Portable audio/video playback apparatus

• US 9,456,238 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Toyama, Tateo, Kato, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US14/577,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20150103256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 348/503
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable audio/video playback apparatus of the present invention comprises an apparatus main body 1 and a broadcast receiver unit 4 removably attached to the apparatus main body. The apparatus main body 1 includes interfaces 32, 33 for connecting thereto the broadcast receiver unit; an audio processing circuit 22 connected to one interface 32 for processing and feeding an external audio signal to a speaker 24; and a video processing circuit 27 connected to the other interface 33 for processing and feeding an external video signal to a display 13. The broadcast receiver unit 4 includes interfaces 55, 56 connected to the foregoing interfaces 32, 33 and decoders 47, 48 for feeding an audio signal and a video signal included in a received television broadcast signal to the interfaces 55, 56.

Claims

1. An audio/video playback apparatus comprising:

a portable electronic device and an audio/video receiver unit removably attached to the portable electronic device;

the portable electronic device comprising;

a speaker;

a display;

a first interface module for removably connecting thereto the audio/video receiver unit;

an audio signal processing module connected to the first interface module for processing an audio signal fed thereto from the audio/video receiver unit via the first interface module for output to the speaker; and

a video signal processing module connected to the first interface module for processing a video signal fed thereto from the audio/video receiver unit via the first interface module for output to the display,

the audio/video receiver unit comprising;

a second interface module removably connected to the first interface module of the portable electronic device; and

a signal feeding module for feeding an audio signal and a video signal included in a received signal to the second interface module.

2. The audio/video playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a power source module for serving as a power source of the speaker, the display, the audio signal processing module and the video signal processing module, while the audio/video receiver unit comprises a power source module for serving as a power source of the signal feeding module.

3. The audio/video playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a signal downloaded from the Internet.

4. The audio/video playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a broadcast signal.

5. The audio/video playback apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the portable electronic device comprises the first interface module for removably and directly connecting thereto the audio/video receiver unit, and

wherein the audio/video receiver unit comprises the second interface module removably and directly connected to the first interface module of the portable electronic device.

6. The audio/video playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a control module operable to control the audio/video receiver unit.

7. An audio/video receiver unit removably attachable to a portable electronic device with a speaker and a display capable of reproducing and outputting an audio signal and a video signal, comprising:

a first interface module removably connectable to a second interface module of the portable electronic device; and

a signal feeding module for feeding an audio signal and a video signal included in a received signal to the first interface module.

8. The audio/video receiver unit according to claim 7, wherein the audio/video receiver unit is removably and directly attachable to the portable electronic device.

9. The audio/video receiver unit according to claim 7, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a control signal from the portable electronic device.

10. An audio/video playback method operated in an audio/video playback apparatus comprising a portable electronic device with a speaker and a display, and an audio/video receiver unit removably attached to the portable electronic device, wherein the method comprises

removably connecting the audio/video receiver unit to the portable electronic device,

feeding an audio signal and a video signal included in a received signal by the audio/video receiver unit to the portable electronic device,

processing the audio signal in the portable electronic device to prepare a first signal to be outputted to the speaker and feeding the first signal to the speaker,

processing the video signal in the portable electronic device to prepare a second signal to be outputted to the display and feeding the second signal to the display, and

outputting the first signal to the speaker and outputting the second signal to the display.

11. The audio/video playback method according to claim 10, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a signal downloaded from the Internet.

12. The audio/video playback method according to claim 10, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a broadcast signal.

13. The audio/video playback method according to claim 10,

wherein the portable electronic device comprises the first interface module for removably and directly connecting thereto the audio/video receiver unit, and

wherein the audio/video receiver unit comprises the second interface module removably and directly connected to the first interface module of the portable electronic device.

14. The audio/video playback method according to claim 10, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a control module operable to control the audio/video receiver unit.

15. A portable electronic device comprising:

a speaker;

a display;

an interface module for removably connecting thereto an audio/video receiver unit;

an audio signal processing module connected to the interface module for processing an audio signal fed thereto from the audio/video receiver unit via the interface module for output to the speaker; and

a video signal processing module connected to the interface module for processing a video signal fed thereto from the audio/video receiver unit via the interface module for output to the display.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a signal downloaded from the Internet.

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the audio/video receiver unit receives a broadcast signal.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the portable electronic device comprises the first interface module for removably and directly connecting thereto the audio/video receiver unit.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a control module operable to control the audio/video receiver unit.