Audio converter device and method for using the same

• US 7,142,934 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2001
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Distributed Media Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Janik, Craig M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grier, Laura A.
• Application Number:
  US09/945,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,914 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 709 21-219
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used touch-screen interfaces G10H2220/096
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast

Abstract

An audio converter device and a method for using the same are provided. In one embodiment, the audio converter device receives the digital audio data from a first device via a local area network. The audio converter device decompresses the digital audio data and converts the digital audio data into analog electrical data. The audio converter device transfers the analog electrical data to an audio playback device.

Claims

1. A method to play back digital media, the method comprising:

receiving a portion of a digital media file stored on a server via a local area network into a volatile memory in a client converter device;

converting the portion of the digital media file in the volatile memory to a format usable by a conventional media playback system; and

receiving a subsequent portion of the digital media file from the server into the volatile memory via the local area network, wherein flow of the subsequent portion of the digital media file from the server is controlled so as to insure that the volatile memory is filled as the portion of the digital media in the volatile memory is being converted.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

converting the digital media file into analog electrical data; and

manipulating a transfer of the analog electrical data to the conventional media playback system using a user interface on the client converter device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

converting the digital media file into analog electrical data; and

manipulating a transfer of the analog electrical data to the conventional media playback system using a portable electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising manipulating the transfer of the analog electrical data using a portable electronic device embodied in a personal digital assistant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the digital media file from the network includes receiving the digital media file using a wireless transceiver via wireless transfer protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising using IEEE 802.11b as the wireless transfer protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising using a wireless local area network adapter to receive the digital media file from the local area network.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising receiving into a personal digital assistant the digital media file from the local area network via the wireless local area network adapter.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting an activation of a button of the client converter device to start playback on the conventional media playback system.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising converting the digital media file to an analog line level audio signal format.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising converting the digital media file to an uncompressed digital audio bitstream format.

12. A machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a sequence of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a portion of a digital media file stored on a server via a local area network into a volatile memory in a client converter device;

converting the portion of the digital media file in the volatile memory to a format usable by a conventional media playback system; and

receiving a subsequent portion of the digital media file from the server into the volatile memory via the local area network, wherein flow of the subsequent portion of the digital media file from the server is controlled so as to ensure that the volatile memory is filled as the portion of the digital media in the volatile memory is being converted.