Audio processing system having user-operable controls

• US 6,359,632 B1
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Eastty, Peter Charles, Thorpe, Peter Damien, Sleight, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THAI, CUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/178,340
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/354, 345/348, 345/978, 345/431, 345/970, 345/339, 345/173, 345/349, 345/326
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

Audio processing apparatus comprises an audio processor operable to apply audio processing operations to two or more input audio channels; user-operable adjustment controls for adjusting processing parameters associated with the audio processing operations; a display screen for displaying icons representing audio processing operations for each of the input audio channels, the display color of at least a part of an icon being defined by a logical color index; a data array mapping a set of logical color indices to colors for display on the display screen; and a detector for detecting user operation of the adjustment controls associated with an input audio channel and, in response to such a detection, for changing the display color of at least the part of the icon associated with that channel by changing the display color defined in the data array for the corresponding logical color index.

Claims

1. Audio processing apparatus comprising:

(i) an audio processor operable to apply audio processing operations to two or more input audio channels;

(ii) user-operable adjustment controls for adjusting processing parameters associated with said audio processing operations;

(iii) a display screen for displaying icons representing audio processing operations for each of said input audio channels, the display colour of at least a part of an icon being defined by a logical colour index;

(iv) a data array mapping a set of logical colour indices to colours for display on said display screen; and

(v) a detector for detecting user operation of said adjustment controls associated with an input audio channel and, in response to such a detection, for changing said display colour of at least the part of said icon associated with that channel by changing said display colour defined in said data array for the corresponding logical colour index;

whereby said detector is operable to detect the proximity of a user'"'"'s hand to at least one of said adjustment controls when said user'"'"'s hand is not touching said adjustment control.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said detector is also operable to detect the proximity of a user'"'"'s hand to an adjustment control and to change said display colour of the corresponding icon in response to said proximity detection.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said adjustment controls are touch-sensitive controls.