Electronic equipment with shuffle operation

• US 20070156679A1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kretz, Martin, Gajdos, Tom George
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs

Abstract

An electronic equipment is provided that includes access to a playlist, the content of which identifies a plurality of media objects, and a media player section configured to play the plurality of media objects identified in the playlist in an order. In addition, the electronic equipment includes a shuffler section for altering at least one of the order in which the plurality of media objects in the playlist are played by the media player, or the content of the playlist, in response to a shuffle command. The electronic equipment further includes a motion sensor that detects motion of the electronic equipment, the motion sensor producing an output based on detected motion from which the shuffle command is derived.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment, comprising:

access to a playlist, the content of which identifies a plurality of media objects;

a media player section configured to play the plurality of media objects identified in the playlist in an order;

a shuffler section for altering at least one of the order in which the plurality of media objects in the playlist are played by the media player, or the content of the playlist, in response to a shuffle command; and

a motion sensor that detects motion of the electronic equipment, the motion sensor producing an output based on detected motion from which the shuffle command is derived.

2. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the shuffler section alters the order in which the media objects identified in the playlist are played by the media player section in response to the shuffle command.

3. The electronic equipment of claim 2, wherein the shuffler section alters the order which the media objects are played primarily in a local area of a media object within the playlist which is being played at a time when the shuffle command is issued.

4. The electronic equipment of claim 3, wherein the shuffler section alters the order using a pseudo-random generator.

5. The electronic equipment of claim 2, wherein the shuffler section alters the order primarily throughout the entire playlist.

6. The electronic equipment of claim 5, wherein the shuffler section alters the order using a pseudo-random generator.

7. The electronic equipment of claim 2, wherein the shuffler section alters the order by causing the media player to jump to a media object within the playlist other than the media object which is being played at a time when the shuffle command signal is issued.

8. The electronic equipment of claim 2, wherein the shuffler section alters the content of the playlist in response to the shuffle command signal.

9. The electronic equipment of claim 8, wherein the electronic apparatus includes a library of media objects, the plurality of media objects identified in, the playlist represent a subset of the media objects within the library, and the shuffler section alters the content of the playlist by at least one of adding additional media objects from the library to the playlist, or substituting additional media objects from the library for all or part of the plurality of media objects already identified in the playlist.

10. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the shuffle command signal is operational to identify different degrees of motion detected by the motion sensor, the different degrees being operative to cause the shuffler section to perform corresponding different degrees of altering.

11. The electronic equipment of claim 10, wherein the different degrees of motion detected by the motion sensor pertain to the electronic equipment being shaken for a relatively short time versus a relatively long time.

12. The electronic equipment of claim 10, wherein the different degrees of motion detected by the motion sensor pertain to the electronic equipment being shaken relatively softly versus relatively aggressively.

13. The electronic equipment of claim 10, wherein in response to the shuffle command signal identifying a first degree of motion the shuffler section alters the order which the media objects are played primarily in a local area of a media object within the playlist which is being played at a time when the shuffle command is issued, and in response to the shuffle command signal identifying a second degree of motion the shuffler section alters the order primarily throughout the entire playlist.

14. The electronic equipment of claim 10, wherein in response to the shuffle command signal identifying a first degree of motion the shuffler section alters the content of the playlist to a relatively small extent, and in response to the shuffle command signal identifying a second degree of motion the shuffler section alters the content of the playlist to a relatively large extent.

15. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the media objects comprise at least audio files.

16. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the media objects comprise at least video files.

17. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the media objects comprise at least image files.

18. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment is a mobile phone.

19. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment is a portable personal entertainment device.

20. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is located remote from a main housing of the electronic equipment.

21. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the playlist is located remote from the electronic equipment.

22. The electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media objects are located remote from the electronic equipment.

23. A method of reproducing media objects in an electronic equipment, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a playlist, the content of which identifies a plurality of media objects;

playing the plurality of media objects identified in the playlist in an order;

detecting motion of the electronic equipment; and

altering at least one of the order in which the plurality of media objects in the playlist are played by the media player, or the content of the playlist, in response to detecting the motion.

24. A program stored on a machine readable medium which, when executed by a machine, provides for reproducing media objects in an electronic equipment by:

providing a playlist, the content of which identifies a plurality of media objects;

playing the plurality of media objects identified in the playlist in an order;

detecting motion of the electronic equipment; and

altering at least one of the order in which the plurality of media objects in the playlist are played by the media player, or the content of the playlist, in response to detecting the motion.

25. An electronic equipment, comprising:

an assemblage of objects represented in electronic form;

a shuffler section for altering at least one of the order or content of the assemblage of objects, in response to a shuffle command; and

a motion sensor that detects motion of the electronic equipment, the motion sensor producing an output based on detected motion from which the shuffle command is derived.

26. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the assemblage of objects comprises a list of objects, and the shuffler section alters the order of the objects in the list in response to the shuffle command.

27. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the assemblage of objects comprises a list of objects, and the shuffler section alters which objects are in the list in response to the shuffle command.

28. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the assemblage of objects represent a current theme setting for a user interface included in the electronic equipment, and the shuffler section alters which objects make up the current theme setting in response to the shuffle command.

29. The electronic equipment of claim 28, wherein the assemblage of objects includes at least one of colors, fonts, icons or sounds.

30. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the assemblage of objects are represented as game items on a display included in the electronic equipment.

31. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the game items are playing cards.

32. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the electronic equipment comprises a mobile phone.

33. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the electronic equipment is a media player, and the assemblage of objects represent criteria by which the media player forms a playlist.

34. The electronic equipment of claim 25, wherein the electronic equipment is a media player, and the assemblage of objects represent individual playlists which make up an overall playlist.