Patent Publication Number: US-2006018205-A1

Title: System and method for displaying media playing information

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to information displaying systems and methods, and more particularly to a system and method for displaying media playing information.  
      2. General Background  
      Media playing software (e.g. Windows Media Player) usually displays playing information on a monitor screen when playing CDs, VCDs or DVDs. However, this method enables users to observe the playing information only when the monitor screen is powered on. When the users are observing the playing information, they won&#39;t be able to run other applications on the same monitor screen. Furthermore, the traditional displaying information is generally limited to media file&#39;s names, lyrics, and few cartoons.  
      With the development of science and technology and improvement in the computing ability of personal computers, more entertainment functions are added into the computers in order to fulfill individualized requirements for media playing. Related art is disclosed in patents such as TW Patent No. 481,764 issued on Apr. 1st, 2004 and entitled “Playing CDs in Power Saving Mode”. This patent discloses a computer system which can calculate the time needed to play a CD. The computer system runs under a power saving mode for a period of the calculated time. Then, the computer system turns into a normal mode. However, the power saving mode can only be run in an operating system circumstances, and all the displaying information are shown on the monitor screen.  
      What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for displaying media playing information, which can display media playing information even when a monitor display is powered off in order to reduce power consumption and bring more entertainment to computer users.  
     SUMMARY  
      A computer system for displaying media playing information is provided herein in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invetion. The system includes: media playing software installed in the computer for playing media files; a media playing controller enchased on a front panel of the computer for receiving user-input commands to control the media playing software; an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel enchased on the front panel of the computer for displaying the media playing information; a motherboard including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a south bridge chipset for obtaining the media playing information from the media playing software; and a plug-in board including: a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) chipset for receiving the media playing information from the motherboard and generating media controlling commands according to the user-input commands from the media playing controller; a media information obtaining module for obtaining the media playing information and receiving the media playing commands from the PCI chipset; and a media information displaying module for executing the media playing commands to control the LCD panel to display the media playing information.  
      A method for displaying media playing information in a computer system is also provided herein. The method comprises the steps of: displaying a startup cartoon when a Windows Operating System is being started; closing the startup cartoon when a user opens media playing software; obtaining media playing information on a media file being played and transmitting the media playing information to an LCD panel; displaying the media playing information on the LCD panel; checking whether a command to close the media playing software is received; and displaying a system time and a closedown cartoon if such a command is received.  
      Other advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an apparent diagram of a system for displaying media playing information according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of internal infrastructure of the host computer of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a preferred method for displaying media playing information by utilizing the system of  FIG. 1 ; and  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a preferred method for obtaining media playing information on a media file being displayed. 
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       FIG. 1  is an apparent schematic diagram of a system for displaying media playing information (hereinafter, “the system”) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A media playing controller  11  and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel  12  are enchased on a front panel  10  of a host computer  1 . The media playing controller  11  receives user-input commands to control media playing software installed in an Operating System of the host computer  1 . The commands may include start/pause of a media file, selection of a media file to be played, control of the volume, and so on. The media playing software can be a Windows Media Player, a RealPlayer, an MP3 Player or any other media player known in the art. In this preferred embodiment, the media playing software is a Windows Media Player running in a Windows OS. The LCD panel  12  is used for displaying media playing information, which may, for example, include a playing status, a name of the media file being played, and the volume.  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of internal infrastructure of the host computer  1 . The host computer  1  includes: (1) a motherboard  2  including at least a CPU (Central Processing Unit)  21  and a south bridge chipset  22  (e.g. Sis 963 SB) for obtaining media playing information from the Windows media player; (2) a plug-in board  3  which has at least a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) chipset  31  (e.g. 18C801 chipset), a media information obtaining module  32 , a media information displaying module  33 , and a Flash ROM  34 ; (3) a system bus (SMBus) for connecting the south bridge chipset  22  with the PCI chipset  31 . The PCI chipset  31  is used to receive the media playing information from the south bridge chipset  22 , and to generate media playing commands to control the LCD panel  12 . The media information obtaining module  32  obtains the media playing information and the media playing commands from the PCI chipset  31 . The media information displaying module  33  executes the media playing commands to control the LCD panel  12 . The Flash ROM  34  is a device to store program codes of all relevant applications used to perform the system.  
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a preferred method for displaying media playing information on a media file being displayed. In step S 201 , the LCD panel  12  displays a startup presentation like a startup cartoon when a Windows OS is being started. In step S 202 , the startup cartoon is closed when a user opens a Windows Media Player. In step S 203 , media information obtaining module  32  obtains media playing information from the Windows Media Player, and transmit the media playing information to the LCD panel  12 . Detailed description of this step will be shown below in relation to  FIG. 4 . In step S 204 , the media information displaying module  33  controls the LCD panel  12  to display basic information on the media file being played. The basic information may include a name of the media file, and a total time to play the media file. In step S 205 , the media information obtaining module  32  determines whether a command to close the Windows Media Player is received. If such a command is received, in step S 206 , the LCD panel  12  displays a system time and a closedown presentation like a closedown cartoon, whereupon the procedure is ended. Otherwise, the procedure goes to step S 203  described above.  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of details of step S 203 , namely, obtaining media playing information on a media file being displayed. In step S 301 , the system loads the media information obtaining module  32  and the media information displaying module  33 , and loads a dynamical link library file LCM.d11. In step S 302 , a user starts the Windows Media Player to play the media file via the media playing controller  11 . In Step S 303 , the media information obtaining module  32  obtains media playing information on the media file from the Windows Media Player and a media playing command to control the Windows Media Player from the media playing controller  11 . In step S 304 , the media information obtaining module  32  determines whether the media playing command is a command to close the Windows Media Player. If the media playing command is a command to close the Windows Media Player, in step S 305 , the media information obtaining module  32  releases the file LCM.d11, and closes the Windows Media Player, whereupon the procedure is ended. Otherwise, if the media playing command is not a command to close the Windows Media Player, in step S 306 , the file LCM.d11 initializes the system bus  4  as available. In step S 307 , the PCI chipset  31  transmits the media playing command to the media information displaying module  33 . In step S 308 , the media information displaying module  33  transmits the media playing information to the LCD panel  12 .  
      Although the present invention has been specifically described on the basic of a preferred embodiment and a preferred method, the invention is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment and the method without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.