Portable terminal unit and sound reproducing system using at least one portable terminal unit

• US 20030023331A1
• Filed: 07/24/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Takanashi, Nobuaki, Komura, Tatsumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/00 Two-channel systems H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

A sound reproducing system including at least one portable terminal unit which acquires data including sound data. For example, the data may be multimedia data and is acquired from data delivery service and the like. Each of the at least one portable terminal unit comprises: a loudspeaker for reproducing sound from the sound data; and a sound data reproducing portion which makes the loudspeaker reproduce the sound based on the sound data and in cooperation with at least one sound devices. The sound devices may be other portable terminal units. By using a plurality of portable terminal units, it becomes possible to reproduce stereophonic sound, surround sound, and the like. It is also possible to reproduce image together with such sound.

Claims

1. A portable terminal unit which acquires data including sound data, the portable terminal unit comprising:

a loudspeaker for reproducing sound from the sound data;

a sound data reproducing portion which makes the loudspeaker reproduce the sound based on the sound data and in cooperation with at least one sound devices.

2. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sound data is included in multimedia data.

3. A sound reproducing system as seat forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sound devices is a portable terminal unit.

4. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable terminal unit has a display for displaying an image based on acquired image data.

5. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sound devices has a display for displaying an image.

6. A sound reproducing system including at least one portable terminal unit which acquires data including sound data, wherein each of the at least one portable terminal unit comprises:

a loudspeaker for reproducing sound from the sound data;

a sound data reproducing portion which makes the loudspeaker reproduce the sound based on the sound data and in cooperation with at least one sound device.

7. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the sound data is included in multimedia data.

8. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of the sound devices is a portable terminal unit.

9. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit has a display for displaying an image based on acquired image data.

10. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of the sound devices has a display for displaying an image.

11. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the sound reproducing system has at least two displays disposed in the portable terminal units and/or the sound devices, and the at least two displays display mutually different images.

12. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit has a function of dividing and/or distributing the acquired data.

13. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit has a storage for storing the acquired data.

14. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit transfers the data stored in the storage to at least one of the sound devices.

15. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 14, wherein storing of the data into the storage and transferring the data to at least one of other sound devices are performed simultaneously.

16. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit reproduces at least a part of the acquired data while transferring other portion of the acquired data to at least one of other sound devices.

17. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the sound device reproduces the data while receiving the data from the portable terminal unit.

18. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the reproducing operation of the portable terminal unit and the reproducing operation of the sound device are performed in cooperation with each other.

19. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least two portable terminal units acquire mutually different data respectively, and each of the portable terminal units transfers data separately to corresponding one of at least two sound devices, and wherein the data acquired in the portable terminal units and the data acquired in the sound devices are reproduced in cooperation with each other.

20. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the data are transmitted to and/or received by the portable terminal unit via wireless or wired communication.

21. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the data is transmitted from a data delivery service.

22. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the data is provided to the portable terminal unit via a storage or a storage medium.

23. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit reproduces the data taking the delay time caused by the transmission of the data from the portable terminal unit to the sound device into consideration.

24. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least two, of the portable terminal units are coupled with different output sides of a data separating connector via cables or wireless coupling.

25. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 24, wherein the data separating connector receives data from an information equipment or sound device, and separates and transfers the received data to the portable terminal units.

26. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the portable terminal unit and/or sound devices receive an operating electric power from an equipment from which the portable terminal unit and/or sound device acquire the data.