MXPA96001907A - Remote control for domest audio system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an audio system wherein pre-recorded music is digitally encoded into addressable memory of integrated circuit music chips, and the music of the chips is played on an associated solid-state audio player, and wherein the general description information regarding individual track selections of the music chips is downloaded to the audio player to assist in making music selections, a remote control apparatus for making remote music selections on the audio player of the music player. solid state, the remote control apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: transmission / reception means, for transmitting remotely to and receiving information from the audio player, the transmission / reception means are adapted to couple with a corresponding transmission / reception means in the audio player, where the general description information is downloaded and stored in mem remote control apparatus, selection means to allow a user to provide commands on the remote control apparatus that relate to the music selections to be made, and processing methods coupled with the transmission / reception means, the means of selection and memory, the processing means operate when processing the user commands and generate an output signal corresponding to the transmission / reception means.

Description

REMOTE CONTROL FOR DOMESTIC AUDIO SYSTEM RELATED REQUESTS The present application is related to the U.S. Patent Applications. Serial No. 08/447322 titled "Smart Tray for Audio Player", and having a filing date of May 22, 1995, that application has common inventors and assignees and is incorporated here by reference. CAMPQ OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a remote control unit for an audio player at home, and more particularly to a remote control unit having an inspection setup with the audio player, for downloading information to the remote control . BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prior art is replete with various remote control units adapted to communicate with a number of different control devices, including televisions, VCRs and audio equipment. Depending on the application for the remote control unit, common functional capabilities may include on / off, volume control and selection control, for example channel selection or music track, fast forward, rewind, scan, etc. With respect to the remote control of audio equipment, it is often convenient to have the ability to make selections related to the content from a music collection stored in a device type rocola. This device, for example, can take the form of a compact disc player (CD-ROM) that has multiple disk storage capacities. CDs and other recording media, however, have some significant disadvantages with respect to remote access to content information. For one reason, current recording technologies usually do not include the ability to record the content of information stored before selection in the player. In other words, to gain any information about the contents of a particular music selection, that selection will first have to be made manually on the player or by remote means. Alternately, some music players can be manually programmed to play certain selections based on user feed, where selections can then be activated remotely. In any circumstance, there is no way to automatically search and play music by category, for example by artist, type of music, etc., unless a user has prior knowledge of the selection. This knowledge should include at least the precise location of a selection in the recording medium, a way in which the reproductive device is directed to that site, and an index to look for encryption in the selection and locations. Substantially due to limitations in the recording medium, many of these functions can not be achieved effectively or cost effectively in the player, and certainly not from a remote control. An emerging technological innovation for consumer-directed audio recording is the storage of pre-recorded audio in a medium known as semiconductor music chips. Digital data stored in the music chips are accessed by a solid-state audio player that has a digital signal processor that converts stored digital data into audio signals. Until recently, storing digital data for playback of 4 popular music albums on a single semiconductor chip was not viable due to the amount of memory required and the costs associated with it. As more data compression techniques have been developed, however, the storage of full-length albums in semiconductor chips of modest size has become a reality. The storage of music choices in music semiconductor chips allows much greater flexibility in terms of the type of information that can be stored and also the way in which this information is accessed. For example, content information through music category and artist can be stored within the semiconductor music chips and then accessed in the player in such a way that music selections in general can be made without prior knowledge by a user. The ability to perform remote selections based on general information content greatly improves the appeal of a solid-state music system that uses the semiconductor chip music storage medium.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control unit for an audio system, wherein selection information and general content of the recording medium are readily available for remote selection by a user. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control unit, wherein the selection information available in the remote control is easily updated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a remote control unit for use in an audio player at home. The audio player is adapted to play pre-recorded music that is stored in a semiconductor music chip storage medium. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the remote unit is a portable device, energized by batteries that allows customized music selections to be made in the audio player from a distant position. Typical range of remote control is comparable with that of standard commercial television remote controls. The remote control unit includes an LCD display, a series of control buttons and an infrared communication interface for transmitting to and receiving data from the audio player. A reservoir gate is included in the audio player to be coupled with the remote control in order to download general content information stored in the audio player's memory with respect to each of the music chips it has loaded. The download procedure is initiated by one or more or pre-set button pressures on either the remote control or the player. and the information is transmitted over an interface using infrared energy. A processor inside the remote control guides the user through a menu-driven software routine to perform music selections on the player. A user progresses through the various menus by the use of a navigation pointer. Soft keys on the remote control perform different functions depending on the location within the menu-driven software routine. For example, a user may choose to play individual music tracks according to a specific music category, music artist or song. Other functions of the remote control include playback, pause, scanning (forward and backward) and fast scanning, as well as on / off and volume control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES By a better understanding of the present invention, reference can be made to the present description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a block diagram for a modality preferred of a solid state audio player, used in conjunction with the remote control of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a solid-state home audio player, illustrated in conjunction by the remote control of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a top plan view of the remote control for audio player of the present invention; Figure 4 shows an example of a display screen for software, for remote control of the present invention, wherein the navigation marker can be used to advance; Figure 5 shows a second example of a display case illustrating the use of programmable function key functions; Figure 6 shows an exemplary representation of a single head stored within a music chip; and Figure 7 shows a block diagram for a preferred embodiment of the remote control unit of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION PE THE DRAWINGS The present invention is a remote control unit used with a solid state audio system, which plays music recorded on a semiconductor music chip recording medium. With reference to Figure 1, a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a solid-state audio system 10 is illustrated, using the remote control of the present invention 30. One or more music chips 16 are coupled to an audio player 12 by a deposit music storage 20. The audio player 12 is operated by a digital signal processor (DSP) 14, which communicates through the music store 20 in order to access information from the music chips. Apart from the DSP 14 and music depot 20, a stereo encoder / decoder (codec) 18, a numeric keypad 22, a display 24 and remote control interface 26, are included as part of the main physical equipment architecture of the player of audio The remote control unit 30 communicates to the audio player 12 via the remote control interface 26. The numeric keypad, display and remote interface are coupled to the associated interface logic in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 27 and it includes the user interface that allows custom music selections to be made. The audio player 12 is responsible for decoding a stream of bits that is read from the selected music chip 16 and outputs the music through an output device, such as speakers or headphones 28. The music chips 16 employed with the audio player 12 are essentially memory devices that have stored digital data corresponding to pre-recorded music. The pre-recorded audio data is stored on the chip 16 in a compressed format by an audio coding algorithm. The algorithm reduces the amount of digital information needed to be stored from an original or master recording, while still reproducing essentially the same audio quality when the data is read again. Coding by the algorithm is necessary in order to store sufficient amounts of data, so that the music on the chips 16 can have playback times comparable to those of current albums. Other information regarding the musical content of the chip, including the category of music, artist and specific address information, is stored in a series of heads that are downloaded to the audio player once the chip is loaded. For a more detailed explanation of the data storage protocol associated with the music chips, from the U.S. Patent application. related Serial No. 08/447321, with the title "Data Protocol for a Music Chip" (Data Protocol for a Music Chip) and granted to the present assignee. With reference to Figure 2 in connection with theFigure 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of audio player 12, which employs the remote control unit of the present invention 30. Player 12 is a semi-stationary device for home / commercial use and is intended to mix and connect with a current user training system. The player 12 includes a base portion 32 and a stacked upper portion 34 that includes the music repositories 20. A base portion hosts the DSP 14 codex 18 and the associated logic to interconnect with the user. The remote control unit 30 is included with the system as part of the user interface to perform user functions remotely. A reservoir gate 38 adapted to receive the remote control unit 30 is included in the base, where music selection information is downloaded to the remote control so that the user can make intelligent selections. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the remote control interface 26 located within the reservoir gate uses an infrared communication scheme in which information is transmitted optically to and from the remote control through the remote control interface. However, it should be understood that a plug-in reservoir can also be used, wherein the audio player and remote control make physical contact, in order to achieve discharging. With reference to Figure 3, a preferred embodiment for the remote control device of the present invention is illustrated 30. Included within the remote control is an LCD display 40, a communications interface portion 42 and a series of selection buttons 44. The selection buttons include, but are not limited to, the navigation pointer 46, the button for combination and volume / power control 48 and a set of "programmable" function keys 51 to 56. The navigation pointer 46 controls a cursor 47 that appears in LCD display 40, where the movement of the cursor is carried out at least in four different directions corresponding to the indicators in the pointer. The multidirectional movement, ie diagonal, 8X15 may also be available depending on the routine of programs stored in the unalterable memory used in the remote control 30. The function of the navigational pointer 46 is similar to that of a mouse or articulated lever mechanism of control (Joystic), wherein a portion of the merchandiser may be chosen after the movement of the cursor 47.

The ignition / volume control is implemented using a combination switch 48 capable of three separate outputs. In a preferred application, pressing the combination switch 48 on one side of the switch corresponds to decreasing the volume, while pressing the switch on the opposite side produces an increase in volume. Pressing the combination switch 48 in a central region 50 produces a contact closure on both sides of the switch to provide a third output that turns the audio player on and off. A more detailed explanation of the combination switching mechanism is included in the Patent Application of the U.S.A. Related Series No. 08/447328, titled "Button Interface For A State Machine" (Mean Button for a State Machine). The programmable function keys 51 and 56 are used to select various functions coded in the software displaced by the remote control's menu. The individual keys will perform different functions depending on the status of the LCD 40 display menu. Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary use of the programmable function keys 51 and 56 where the LCD 40 exhibits 6 commonly used remote control commands. The icons 61-66 representative of each of the commands, ie advance 61, reverse 62, fast advance 63, fast reverse 64, playback 65 and break 66, are illustrated in the display 40 and an individual programmable function key 51 -56 corresponds to each of the commands. Pressing a programmable function key acts to execute the appropriate choice. Figure 5 shows an exemplary display screen where the navigational pointer will be used advantageously. A matrix is shown in the display 40, which corresponds to the music chips included in a single music storage depot. Text representations and / or graphs 68 are included in each of the chips loaded in a reservoir 20. The navigational pointer 46 is used to manipulate the cursor 47 to a desired selection within the array. The selection can be carried out, for example when selecting an object by pressing the mouse button when the option is pointed or pressing the pointer 46 to execute the selection, similar? the way in which "the buttons on a mouse peripheral are" selected from an object by pressing the mouse button. The selection command will either take the user to the next level of the menu display program within remote control 30, or will completely execute the selection. In alternation to the information displayed in the matrix form, it will be understood that information can be displayed in tabular form, where a user advances through the display using the pointer 46. In addition, it will be understood that the distribution of buttons presented with respect to Figure 3 is simply exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can choose other configurations to achieve similar functionality. As discussed with respect to Figure 2, content information of the music player is downloaded to the remote control unit 30, where the remote control is deposited within the reservoir gate 38 of the audio player 12. A sequence of commands or buttons is accessed in the base of the audio player 12 in order to start the download process. Alternatively, one or more keys on the remote unit may also be used to initiate the download procedure. Content information that is downloaded to the remote control is stored in individual music chips 16 in a series of heads. Each music chip that is inserted into the audio player will have a memory section that can be assigned to a table of contents. The selections of tracks on the chip will be listed as part of this table of contents by individual heads. The table of contents will include information on playback times, song titles, music category and artist. Providing this information allows the chip 16 to self-register, when it is loaded into a storage container 20 of the audio player 12 such that a user first does not require accessing individual chips to achieve content information. With reference to Figure 6, a preferred embodiment of an individual head 80 is illustrated, which will correspond to a single track in one of the music chips 16. The individual head contains a music category 82 to which the track belongs, by Example, Classical, Jass, Country, Rock, etc. Also included in the individual head 80 is an artist field 84 for indication of artist information and addressing 86, detailing start and end directions for each track selection. Individual head information is self-registered with the RAM in the audio player, once a 16 chip is inserted and energized. The concept of individual head allows a user to make music selections by music category or artist, which brings greater total flexibility to the system. For example, a user may choose to listen to Country Western songs randomly over the course of an afternoon or listen to songs by a specific artist, for example Billy Joel. The reproduction of music can be carried out randomly, sequentially or by specific content, as requested by the user. This head information is downloaded from the music chips in the audio player, for example in memory associated with each of the individual storage tanks. This same information or information corresponding to it, then transferred to the remote control before deposit and execution of the appropriate download commands. The transfer of the content selection information allows a user to make intelligent selections on the remote control with respect to general or specific content without having to see the display in the audio player.

With reference to Figure 7 in connection with Figure 1, a block diagram of a preferred embodiment for the remote control unit of the present invention 30 is illustrated. As described with respect to Figure 3, the remote control includes the LCD 40 and buttons 44 for powering user commands. The LCD and buttons are coupled to a processor 90 via a logic interface 92. A bi-directional duct 94 is coupled from the processor 90 to an infrared transmit / receive chip 96 at the communication interface 42. The transmission chip / reception 96 is adapted to convert a digital bit stream from the remote control 30 and transmit corresponding infrared energy in a known manner and at a frequency that is received by that of the remote interface 26 of the audio player 12. The remote interface receives the power infrared and reconverts the information to digital form where it is handled by the processor 14 of the audio player 12. Similarly, the transmit / receive chip 96 receives infrared communications from the audio player, when the remote control 30 is deposited. This information is converted and processed digitally by the remote control. The infrared transmission scheme is advantageous due to the low relative energy consumption required for transmissions. As will be understood, the remote control 30 is energized using commercially available batteries of standard size. A routine of programs stored in unalterable memory, stored in memory of the remote control, is responsible for the implementation of routines of selections directed by menu. It will be understood that the selection capability of the remote control 30 varies according to the selection information that is downloaded during the deposit. From the foregoing, it will be understood that the modalities described, with respect to the drawings, are simply exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make variations and modifications to the illustrated modalities, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, as an alternative, the bi-directional infrared transmission scheme illustrated, the remote control unit can be adapted to physically connect to the plug-in audio player to achieve unloading. Then data will be transferred between the coupled terminals of the audio player and the remote control.

Remote commands, however, will continue to be transmitted using infrared energy. All of these variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS 1.- In an audio system where pre-recorded music is digitally encoded into addressable memory of integrated circuit music chips, and the music of the chips is played on an associated solid-state audio player, and where the generated description information regarding individual track selections of the music chips, is downloaded to the audio player to assist in making music selections, a remote control apparatus for making remote music selections on the solid state audio player , the remote control apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: transmission / reception means, to transmit in form and receive information from the audio receiver, the transmission / reception means are adapted to be coupled with a corresponding transmission / reception means in the player audio, where the general description information is downloaded and stored in control device memory remote; selection means for allowing a user to supply commands on the remote control apparatus that relate to the music selections to be made; and processing means coupled with the transmission / reception means, the selection means and the memory, the processing means operate when processing the user commands and generate an output signal corresponding to the transmission / reception means.
2. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized by including display means coupled with the processing means, wherein the display means allow the user to see the general description information downloaded to the remote control.
3. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the processing means are operable to run a menu-driven selection program, and wherein the selection program is viewed from the display means.
4. 4. - The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the selection means include a navigation pointer, the navigation pointer is adapted to selectively maneuver a cursor through the display means, to make selections in accordance with the Selection program directed by menu.
5. 5. - The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission / reception means include an infrared interface means, the infrared interface means is operable to transmit and receive the information to and from the audio player using infrared energy.
6. 6. - The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the selection means include a combination switch, the combination switch is adapted to produce three separate output signals, the manner in which the switch is depressed depends.
7. 7. - The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the selection means include a series of programmable function control buttons, the programmable function control buttons correspond to a selection generated in the display means from of the program for menu-driven selection.
8. 8. - The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that it includes at least 6 of the programmable function control buttons, wherein on a specific display screen, each of the six programmable function control buttons correspond to a command selected from the group consisting of play, pause, forward scan, backward scan, fast forward and fast reverse.
9. 9. An improved remote control apparatus for a home audio player, wherein the home audio player is adapted to play pre-recorded music from a semiconductor music chip storage medium, and wherein content information in the form of a series of heads referring to individual audio tracks in the music chips, the improvement is recorded in the audio player, characterized in that it comprises: a deposit station included within the remote control, where the deposit station is adapted to interconnect in close proximity with a corresponding deposit gate in the audio player, with which the information of content with respect to the individual tracks of the audio is downloaded to the remote control, thus facilitating the selection of intelligent music by a user.
10. 10. - The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the storage station includes an infrared transmit / receive chip to communicate with the audio player by infrared energy.
11. 11. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it also includes display means for content information downloaded to the remote control.
12. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that it also includes processing means wherein the processing means operate to run a menu-driven selection program, and wherein the selection program is viewed from the display means .
13. 13. - The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it also includes selection means to allow a user to provide commands on the remote control device that refer to the music selections that are to be made.
14. 14. - The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a navigation pointer adapted to selectively maneuver a cursor through the display means, to make selections according to the program for menu-driven selection.
15. 15. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it also includes a combination switch., The combination switch is adapted to produce three separate output signals, the manner in which the switch is depressed depends.
16. 16. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that it includes a series of programmable function control buttons, the programmable function control buttons correspond to a selection generated in the display means from the program for selection directed by menu.
17. 17.- Method for making remote selections of music, in an audio player adapted to play music recorded in integrated circuit music chips, where the descriptive information of content referring to individual tracks, is stored in a series of heads in each one of the music chips and the descriptive content information is transferred to the audio player by activating the music chips, the audio player is further adapted to deposit with a remote control unit for transfer of the descriptive content information, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: storing descriptive information of content in memory of the audio player; depositing the remote control unit in a reservoir gate of the audio player, whereby the descriptive content information is downloaded and stored within the remote control; and manually providing selection commands in the remote control, based on descriptive content information, where the selection commands communicate remotely with the audio player.
18. 18.- Method of compliance with the claim 17, characterized in that it also includes the step of viewing the content descriptive information in a display medium in the remote control.
19. 19. Method of compliance with the claim 18, characterized in that the content descriptive information is viewed in the context of a software program run by menu.
20. 20. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that the content descriptive information and the command selections are transmitted using infrared energy. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a remote control unit for use with an in-home audio player, adapted to play pre-recorded music that is stored in a semiconductor music chip storage medium. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the remote unit is a portable device, energized by batteries, which allows to make music selections by adapting to the measurement in the audio player from a distant position. The remote control unit includes an LCD display, a series of control buttons and an infrared communication interface, to transmit to and receive data from the audio player. A deposit gate is included in the audio player to be coupled with the remote control in order to download general content information stored in the audio player's memory with respect to each of the music chips it has loaded. A processor inside the remote control, guides the user through routines of software directed by menu to direct them by menu, to make selections of music in the player. A user advances through the various menus by using a navigation pointer. Soft keys on the remote control take different functions, depending on the location within the menu-driven software routine. For example, a user may choose to play individual music tracks, according to a specific music category, music artist or song. Other functions of the remote control include play, pause, scan (forward and backward) and fast scan, as well as on / off and volume control.