Event recorder for portable media device

• US 7,589,629 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tupman, David, Fadell, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu; Van T.
• Application Number:
  US11/680,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20080204218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.26, 340/539.27, 340/539.28, 340/539.29, 340/500, 340/501, 340/517, 340/10.41, 473/131, 473/212, 702/160
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/18 Error detection or correction; Testing , e.g. of drop-outs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

Operational parametric sensing and event recording capabilities are provided for portable electronic devices such as media players, cell phones, laptop computers, and the like that takes the can take the form of a standalone sensing unit or as an integrated component of the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. In a portable electronic device, a method of recording an event, comprising:

monitoring the portable electronic device for at least one physical occurrence expressed as a parameter having a parameter value;

designating the physical occurrence as the event when the associated parameter value reaches or exceeds a parameter threshold value; and

recording event data corresponding to the event,

if at least some of the recorded event data is improperly recorded, then

evaluating a current operational status of the portable electronic device using a portion of the properly recorded event data.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

issuing in real time a notification that the event has been recorded; and

recording the issuance of the notification as part of the recorded event data.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

updating an event counter indicating a number of times that a like event has occurred.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the event data comprises:

an event type code;

a date of the event;

a time of the event;

a duration of the event; and

the event counter.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the issuing the notification comprises:

communicating at least some of the recorded event data.

6. A method as recited as recited in claim 5, wherein the communicating comprises:

providing a visual cue and/or an audio cue.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the evaluating the operational status of the portable electronic device further comprises:

passing at least some of the recorded event data to an external circuit for further processing that includes at least some of the evaluating; and

issuing an operational status evaluation report that includes a current operational status of the portable electronic device.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

if the current operational status requires a repair operation, then

determining if the repair operation is covered by a manufacturer'"'"'s warranty or not based upon the evaluation.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the external circuit is a computing device.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the computing device is part of a network of computing devices.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical occurrence is selected from a group comprising:

exposure to heat and/or cold, impact, stress, user-initiated action, and exposure to moisture.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

updating the parameter threshold value to an updated parameter threshold value.

13. A portable consumer electronic product, comprising:

a sensing unit arranged to monitor the consumer electronic product for at least one physical occurrence expressed as a parameter having a parameter value;

a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the sensing unit arranged to, at least, receive the parameter value from the sensing unit and designate the physical occurrence as an event when the parameter value reaches or exceeds a parameter threshold value; and

a recording device coupled to the processor arranged to, at least, record event data corresponding to the event, Wherein if at least some of the recorded event data is improperly recorded, then a current operational status of the portable consumer electronic product is evaluated using a portion of the properly recorded event data.

14. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 13, wherein the CPU issues and records in the recording device as part of the event data, a notification that the event has occurred and has been recorded.

15. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 14, wherein the event data comprises:

an event type code;

a date of the event;

a time of the event;

a duration of the event; and

an event counter indicating a number of times that a like event has occurred.

16. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 15, wherein the notification includes at least some of the recorded event data.

17. A portable electronic consumer product as recited as recited in claim 16, wherein the notification takes the form of a visual cue and/or an audio cue.

18. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 13, wherein the portable electronic consumer product further comprises:

an input/output device coupled to the CPU arranged to pass at least some of the recorded event data to an external circuit for further processing.

19. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 18, wherein as part of the further processing the external circuit issues an operational status evaluation report.

20. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 19, wherein if the current operational status indicates that a repair operation is required, then the external circuit determines if the repair operation is covered by a manufacturer'"'"'s warranty or not.

21. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 20, wherein the external circuit is a computing device.

22. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 21, wherein the computing device is part of a network of computing devices.

23. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 22, wherein the physical occurrence is selected from a group comprising:

exposure to heat and/or cold, impact, stress, user initiated action, and exposure to moisture.

24. A portable electronic consumer product as recited in claim 13, wherein the parameter threshold value is periodically updated.

25. An evaluation unit having a processor for evaluating an operational status of a portable electronic device, comprising:

computer code for monitoring the portable electronic device for at least one physical occurrence expressed as a parameter having a parameter value;

computer code for designating the physical occurrence as an event when the associated parameter value reaches or exceeds a parameter threshold value;

computer code for recording event data corresponding to the event;

computer code for determining a current operational status of the portable electronic device based upon the recorded event data;

computer code for determining if the current operational status requires a repair operation;

computer code for determining if the repair operation is covered by a manufacturer'"'"'s warranty or not; and

computer readable medium for storing the computer code.

26. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

computer code for issuing in real time a notification that the event has been recorded; and

computer code for recording the issuance of the notification as part of the recorded event data.

27. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

computer code for updating an event counter indicating a number of times that a like event has occurred.

28. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 27, wherein the event data comprises:

an event type code;

a date of the event;

a time of the event;

a duration of the event; and

the event counter.

29. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 27, wherein the issuing the notification comprises:

computer code for communicating at least some of the recorded event data.

30. An evaluation unit as recited as recited in claim 29, wherein the communicating comprises:

computer code for providing a visual cue and/or an audio cue.

31. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

computer code for evaluating the operational status of the portable electronic device based upon the recorded event data

computer code for determining if at least some of the recorded event data is improperly recorded; and

computer code for evaluating a current operational status of the portable electronic device using a portion of the properly recorded event data.

32. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 31, further comprising:

computer code for passing at least some of the recorded event data to an external computing device having a processor arranged to execute computer code for further processing that includes at least some of the evaluating; and

computer code for issuing a portable electronic device operational status evaluation report based upon the evaluating.

33. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 31, wherein the external circuit is a computing device that is part of a network of computing devices.

34. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 25, wherein the physical occurrence is selected from a group comprising:

exposure to heat and/or cold, impact, stress, user initiated action, and exposure to moisture.

35. An evaluation unit as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

computer code for updating the parameter threshold value to an updated parameter threshold value.

36. A system, comprising:

a portable electronic consumer product, having at least a sensing unit arranged to monitor the consumer electronic product for at least one physical occurrence expressed as a parameter having a parameter value, a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the sensing unit arranged to, at least, receive the parameter value from the sensing unit and designate the physical occurrence as an event when the parameter value reaches or exceeds a parameter threshold value, and a recording device coupled to the processor arranged to, at least, record event data corresponding to the event; and

an external circuit in communication with at least the portable electronic consumer product arranged to evaluate the current operational status based, in part, upon recorded event data received from the recording device, wherein if at least some of the recorded event data is improperly recorded, then a current operational status of the portable electronic consumer product is evaluated using a portion of the properly recorded event data.

37. The system as recited in claim 36, wherein the CPU issues in real time a notification that the event has been recorded, and records the issuance of the notification as part of the recorded event data.

38. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein the CPU updates an event counter indicating a number of times that a like event has occurred.

39. The system as recited in claim 37, the notification includes at least some of the recorded event data.

40. The system as recited in claim 36, wherein the event data comprises:

an event type code;

a date of the event;

a time of the event;

a duration of the event; and

the event counter.

41. A system, comprising:

a portable electronic consumer product having at least a sensing unit arranged to monitor the consumer electronic product for at least one physical occurrence expressed as a parameter having a parameter value, a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the sensing unit arranged to, at least receive the parameter value from the sensing unit and designate the physical occurrence as an event when the parameter value reaches or exceeds a parameter threshold value, and a recording device coupled to the processor arranged to, at least, record event data corresponding to the event; and

an external circuit in communication with at least the portable electronic consumer product arranged to

evaluate the current operational status based, in part, upon recorded event data received from the recording device,

determine if the current operational status requires a repair operation, and

determine if the repair operation is covered by a manufacturer'"'"'s warranty or not.

42. The system as recited in claim 41, wherein the CPU issues in real time a notification if the current operational status requires the repair operation.

43. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein the notification includes the indication if the repair operation is covered by the manufacturer'"'"'s warranty or not.