Media device and method of using a media device

• US 9,888,115 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lennard A. Gumaer
• Original Assignee: Lennard A. Gumaer
• Inventors: Gumaer, Lennard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US14/193,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 379 671, 370259
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold

Abstract

A media player for providing media content to telephone systems for audible interaction with a caller on-hold with the telephone system, and a method of programming, using, and operating the media player. The media player includes a controller configured to construct a playlist based on a directory having at least two files of media content. The controller is further configured to create an order of execution for the playlist based on a unique identifier name of each of the at least two files of media content and switches at least two files of media content after a predetermine amount of the. The media content may be one of a greeting, a priority announcement, a voice announcement, a music selection, and a sound effect selection.

Claims

1. A media player capable of being integrated with a telephone system to provide media content to a caller on-hold, the media player comprising:

a storage medium configured to store at least two files of media content; and

a controller in communication with said storage medium and said controller is configured to read said storage medium, and wherein said controller constructs a playlist based on a unique identifier name associated with each of the at least two files of media content and wherein the at least two files of media content includes a non-announcement selection and at least one announcement selection, and wherein said controller is configured to identify which of the at least two files of media content is the non-announcement selection and which of the at least two files of media content is the at least one announcement selection based on said unique identifier name.

2. The media player of claim 1, wherein the at least one announcement selection includes at least one of a greeting, a priority voice announcement, a voice announcement, and the non-announcement selection includes a music selection and a sound effect selection.

3. The media player of claim 1, wherein said storage medium is one of a CompactFlash card, an SD card, USB drive, flash memory, a hard drive, and a server.

4. The media player of claim 1, further including a storage medium interface configured to receive said storage medium, and wherein said controller is in communication with said storage medium interface, and wherein said controller is capable of detecting the presence of the storage medium.

5. The media player of claim 1, wherein the at least two files of media content include a first file and a second file and wherein said controller is configured to switch between the first file and the second file after a predetermined amount of time of the output the first file.

6. The media player of claim 5, wherein the first file stops playing when the controller switches between the first file and the second file, and wherein the first file resumes where the first file stopped after the second file has played.

7. The media player of claim 5, further including a signal processing circuit being in communication with said controller, said signal processing circuit being configured to receive a raw signal of media content from the controller and convert the signal into a baseband audio signal of media content for output to an audio output.

8. The media player of claim 7, wherein said signal processing circuit is set to 0 when said controller switches between said the first file and the second file of the at least two files of media content.

9. The media player of claim 8, wherein the controller switches between said at least two files of media content to allow output of one file of media content at a time to enhance the delivered quality of the media content.

10. The media player of claim 7, further including a digital-to-analog converter in communication with said signal processing circuit, and an audio amplifier in communication with said digital-to-analog converter.

11. The media player of claim 10 wherein the digital-to-analog converter receives the baseband signal from said signal processing circuit and converts the baseband signal to an analog signal for output to the audio output.

12. The media player of claim 10, wherein the audio amplifier amplifies the analog signal to a level suitable for output to the audio output.

13. The media player of claim 1 further includes an audio adapter in communication with the controller, and wherein the audio adapter is configured to format a signal of media content for streaming over an Ethernet network.

14. A media player capable of being integrated with a telephone system to provide media content to a caller on-hold, the media player comprising:

a storage medium configured to store at least two files of media content; and

a controller in communication with said storage medium and said controller is configured to read said storage medium, and wherein said controller constructs a playlist based on a unique identifier name associated with each of the at least two files of media content wherein said controller is configured to create an order of execution for said playlist based on each of the unique identifier name associated with the at least two files of media content.

15. A media player capable of being integrated with a telephone system to provide media content to a caller on-hold, the media player comprising:

a storage medium configured to store at least two files of media content; and

wherein the at least two files of media content include a first file and a second file and wherein said controller is configured to switch between the first file and the second file after a predetermined amount of time of the output the first file; and

wherein the at least two files of media content are each longer than the predetermined amount of time.

16. A media player capable of being integrated with a telephone system to provide media content to a caller on-hold, the media player comprising:

a storage medium configured to store at least two files of media content each having a unique identifier name;

a controller in communication with the storage media and wherein the controller is configured to output a current media file by switching between media files of the at least two files of media content based on the unique identifier names and after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed;

a digital-to-analog converter in communication with the controller, and wherein the digital-to-analog converter converts the media content into an analog signal for output to a telephone; and

an audio amplifier in communication with the digital-to-analog converter, and wherein the audio amplifier amplifies the analog signal to a suitable level for output to the audio output.

17. The media player of claim 16, wherein said at least two files of media content include at least one of a music selection and a sound effect selection, and at least one selected from the group consisting of a greeting, a voice announcement, and a priority announcement.

18. A media player system capable of being integrated with a telephone system to provide media content to a caller on-hold, the media player system comprising:

at least one telephone;

a structured wiring system in communication with said at least one telephone, and wherein the structured wiring system connects wiring corresponding to said at least one telephone to a structured wiring cable;

a telephone system unit in communication with said structured wiring system via said structured wiring cable, and said telephone system unit is configured to route telephone calls to said at least one telephone; and

a media player in communication with said telephone system unit, wherein said media player has a controller configured to construct a playlist based on a unique identifier name associated with at least two files of media content and wherein said controller is configured to create an order of execution for said playlist based on said unique identifier name associated with said at least two files of media content.

19. The media player system of claim 18, wherein the structured wiring system is one of a punch-down block and a patch panel.

20. The media player system of claim 18, wherein the structured wiring cable is a riser cable.

21. The media player system of claim 20, wherein the riser cable is a twenty-five pair riser cable.

22. The media player system of claim 18, further includes a plurality of telephone circuits in communication with the telephone system unit, and a telephone service provider in communication with the plurality of telephone circuits.

23. The media player system of claim 18, wherein the at least one telephone is a plurality of telephones.

24. A method of programming and using a media player configured to provide media content to a telephone system for calls having an on-hold status, said method comprising:

assigning a unique identifier name to each of at least two media files;

storing the at least two media files on the storage medium;

constructing a playlist using the controller based on the unique identifier name of each of the at least two files of media content, and

creating an order of execution for the playlist based on the unique identifier name associated with the at least two files of media content using the controller; and

executing said playlist when a call is placed on-hold.

25. The method of claim 24, further including the step of:

switching between the at least two files of media content via the controller after a predetermined amount of time.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein switching between at least two files of media content includes at least one of fading in and fading out of the first file and the second file.

27. The method of claim 24, further including the step of:

detecting the storage medium capable of storing the at least two files of media content stored in a directory using the unique identifier name.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least two files include a first file and a second file.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein one of the at least two files outputs at a given time.

30. The method of claim 24, further including the step of:

detecting a user configured restart.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein detecting the user configured restart includes detecting the presence of the storage medium.

32. The method of claim 24, further including the step of:

reprogramming the at least two files of media content stored on the storage medium.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein reprogramming the at least two files of media content includes at least one of adding another file of media content, deleting one of the at least two files of media content, and changing one of the at least two files of media content.