electronic device, are attached to a body of a user;

transmitting a signal to the portable electronic device, based on determining that one of the individual components, of the audio output unit, is attached to the body;

selecting, by the portable electronic device, the audio output unit when the transmitted signal indicates that one of the individual components, of the audio output unit, is attached to the body; and

transmitting, by the portable electronic device, an audio output signal to the audio output unit, where the transmitting further includes selectively transmitting the audio output signal to only the one of the individual components that is determined to be attached to the body of the user.

23. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

receiving the audio output signal and generating sound through the first audio output unit based on the audio output signal.