Method and apparatus for facilitating the rendering of human communication content

• US 7,941,181 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Drackett, Christopher W., Nowlan, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Santiago-Cordero; Marivelisse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arevalo; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/531,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20080070625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/352, 370/316, 370/535, 370/476, 370/474, 370/487, 370/343, 370/503, 370/493, 370/538, 370/342, 370/338, 370/328, 370/406, 725/63, 709/236, 709/219, 709/231, 455/406
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A device (200) that is presently rendering human communications content (202) via a corresponding human communication interface (203) will also passively wirelessly transmit information (103) regarding an existing native capability regarding also wirelessly transmitting the human communication content. Upon receiving (in response to that passive transmission) information (105) regarding an existing other device'"'"'s (205) capability of also rendering that human communication content, this device can then switch (106) present rendering of the human communication content from the first device to the second device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a first device having a human communication interface;

providing human communication content;

presently rendering the human communication content using the human communication interface;

while rendering the human communication content, passively wirelessly transmitting information regarding an existing first device capability regarding wirelessly transmitting the human communication content;

receiving, in response to passively wirelessly transmitting the information, information regarding an existing second device capability to render the human communication content;

switching present rendering of the human communication content from the first device to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device comprises at least one of:

a two-way wireless audio communications device;

a two-way wireless data communications device;

an audio playback device;

a video playback device;

an audio/visual playback device;

a computing platform.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the human communication interface comprises at least one of:

a display;

an audio transducer;

a tactile input device;

a pointing device;

an audio input device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the human communication content comprises at least one of:

audio content;

video content;

audio/visual content;

at least one of user action and selection events;

at least one of textual, auditory, and gestural user input.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein presently rendering the human communication content using the human communication interface comprises causing the human communication content to be discernable to a human via at least one human sense of perception.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein passively wirelessly transmitting information regarding an existing first device capability regarding wirelessly transmitting the human communication content comprises passively wirelessly transmitting the information on a substantially periodic basis.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the information regarding an existing first device capability comprises, at least in part, at least one of:

metadata regarding the human communication content;

metadata regarding the first device;

metadata regarding the second device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at the first device;

monitoring for passive transmissions from other devices comprising human communication interface control instructions.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the human communication interface control instructions comprise, at least in part, at least one control instruction regarding:

volume settings;

playback transport settings;

display settings;

media selection settings;

formatting control information.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving information regarding an existing second device capability to render the human communication content further comprises determining whether the second device is authorized to render the human communication content.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a human communication interface;

human communication content;

a rendering processor operably coupled to the human communication content and the human communication interface and being configured and arranged to provide the human communication content to the human communication interface to thereby facilitate human-discernable rendering of the human communication content;

a transmitter configured and arranged to passively wirelessly transmit information, during the rendering of the human communication content, regarding an existing apparatus capability regarding wireless transmission of the human communication content;

a receiver configured and arranged to receive information regarding an existing other device capability to also render the human communication content;

a switching processor operably coupled to the receiver and the rendering processor to switch the rendering of the human communication content from the apparatus to the other device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of:

a two-way wireless audio communications device;

a two-way wireless data communications device;

an audio playback device;

a video playback device;

an audio/visual playback device;

a computing platform.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the human communication interface comprises at least one of:

a display;

an audio transducer;

a tactile input device;

a pointing device;

an audio input device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the human communication content comprises at least one of:

audio content;

video content;

audio/visual content;

at least one of user action and selection events;

at least one of textual, auditory, and gestural user input.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein facilitating human-discernable rendering of the human communication content comprises causing the human communication content to be discernable to a human via at least one human sense of perception.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the transmitter is further configured and arranged to passively wirelessly transmit the information on a substantially periodic basis.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the information regarding an existing apparatus capability comprises, at least in part, at least one of:

metadata regarding the human communication content;

metadata regarding the apparatus;

metadata regarding the other device.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

a monitoring processor that is operably coupled to the receiver and that is configured and arranged to monitor for passive transmissions from other devices comprising human communication interface control instructions.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the human communication interface control instructions comprise, at least in part, at least one control instruction regarding:

volume settings;

playback transport settings;

display settings;

media selection settings;

formatting control information.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the monitoring processor is operably coupled to the human communication interface to thereby facilitate control of the human communication interface in response to the human communication interface control instructions.