Method and system for unified audio control on a personal computer

• US 8,644,481 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bear, Eric Gould, Magendanz, Chad, Adams, Aditha May, Ledbetter, Carl, Kaneko, Steve, Crosier, Dale C.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/563,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20100008488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.02, 379/110.01, 379/102.03, 379/372, 379/430
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

A system and method for improved audio controls on a personal computer is provided. The system and method provide a unified architecture for audio controls across hardware and software interfaces of the personal computer. An intelligent facility may automatically change audio controls for users to simply interact with various communications and media applications. To this end, a configurable audio controller intelligently handles various aspects of the system'"'"'s audio devices by following various rules that may be based at least in part on user-configurable settings and a current operating state. The present invention also provides audio controls so that a user may easily change audio settings such as the volume of an audio output device. There are many applications that may use the present invention for automatic control of audio devices based upon the user'"'"'s context.

Claims

1. A method for controlling audio output rendered from a computing system, the method comprising:

the computing system routing an audio stream from a logical audio driver to a master audio controller;

the computing system using the master audio controller to adjust at least one attribute of the audio stream;

the computing system forwarding the audio stream from the master audio controller to a respective audio output driver;

the computing system using the respective audio output driver to render the adjusted audio stream as audio output at an audio output device that is connected to the computing system;

the computing system receiving an event, the event comprising an incoming telephone call received at the computing system and a corresponding user interaction with a telephony button at the computing system; and

the computing system, in response to the incoming telephone call and subsequent to the corresponding user interaction with the telephony button, but prior to connecting the telephone call to the audio output device, temporarily pausing the rendering of the audio stream and such that audio output corresponding to the audio stream is no longer rendered at the audio output device during the temporary pausing.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method further includes resuming playback of the audio stream after the telephone call is disconnected.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein resuming playback of the audio stream includes restoring an audio state that existed prior to the telephone call.

4. The method recited in claim 2, wherein disconnecting the telephone call occurs in response to a user entering input to the computing system.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the user enters input through a touch screen panel of the computing system.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the computing system, in response to the incoming telephone call, automatically pauses the rendering of the audio stream.

7. A computing system comprising:

at least one audio output device configured to render music output;

telephone hardware configured for receiving a telephone call; and

storage media storing computer executable instructions for implementing a method for controlling audio output rendered from the computing system, the method comprising;

the computing system routing an audio stream from a logical audio driver to a master audio controller;

the computing system using the master audio controller to adjust at least one attribute of the audio stream;

the computing system forwarding the audio stream from the master audio controller to a respective audio output driver;

the computing system using the respective audio output driver to render the adjusted audio stream as audio output at an audio output device;

the computing system receiving an event, the event comprising an incoming telephone call received at the computing system and a corresponding user interaction with a telephony button at the computing system; and

the computing system, in response to the incoming telephone call and subsequent to the corresponding user interaction with the telephony button, but prior to connecting the telephone call to the audio output device, temporarily pausing the rendering of the audio stream and such that audio output corresponding to the audio stream is no longer rendered at the audio output device during the temporary pausing.

8. The computing system recited in claim 7, wherein the method further includes resuming playback of the audio stream after the telephone call is disconnected.

9. The computing system recited in claim 8, wherein resuming playback of the audio stream includes restoring an audio state that existed prior to the telephone call.

10. The computing system recited in claim 9, wherein disconnecting the telephone call occurs in response to a user entering input to the computing system.

11. The computing system recited in claim 10, wherein computing system includes a touch screen panel and wherein the user enters the input through the touch screen panel.

12. The computing system recited in claim 7, wherein the computing system, in response to the incoming telephone call, automatically pauses the rendering of the audio stream.

13. A computer storage device storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computing system, implement a method for controlling audio output rendered from the computing system, the method comprising:

the computing system routing an audio stream from a logical audio driver to a master audio controller;

the computing system using the master audio controller to adjust at least one attribute of the audio stream;

the computing system forwarding the audio stream from the master audio controller to a respective audio output driver;

the computing system using the respective audio output driver to render the adjusted audio stream as audio output at an audio output device;

the computing system receiving an event, the event comprising an incoming telephone call received at the computing system and a corresponding user interaction with a telephony button at the computing system; and

the computing system, in response to the incoming telephone call and subsequent to the corresponding user interaction with the telephony button, but prior to connecting the telephone call to the audio output device, temporarily pausing the rendering of the audio stream and such that audio output corresponding to the audio stream is no longer rendered at the audio output device during the temporary pausing.

14. The computer storage device recited in claim 13, wherein the method further includes resuming playback of the audio stream after the telephone call is disconnected.

15. The computer storage device recited in claim 14, wherein resuming playback of the audio stream includes restoring an audio state that existed prior to the telephone call.

16. The computer storage device recited in claim 15, wherein disconnecting the telephone call occurs in response to a user entering input to the computing system.

17. The computer storage device recited in claim 16, wherein computing system includes a touch screen panel and wherein the user enters the input through the touch screen panel.

18. The computer storage device recited in claim 13, wherein the computing system, in response to the incoming telephone call, automatically pauses the rendering of the audio stream.