Portable media playback device including user interface event passthrough to non-media-playback processing

• US 7,729,791 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Boettcher, Jesse
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders; Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US11/530,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 713/100
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method of operating a portable electronics device can include integrated operation of media playback processing and non-media-playback processing (such as, for example, a game). The method can include receiving an event corresponding to operation of a user interface item by a user of the portable electronics device. The received event can be provided to the non-media-playback processing. The non-media-playback processing can determine whether to cause an action corresponding to the provided received event with respect to the non-media-playback processing. For an event determined by the non-media-playback processing to not cause an action corresponding to the provided received event with respect to the non-media-playback processing, the provided received event can be provided to the media playback processing. Typically, the operating performed by the media playback processing based on the event can be the processing that would otherwise be performed by the media playback processing if the non-media-playback processing was not even occurring.

Claims

1. A method of integrated operation of media playback processing and non-media-playback processing by a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a user input event for selecting an operation to be performed by the portable electronic device;

operating in a mode by the portable electronic device suitable for processing the selected operation without further user interaction by,

providing the received event directly to the media playback processing;

passing the received event directly to the non-media playback processing by the media playback processing;

if the non-media playback processing determines that selected operation is to be performed by the non-media playback processing, then the non-media playback processing performs the selected operation, otherwise, automatically passing the received event to the media playback processing; and

performing the selected operation corresponding to the received event by the media playback processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

passing the received event to the non-media-playback processing includes providing an indication of the event to a data structure associated with the non-media-playback processing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the automatically passing the received event to the media playback processing includes removing the indication of the event from the data structure associated with the non-media-playback processing and providing the indication of the event to a data structure associated with the media playback processing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the non-media-playback processing includes processing for a game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the non-media-playback processing determines to not cause an action corresponding to the provided received event with respect to the non-media-playback processing; and

the method further comprises the media playback processing causing an operation to be performed on the provided received event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the selected operation is performed by the media playback processing in the absence of the non-media playback processing.

7. A computer readable medium for storing program code for operating a portable electronic device including integrated operation of media playback processing and non-media-playback processing, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer code for receiving a user input event for selecting an operation to be performed by the portable electronic device;

computer code for causing the portable electronic device to operate in a mode suitable for processing the selected operation without further user interaction, comprising;

computer code for providing the received event directly to the media playback processing;

computer code for passing the received event directly to the non-media playback processing by the media playback processing;

computer code for determining if the selected operation is to be performed by the non-media playback processing, then the non-media playback processing performs the operation, otherwise, automatically passing the received event to the media playback processing; and

computer code for performing the operation corresponding to the received event by the media playback processing.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the computer code for determining includes computer code for providing an indication of the event to a data structure associated with the non-media-playback processing.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

computer code for removing the indication of the event from the data structure associated with the non-media-playback processing and providing the indication of the event to a data structure associated with the media playback processing.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the non-media-playback processing includes processing for a game.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the non-media-playback processing determines to not cause an action corresponding to the provided received event with respect to the non-media-playback processing; and

the computer program product further comprising computer program instructions which are operable to cause the media playback processing to perform an operation on the provided received event.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein:

the selected operation is performed by the media playback processing in the absence of the non-media-playback processing.

13. A portable electronic device configured to operate media playback processing and non-media-playback processing in an integrated manner, the portable electronic device comprising:

a user interface adapted to receive user inputs; and

processing circuitry, adapted to perform the media playback processing and the non-media-playback processing, the processing circuitry configured to receive from the user interface a user provided input event for selecting an operation to be performed by the portable electronic device, and cause the portable electronic device to operate in a mode suitable for processing the selected operation without further user interaction by providing the received event directly to the media playback processing, passing the received event directly to the non-media-playback processing by the media playback processing, if the selected operation is to be performed by the non-media-playback processing, then the non-playback-processing performs the operation otherwise, the received event is automatically passed to the media playback processing, and the selected operation is performed by the media playback processing.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein:

the processing circuitry being configured to cause the portable electronic device to provide the received event to the non-media-playback processing includes the processing circuitry being configured to cause the portable electronic device to provide an indication of the event to a data structure associated with the non-media-playback processing.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein:

the processing circuitry being configured to cause the portable electronic device to provide the received event to the media playback processing, the processing circuitry being configured to cause the portable electronic device to remove the indication of the event from the data structure associated with the non-media-playback processing and providing the indication of the event to a data structure associated with the media playback processing.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein:

the non-media-playback processing includes processing for a game.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein:

the non-media-playback processing determines to not cause an action corresponding to the provided received event with respect to the non-media-playback processing; and

the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the media playback processing to perform an operation on the provided received event.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein:

the operation caused to be performed on the provided received event, by the media playback processing, is the operation that would otherwise be cause to be performed on the provided received event in the absence of the non-media-playback processing.