Method and system for unified audio control on a personal computer

• US 8,443,179 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bear, Eric Gould, Magendanz, Chad, Adams, Aditha May, Ledbetter, Carl, Kaneko, Steve, Crosier, Dale C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elamin, M
• Application Number:
  US13/445,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20120200518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 379/93.23, 379/142.15, 381/101, 381104-107
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

A system and method for improved audio controls on a personal computer is provided. The system and method provide a unified architecture for audio controls across hardware and software interfaces of the personal computer. An intelligent facility may automatically change audio controls for users to simply interact with various communications and media applications. To this end, a configurable audio controller intelligently handles various aspects of the system'"'"'s audio devices by following various rules that may be based at least in part on user-configurable settings and a current operating state. The present invention also provides audio controls so that a user may easily change audio settings such as the volume of an audio output device. There are many applications that may use the present invention for automatic control of audio devices based upon the user'"'"'s context.

Claims

1. A method for controlling audio output rendered from a computing system, the method comprising:

the computing system playing media by at least rendering audio output associated with the media;

the computing system detecting an incoming telephone call;

the computing system detecting user input that is operable to answer the telephone call at the computing system; and

the computing system, in response to the user input and prior to connecting the telephone call responsive to the user input, altering how the audio output is rendered by at least one of (1) pausing the media or (2) lowering a volume associated with the rendering of the audio output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered by lowering the volume associated with the audio output as well as pausing the media.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is detected at and entered by a user at the computing system to answer the incoming telephone call.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user input comprises a user selection of a telephony button.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method further includes automatically resuming the rendering of the audio output associated with the media at a volume that existed prior to the telephone call once the telephone call is disconnected.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein disconnecting the telephone call occurs in response to a user entering input at the computing system.

7. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the user enters input through a touch surface associated with the computing system.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered lowering the volume to a muted state.

9. A computing system comprising:

a touch screen;

at least one audio output device configured to render audio output;

telephone hardware configured for receiving a telephone call; and

storage media storing computer executable instructions for implementing a method for controlling audio output rendered from the computing system, the method comprising;

the computing system rendering audio output;

the computing system detecting an incoming telephone call;

the computing system detecting user input that is operable to answer the telephone call at the computing system; and

the computing system, in response to the user input and prior to connecting the telephone call responsive to the user input, altering how the audio output is rendered by at least one of (1) pausing the rendering of the audio output or (2) lowering a volume associated with the rendering of the audio output.

10. The computing system recited in claim 9, wherein the method further includes, in response to detecting the telephone call is disconnected, automatically resuming to render the audio output with audio attributes that existed while rendering the audio output prior to the telephone call.

11. The computing system recited in claim 9, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered by lowering the volume associated with the audio output and pausing the audio output.

12. The computing system recited in claim 9, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered by lowering the volume associated with the audio output to a muted state.

13. The computing system recited in claim 9, wherein the user input is entered at the touch screen.

14. A computer storage device storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computing system, implement a method for controlling audio output rendered from the computing system, the method comprising:

the computing system rendering audio output;

the computing system detecting an incoming telephone call;

the computing system detecting user input that is operable to answer the telephone call at the computing system; and

the computing system, in response to the user input and prior to connecting the telephone call responsive to the user input, altering how the audio output is rendered by at least one of (1) pausing the rendering of the audio output or (2) lowering a volume associated with the rendering of the audio output.

15. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered by lowering the volume to a muted state.

16. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered by pausing the rendering of the audio output.

17. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the method includes altering how the audio output is rendered by lowering the volume associated with the audio output as well as pausing the media.

18. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the user input is detected at and entered by a user at a touch screen of the computing system to answer the incoming telephone call.

19. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the method further includes automatically resuming the rendering of the audio output once the telephone call is disconnected.

20. The computer storage device of claim 19, wherein the telephone call is disconnected in response to a user entering input at the computing system on a touch screen.