Audio control of multimedia objects

• US 9,489,170 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Johnny
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELLERS, DANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US14/324,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 715/716, 715/727
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

In some examples, aspects of the present disclosure may include techniques for audio control of one or more multimedia objects. In one example, a method includes receiving an electronic document that includes a group of one or more multimedia objects capable of generating audio data. The method also includes registering a multimedia object of the group of one or more multimedia objects, wherein registering the multimedia object comprises storing a multimedia object identifier that identifies the multimedia object. The method further includes receiving audio data; and determining, by a computing device, a volume level of the audio data generated by the registered multimedia object based on one or more configuration parameters, wherein the one or more configuration parameters define one or more volume levels associated with the multimedia object identifier. The method also includes outputting, to an output device, the audio data at the determined volume level.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

at least one module operable by the one or more processors to;

receive first and second electronic documents, wherein the first electronic document indicates a first multimedia object capable of generating first audio data, and the second electronic document indicates a second multimedia object capable of generating second audio data;

in response to rendering the first electronic document to output the first audio data using a call to an application programming interface (API) for outputting the first audio data associated with the first multimedia object, register the first multimedia object, wherein registering the first multimedia object comprises storing a multimedia object identifier for the first multimedia object that uniquely identifies the first multimedia object indicated in the first electronic document;

receive the first audio data associated with the first multimedia object;

determine, based on the multimedia object identifier and one or more configuration parameters, a volume level of the first audio data of the first multimedia object, wherein the one or more configuration parameters define one or more volume levels associated with the first multimedia object; and

output, to an output device, the audio data at the determined volume level.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable by the one or more processors to:

output, for display, the first electronic document in a tabbed window of an application; and

output, for display at the tabbed window, a label that indicates the first audio data for the first electronic document.

3. The computing of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable by the one or more processors to:

register the second multimedia object, wherein registering the second multimedia object comprises storing a second multimedia object identifier that identifies the second multimedia object;

receive second audio data generated by the second multimedia object;

determine a volume level of the second audio data based on the one or more configuration parameters, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further define one or more volume levels associated with the second multimedia object identifier; and

output the second audio data at the determined second volume level.

4. The computing of claim 3, wherein the at least one module is operable by the one or more processors to:

determine that the second registered multimedia object comprises a dominant multimedia object based on a dominant heuristic, wherein the dominant heuristic indicates that the second multimedia object is a most probable multimedia object of a group of multimedia objects to be focused on by a user; and

in response to determining that the second multimedia object comprises the dominant multimedia object, process at least one configuration parameter of the one or more configuration parameters to change a volume level of at least one of the group of multimedia objects.

5. The computing of claim 3, wherein the at least one configuration parameter of the one or more configuration parameters defines a mute volume level indicating no volume, wherein the at least one module is operable by the one or more processors to:

associate the mute volume level with each multimedia object of the group of multimedia objects except the dominant multimedia object.

6. The computing of claim 3, wherein the at least one module is operable by the one or more processors to:

determine that the second multimedia object is displayed in an inactive region of a graphical user interface, wherein the inactive region is not visible to the user;

after determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in the inactive region, determine that the second multimedia object is displayed in an active region of the graphical user interface of the computing device, wherein the active region is visible to the user; and

responsive to determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in the active region, determine that the second registered multimedia object comprises dominant multimedia based on the second registered multimedia object being displayed in the active region.

7. The computing of claim 3, wherein the at least one module is operable by the one or more processors to:

determine that a sound device of the computing device is receiving the audio data; and

assign a mute volume level to each registered multimedia object of the one or more multimedia objects, wherein the mute level volume indicates no volume.

8. A method comprising:

receiving first and second electronic documents, wherein the first electronic document indicates a first multimedia object capable of generating first audio data, and the second electronic document indicates a second multimedia object capable of generating second audio data;

in response to rendering the first electronic document to output the first audio data using a call to an application programming interface (API) for outputting the first audio data associated with the first multimedia object, registering the first multimedia object, wherein registering the first multimedia object comprises storing a multimedia object identifier for the first multimedia object that uniquely identifies the first multimedia object indicated in the first electronic document;

receiving the first audio data associated with the first multimedia object;

determining, by a computing device and based on the multimedia object identifier, a volume level of the first audio data of the first multimedia object based on one or more configuration parameters, wherein the one or more configuration parameters define one or more volume levels associated with the first multimedia object; and

outputting, to an output device, the audio data at the determined volume level.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

outputting, by the computing device and for display, the first electronic document in a tabbed window of an application; and

outputting, by the computing device and for display at the tabbed window, a label that indicates the first audio data for the first electronic document.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

registering the second multimedia object, wherein registering the second multimedia object comprises storing a second multimedia object identifier that identifies the second multimedia object;

receiving second audio data generated by the second multimedia object;

determining a volume level of the second audio data based on the one or more configuration parameters, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further define one or more volume levels associated with the second multimedia object identifier; and

outputting the second audio data at the determined second volume level.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the second registered multimedia object comprises a dominant multimedia object based on a dominant heuristic, wherein the dominant heuristic indicates that the second multimedia object is a most probable multimedia object of a group of multimedia objects to be focused on by a user; and

in response to determining that the second multimedia object comprises the dominant multimedia object, processing at least one configuration parameter of the one or more configuration parameters to change a volume level of at least one of the group of multimedia objects.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one configuration parameter of the one or more configuration parameters defines a mute volume level indicating no volume, wherein the method further comprises:

associating the mute volume level with each multimedia object of the group of multimedia objects except the dominant multimedia object.

13. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in an inactive region of a graphical user interface, wherein the inactive region is not visible to the user;

after determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in an active region of the graphical user interface of the computing device, wherein the active region is visible to the user; and

responsive to determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in the active region, determining that the second registered multimedia object comprises dominant multimedia based on the second registered multimedia object being displayed in the active region.

14. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

determining that a sound device of the computing device is receiving the audio data; and

assigning a mute volume level to each registered multimedia object of the one or more multimedia objects, wherein the mute level volume indicates no volume.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving first and second electronic documents, wherein the first electronic document indicates a first multimedia object capable of generating first audio data, and the second electronic document indicates a second multimedia object capable of generating second audio data;

in response to rendering the first electronic document to output the first audio data using a call to an application programming interface (API) for outputting the first audio data associated with the first multimedia object, registering the first multimedia object, wherein registering the first multimedia object comprises storing a multimedia object identifier for the first multimedia object that uniquely identifies the first multimedia object indicated in the first electronic document;

receiving the first audio data associated with the first multimedia object;

determining, by a computing device and based on the multimedia object identifier, a volume level of the first audio data of the first multimedia object based on one or more configuration parameters, wherein the one or more configuration parameters define one or more volume levels associated with the first multimedia object; and

outputting, to an output device, the audio data at the determined volume level.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of the computing device to perform operations comprising:

outputting, by the computing device and for display, the first electronic document in a tabbed window of an application; and

outputting, by the computing device and for display at the tabbed window, a label that indicates the first audio data for the first electronic document.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of the computing device to perform operations comprising:

registering the second multimedia object, wherein registering the second multimedia object comprises storing a second multimedia object identifier that identifies the second multimedia object;

receiving second audio data generated by the second multimedia object;

determining a volume level of the second audio data based on the one or more configuration parameters, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further define one or more volume levels associated with the second multimedia object identifier; and

outputting the second audio data at the determined second volume level.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of the computing device to perform operations comprising:

determining that the second registered multimedia object comprises a dominant multimedia object based on a dominant heuristic, wherein the dominant heuristic indicates that the second multimedia object is a most probable multimedia object of a group of multimedia objects to be focused on by a user; and

in response to determining that the second multimedia object comprises the dominant multimedia object, processing at least one configuration parameter of the one or more configuration parameters to change a volume level of at least one of the group of multimedia objects.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one configuration parameter of the one or more configuration parameters defines a mute volume level indicating no volume, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of the computing device to perform operations comprising:

associating the mute volume level with each multimedia object of the group of multimedia objects except the dominant multimedia object.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of the computing device to perform operations comprising:

determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in an inactive region of a graphical user interface, wherein the inactive region is not visible to the user;

after determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in an active region of the graphical user interface of the computing device, wherein the active region is visible to the user; and

responsive to determining that the second multimedia object is displayed in the active region, determining that the second registered multimedia object comprises dominant multimedia based on the second registered multimedia object being displayed in the active region.