Patent ID: 6332175
Filing Date: 2001-12-18
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A self-contained portable audio player, comprising:a disk storage unit for storing compressed audio data comprising a multiplicity of audio recordings;a memory buffer for storing compressed audio data and a play list identifying a subset of the audio recordings and an order in which to play the identified subset of audio recordings;a compressed audio data converter for converting compressed audio data in the memory buffer into a decompressed audio signal;a communications port for transmitting the decompressed audio signal to a user; andplay control logic for copying compressed audio data from the disk storage unit into the memory buffer, wherein the copied data, when converted into a decompressed audio signal, has a transmission time that is greater than an amount of time required to copy data from the disk storage unit into the memory buffer;wherein the play control logic is configured to increase power to the disk storage unit, to enable copying of audio data from the disk storage unit into the memory buffer, when the amount of compressed audio data remaining to be converted by the compressed audio data converter reaches a threshold level unless the play list is empty, and is configured to decrease power to the disk storage unit when copying of compressed audio data from the disk storage unit into the memory buffer reaches a predefined stop condition.