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

• US 7,539,551 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2002
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Takanashi, Nobuaki, Komura, Tatsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flanders; Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US10/202,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,498 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 369/12, 369/11, 369/1, 369/2, 369 3- 10, 455/3.06, 455/41.3, 381/300, 381/306, 381/307
• 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 for acquiring data including sound data, the portable terminal unit comprising:

a sound data reproducing portion adapted for receiving the sound data and decoding the sound data into an analog sound signal, the sound data being in a digital format; and

at least one loudspeaker coupled to the sound data reproduction portion, the loudspeaker being disposed for receiving the analog sound signal and reproducing an audible sound corresponding to the sound data and in cooperation with at least one sound device, one of said at least one sound device being the source of said sound data, to give listeners the feeling of being at a live performance by having the portable terminal reproduce the audible sound synchronously with said at least one sound device when said sound data is reproduced, with said sound data shared by the portable terminal and said at lease one sound device;

the portable terminal unit being selected from the group consisting of;

portable telephone, personal handy phone system (PHS), cordless telephone, child unit of a party line, and personal digital assistant (PDA),

wherein the portable terminal unit is disposed at mutually separate locations and the decoded audible sound is a front-left sound FL, a front-right sound FR, a rear-left sound RL, a rear-right sound RR, and a low sound LOW of a low frequency range.

2. The portable terminal unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sound data is included in multimedia data.

3. The portable terminal unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sound devices is another portable terminal unit.

4. The portable terminal unit as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying an image based on acquired image data.

5. The portable terminal unit 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 comprising:

at least one portable terminal unit, selected from the group consisting of portable telephone, personal handy phone system (PUS), cordless telephone, child unit of a party line, and personal digital assistant (PDA), the portable terminal unit being adapted for acquiring data including sound data, each of the at least one portable terminal unit comprising;

a sound data reproducing portion adapted for receiving the sound data and decoding the sound data into an analog sound signal, the sound data being in a digital format; and

at least one loudspeaker coupled to the sound data reproduction portion, the loudspeaker being disposed for receiving the analog sound signal and reproducing an audible sound corresponding to the sound data and in cooperation with at least one sound device, one of said at least one sound device being the source of said sound data, to give listeners the feeling of being at a live performance by having the portable terminal reproduce the audible sound synchronously with said at least one sound device when said sound data is reproduced, with said sound data shared by the portable terminal and said at lease one sound device,

wherein each at least one portable terminal unit is disposed at mutually separate locations and the reproduced audible sound is a front-left sound FL, a front-right sound FR, a rear-left sound RL, a rear-right sound RR, and a low sound LOW of a low frequency range.

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 another portable terminal unit.

9. A sound reproducing system as set forth in claim 6, the portable terminal unit further comprising 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, the portable terminal unit further comprising means for 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, the portable terminal unit further comprising a transfer means for transferring 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, each of the portable terminal units transfers data separately to corresponding one of at least two sound devices, 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.

27. A sound reproducing system comprising:

a plurality of portable terminal unit, selected from the group consisting of;

portable telephone, personal handy phone system (PUS), cordless telephone, child unit of a party line, and personal digital assistant (PDA), the portable terminal unit being adapted for acquiring data including sound data, each one of the plurality of portable terminal unit comprising;

a sound data reproducing portion adapted for receiving the sound data and decoding the sound data into an analog sound signal, the sound data being in a digital format; and

at least one loudspeaker coupled to the sound data reproduction portion, the loudspeaker being disposed for receiving the analog sound signal and reproducing an audible sound corresponding to the sound data and in cooperation with at least another one of said plurality of portable terminal units, to give listeners the feeling of being at a live performance by having the portable terminals synchronously reproduce the audible sound when said sound data is reproduced, with said sound data shared by respective terminals or divided and utilized by respective terminals,

wherein each portable terminal unit is disposed at mutually separate locations and the reproduced audible sound is a front-left sound FL, a front-right sound FR, a rear-left sound RL, a rear-flight sound RR, and a low sound LOW of a low frequency range.

28. A sound reproducing system comprising:

a plurality of portable terminal unit, selected from the group consisting of;

portable telephone, personal handy phone system (PHS), cordless telephone, child unit of a party line, and personal digital assistant (PDA), the portable terminal unit being adapted for acquiring data including sound data of low frequency range and sound data of high frequency range,

at least one of the plurality of portable terminal unit comprising;

a sound data reproducing portion adapted for receiving the sound data of low frequency range and decoding the sound data of low frequency range into an analog sound signal, the sound data of low frequency range being in a digital format; and

at least one loudspeaker coupled to the sound data reproduction portion, the loudspeaker being disposed for receiving the analog sound signal and reproducing an audible sound corresponding to the sound data of low frequency range and in cooperation with at least another one of said plurality of portable terminal units, to give listeners the feeling of being at a live performance by having the portable terminals synchronously reproduce the audible sound when said sound data of low frequency range is reproduced, with said sound data of low frequency range shared by respective terminals or divided and utilized by respective terminals; and

at lease one of the plurality of portable terminal unit comprising;

a sound data reproducing portion adapted for receiving the sound data of high frequency range and decoding the sound data of high frequency range into an analog sound signal, the sound data of high frequency range being in a digital format; and

at least one loudspeaker coupled to the sound data reproduction portion, the loudspeaker being disposed for receiving the analog sound signal and reproducing an audible sound corresponding to the sound data of high frequency range and in cooperation with at least another one of said plurality of portable terminal units, to give listeners the feeling of being at a live performance by having the portable terminals synchronously reproduce the audible sound when said sound data of high frequency range is reproduced, with said sound data of high frequency range shared by respective terminals or divided and utilized by respective terminals,

wherein each portable terminal unit is disposed at mutually separate locations and the reproduced audible sound is a front-left sound FL, a front-right sound FR, a rear-left sound RL, a rear-fight sound RR, and a low sound LOW of a low frequency range.