Portable music player

• US 6,425,018 B1
• Filed: 01/15/1999
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sphere Multimedia Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sphere Multimedia Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cavada, Luis, Kaganas, Israel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Rijue
• Application Number:
  US09/232,399
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 710/1, 710/10, 710/20, 710/72, 710/73, 710/108, 710/109, 710/5, 710/7, 710/15, 710/52, 710/57, 710/61, 710/62, 710/63, 710/64, 710/100
• US Class Current: 710/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/16 Solid state audio deprecated, only for historical reasons, G06F3/16, G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/16 Storage of analogue signals in digital stores using an arrangement comprising analogue/digital [A/D] converters, digital memories and digital/analogue [D/A] converters

Abstract

A portable music player computational device having a digital signal processor, for processing information, and a microcontroller connected to the digital signal processor by an electronic bus, one or more semiconductor memory devices connected to the digital signal processor by a second electronic bus, where the microcontroller controls the transfer of electronic information to and from one of said memory devices, one or more input sources connected to said microcontroller, said input sources providing information for the operation of said music player, one or more output devices connected to said digital signal processor where said microcontroller controls the transfer of electronic information to one or more of said output devices.

Claims

1. A portable music player computational device comprising:

a digital signal processor, for processing information,

a microcontroller connected to said digital signal processor by an electronic bus,

one or more semiconductor memory devices connected to said digital signal processor by a second electronic bus, said microcontroller controlling the transfer of electronic information to and from one of said memory devices, wherein a said memory device includes an external connection for connecting said memory device, while said memory device is connected to said second electronic bus, to a personal communication device, where said memory device contains information to operate said personal communication device, such that said music player operates as instructed by information contained in said memory device,

one or more input sources connected to said microcontroller, said input sources providing information for the operation of said music player, one or more output devices connected to said digital signal processor where said microcontroller controls the transfer of electronic information to one or more of said output devices.

2. A portable music player computational device as in claim 1, further comprising:

an interface cartridge connected to said second electronic bus, containing a plurality of addressable connections for receiving said memory devices, each said memory device addressable for transfer of information to and from said digital signal processor.

3. A portable music player computational device as in claim 1, wherein said memory devices are removable high density electronic semiconductor memory supported in a small plastic molded card, said memory devices capable of storing information,

said plastic molded card having external electronic terminals for said respective said memory device, said terminals providing a connection between said memory device and said second electronic bus.

4. A portable music player computational device as in claim 1, wherein said personal communication device is a cellular telephone communications device connected to said external connection of said memory device by a wireless communication connection between said memory device and said cellular telephone communications device, said memory device connected with said cellular telephone communications device having prerecorded information including an operating system, firmware and other instructional and data information such the operation of that said personal communications device functions will be performed by said music player.

5. A portable music player computational device as in claim 1, wherein said personal communication device is a global positioning device, said memory device connected with said global positioning device having prerecorded information including an operating system, firmware an other instructional and data information such that the operating functions of said global positioning device will be performed by said music player.

6. A portable music player computational device as in claim 3, wherein a selected said memory device contains information to operate said music player including a software operating system for controlling said music player, wherein said operating system is loaded from said memory device into said music player by firmware located in said music player during start up initialization routines performed by said music player.

7. A portable music player computational device as in claim 6, wherein said initialization routines query each said connected memory device to determine which said memory device contains the most up to date operating system to be used by said music player, and loading a said selected operating system into said music player.

8. A portable music player computational device as in claim 7, wherein said music player performs the functions of a said selected memory device whether or not the most up to date operating system is loaded from said selected memory device.

9. A portable music player computational device as in claim 6, wherein a said operating system contains information to choose variable sampling rates to optimize memory, optimize time constraints and vary output and input quality pursuant to information contained within a said selected memory device.

10. A portable music player computational device as in claim 3, wherein said second electronic bus is a serial bus, such that each and every said memory device has a unique address on said second electronic bus.

11. A portable music player computational device as in claim 10, wherein said memory devices contain information in random access memory or read only memory and one or more said memory devices may contain information in random access memory and one or more in read only memory.

12. A portable music player computational device as in claim 11, wherein said information is prerecorded in read only memory.

13. A portable music player computational device as in claim 11, wherein said memory device receives information from said music player that is recorded on said memory device in random access memory.

14. A portable music player computational device as in claim 1, wherein said personal communication device is a cellular telephone communications device connected to said external connection of said memory device by a direct connect communication connection between said memory device and said cellular telephone communications device, said memory device connected with said cellular telephone communications device having prerecorded information including an operating system, firmware and other instructional and data information such the operation of that said personal communications device functions will be performed by said music player.

15. A portable music player computational device as in claim 3, wherein a personal communication device connects to said memory device by said second electronic bus, where said memory device contains information to operate said personal communication device, such that said music player operates as instructed by information contained in said memory device.

16. A portable music player computational device as in claim 1, wherein said input source is from a broadcast source of a plurality of information sources whereby said microcontroller receives said input source of information to perform a function as specified by said memory device.