WO2008002936A2 - Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory - Google Patents

Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2008002936A2
WO2008002936A2 PCT/US2007/072155 US2007072155W WO2008002936A2 WO 2008002936 A2 WO2008002936 A2 WO 2008002936A2 US 2007072155 W US2007072155 W US 2007072155W WO 2008002936 A2 WO2008002936 A2 WO 2008002936A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
media player
images
accessory
artwork
image
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2007/072155
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2008002936A3 (en
Inventor
Jay S. Laefer
Gregory T. Lydon
Donald J. Novotney
John B. Filson
David Tupman
Original Assignee
Apple Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Apple Inc. filed Critical Apple Inc.
Priority to EP07799052A priority Critical patent/EP2033192A2/en
Publication of WO2008002936A2 publication Critical patent/WO2008002936A2/en
Publication of WO2008002936A3 publication Critical patent/WO2008002936A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R27/00—Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/102—Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers
    • G11B27/105—Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers of operating discs
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/19—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier
    • G11B27/28—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording
    • G11B27/32—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
    • G11B27/327—Table of contents
    • G11B27/329—Table of contents on a disc [VTOC]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R31/00—Coupling parts supported only by co-operation with counterpart
    • H01R31/06—Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/64—Means for preventing incorrect coupling
    • H01R13/645—Means for preventing incorrect coupling by exchangeable elements on case or base
    • H01R13/6456—Means for preventing incorrect coupling by exchangeable elements on case or base comprising keying elements at different positions along the periphery of the connector
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R2105/00—Three poles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R24/00—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure
    • H01R24/58—Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to electrical devices and more particularly to electronic devices such as media players that communicate with accessory devices.
  • the present invention relates generally to electrical devices and more particularly to electronic devices such as media players that communicate with accessory devices.
  • a media player stores media assets, such as audio tracks or photos that can be played or displayed on the media player.
  • media assets such as audio tracks or photos that can be played or displayed on the media player.
  • One example of a media player is the iPodTM media player, which is available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, CA.
  • a media player acquires its media assets from a host computer that serves to enable a user to manage media assets.
  • the host computer can execute a media management application to manage media assets.
  • One example of a media management application is iTunes ® , version 6.0, produced by Apple Inc.
  • a media player typically includes one or more connectors or ports that can be used to interface to the media player.
  • the connector or port can enable the media player to couple to a host computer, be inserted into a docking system, and/or receive an accessory device.
  • accessory devices There are today many different types of accessory devices that can interconnect to the media player.
  • a remote control can be connected to the connector or port to allow the user to remotely control the media player.
  • an automobile can include a connector and the media player can be inserted onto the connector such that an automobile media system can interact with the media player, thereby allowing the media content on the media player to be played within the automobile.
  • a method, system, and connector interface for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory comprises obtaining, by the accessory, artwork information associated with album artwork from the media player and obtaining, by the accessory, the album artwork from the media player based on the artwork information.
  • the media player and accessory may utilize a plurality of commands utilized in a variety of environments, such as within a connector interface system environment, to facilitate the transfer of album artwork.
  • FIGS. IA and IB illustrate a docking connector in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 2 A is a front and top view of a remote connector in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 2B illustrates a plug that can be utilized in the remote connector of Figure
  • Figure 2C illustrates the plug of Figure 2B inserted into the remote connector of Figure 2A.
  • Figure 3 A illustrates connector pin designations for the docking connector.
  • Figure 3B illustrates connection pin designations for the remote connector.
  • Figure 4A illustrates a typical FireWire connector interface for the docking connector.
  • Figure 4B illustrates a reference schematic diagram for an accessory power source.
  • Figure 4C illustrates a reference schematic diagram for a system for detecting and identifying accessories for the docking connector.
  • Figure 4D is a reference schematic of an electret microphone that may be within the remote connector.
  • Figure 5A illustrates a media player coupled to different accessories.
  • Figure 5 B illustrates the media player coupled to a computer.
  • Figure 5C illustrates the media player coupled to a car or home stereo system.
  • Figure 5D illustrates the media player coupled to a dongle that communicates wirelessly with other accessories.
  • Figure 5E illustrates the media player coupled to a speaker system.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory.
  • Figure 7 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for obtaining artwork information, which may be used to implement a step of Figure 6.
  • Figure 8 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for obtaining album artwork, which may be used to implement a step of Figure 6.
  • the present invention relates generally to electrical devices and more particularly to electrical devices such as media players that communicate with accessory devices.
  • the following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements.
  • Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
  • the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
  • media players and accessories are able to exchange album artwork using album art commands.
  • the album art commands include commands associated with exchanging index playing track information, artwork formats, track artwork times, and artwork data.
  • the media player and accessory may utilize the plurality of commands in a variety of environments to facilitate the transfer of album artwork.
  • One such environment is within a connector interface system environment such as described in detail hereinbelow. Connector Interface System Overview
  • Figures IA and IB illustrate a docking connector 100 in accordance with the present invention.
  • the keying features 102 are of a custom length 104.
  • a specific key arrangement is used where one set of keys is separated by one length at the bottom of the connector and another set of keys is separated by another length at the top of the connector. The use of this key arrangement prevents noncompliant connectors from being plugged in and causing potential damage to the device.
  • the connector for power utilizes a Firewire specification for power.
  • the connector includes a first make/last break contact to implement this scheme.
  • Figure 1 B illustrates the first make/last break contact 202 and also illustrates a ground pin and a power pin related to providing an appropriate first make/last break contact.
  • the ground pin 204 is longer than the power pin 206. Therefore, the ground pin 204 would contact its mating pin in the docking accessory before the power pin 206, minimizing internal electrical damage of the electronics of the device.
  • a connector interface system in accordance with the present invention uses both USB and Firewire interfaces as part of the same docking connector alignment, thereby making the design more compatible with different types of interfaces, as will be discussed in detail hereinafter. In so doing, more remote accessories can interface with the media player.
  • the connection interface system also includes a remote connector which provides for the ability to output and input audio, provides I/O serial protocol, and provides an output for video.
  • Figure 2A is a front and top view of a remote connector 200 in accordance with the present invention. As is seen, the remote connector 200 includes a top headphone receptacle 202, as well as a second receptacle 204 for remote devices.
  • Figure 2B illustrates a plug 300 to be utilized in the remote connector. The plug 300 allows the functions to be provided via the remote connector.
  • Figure 2C illustrates the plug 300 inserted into the remote connector 200.
  • all of these features have not been implemented in a remote connector. Therefore, a standard headphone cable can be plugged in, but also special remote control cables, microphone cables, and video cables could be utilized with the remote connector.
  • Figure 3 A illustrates the connector pin designations for the docking connector.
  • Figure 3 B illustrates the connection pin designations for the remote connector.
  • Figure 4A illustrates a typical Firewire connector interface for the docking connector.
  • Firewire may be designed to the IEEE 1394 A Spec (400 Mb/s).
  • the media player provides two configurations, or modes, of USB device operation: mass storage and media player USB Interface (MPUI).
  • MPUI allows the media player to be controlled using a media player accessory protocol (MPAP) which will be described in detail later herein, using a USB Human Interface Device (HID) interface as a transport mechanism.
  • MPAP media player accessory protocol
  • HID USB Human Interface Device
  • FIG. 4B illustrates the accessory power source.
  • the media player accessory power pin supplies voltages, for example, 3.0 V to 3.3V+/-5% (2.85 V to 3.465 V) over the docking connector and remote connector (if present). A maximum current is shared between the docking and remote connectors.
  • the media player supplies a particular current such as 5mA.
  • Proper software accessory detection is required to turn on high power (for example, up to 100 mA) during active device usage.
  • high power for example, up to 100 mA
  • devices When devices are inactive, they must consume less than a predetermined amount of power such as 5mA current.
  • Accessory power is grounded through the Digital GND pins.
  • Figure 4C illustrates a reference schematic diagram for a system for detecting and identifying accessories for the docking connector.
  • the system comprises a resistor to ground that allows the device to determine what has been plugged into docking connector.
  • Two pins (Accessory Identify & Accessory Detect) are used.
  • Figure 4D is a reference schematic of an electret microphone that is within the remote connector.
  • Figures 5 A-5E illustrate a media player 500 coupled to different accessories.
  • Figure 5A illustrates a media player 500' coupled to a docking station 502.
  • Figure 5B illustrates the media player 500" coupled to a computer 504.
  • Figure 5C illustrates the media player 500'" coupled to a car or home stereo system 506.
  • Figure 5D illustrates the media player 500"” coupled to a dongle 508 that communicates wirelessly with other devices.
  • Figure 5E illustrates the media player 500'"” coupled to a speaker system 510.
  • accessories includes but is not limited to docking stations, chargers, car stereos, microphones, home stereos, computers, speakers, and accessories which communicate wirelessly with other accessories.
  • this connector interface system can be utilized with a command set for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory.
  • the accessory may be a host computer or any other electronic device or system that may communicate with the media player. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that although the above-identified connector interface system could be utilized with the command set, a variety of other connectors or systems could be utilized and they would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. To describe the utilization of the command set in more detail refer now to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying figure.
  • Album art commands support the transfer of album artwork (e.g., artwork images) from the media player to an accessory.
  • album artwork e.g., artwork images
  • the media player and accessory exchange commands associated with indexed playing track information, artwork formats, track artwork times, and artwork data.
  • Album artwork for a track can come in a variety of sizes and formats.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory.
  • the accessory obtains artwork information associated with album artwork from the media player.
  • the accessory obtains the album artwork from the media player based on the artwork information.
  • Figure 7 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for obtaining artwork information, which may be used to implement step 602 of Figure 6.
  • the accessory retrieves from the media player a list of artwork formats that the media player supports.
  • the accessory may obtain track information from the media player in order to retrieve album artwork for a given track.
  • the accessory retrieves a list of artwork images from the media player.
  • the artwork images from the list are associated with one or more of an artwork format and a track.
  • FIG 8 is a flow chart, which illustrates a process for obtaining album artwork, which may be used to implement step 604 of Figure 6.
  • the accessory transmits to the media player one or more of a track selection, format selection, and a timestamp selection associated with the desired artwork image(s).
  • the media player transmits the album artwork to the accessory.
  • the accessory may optionally display the album artwork (e.g., album artwork image(s)).
  • Specific album artwork commands used to implement the steps of Figures 7 and 8 are described in detail below. Command Functionality
  • the get-artwork- formats command requests a list of supported artwork formats (e.g., supported by the media player).
  • the get-artwork-formats command may include a get-artwork-formats command ID without other parameters.
  • there is no need to retrieve artwork formats more than once per session since the values of the get-artwork- formats command may be fixed for the duration of the session in which the accessory is in communication with the media player.
  • the return-artwork-formats command provides a list of supported formats, in response to the get-artworks-formats command.
  • the return-artwork- formats command may include one or more format IDs, a pixel format, an image width, and an image height.
  • the format IDs are used when sending a get-track-artwork-times command, described below.
  • the image width is the number of pixels in width for each image.
  • the image height is the number of pixels in height for each image.
  • each format ID may represent both a pixel encoding (e.g.,
  • some or all artwork formats may be a fixed-size.
  • the get-indexed-playing-track-information command requests track information to retrieve album artwork for a given track.
  • the get-indexed-playing-track-information command may include an information-type field that specifies the type of information to be returned, such as track title, artist title, artist name, album name, track genre, and track chapter information.
  • the get-indexed-playing-track-information command may include an information-type field and also include an artwork count request, which specifies a count of artwork available for each format associated with a given track. It is possible that a track may not have artwork for a particular format or that the number of artwork items will vary by format.
  • the return-indexed-playing-track-information command provides the requested track information for the specified playing track, in response to the get-indexed-playing-track-information command.
  • the return-indexed-playing-track-information command may include an information-type field that indicates the presence of artwork for a given track.
  • the return-indexed-playing-track-information command may also include an information data field that includes one or more records listing the artwork available for the track. Each record includes a format identification (ID) followed by a count of the number of images of that format for the track. There is no requirement that the numbers be consistent across format
  • an image may have 3 images of format ID 1, 6 images of format ID 2, and
  • the get-track-artwork-times command requests a list of artwork images, which may be associated with one or more tracks.
  • the get-track-artwork-times command may include a get-track-artwork-times command ID, one or more track indexes, a format ID, an artwork index, and an artwork count.
  • a track index may be used to select a track
  • a format ID may be used to indicate which type of artwork is desired.
  • the artwork index specifies where to begin searching for artwork. For example, a value of 0 may indicate that the media player should start with the first available artwork.
  • An artwork count specifies a maximum number of times to be returned. For example, a value of -1 may indicate that there is no preferred limit.
  • the return-track-artwork-times command provides a list of artwork images and associated timestamps for a given track.
  • the return-track-artwork-times command may include zero or more records, one for each piece of artwork associated with the track and format specified in the get-track-artwork-times command.
  • the timestamp indicates when (e.g., in milliseconds from start of playback) a given artwork image is to be displayed.
  • the number of records returned is no greater than the number specified in the get-track-artwork-times command.
  • the number of records may be less than requested. This may happen if there are fewer pieces of artwork available than were requested or if the media player is unable to place all of the requested records in a single packet.
  • the get- track- artwork command requests the data (i.e., the artwork) for a given track index, format ID, and artwork index.
  • the get-track-artwork command may include a get-track-artwork-data command ID, one or more track indexes, one or more format IDs, and one or more timestamps associated with each artwork image.
  • the return-track-artwork command provides the requested album artwork. Multiple return-track-artwork commands may be necessary to transfer the data.
  • the return-track-artwork command may include coordinates indicating an "inset rectangle" that describes any padding that may have been added to the image.
  • a return-track-artwork command may include: a return track artwork data command ID; one or more descriptor telegram indexes; a display pixel format code with one or more image widths in pixels; one or more image heights in pixels; one or more row sizes in bytes; one or more inset rectangle, top-left point, x values; one or more inset rectangle, top-left point, y values; one or more inset rectangle, bottom-right point, x values; one or more inset rectangle, bottom-right point, y values; and image pixel data.
  • a descriptor telegram index uniquely identifies each packet in the return track artwork data transaction.
  • the first telegram is the descriptor telegram.
  • album art commands include commands associated with exchanging index playing track information, artwork formats, track artwork times, and artwork data.
  • the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
  • the present invention can be implemented using hardware, software, a computer readable medium containing program instructions, or a combination thereof.
  • Software written according to the present invention is to be either stored in some form of computer-readable medium such as memory or CD-ROM, or is to be transmitted over a network, and is to be executed by a processor. Consequently, a computer-readable medium is intended to include a computer readable signal, which may be, for example, transmitted over a network. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Abstract

A method, system, and connector interface for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory. The method comprises obtaining, by the accessory, artwork information associated with album artwork from the media player; and obtaining, by the accessory, the album artwork from the media player based on the artwork information. According to the system and method disclosed herein, the media player and accessory may utilize a plurality of commands utilized in a variety of environments, such as within a connector interface system environment, to facilitate the transfer of album artwork.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSFERRING ALBUM ARTWORK BETWEEN A MEDIA PLAYER AND AN ACCESSORY
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] NOT APPLICABLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to electrical devices and more particularly to electronic devices such as media players that communicate with accessory devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention relates generally to electrical devices and more particularly to electronic devices such as media players that communicate with accessory devices.
[0004] A media player stores media assets, such as audio tracks or photos that can be played or displayed on the media player. One example of a media player is the iPod™ media player, which is available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, CA. Often, a media player acquires its media assets from a host computer that serves to enable a user to manage media assets. As an example, the host computer can execute a media management application to manage media assets. One example of a media management application is iTunes®, version 6.0, produced by Apple Inc.
[0005] A media player typically includes one or more connectors or ports that can be used to interface to the media player. For example, the connector or port can enable the media player to couple to a host computer, be inserted into a docking system, and/or receive an accessory device. There are today many different types of accessory devices that can interconnect to the media player. For example, a remote control can be connected to the connector or port to allow the user to remotely control the media player. As another example, an automobile can include a connector and the media player can be inserted onto the connector such that an automobile media system can interact with the media player, thereby allowing the media content on the media player to be played within the automobile.
[0006] With the growing number of media types, such as images, audio, video, etc., that may be transferred between a media player and an accessory, there is a need for improved techniques for transferring different types of information between media players and accessories.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A method, system, and connector interface for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining, by the accessory, artwork information associated with album artwork from the media player and obtaining, by the accessory, the album artwork from the media player based on the artwork information.
[0008] According to the system and method disclosed herein, the media player and accessory may utilize a plurality of commands utilized in a variety of environments, such as within a connector interface system environment, to facilitate the transfer of album artwork.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Figures IA and IB illustrate a docking connector in accordance with the present invention.
[0010] Figure 2 A is a front and top view of a remote connector in accordance with the present invention.
[0011] Figure 2B illustrates a plug that can be utilized in the remote connector of Figure
2A.
[0012] Figure 2C illustrates the plug of Figure 2B inserted into the remote connector of Figure 2A.
[0013] Figure 3 A illustrates connector pin designations for the docking connector.
[0014] Figure 3B illustrates connection pin designations for the remote connector.
[0015] Figure 4A illustrates a typical FireWire connector interface for the docking connector.
[0016] Figure 4B illustrates a reference schematic diagram for an accessory power source.
[0017] Figure 4C illustrates a reference schematic diagram for a system for detecting and identifying accessories for the docking connector.
[0018] Figure 4D is a reference schematic of an electret microphone that may be within the remote connector. [0019] Figure 5A illustrates a media player coupled to different accessories.
[0020] Figure 5 B illustrates the media player coupled to a computer.
[0021] Figure 5C illustrates the media player coupled to a car or home stereo system.
[0022] Figure 5D illustrates the media player coupled to a dongle that communicates wirelessly with other accessories.
[0023] Figure 5E illustrates the media player coupled to a speaker system.
[0024] Figure 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory.
[0025] Figure 7 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for obtaining artwork information, which may be used to implement a step of Figure 6.
[0026] Figure 8 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for obtaining album artwork, which may be used to implement a step of Figure 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0027] The present invention relates generally to electrical devices and more particularly to electrical devices such as media players that communicate with accessory devices. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
[0028] In a method and system in accordance with the present invention, media players and accessories are able to exchange album artwork using album art commands. The album art commands include commands associated with exchanging index playing track information, artwork formats, track artwork times, and artwork data. The media player and accessory may utilize the plurality of commands in a variety of environments to facilitate the transfer of album artwork. One such environment is within a connector interface system environment such as described in detail hereinbelow. Connector Interface System Overview
[0029] To describe the features of the connector interface system in accordance with the present invention in more detail, refer now to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Docking Connector
[0030] Figures IA and IB illustrate a docking connector 100 in accordance with the present invention. Referring first to Figure IA, the keying features 102 are of a custom length 104. In addition, a specific key arrangement is used where one set of keys is separated by one length at the bottom of the connector and another set of keys is separated by another length at the top of the connector. The use of this key arrangement prevents noncompliant connectors from being plugged in and causing potential damage to the device. The connector for power utilizes a Firewire specification for power. The connector includes a first make/last break contact to implement this scheme. Figure 1 B illustrates the first make/last break contact 202 and also illustrates a ground pin and a power pin related to providing an appropriate first make/last break contact. In this example, the ground pin 204 is longer than the power pin 206. Therefore, the ground pin 204 would contact its mating pin in the docking accessory before the power pin 206, minimizing internal electrical damage of the electronics of the device.
[0031] In addition, a connector interface system in accordance with the present invention uses both USB and Firewire interfaces as part of the same docking connector alignment, thereby making the design more compatible with different types of interfaces, as will be discussed in detail hereinafter. In so doing, more remote accessories can interface with the media player.
Remote Connector [0032] The connection interface system also includes a remote connector which provides for the ability to output and input audio, provides I/O serial protocol, and provides an output for video. Figure 2A is a front and top view of a remote connector 200 in accordance with the present invention. As is seen, the remote connector 200 includes a top headphone receptacle 202, as well as a second receptacle 204 for remote devices. Figure 2B illustrates a plug 300 to be utilized in the remote connector. The plug 300 allows the functions to be provided via the remote connector. Figure 2C illustrates the plug 300 inserted into the remote connector 200. Heretofore, all of these features have not been implemented in a remote connector. Therefore, a standard headphone cable can be plugged in, but also special remote control cables, microphone cables, and video cables could be utilized with the remote connector.
[0033] To describe the features of the connector interface system in more detail, please find below a functional description of the docking connector, remote connector and a command set in accordance with the present invention.
Docking and Remote Connector Specifications
[0034] For an example of the connector pin designations for both the docking connector and for the remote connector for a media player such as an iPod™ device by Apple Inc., refer now to Figures 3 A and 3B. Figure 3 A illustrates the connector pin designations for the docking connector. Figure 3 B illustrates the connection pin designations for the remote connector.
Docking Connector Specifications
[0035] Figure 4A illustrates a typical Firewire connector interface for the docking connector. The following are some exemplary specifications: Firewire power (8V - 30V DC IN, 1OW Max). In one embodiment, Firewire may be designed to the IEEE 1394 A Spec (400 Mb/s).
USB Interface
[0036] The media player provides two configurations, or modes, of USB device operation: mass storage and media player USB Interface (MPUI). The MPUI allows the media player to be controlled using a media player accessory protocol (MPAP) which will be described in detail later herein, using a USB Human Interface Device (HID) interface as a transport mechanism.
Accessory 3.3 V Power [0037] Figure 4B illustrates the accessory power source. The media player accessory power pin supplies voltages, for example, 3.0 V to 3.3V+/-5% (2.85 V to 3.465 V) over the docking connector and remote connector (if present). A maximum current is shared between the docking and remote connectors.
[0038] By default, the media player supplies a particular current such as 5mA. Proper software accessory detection is required to turn on high power (for example, up to 100 mA) during active device usage. When devices are inactive, they must consume less than a predetermined amount of power such as 5mA current.
[0039] Accessory power is grounded through the Digital GND pins.
[0040] Figure 4C illustrates a reference schematic diagram for a system for detecting and identifying accessories for the docking connector. The system comprises a resistor to ground that allows the device to determine what has been plugged into docking connector. There is an internal pullup on Accessory Identify within the media player. Two pins (Accessory Identify & Accessory Detect) are used.
[0041] Figure 4D is a reference schematic of an electret microphone that is within the remote connector.
[0042] Serial Protocol Communication:
[0043] a) Two pins used to communicate to and from device (Rx & Tx)
[0044] b) Input & Output (0V=Low, 3.3 V=High)
[0045] As mentioned previously, media players connect to a variety of accessories. Figures 5 A-5E illustrate a media player 500 coupled to different accessories. Figure 5A illustrates a media player 500' coupled to a docking station 502. Figure 5B illustrates the media player 500" coupled to a computer 504. Figure 5C illustrates the media player 500'" coupled to a car or home stereo system 506. Figure 5D illustrates the media player 500"" coupled to a dongle 508 that communicates wirelessly with other devices. Figure 5E illustrates the media player 500'"" coupled to a speaker system 510. As is seen, what is meant by accessories includes but is not limited to docking stations, chargers, car stereos, microphones, home stereos, computers, speakers, and accessories which communicate wirelessly with other accessories.
[0046] As mentioned previously, this connector interface system can be utilized with a command set for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory. In one embodiment, the accessory may be a host computer or any other electronic device or system that may communicate with the media player. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that although the above-identified connector interface system could be utilized with the command set, a variety of other connectors or systems could be utilized and they would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. To describe the utilization of the command set in more detail refer now to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying figure.
Album Artwork Commands
[0047] Album art commands support the transfer of album artwork (e.g., artwork images) from the media player to an accessory. As described in more detail below, the media player and accessory exchange commands associated with indexed playing track information, artwork formats, track artwork times, and artwork data. Album artwork for a track (or podcast or audiobook) can come in a variety of sizes and formats. There can also be multiple images associated with various times during track playback. For the typical music track, there may be a single image at the beginning of playback. The image may be available in different sizes (e.g., small, large, etc.).
[0048] Figure 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory. As Figure 6 illustrates, in step 602, the accessory obtains artwork information associated with album artwork from the media player. Next, in step 604, the accessory obtains the album artwork from the media player based on the artwork information. Each of the steps 602 and 604 are described in more detail below in Figures 7 and 8.
[0049] Figure 7 is a flow chart that illustrates a process for obtaining artwork information, which may be used to implement step 602 of Figure 6. As Figure 7 illustrates, in step 702, the accessory retrieves from the media player a list of artwork formats that the media player supports. Next, in step 704, the accessory may obtain track information from the media player in order to retrieve album artwork for a given track. Next, in step 706, the accessory retrieves a list of artwork images from the media player. In one embodiment, the artwork images from the list are associated with one or more of an artwork format and a track.
[0050] Figure 8 is a flow chart, which illustrates a process for obtaining album artwork, which may be used to implement step 604 of Figure 6. As Figure 8 illustrates, in step 802, the accessory transmits to the media player one or more of a track selection, format selection, and a timestamp selection associated with the desired artwork image(s). Next, in step 804, the media player transmits the album artwork to the accessory. Next, in step 806, upon receipt of the artwork image(s), the accessory may optionally display the album artwork (e.g., album artwork image(s)). Specific album artwork commands used to implement the steps of Figures 7 and 8 are described in detail below. Command Functionality
[0051] Although a plurality of commands is described hereinbelow, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that many other commands could be utilized and their use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the list of commands below is representative, but not exhaustive, of the types of commands that could be utilized to transfer and store data between a media player and an accessory. Furthermore, it is also readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that a subset of these commands could be utilized by a media player or an accessory and that use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. A description of the functionality of some of these commands is described below.
Get-Artwork-Formats Command
[0052] The get-artwork- formats command requests a list of supported artwork formats (e.g., supported by the media player). In one embodiment, the get-artwork-formats command may include a get-artwork-formats command ID without other parameters. In one embodiment, there is no need to retrieve artwork formats more than once per session, since the values of the get-artwork- formats command may be fixed for the duration of the session in which the accessory is in communication with the media player.
Return-Artwork-Formats Command
[0053] The return-artwork-formats command provides a list of supported formats, in response to the get-artworks-formats command. In one embodiment, the return-artwork- formats command may include one or more format IDs, a pixel format, an image width, and an image height. The format IDs are used when sending a get-track-artwork-times command, described below. The image width is the number of pixels in width for each image. The image height is the number of pixels in height for each image. In one embodiment, each format ID may represent both a pixel encoding (e.g.,
RGB-565, little-endian) and the image dimensions. In one embodiment, some or all artwork formats may be a fixed-size.
Get- Indexed-Plaving-Track-Information Command
[0054] The get-indexed-playing-track-information command requests track information to retrieve album artwork for a given track. In one embodiment, the get-indexed-playing-track-information command may include an information-type field that specifies the type of information to be returned, such as track title, artist title, artist name, album name, track genre, and track chapter information. In one embodiment, the get-indexed-playing-track-information command may include an information-type field and also include an artwork count request, which specifies a count of artwork available for each format associated with a given track. It is possible that a track may not have artwork for a particular format or that the number of artwork items will vary by format.
Return- Indexed-Playing-Track-Information Command
[0055] The return-indexed-playing-track-information command provides the requested track information for the specified playing track, in response to the get-indexed-playing-track-information command. In one embodiment, the return-indexed-playing-track-information command may include an information-type field that indicates the presence of artwork for a given track. The return-indexed-playing-track-information command may also include an information data field that includes one or more records listing the artwork available for the track. Each record includes a format identification (ID) followed by a count of the number of images of that format for the track. There is no requirement that the numbers be consistent across format
IDs. For example, an image may have 3 images of format ID 1, 6 images of format ID 2, and
0 images of format ID 3.
Get-Track- Artwork-Times Command
[0056] The get-track-artwork-times command requests a list of artwork images, which may be associated with one or more tracks. In one embodiment, the get-track-artwork-times command may include a get-track-artwork-times command ID, one or more track indexes, a format ID, an artwork index, and an artwork count. In one embodiment, a track index may be used to select a track, and a format ID may be used to indicate which type of artwork is desired.
[0057] The artwork index specifies where to begin searching for artwork. For example, a value of 0 may indicate that the media player should start with the first available artwork. An artwork count specifies a maximum number of times to be returned. For example, a value of -1 may indicate that there is no preferred limit.
Return-Track- Artwork-Times Command [0058] The return-track-artwork-times command provides a list of artwork images and associated timestamps for a given track. In one embodiment, the return-track-artwork-times command may include zero or more records, one for each piece of artwork associated with the track and format specified in the get-track-artwork-times command. The timestamp indicates when (e.g., in milliseconds from start of playback) a given artwork image is to be displayed.
[0059] In one embodiment, the number of records returned is no greater than the number specified in the get-track-artwork-times command. The number of records may be less than requested. This may happen if there are fewer pieces of artwork available than were requested or if the media player is unable to place all of the requested records in a single packet.
Get-Track- Artwork-Data Command [0060] The get- track- artwork command requests the data (i.e., the artwork) for a given track index, format ID, and artwork index. In one embodiment, the get-track-artwork command may include a get-track-artwork-data command ID, one or more track indexes, one or more format IDs, and one or more timestamps associated with each artwork image.
Return-Track- Artwork-Data Command [0061] The return-track-artwork command provides the requested album artwork. Multiple return-track-artwork commands may be necessary to transfer the data. In one embodiment, the return-track-artwork command may include coordinates indicating an "inset rectangle" that describes any padding that may have been added to the image. In one embodiment, a return-track-artwork command may include: a return track artwork data command ID; one or more descriptor telegram indexes; a display pixel format code with one or more image widths in pixels; one or more image heights in pixels; one or more row sizes in bytes; one or more inset rectangle, top-left point, x values; one or more inset rectangle, top-left point, y values; one or more inset rectangle, bottom-right point, x values; one or more inset rectangle, bottom-right point, y values; and image pixel data. A descriptor telegram index uniquely identifies each packet in the return track artwork data transaction. In one embodiment, the first telegram is the descriptor telegram.
[0062] A method and system in accordance with the present invention for allowing media players and accessories to exchange album artwork using album art commands has been disclosed. The album art commands include commands associated with exchanging index playing track information, artwork formats, track artwork times, and artwork data.
[0063] Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be implemented using hardware, software, a computer readable medium containing program instructions, or a combination thereof. Software written according to the present invention is to be either stored in some form of computer-readable medium such as memory or CD-ROM, or is to be transmitted over a network, and is to be executed by a processor. Consequently, a computer-readable medium is intended to include a computer readable signal, which may be, for example, transmitted over a network. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A method for use in an accessory coupled to a media player, the method comprising, by the accessory: obtaining from the media player a list of images associated with an audio track, wherein each image in the list has a timestamp associated therewith, the timestamp for an artwork image indicating a time during playback of the audio track at which the corresponding image is to be displayed; selecting, based on the list, one or more images to be displayed during playback of the audio track; requesting the selected images from the media player; and receiving the requested images from the media player.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, by the accessory: obtaining from the media player a list of artwork formats supported by the media player, wherein each of the images is available from the media player in one or more of the artwork formats on the list of artwork formats.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein obtaining the list of artwork images includes: specifying, by the accessory, one of the artwork formats from the list of artwork formats supported by the media player, wherein the list of images obtained by the accessory includes only images that are available in the specified artwork format.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein each artwork format specifies dimensions of an image.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein each artwork format specifies a pixel format for an image.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the list of images includes, by the accessory: requesting from the media player a count of the images associated with the track; receiving from the media player a count of the images separately for each of a plurality of supported formats; selecting one of the supported formats; requesting from the media player the associated timestamps for at least some of the images in the selected format; and receiving from the media player the requested timestamps.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, by the accessory: playing the audio track; and during playing of the audio track, displaying the received images at times determined based on the timestamps associated with the received images.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting the selected images includes sending to the media player a request that identifies selected image by reference to a track identifier and a timestamp.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the images associated with the audio track include images having a plurality of formats and wherein requesting the selected images includes sending to the media player a request identifying each selected image by reference to a track identifier, a timestamp, and a format.
10. An accessory for use with a media player, the accessory comprising: an interface configured to communicably couple the accessory to a media player configured to store an audio track and a plurality of images associated with the audio track, wherein each of the images has a timestamp associated therewith, the timestamp indicating a time during playback of the audio track at which the image is to be displayed; and control logic configured to obtain from the media player via the interface a list of the images associated with the audio track, to select one or more images from the list, and to obtain the selected images from the media player via the interface.
11. The accessory of claim 10 wherein the control logic is further configured to play the audio track and to display the received images during playing of the audio track at times determined based on the timestamps associated with the received images.
12. The accessory of claim 10 wherein the control logic is further configured to obtain from the media player via the interface a list of image formats supported by the media player and to specify an image format for each selected image.
13. The accessory of claim 12 wherein the image format specifies dimensions of the image.
14. The accessory of claim 12 wherein the image format specifies a pixel format for the image.
15. A system comprising: a media player configured to store an audio track and a plurality of images associated with the audio track, wherein each of the images has a timestamp associated therewith, the timestamp indicating a time during playback of the audio track at which the image is to be displayed; and an accessory communicably coupled to the media player, wherein the accessory is configured to obtain from the media player a list of the images associated with the audio track, to select one or more images from the list, and to obtain the selected images from the media player.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the accessory is further configured to play the audio track and to display the received images during playing of the audio track at times determined based on the timestamps associated with the received images.
17. The system of claim 15 wherein: the media player is further configured to store images having a plurality of different formats; and the accessory is further configured to select a format for images to be included in the list of images obtained from the media player.
PCT/US2007/072155 2006-06-27 2007-06-26 Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory WO2008002936A2 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP07799052A EP2033192A2 (en) 2006-06-27 2007-06-26 Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/476,338 2006-06-27
US11/476,338 US7797471B2 (en) 2004-04-27 2006-06-27 Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2008002936A2 true WO2008002936A2 (en) 2008-01-03
WO2008002936A3 WO2008002936A3 (en) 2008-06-05

Family

ID=38846484

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2007/072155 WO2008002936A2 (en) 2006-06-27 2007-06-26 Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US7797471B2 (en)
EP (1) EP2033192A2 (en)
TW (1) TWI353092B (en)
WO (1) WO2008002936A2 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015165549A1 (en) * 2014-05-02 2015-11-05 Saronikos Trading And Services, Unipessoal Lda Sequential method for the presentation of images with enhanced functionality, and apparatus thereof

Families Citing this family (21)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7826318B2 (en) 2004-04-27 2010-11-02 Apple Inc. Method and system for allowing a media player to transfer digital audio to an accessory
US7529872B1 (en) 2004-04-27 2009-05-05 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player using a protocol with multiple lingoes
US7441062B2 (en) 2004-04-27 2008-10-21 Apple Inc. Connector interface system for enabling data communication with a multi-communication device
US7526588B1 (en) 2004-04-27 2009-04-28 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player using a protocol with multiple lingoes
US8117651B2 (en) 2004-04-27 2012-02-14 Apple Inc. Method and system for authenticating an accessory
US7529870B1 (en) 2004-04-27 2009-05-05 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player with multiple lingoes
US7441058B1 (en) 2006-09-11 2008-10-21 Apple Inc. Method and system for controlling an accessory having a tuner
US7895378B2 (en) * 2004-04-27 2011-02-22 Apple Inc. Method and system for allowing a media player to transfer digital audio to an accessory
US7823214B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2010-10-26 Apple Inc. Accessory authentication for electronic devices
US8006019B2 (en) * 2006-05-22 2011-08-23 Apple, Inc. Method and system for transferring stored data between a media player and an accessory
US7415563B1 (en) 2006-06-27 2008-08-19 Apple Inc. Method and system for allowing a media player to determine if it supports the capabilities of an accessory
US7558894B1 (en) 2006-09-11 2009-07-07 Apple Inc. Method and system for controlling power provided to an accessory
US20090037005A1 (en) * 2007-07-30 2009-02-05 Larsen Christopher W Electronic device media management system and method
US8208853B2 (en) 2008-09-08 2012-06-26 Apple Inc. Accessory device authentication
US8238811B2 (en) 2008-09-08 2012-08-07 Apple Inc. Cross-transport authentication
US9195432B2 (en) 2013-02-26 2015-11-24 Sonos, Inc. Pre-caching of audio content
US9338514B2 (en) 2014-03-28 2016-05-10 Sonos, Inc. Account aware media preferences
US9478247B2 (en) 2014-04-28 2016-10-25 Sonos, Inc. Management of media content playback
US9524338B2 (en) 2014-04-28 2016-12-20 Sonos, Inc. Playback of media content according to media preferences
US10129599B2 (en) 2014-04-28 2018-11-13 Sonos, Inc. Media preference database
US9535986B2 (en) 2014-06-27 2017-01-03 Sonos, Inc. Application launch

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1498899A1 (en) * 2002-04-24 2005-01-19 Konica Corporation Recording medium and program
US20050015355A1 (en) * 2003-07-16 2005-01-20 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and system for data sharing between application programs
US20050240705A1 (en) * 2004-04-27 2005-10-27 Novotney Donald J Connector interface system for a multi-communication device
EP1594319A1 (en) * 2004-05-03 2005-11-09 Microsoft Corporation Background transcoding
US20060088228A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2006-04-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Image scaling arrangement

Family Cites Families (270)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6075340A (en) 1985-11-12 2000-06-13 Intermec Ip Corp. Battery pack having memory
US4673861A (en) 1986-04-03 1987-06-16 General Electric Company Battery charger/remote control for portable radio devices
KR910007403B1 (en) * 1987-07-29 1991-09-25 가부시키가이샤 도시바 Semiconductor integrated circuit
US4938483A (en) * 1987-11-04 1990-07-03 M. H. Segan & Company, Inc. Multi-vehicle interactive toy system
US4924216A (en) * 1988-02-12 1990-05-08 Acemore International Ltd. Joystick controller apparatus
US4850899A (en) 1988-06-20 1989-07-25 Maynard Scott D Connector for interfacing a disk drive with a computer
US5150031A (en) 1988-09-30 1992-09-22 Motorola, Inc. Battery charging system
NL8902192A (en) 1989-08-30 1991-03-18 Du Pont Nederland BUILT-IN CONNECTOR WITH A LOCKING FRAME.
US5108313A (en) 1989-10-05 1992-04-28 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Modular connector
US5041025A (en) 1990-01-31 1991-08-20 Thomas & Betts Corporation Interconnectable components employing a multi-positionable key
NL9000967A (en) 1990-04-23 1991-11-18 Du Pont Nederland DEVICE FOR ELECTRO-OPTICAL SIGNAL CONVERSION.
US5055069A (en) 1990-06-08 1991-10-08 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Connectors with ground structure
US5247138A (en) * 1991-11-08 1993-09-21 Calcomp Inc. Cordless digitizer stylus status encoding and transmission scheme
FR2685556B1 (en) 1991-12-23 1994-03-25 Souriau & Cie MODULAR ELEMENT FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTION.
US5186646A (en) 1992-01-16 1993-02-16 Pederson William A Connector device for computers
US5525981A (en) * 1992-01-30 1996-06-11 Calcomp Inc. Cordless digitizer transducer/cursor status transmission apparatus and method
GB2286732B (en) 1993-09-15 1998-05-06 Ericsson Ge Mobile Communicat Power systems for plug-in modules
US5471128A (en) 1993-11-26 1995-11-28 Motorola, Inc. Battery and method for charging/discharging the battery
US5592588A (en) 1994-05-10 1997-01-07 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for object-oriented digital audio signal processing using a chain of sound objects
US5537300A (en) 1995-02-01 1996-07-16 Kraco Enterprises, Inc. Control panel
US5618045A (en) 1995-02-08 1997-04-08 Kagan; Michael Interactive multiple player game system and method of playing a game between at least two players
US5830001A (en) 1995-03-31 1998-11-03 Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited Connector capable of reliably locking a plug connector to a receptacle connector
JP2757139B2 (en) 1995-04-04 1998-05-25 日本航空電子工業株式会社 Shielded connector
US5714981A (en) * 1995-04-21 1998-02-03 Advanced Gravis Computer Technology, Ltd. Gameport communication apparatus and method
US5586893A (en) 1995-07-17 1996-12-24 Itt Corporation IC card connector shield grounding
US6505160B1 (en) * 1995-07-27 2003-01-07 Digimarc Corporation Connected audio and other media objects
US5648712A (en) 1995-08-29 1997-07-15 Asian Micro Sources, Inc. Universally interchangeable and modular power supply with integrated battery charger
US6190257B1 (en) 1995-11-22 2001-02-20 Nintendo Co., Ltd. Systems and method for providing security in a video game system
US5835862A (en) * 1996-03-06 1998-11-10 Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. Data adapter unit for infrared communications
US5881366A (en) * 1996-05-01 1999-03-09 Logitech, Inc. Wireless peripheral interface
US5754027A (en) 1996-07-08 1998-05-19 Motorola, Inc. Battery pack and associated charging system
US5873000A (en) 1996-07-19 1999-02-16 Compaq Computer Corporation System incorporating hot docking and undocking capabilities without requiring a standby or suspend mode by placing local arbiters of system and base into idle state
US5732361A (en) * 1996-09-18 1998-03-24 Liu; Chun-Chieh Adapter for mobile phone
EP0845750A3 (en) 1996-11-29 2000-11-29 Tyco Electronics Logistics AG Double connector for two chip cards
FR2760163A1 (en) 1997-02-25 1998-08-28 Philips Electronics Nv TELECOMMUNICATION APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH DEVICE FOR RECOGNIZING PERIPHERALS
US5964847A (en) 1997-03-10 1999-10-12 International Business Machines Corporation Mobile client computer interacting with docking device
KR100211801B1 (en) 1997-03-12 1999-08-02 윤종용 Power control method and apparatus
US6206480B1 (en) 1997-03-25 2001-03-27 Eric Thompson Mobile computing and communication system
US6139373A (en) 1997-04-08 2000-10-31 Thomas & Betts International, Inc. Multi-pin electrical connectors
JPH10289760A (en) 1997-04-11 1998-10-27 Molex Inc Metal shell connection means
US5987525A (en) 1997-04-15 1999-11-16 Cddb, Inc. Network delivery of interactive entertainment synchronized to playback of audio recordings
US6012105A (en) * 1997-05-01 2000-01-04 Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson System for interfacing with an external accessory in one of two interface modes based on whether communication can be established with external accessory or not
US6268845B1 (en) * 1997-06-11 2001-07-31 Compaq Computer Corporation Bezel button controls over USB
US5859522A (en) * 1997-07-16 1999-01-12 Motorola, Inc. Accessory identification apparatus and method
US6314479B1 (en) * 1997-08-04 2001-11-06 Compaq Computer Corporation Universal multi-pin plug and display connector for standardizing signals transmitted between a computer and a display for a PC theatre interconnectivity system
US6078402A (en) 1997-09-24 2000-06-20 Hewlett-Packard Company Accessory based resource offset mechanism for a PCI bus in a printer
US6429879B1 (en) * 1997-09-30 2002-08-06 Compaq Computer Corporation Customization schemes for content presentation in a device with converged functionality
JPH11111405A (en) 1997-10-03 1999-04-23 Japan Aviation Electron Ind Ltd Connector for mounting on substrate
JP3130852B2 (en) * 1997-11-28 2001-01-31 松下電器産業株式会社 Multimedia scenario creation device
US6211581B1 (en) 1997-11-28 2001-04-03 Harvard M. Farrant Power bar with remote control
US6188265B1 (en) * 1997-12-12 2001-02-13 Scenix Semiconduction, Inc. High-voltage NMOS switch
US6169387B1 (en) 1997-12-22 2001-01-02 Lifecor, Inc. Battery management apparatus for portable electronic devices
US6745237B1 (en) 1998-01-15 2004-06-01 Mci Communications Corporation Method and apparatus for managing delivery of multimedia content in a communications system
US6385596B1 (en) 1998-02-06 2002-05-07 Liquid Audio, Inc. Secure online music distribution system
KR100524056B1 (en) 1998-03-09 2006-03-09 삼성전자주식회사 2-way speaker system
US6260063B1 (en) * 1998-03-17 2001-07-10 Sony Coporation Method and apparatus for representing devices and available information within a network of devices using object lists and object entries
DE59813674D1 (en) 1998-05-02 2006-09-14 Micronas Gmbh Local communication device
JP3211772B2 (en) * 1998-06-02 2001-09-25 日本ビクター株式会社 Disk-shaped recording medium
US6031797A (en) * 1998-06-11 2000-02-29 Sony Corporation Media playback device capable of shuffled playback based on a user's preferences
US6501441B1 (en) * 1998-06-18 2002-12-31 Sony Corporation Method of and apparatus for partitioning, scaling and displaying video and/or graphics across several display devices
US6357011B2 (en) 1998-07-15 2002-03-12 Gateway, Inc. Bus-powered computer peripheral with supplement battery power to overcome bus-power limit
US6178514B1 (en) 1998-07-31 2001-01-23 Bradley C. Wood Method and apparatus for connecting a device to a bus carrying power and a signal
TW399796U (en) 1998-09-28 2000-07-21 Delta Electronics Inc Switching plug fastening structure of general type power receptacle
US6304764B1 (en) 1999-01-06 2001-10-16 Priority Tech, Inc. Hands-free cellular phone kit
US6725061B1 (en) 1999-01-12 2004-04-20 Qualcomm, Incorporated System and method for the automatic identification of accessories coupled to a wireless communication device
JP2000214953A (en) 1999-01-25 2000-08-04 Fujitsu Ltd Function extension device for electronic apparatus
JP2000223218A (en) 1999-01-27 2000-08-11 Mitsumi Electric Co Ltd Small-sized connector
JP2000223215A (en) 1999-01-27 2000-08-11 Mitsumi Electric Co Ltd Small-sized connector
JP2000223216A (en) 1999-01-27 2000-08-11 Mitsumi Electric Co Ltd Small-sized connector
JP2000261752A (en) * 1999-03-05 2000-09-22 Hewlett Packard Co <Hp> Device for recording and reproducing image having sound
US6204637B1 (en) 1999-03-16 2001-03-20 International Business Machines Corporation Method and system for remotely supplying power through an automated power adapter to a data processing system
US6859538B1 (en) 1999-03-17 2005-02-22 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Plug and play compatible speakers
US6211649B1 (en) 1999-03-25 2001-04-03 Sourcenext Corporation USB cable and method for charging battery of external apparatus by using USB cable
US6326767B1 (en) 1999-03-30 2001-12-04 Shoot The Moon Products Ii, Llc Rechargeable battery pack charging system with redundant safety systems
US6353894B1 (en) 1999-04-08 2002-03-05 Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. Power management system
US6453371B1 (en) 1999-04-23 2002-09-17 Palm, Inc. Method, apparatus, and system for selection of a port for data exchange
US6523124B1 (en) 1999-04-23 2003-02-18 Palm, Inc. System and method for detection of an accessory device connection status
US6271605B1 (en) 1999-05-04 2001-08-07 Research In Motion Limited Battery disconnect system
US6353870B1 (en) 1999-05-11 2002-03-05 Socket Communications Inc. Closed case removable expansion card having interconnect and adapter circuitry for both I/O and removable memory
US6272328B1 (en) * 1999-05-12 2001-08-07 Xm Satellite Radio Inc. System for providing audio signals from an auxiliary audio source to a radio receiver via a DC power line
JP3122947B1 (en) 1999-07-19 2001-01-09 日本航空電子工業株式会社 Hot Plug Connector Plug
JP3377965B2 (en) 1999-07-26 2003-02-17 日本圧着端子製造株式会社 Printed wiring board connector
US7021971B2 (en) 2003-09-11 2006-04-04 Super Talent Electronics, Inc. Dual-personality extended-USB plug and receptacle with PCI-Express or Serial-At-Attachment extensions
KR100547820B1 (en) * 1999-08-12 2006-02-01 삼성전자주식회사 Mobile wireless terminal and control method for recording and playback digital audio data
JP2001069165A (en) 1999-08-25 2001-03-16 Matsushita Electric Works Ltd Usb hub
US6697944B1 (en) 1999-10-01 2004-02-24 Microsoft Corporation Digital content distribution, transmission and protection system and method, and portable device for use therewith
US6558201B1 (en) 1999-10-20 2003-05-06 Hewlett Packard Development Company, L.P. Adapter and method for converting data interface hardware on a computer peripheral device
US6203345B1 (en) 1999-11-09 2001-03-20 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Flexible circuit connector
US7945284B1 (en) 1999-11-23 2011-05-17 Agere Systems Inc. Cordless telephone with MP3 player capability
US6184655B1 (en) 1999-12-10 2001-02-06 Stryker Corporation Battery charging system with internal power manager
JP4500480B2 (en) * 1999-12-14 2010-07-14 トムソン ライセンシング Multimedia photo album
US6316916B2 (en) 1999-12-17 2001-11-13 Motorola, Inc. Method and mechanism to prevent corruption of data
JP3425690B2 (en) 1999-12-21 2003-07-14 日本航空電子工業株式会社 connector
US6674995B1 (en) 1999-12-22 2004-01-06 Nokia Corporation Electronically augmented multiplayer sporting game with virtual ball passed by infrared apparatus
US6130518A (en) 1999-12-22 2000-10-10 Motorola, Inc. Method and apparatus for charging a battery
JP2001184147A (en) 1999-12-27 2001-07-06 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd Portable electronic equipment
JP3819658B2 (en) 1999-12-27 2006-09-13 三洋電機株式会社 Portable electronic devices with a common serial bus connector
WO2001050225A2 (en) 1999-12-30 2001-07-12 Nextaudio, Inc. System and method for multimedia content composition and distribution
JP2001196133A (en) 2000-01-11 2001-07-19 Sony Corp Fitting method of connector and connector by this fitting method
US6651138B2 (en) * 2000-01-27 2003-11-18 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Hot-plug memory catridge power control logic
JP4184566B2 (en) 2000-02-17 2008-11-19 矢崎総業株式会社 connector
US6577877B1 (en) 2000-02-23 2003-06-10 Motorola, Inc. Wireless infrared peripheral interface for a communication device
JP2001236287A (en) * 2000-02-24 2001-08-31 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Image display method and portable terminal for displaying image by the same
DE20004691U1 (en) 2000-03-14 2000-06-29 Yang Wen Chin Charging device with USB interface for a GSM telephone battery
US6283789B1 (en) 2000-03-16 2001-09-04 Shui Chuan Tsai Data and power transmitting cable system
KR20010092569A (en) * 2000-03-22 2001-10-26 이은복 a cellular phone capable of accommodating electronic device
US7187947B1 (en) 2000-03-28 2007-03-06 Affinity Labs, Llc System and method for communicating selected information to an electronic device
JP2001285439A (en) * 2000-03-29 2001-10-12 Rohm Co Ltd Portable telephone and battery charger
JP3656187B2 (en) 2000-04-17 2005-06-08 日本航空電子工業株式会社 Connector for shielded cable
DE60106126T2 (en) * 2000-04-27 2005-11-17 Hewlett-Packard Development Co., L.P., Houston Method and system for installing available network protocols
JP2001332350A (en) 2000-05-25 2001-11-30 Oki Electric Ind Co Ltd Connector
US7397476B2 (en) * 2000-05-31 2008-07-08 Seiko Epson Corporation Projector, projection display system, and corresponding method and recording medium
JP3755865B2 (en) 2000-06-26 2006-03-15 日本航空電子工業株式会社 connector
KR20020001348A (en) 2000-06-28 2002-01-09 윤종용 Headset for hearing the digital audio data through a given wireless link of short-range mobile radio system
JP2002025720A (en) 2000-07-11 2002-01-25 Itt Cannon Ltd Connector for board
DE60136820D1 (en) 2000-07-11 2009-01-15 Thomson Licensing POWER ADAPTER FOR A MODULAR POWER SUPPLY NETWORK
JP4187935B2 (en) * 2000-08-23 2008-11-26 株式会社東芝 RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, TRANSMITTING DEVICE, RECEIVING DEVICE, AND CONTENT DATA TRANSFER METHOD
US6322396B1 (en) 2000-10-13 2001-11-27 L&K Precision Industry Co., Ltd. Modular communication connector
US6608399B2 (en) 2000-10-17 2003-08-19 Lear Corporation Vehicle universal docking station and electronic feature modules
US6629197B1 (en) 2000-11-03 2003-09-30 International Business Machines Corporation Method and system for storing digital audio data and emulating multiple CD-changer units
JP3467262B2 (en) * 2000-11-10 2003-11-17 株式会社ソニー・コンピュータエンタテインメント Entertainment device and receiving device
JP3500503B2 (en) 2000-12-19 2004-02-23 日本航空電子工業株式会社 Electrical connector with lock
US7127678B2 (en) 2000-12-21 2006-10-24 Microsoft Corporation System and method to specify device specific user interface information in the firmware of a USB device
US6642629B2 (en) 2000-12-28 2003-11-04 Intel Corporation Audio system with removable, active faceplate
JP2002203641A (en) 2000-12-28 2002-07-19 D D K Ltd Electric connector
US20020105861A1 (en) 2000-12-29 2002-08-08 Gateway, Inc. Standalone MP3 recording station
CN1486537A (en) 2001-01-16 2004-03-31 ���µ�����ҵ��ʽ���� Receiver apparatus, mobile terminal, and receiving system
US6372974B1 (en) * 2001-01-16 2002-04-16 Intel Corporation Method and apparatus for sharing music content between devices
WO2002062024A2 (en) * 2001-01-30 2002-08-08 Broadcom Corporation Method for adding a new device to a wireless network
US20020116533A1 (en) * 2001-02-20 2002-08-22 Holliman Matthew J. System for providing a multimedia peer-to-peer computing platform
JP2002252566A (en) 2001-02-22 2002-09-06 Mechanical Research:Kk Connecting unit for portable telephone
JP2002342659A (en) 2001-02-22 2002-11-29 Sony Corp System for providing and acquiring contents
EP1379986A4 (en) 2001-03-01 2007-08-01 Andy Vilcauskas Audio ownership system
US6344727B1 (en) * 2001-03-05 2002-02-05 Motorola, Inc. Charger having a data store and data link
US6724339B2 (en) * 2001-03-14 2004-04-20 Universal Electronics Inc. System and method for controlling home appliances
JP3714882B2 (en) 2001-03-16 2005-11-09 シャープ株式会社 Portable communication terminal charging system
GB0108354D0 (en) 2001-04-03 2001-05-23 Thirdspace Living Ltd System and method for providing a user with access to a plurality of sevices and content from a broadband television service
JP2002374447A (en) 2001-04-12 2002-12-26 Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd Cradle for information equipment, cradle for digital camera, and camera system
JP2002318647A (en) 2001-04-19 2002-10-31 Mitsubishi Electric Corp Detecting device and its detecting method
US6589076B1 (en) 2001-05-07 2003-07-08 Gateway, Inc. Computer cable connector providing quick assembly and removal
US7890661B2 (en) 2001-05-16 2011-02-15 Aol Inc. Proximity synchronizing audio gateway device
US20020194621A1 (en) 2001-06-18 2002-12-19 Tran Thanh T. Multimedia interface control for consumer electronics device
CN1466835A (en) 2001-06-27 2004-01-07 ���ṫ˾ Radio communication control apparatus and method, storage medium and program
US20030004934A1 (en) 2001-06-29 2003-01-02 Richard Qian Creating and managing portable user preferences for personalizion of media consumption from device to device
JP3761428B2 (en) 2001-07-04 2006-03-29 日本航空電子工業株式会社 connector
GB2378531B (en) 2001-07-11 2003-04-16 Sendo Int Ltd Software driver code usage
US6798647B2 (en) 2001-07-16 2004-09-28 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Portable computer with integrated PDA I/O docking cradle
US6464542B1 (en) 2001-07-19 2002-10-15 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Connector assembly having small profile
RU2240599C2 (en) 2001-07-23 2004-11-20 Рудаков Сергей Владиславович Audio-video communication device with special functions for computer operators
US6859854B2 (en) 2001-07-25 2005-02-22 Bill Kwong Universal storage interface bus
US7610350B2 (en) * 2001-07-26 2009-10-27 Palmsource Inc. Wireless information transmission system and method
US20030028664A1 (en) 2001-08-02 2003-02-06 Kaijun Tan Method and system for secure distribution and utilization of data over a network
JP2003058430A (en) 2001-08-14 2003-02-28 Sony Corp Information recording processor, device for contents input/output management, contents managing system, information recoding processing method, contents input/ output managing method, contents managing method, and computer program
US6483428B1 (en) 2001-08-22 2002-11-19 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Removable front panel for an entertainment device
US7310821B2 (en) 2001-08-27 2007-12-18 Dphi Acquisitions, Inc. Host certification method and system
US6431915B1 (en) 2001-09-10 2002-08-13 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. RF cable connector assembly for preventing mis-mating
US6830160B2 (en) 2001-09-12 2004-12-14 Joseph Robert Risolia Multi-media vending machine with digital docking station
GB2387001B (en) * 2001-10-22 2005-02-02 Apple Computer Intelligent interaction between media player and host computer
US20030167318A1 (en) 2001-10-22 2003-09-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Intelligent synchronization of media player with host computer
US6801964B1 (en) * 2001-10-25 2004-10-05 Novell, Inc. Methods and systems to fast fill media players
US7043479B2 (en) * 2001-11-16 2006-05-09 Sigmatel, Inc. Remote-directed management of media content
US7299304B2 (en) * 2001-11-20 2007-11-20 Intel Corporation Method and architecture to support interaction between a host computer and remote devices
US7720686B2 (en) 2001-12-04 2010-05-18 Yahoo! Inc. Method and system for providing listener-requested music over a network
US20030110403A1 (en) 2001-12-10 2003-06-12 Intel Corporation System for shared power supply in computer peripheral devices
US6485328B1 (en) 2001-12-19 2002-11-26 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Header connector with shell
DE10163478C2 (en) * 2001-12-21 2003-12-18 Siemens Ag Method and arrangement for codec negotiation
US6478603B1 (en) 2001-12-24 2002-11-12 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Electrical connector with mechanically reinforced blind mating guides
US7050783B2 (en) 2002-02-22 2006-05-23 Kyocera Wireless Corp. Accessory detection system
TW564986U (en) 2002-03-05 2003-12-01 Carry Computer Eng Co Ltd Video playing unit capable of supporting plural kinds of silicon storage cards
TW544026U (en) 2002-03-06 2003-07-21 Molex Inc Connection module structure of mobile phone
US6742061B1 (en) 2002-03-08 2004-05-25 Nokia Corporation Accessory control interface
US7376695B2 (en) * 2002-03-14 2008-05-20 Citrix Systems, Inc. Method and system for generating a graphical display for a remote terminal session
JP2003274386A (en) 2002-03-19 2003-09-26 Linguamaster Kk Content receiving device and download system including the same
US6653813B2 (en) 2002-03-21 2003-11-25 Thomson Licensing, S.A. Apparatus and method for the power management of operatively connected modular devices
US7187948B2 (en) * 2002-04-09 2007-03-06 Skullcandy, Inc. Personal portable integrator for music player and mobile phone
US20030198015A1 (en) 2002-04-19 2003-10-23 Edwin Vogt Mobile docking station
US20030220988A1 (en) 2002-05-22 2003-11-27 Hymel James A. Method and electronic device for establishing an interface to control an accessory device
JP3965080B2 (en) 2002-05-31 2007-08-22 日本圧着端子製造株式会社 Memory card connector and mobile phone equipped with the same
US7004787B2 (en) 2002-06-11 2006-02-28 Henry Milan Universal computer cable with quick connectors and interchangeable ends, and system and method utilizing the same
US6991483B1 (en) 2002-06-11 2006-01-31 Henry Milan Flash memory drive with quick connector
US7219308B2 (en) * 2002-06-21 2007-05-15 Microsoft Corporation User interface for media player program
US20050014536A1 (en) 2003-07-08 2005-01-20 Jeff Grady Modular adaptor assembly for personal digital appliance
US6591085B1 (en) 2002-07-17 2003-07-08 Netalog, Inc. FM transmitter and power supply/charging assembly for MP3 player
US20070086724A1 (en) * 2002-07-17 2007-04-19 Jeff Grady Interface systems for portable digital media storage and playback devices
US20040162029A1 (en) 2002-07-17 2004-08-19 Jeff Grady Audio player assembly comprising an MP3 player
JP2004078538A (en) 2002-08-16 2004-03-11 Phoenix Technologies Kk Digital data protection system
US7127879B2 (en) 2002-10-03 2006-10-31 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Ply-twisted yarn for cut resistant fabrics
US7054888B2 (en) 2002-10-16 2006-05-30 Microsoft Corporation Optimizing media player memory during rendering
US6663420B1 (en) 2002-11-15 2003-12-16 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Adapter for exchanging data and transmitting power between PC and portable device
US6776665B2 (en) 2002-11-25 2004-08-17 George Ying-Liang Huang Electrical connector with a transparent insulating jacket
US20040103223A1 (en) 2002-11-26 2004-05-27 Motorola, Inc. USB accessory adaptor
KR100493858B1 (en) 2002-12-16 2005-06-10 삼성전자주식회사 Multi ear jack and his control method
US7062261B2 (en) 2003-01-31 2006-06-13 Motorola, Inc. Method and apparatus for automatic detection and installation of Java-enabled accessories
US7791319B2 (en) * 2003-02-21 2010-09-07 Research In Motion Limited Circuit and method of operation for an electrical power supply
US7318236B2 (en) * 2003-02-27 2008-01-08 Microsoft Corporation Tying a digital license to a user and tying the user to multiple computing devices in a digital rights management (DRM) system
US7054965B2 (en) 2003-03-18 2006-05-30 Oqo Incorporated Component for use as a portable computing device and pointing device
US7167112B2 (en) 2003-03-21 2007-01-23 D2Audio Corporation Systems and methods for implementing a sample rate converter using hardware and software to maximize speed and flexibility
US20040194154A1 (en) * 2003-03-26 2004-09-30 Meadors Michael J. Removable storage device media player
US6728729B1 (en) 2003-04-25 2004-04-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Accessing media across networks
US7627343B2 (en) 2003-04-25 2009-12-01 Apple Inc. Media player system
US6776660B1 (en) * 2003-04-30 2004-08-17 Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited Connector
US7673020B2 (en) * 2003-05-02 2010-03-02 Microsoft Corporation System and method for facilitating communication between a computing device and multiple categories of media devices
GB0310929D0 (en) * 2003-05-13 2003-06-18 Koninkl Philips Electronics Nv Portable device for storing media content
TW594544B (en) 2003-05-14 2004-06-21 Benq Corp Interface device for automatically determining peripherals and electronic device having such a function
US7281214B2 (en) 2003-06-02 2007-10-09 Apple Inc. Automatically updating user programmable input sensors to perform user specified functions
US7043572B2 (en) 2003-06-06 2006-05-09 Microsoft Corporation Method and system for providing a peripheral service to a host computing device
US20040252966A1 (en) 2003-06-10 2004-12-16 Holloway Marty M. Video storage and playback system and method
KR100617178B1 (en) 2003-06-13 2006-08-30 엘지전자 주식회사 Apparatus and method for zoom transfer of television system
US7107296B2 (en) 2003-06-25 2006-09-12 Microsoft Corporation Media library synchronizer
US20040267812A1 (en) 2003-06-26 2004-12-30 Microsoft Corporation Media platform
US7792806B2 (en) 2003-06-27 2010-09-07 Microsoft Corporation Rate change
US7305254B2 (en) * 2003-07-17 2007-12-04 Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ab System and method of software transfer between a mobile phone and a mobile phone accessory
US7293227B2 (en) * 2003-07-18 2007-11-06 Microsoft Corporation Associating image files with media content
US20060184456A1 (en) 2003-07-21 2006-08-17 De Janasz Christopher G Vehicle-based wireless identification system
US20050047071A1 (en) * 2003-08-26 2005-03-03 Bobby Tse Chun Hin Wireless transmission interface and method
JP4617763B2 (en) * 2003-09-03 2011-01-26 ソニー株式会社 Device authentication system, device authentication server, terminal device, device authentication method, and device authentication program
US6931456B2 (en) 2003-09-09 2005-08-16 Transact Technologies Incorporated Standard configurable universal serial bus (USB) device identifier
US7303282B2 (en) 2003-10-23 2007-12-04 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Multimedia display device
WO2005057356A2 (en) * 2003-12-05 2005-06-23 Motion Picture Association Of America System and method for controlling display of copy-never content
US20050135790A1 (en) * 2003-12-23 2005-06-23 Sandisk Corporation Digital media player with resolution adjustment capabilities
US20050149213A1 (en) 2004-01-05 2005-07-07 Microsoft Corporation Media file management on a media storage and playback device
US20050181756A1 (en) 2004-02-17 2005-08-18 Chung-Hung Lin Wireless digital music player
US7260356B2 (en) * 2004-03-18 2007-08-21 Xm Satellite Radio, Inc. Method and apparatus for wirelessly coupling a source signal to a radio frequency receiver
US20050207726A1 (en) * 2004-03-22 2005-09-22 Jui-Ming Chen Portable multimedia electronic device
US7013164B2 (en) * 2004-03-24 2006-03-14 Jow Tong Technology Co., Ltd. FM transmitter and charger assembly for MP3 players with different sizes
US7673083B2 (en) * 2004-04-27 2010-03-02 Apple Inc. Method and system for controlling video selection and playback in a portable media player
US7634605B2 (en) 2004-04-27 2009-12-15 Apple Inc. Method and system for transferring stored data between a media player and an accessory
US7826318B2 (en) * 2004-04-27 2010-11-02 Apple Inc. Method and system for allowing a media player to transfer digital audio to an accessory
US7895378B2 (en) * 2004-04-27 2011-02-22 Apple Inc. Method and system for allowing a media player to transfer digital audio to an accessory
US7529872B1 (en) * 2004-04-27 2009-05-05 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player using a protocol with multiple lingoes
US7441058B1 (en) * 2006-09-11 2008-10-21 Apple Inc. Method and system for controlling an accessory having a tuner
US7529870B1 (en) * 2004-04-27 2009-05-05 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player with multiple lingoes
US7526588B1 (en) * 2004-04-27 2009-04-28 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player using a protocol with multiple lingoes
US7293122B1 (en) 2004-04-27 2007-11-06 Apple Inc. Connector interface system facilitating communication between a media player and accessories
US7529871B1 (en) * 2004-04-27 2009-05-05 Apple Inc. Communication between an accessory and a media player with multiple protocol versions
US8117651B2 (en) * 2004-04-27 2012-02-14 Apple Inc. Method and system for authenticating an accessory
US7502820B2 (en) * 2004-05-03 2009-03-10 Microsoft Corporation System and method for optimized property retrieval of stored objects
JP2006011535A (en) 2004-06-22 2006-01-12 Sony Corp Contents transfer device, contents transfer method, and computer program
US20060015826A1 (en) * 2004-07-13 2006-01-19 Sony Corporation Hard disk multimedia player and method
KR101092438B1 (en) 2004-08-05 2011-12-13 엘지전자 주식회사 Cable broadcasting receiver and diagnostic method thereof
US7555554B2 (en) * 2004-08-06 2009-06-30 Microsoft Corporation System and method for generating selectable extension to media transport protocol
JP4274087B2 (en) * 2004-09-14 2009-06-03 ソニー株式会社 Information processing apparatus and method, and program
JP2006174309A (en) * 2004-12-17 2006-06-29 Ricoh Co Ltd Animation reproducing apparatus, program, and record medium
US7490775B2 (en) * 2004-12-30 2009-02-17 Aol Llc, A Deleware Limited Liability Company Intelligent identification of multimedia content for synchronization
US20060161621A1 (en) * 2005-01-15 2006-07-20 Outland Research, Llc System, method and computer program product for collaboration and synchronization of media content on a plurality of media players
US7952535B2 (en) * 2005-02-20 2011-05-31 Mediatek Singapore Pte Ltd Electronic visual jockey file
US20060247851A1 (en) * 2005-03-08 2006-11-02 Morris Robert P Mobile phone having a TV remote style user interface
US7647346B2 (en) * 2005-03-29 2010-01-12 Microsoft Corporation Automatic rules-based device synchronization
US7669130B2 (en) * 2005-04-15 2010-02-23 Apple Inc. Dynamic real-time playback
US8244179B2 (en) 2005-05-12 2012-08-14 Robin Dua Wireless inter-device data processing configured through inter-device transmitted data
US7467162B2 (en) 2005-06-27 2008-12-16 Microsoft Corporation Pre-configured settings for portable devices
US20070018947A1 (en) * 2005-07-19 2007-01-25 Panelvision Technology, A California Corporation Infrared transmitter/receiver accessory and system for portable photo player
US20070070856A1 (en) 2005-09-26 2007-03-29 Murray Tebele MP3 accessory for music transfer from a CD
US7496608B2 (en) 2005-10-07 2009-02-24 International Business Machines Corporation Online system and method for restoring electronic media on electronic storage devices
US20070080823A1 (en) 2005-10-07 2007-04-12 Apple Computer, Inc. Techniques for pairing remote controllers with host devices
US9697230B2 (en) * 2005-11-09 2017-07-04 Cxense Asa Methods and apparatus for dynamic presentation of advertising, factual, and informational content using enhanced metadata in search-driven media applications
US7634296B2 (en) * 2005-12-02 2009-12-15 General Instrument Corporation Set top box with mobile phone interface
US7599177B2 (en) * 2005-12-12 2009-10-06 Infocus Corporation Video dock for portable media player
US7574177B2 (en) 2006-01-04 2009-08-11 Apple Inc. Remote controller and FM reception arrangement
CN2904519Y (en) 2006-01-20 2007-05-23 广州矽金塔电子有限公司 Multifunctional blue tooth loudspeaker box
CN200983733Y (en) 2006-01-20 2007-11-28 广州矽金塔电子有限公司 Combination device with Bluetooth transmission function
US7801847B2 (en) * 2006-03-27 2010-09-21 Microsoft Corporation Media file conversion using plug-ins
US20070236482A1 (en) * 2006-04-07 2007-10-11 Microsoft Corporation Attachable display system for a portable device
US7444388B1 (en) * 2006-04-13 2008-10-28 Concert Technology Corporation System and method for obtaining media content for a portable media player
US7415563B1 (en) * 2006-06-27 2008-08-19 Apple Inc. Method and system for allowing a media player to determine if it supports the capabilities of an accessory
US8261191B2 (en) * 2006-08-04 2012-09-04 Apple Inc. Multi-point representation
JP4609398B2 (en) * 2006-08-23 2011-01-12 カシオ計算機株式会社 Imaging apparatus and program
US7558894B1 (en) * 2006-09-11 2009-07-07 Apple Inc. Method and system for controlling power provided to an accessory
JP2008071419A (en) * 2006-09-14 2008-03-27 Kenwood Corp Music reproducing device, program, and music reproducing method in music reproducing device
JP5217669B2 (en) * 2008-06-16 2013-06-19 株式会社ニコン Automatic slide show creation system

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1498899A1 (en) * 2002-04-24 2005-01-19 Konica Corporation Recording medium and program
US20050015355A1 (en) * 2003-07-16 2005-01-20 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and system for data sharing between application programs
US20050240705A1 (en) * 2004-04-27 2005-10-27 Novotney Donald J Connector interface system for a multi-communication device
EP1594319A1 (en) * 2004-05-03 2005-11-09 Microsoft Corporation Background transcoding
US20060088228A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2006-04-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Image scaling arrangement

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
ANONYMOUS: "MPV Music Profile Specification Revision 1.00" INTERNET CITATION, [Online] 7 January 2004 (2004-01-07), XP002386288 Retrieved from the Internet: URL:http://www.osta.org/mpv/public/specs/MPVMusic-Prof-Spec-1.00.pdf> [retrieved on 2006-06-20] *
See also references of EP2033192A2 *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015165549A1 (en) * 2014-05-02 2015-11-05 Saronikos Trading And Services, Unipessoal Lda Sequential method for the presentation of images with enhanced functionality, and apparatus thereof
US10424337B2 (en) 2014-05-02 2019-09-24 Saronikos Trading And Services, Unipessoal Lda Sequential method for the presentation of images with enhanced functionality, and apparatus thereof

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP2033192A2 (en) 2009-03-11
TWI353092B (en) 2011-11-21
WO2008002936A3 (en) 2008-06-05
US7797471B2 (en) 2010-09-14
TW200818630A (en) 2008-04-16
US20070233295A1 (en) 2007-10-04

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7797471B2 (en) Method and system for transferring album artwork between a media player and an accessory
US7415563B1 (en) Method and system for allowing a media player to determine if it supports the capabilities of an accessory
US8099536B2 (en) Communication between an accessory and a media player with general and accessory lingoes
CA2644626C (en) Method and system for allowing a media player to transfer digital audio to an accessory
US7877532B2 (en) Communication between an accessory and a media player with multiple lingoes and lingo version information
US7634605B2 (en) Method and system for transferring stored data between a media player and an accessory
US7293122B1 (en) Connector interface system facilitating communication between a media player and accessories
US8171195B2 (en) Media player communication with an accessory using a display remote lingo
US8112567B2 (en) Method and system for controlling power provided to an accessory
TWI428760B (en) Method for providing video setting for a portable media player
US7590783B2 (en) Method and system for transferring status information between a media player and an accessory
US7529871B1 (en) Communication between an accessory and a media player with multiple protocol versions
US8006019B2 (en) Method and system for transferring stored data between a media player and an accessory

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
REEP Request for entry into the european phase

Ref document number: 2007799052

Country of ref document: EP

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 2007799052

Country of ref document: EP

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: RU