Mobile device audio playback

• US 8,392,007 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Izo, Tomas, Chechik, Gal
• Primary Examiner(s): ELBIN, JESSE A
• Application Number:
  US13/250,423
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 846/12, 455/3.06, 455/344, 455/418, 484 3- 9, 484/900, 484/901, 700 12- 14, 700 29- 32, 700/62, 700/63, 700/94, 701213-216, 715/727
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/636 by using biological or physiological data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/737 Characterised by transmission of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. infrared waves

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to providing audio playback to a mobile device user. According to one aspect of this disclosure, a mobile device may be to modify audio playback in response to detecting an inclination of the mobile device (and thereby a user) with respect to a reference plane. According to another aspect of this disclosure, a mobile device may be configured to automatically identify an audible sound that may be motivational to a user, and store an indication of the audible sound in response to the identification. According to another aspect of this disclosure, a mobile device may automatically play back a previously identified motivational song in response to detection of user movement.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

outputting, by a mobile computing device, an audible sound to a user, wherein outputting the audible sound to the user comprises playing back one or more audio tracks;

detecting, using at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, a change in an inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to a horizontal plane; and

while playing back the one or more audio tracks, modifying, by the mobile computing device, the audible sound output to the user based at least in part on detecting the change in the inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane, wherein modifying the audible sound output to the user comprises changing a tempo of the audible sound.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the change in the inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane comprises using one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of:

an accelerometer;

a gyroscope;

a global positioning system (GPS) sensor;

a magnetometer; and

an altimeter.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, using the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, a first inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane;

detecting, using the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, a second inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane that is different than the first inclination; and

modifying, by the mobile computing device, the audible sound in response to detecting that the inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane has changed from the first inclination to the second inclination.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting, using the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, the first inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane comprises detecting a first inclination of a user with respect to the horizontal plane;

and

wherein detecting, using the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, the second inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane comprises detecting a second inclination of the user with respect to the horizontal plane that is different than the first inclination of the user.

5. A mobile computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

an audio playback module configured to output an audible sound to a user, wherein to output the audible sound to the user, the audio playback module is configured to play back one or more audio tracks; and

an inclination detection module configured to detect, using at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, a change in an inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to a horizontal plane,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to, while playing back the one or more audio tracks, change a tempo of the audible sound output to the user based at least in part on the detected change in the inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane.

6. A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions configured to cause one or more processors of a mobile computing device to:

output, using the mobile computing device, an audible sound to a user, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to output the audible sound to the user comprise instructions that cause the one or more processors to play back one or more audio tracks;

detect, using at least one sensor of the mobile computing device, a change in an inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to a horizontal plane; and

while playing back the one or more audio tracks, modify, using the mobile computing device, the audible sound output to the user based at least in part on the detected change in the inclination of the mobile computing device with respect to the horizontal plane, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to modify the audible sound output to the user comprise instructions that cause the one or more processors to change a tempo of the audible sound.