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Ambient sound responsive media playerRelated Patent Categories: Electrical Audio Signal Processing Systems And Devices, Monitoring Of Sound, Amplification Control Responsive To Ambient SoundAmbient sound responsive media player description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070189544, Ambient sound responsive media player. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/267,079 filed Nov. 3, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/665,291 filed Mar. 26, 2005 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/648,197 filed Jan. 27, 2005, all of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. [0002] This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/223,368 filed Sep. 9, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/644,417 filed Jan. 15, 2005, both of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. [0003] This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/610,615 filed Dec. 14, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/793,214 filed Apr. 19, 2006, both of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. [0004] This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/841,990 filed Aug. 31, 2006, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0005] 1. Field of the Invention [0006] The present invention relates generally to media players, and more specifically to responsive media players. [0007] 2. Discussion of the Related Art [0008] Portable media players have become popular personal entertainment devices due to their highly portable nature, their ability to provide accessibility to a large library of stored media files, and interconnectivity with existing computer networks, for example the Internet. The accessibility and simplicity in downloading music and other electronic media continues to fuel the popularity of these devices as is exemplified by Apple Computer, Inc.'s highly successful iPod.TM. portable media player. Other manufacturers have competing Media Players offering various functionalities and file playing compatibilities in an effort to differentiate their products in the marketplace. [0009] As discussed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0224638 A1, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, an increasing number of consumer products are incorporating circuitry to play musical media files and other electronic media. For example, many portable electronic devices such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) include the ability to play electronic musical media in many of the most commonly available file formats including MP3, AVI, WAV, MPG, QT, WMA, AIFF, AU, RAM, RA, MOV, MIDI, etc. With a wide variety of devices and file formats emerging, it is expected that in the near future a large segment of the population will have upon their person an electronic device with the ability to access music files from a library of media files in local memory and/or over a computer network, and play those music files at will. Such users generally wear headphones to experience music content in a personalized high fidelity manner. [0010] Because most users of portable media players generally wear headphones to play music directly into their ears, users experience the beneficial effect of separating themselves from the noises of daily life, providing a serene audio environment of personally played music. Unfortunately, users often miss important sound events within the real world when listening to music through headphones of a portable media player. For example, another person might be talking to the media player user but because of the music playing through their headphones, the user is unable to hear the fact that they have been verbally addressed. Similarly, a siren or alarm may sound in the environment of a headphone-wearing media player user, but they may not hear the warning sound effectively, thus creating a dangerous situation for the user. Finally, a headphone-wearing media player user may try to talk to someone else within their immediate environment, but because they cannot hear their own voice, they may find themselves talking substantially too loud for the current situation. This may create an embarrassing situation for the user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] Several embodiments of the invention advantageously address the needs above as well as other needs by providing a media player that is responsive to ambient sound. [0012] In some embodiments, the invention can be characterized as a method of adjusting an output of a media player comprising capturing an ambient audio signal; processing the ambient audio signal to determine whether one or more characteristic forms are present within the ambient audio signal; and reducing an output of a media player from a first volume to a second volume if the one or more characteristic forms are present within the ambient audio signal. [0013] In some embodiments, the invention can be characterized as a method of adjusting an output of a media player comprising capturing an ambient audio signal; processing the ambient audio signal to determine whether one or more characteristic forms are present within the ambient audio signal; and mixing at least a portion of the ambient audio signal with a first output of a media player to generate a second output of the media player if the one or more characteristic forms are present within the ambient audio signal. [0014] In some embodiments, the invention can be characterized as a An apparatus for use in a media player comprising a microphone; and one or more processors adapted to: process an ambient audio signal received by the microphone to determine whether one or more characteristic forms are present within the ambient audio signal, and adjust an output of a media player if the one or more characteristic forms are present within the ambient audio signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of several embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings. [0016] FIG. 1 depicts a generalized block diagram of a media player in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention; [0017] FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart of a process of an ambient sound responsive media player unit in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. [0018] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0019] The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of exemplary embodiments. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. [0020] There currently exists a need to provide intelligent volume control of media content play through headphones (or other similar headsets and ear pieces), such that a headphone wearing media player user may more easily hear when he or she is verbally addressed, when an alarm or siren sounds within his or her environment, and/or when he or she is speaking aloud. Continue reading about Ambient sound responsive media player... Full patent description for Ambient sound responsive media player Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ambient sound responsive media player patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Ambient sound responsive media player or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Sound reproducing apparatus Next Patent Application: Method of adjusting linear parameters of a parametric ultrasonic signal to reduce non-linearities in decoupled audio output waves and system including same Industry Class: Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Ambient sound responsive media player patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.16343 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry 174 |
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