Interaction of sound, silent and mute modes in an electronic device
First Claim
1. An electronic device comprising a control circuitry, an audio circuitry, and at least one audio output route, the electronic device configured to operate in at least a sound mode, mute mode, and silent mode, the electronic device configured to:
- receive a request to provide a user-application generated audio output to tile at least one audio output route, wherein the user-application generated audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notifications, wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations;
determine that the electronic device is a set in the silent mode, wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein in the mute mode no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route;
determine whether the user-application generated audio is tagged for output in the silent mode, wherein if the user-application generated audio is tagged for output in tile silent mode,identify that the at least one audio output route is enabled to receive the user-application generated audio output in the silent mode, wherein the at least one audio output route is one of a set of possible audio output routes that can he authorized by the user, anddirect the audio circuitry to provide the user-application generated audio output to the at least one enabled audio output route, while the device is in the silent mode.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
This is directed to controlling the output of audio based on the mode of an electronic device. In particular, this is directed to an electronic device having a sound mode, silent mode, and mute mode controlling the output of audio along different audio output routes. In the sound mode, all audio can be output, while only registered or authorized audio can be output in the silent mode. In the mute mode, no audio can be output. The sound and silent modes can be enabled using an interface of the device (e.g., a switch having two possible states), while the mute mode can be enabled using an accessory coupled to the device. To disengage the mute mode, a user can provide a corresponding instruction using the accessory, or providing an instruction on the device related to volume control. For example, a user can change the device volume using an on-device interface, or toggle a sound/silent switch to a sound mode.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An electronic device comprising a control circuitry, an audio circuitry, and at least one audio output route, the electronic device configured to operate in at least a sound mode, mute mode, and silent mode, the electronic device configured to:
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receive a request to provide a user-application generated audio output to tile at least one audio output route, wherein the user-application generated audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notifications, wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; determine that the electronic device is a set in the silent mode, wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein in the mute mode no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route; determine whether the user-application generated audio is tagged for output in the silent mode, wherein if the user-application generated audio is tagged for output in tile silent mode, identify that the at least one audio output route is enabled to receive the user-application generated audio output in the silent mode, wherein the at least one audio output route is one of a set of possible audio output routes that can he authorized by the user, and direct the audio circuitry to provide the user-application generated audio output to the at least one enabled audio output route, while the device is in the silent mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for controlling output of audio by a device, wherein the device comprises a sound mode switch that comprises a first status configured to enable a sound audio output mode of the device and a second status configured to enable a silent audio output mode of the device, the method comprising:
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enabling a mute mode of the device that is different from the silent mode and the sound mode, wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to least one route, and wherein in the mute mode no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route, wherein the user-application audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notifications, wherein system generated content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; detecting a change in status of the sound mode switch after the mute mode has been enabled; disabling the mute mode upon determining that the change in status of the sound mode switch comprises the change from the second status to the first status; and maintaining the enabled mute mode upon determining that the change in the status of the sound mode switch comprises the change from the first status to the second status. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method performed by electronic device for selectively providing an audio to output to at least one audio output route of the electronic device, the method comprising:
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receiving the audio to output; determining that the electronic device is in a mute mode, wherein the mute mode is different from a sound mode and a silent mode of the electronic device, and wherein, in the silent, mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the mute mode, no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route, and wherein the user-application generated audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notifications, and wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; detecting a current status of a sound switch of the device, wherein the current status is one of a first status configured to enable the sound mode and a second status configured to enable the silent mode; determining, that a volume change instruction is received by the electronic device; and in response to the determining that a volume change instruction is received by the electronic device, controlling the audio to output based on the detected current status, wherein controlling the audio to output includes at least one of; transmitting the audio to output to any available audio output route when the detected current status is the first status, or transmitting the audio to output to the at least one audio output route when the at least one audio output route is enabled, and the detected current status is the second status, wherein the at least one audio output route is one of a set of possible audio output routes that can be authorized by the user. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which when executed by a processing system of a device allows a method for controlling output of audio by the device, wherein the device comprises a sound switch that comprises a first status configured to enable a sound audio output mode of the device and second status configured to enable a silent audio output mode of the device, the method comprising:
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enabling a mute mode of the device that is different from the silent mode and the sound mode, wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein in the mute mode no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route, wherein the user-application audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notification, wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; detecting a change in status of the sound mode switch; disabling the mute mode upon determining that the change in status of the sound mode switch comprises the change from the second status to the first status; and maintaining the enabled mute mode upon determining that the change in the status of the sound mode switch comprises the change from the first status to the second status.
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23. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which when executed by a processing system of an electronic device, the electronic device configured to operate in at least a sound mode, mute mode, and silent mode, the electronic device comprising a control circuitry, an audio circuitry, and at least one audio output route, instructs the control circuitry to perform a method, the method comprising:
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receiving a request to provide a user-application generated audio output to the at least one audio output route, wherein the user-application generated audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notification, wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; determining that the electronic device is set in the silent mode, wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein in the mute mode no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route; determining whether the user-application generated audio is tagged for output in the silent mode, wherein if the user-application generated audio is tagged for output in the silent mode, identifying that the at least one audio output route is enabled to receive the user-application generated audio output in the silent mode, wherein the at least one audio output route is one of a set of possible audio output routes the can be authorized by the user, and directing the audio circuitry to provide the user-application generated audio output to the at least one enabled audio output route, while the device is in the silent mode.
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24. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which when executed by a processing system of an electronic device performs a method for selectively providing an audio to output to at least one audio output route of the electronic device, the method comprising:
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receiving the audio to output; determining that the electronic device is in a mute mode, wherein the mute mode is different from a sound mode and a silent mode of the electronic device, and wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the mute mode, no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route, and wherein the user-application generated audio is audio other than system generated audio content and notifications, and wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; detecting a current status of a sound switch of the electronic device, wherein the current status is one of a first status configured to enable the sound mode and a second status configured to enable the silent mode; determining, that a volume change instruction is received by the electronic device; and in response to the determining that a volume change instruction is received by the electronic device, controlling the audio to output based on the detected current status, wherein controlling the audio to output includes at least one of; transmitting the audio to output to any available audio output route when the detected current status is the first status, and transmitting the audio to output to the at least one audio output route when the at least one audio cutout route is enabled, and the detected current status is the second status, wherein the at least one audio output route is one of a set of possible audio output routes that can be authorized by the user.
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25. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which when executed by a processing system of an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a control circuitry, an audio circuitry, and at least one audio output route, instructs the control circuitry to perform a method, the method comprising:
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receiving a request to provide user-application generated audio to output to the at least one audio output route, wherein the user-application generated audio is audio other than system generated audio content arid notifications, wherein system generated audio content and notifications are audio associated with operating system operations; determining that the audio is registered for output in a silent mode using a meta-data of the audio, wherein, in the silent mode, system generated audio content and notifications are unable to output to the at least one audio route, and wherein, in the silent mode, user-application generated audio is permitted to output audio content to the at least one audio route, and wherein the electronic device further comprises a mute mode, wherein, in the mute mode, no audio content is permitted to output to the at least one audio output route; determining that the electronic device is set in the silent mode; identifying that the at least one audio output route is enabled to receive the audio in the silent mode; and directing the audio circuitry to provide the audio to at least one enabled output route, while the device is in the silent mode, and wherein when the electronic device is set in the silent mode, some audio is prevented from being output from the electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification