Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20090086097?dq=7233890
Timestamp: 2017-11-21 20:32:50
Document Index: 694923376

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24']

Patent US20090086097 - Television - Google Patents
The present invention discloses a television that includes a speaker; a display; a tuner for receiving television broadcasting signals and generates first sound signals and first image signals based on the television broadcasting signals; a connecting terminal for connecting to a player device having...http://www.google.com/patents/US20090086097?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20090086097 - Television
Publication number US20090086097 A1
Application number US 12/284,502
Also published as US8120705
Publication number 12284502, 284502, US 2009/0086097 A1, US 2009/086097 A1, US 20090086097 A1, US 20090086097A1, US 2009086097 A1, US 2009086097A1, US-A1-20090086097, US-A1-2009086097, US2009/0086097A1, US2009/086097A1, US20090086097 A1, US20090086097A1, US2009086097 A1, US2009086097A1
Patent Citations (11), Referenced by (5), Classifications (21), Legal Events (2)
US 20090086097 A1
an operation macro outputting unit for outputting an operation macro having substantially commensurate functionality the operation commands of the player device in order to-make the player device perform consecutive operations, through the connecting terminal.
the operation macro outputting unit outputs the operation macro to make the player device select the media file to play and play the media file selected.
the operation macro outputting unit outputs the operation macro to make the player device select the media file that was stored in the media player later than a predetermined time.
the operation macro outputting unit outputs the operation macro to make the player device select image files of the media file and perform a slide show of the image files selected.
an operation macro outputting unit for outputting an operation macro substantially commensurate with the operation commands of the player device to the player device in order to make the player device select the media file, select image files, play the media file selected and perform a slide show of the image files selected; and
a switching unit for switching the television to a player device mode where at least one of the speaker and the display outputs one of the second audio signals and the second image signals when the player device is connected to the connecting terminal, and switching the television to a normal mode where each of the speaker and the display output the respective first audio signals and the first image signals, in the player device mode when the player device is disconnected from the connecting terminal.
Currently, media players that can play sounds and images, become popular. Media players are devices that can play specific contents(media files). As an example of the media players, iPod™ provided by Apple Inc. is well known. The media players have functions to play specific media files in their portable and small chassis. Such the media players can transmit sounds, images and data to external devices that are connected to the media players. Some of the media players can cooperate with the external devices. And, not only in the media player, some technologies to cooperate with the external devices are suggested (see JPA-H11-275503 and JPA-2006-111252) According to JPA-H11-275503, a television that can connect to a PC card, a data recording medium and a serial cable, automatically input data from them and play the data, is disclosed. Further, in JPA-2006-111252, a car audio system output a signal to make the media player play the media file when the media player is connected thereto.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram showing a configuration of a television, of the present invention, having a function for connecting to a media player. The television 10 is comprised of a microcomputer 11, a tuner 12, an image processing circuit 13, a sound processing circuit 14, an input terminal 15, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module 16, a docking unit 17, a remote control receiver 18, a bus 19, a speaker 20, a power circuit 21, a switching circuit (switching unit) 22 and an external input terminal 23. Components 11-18 are connected through the bus 19 each other and can mutually transmit data each other. Further the components 11-20 are connected to the power circuit 21 and are supplied electric power from the power circuit 21. The power circuit 21 can supply a standby power for functioning at least a timer of the microcomputer 11 e.g. and an ordinary main power. The microcomputer 11 is comprised of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 a, RAM (Random Access Memory) 11 b and ROM (Read Only Memory) 11 c. The CPU 11 a executes computing for performing processes described below, with complying with a program code stored in the ROM 11 c. Then, data and parameters that are needed for the computing, are buffered in the RAM 11 b.
The tuner 12 has an antenna terminal 12 a. The tuner 12 extracts digital television signals with a frequency corresponding to a desired broadcasting channel, from signals input through the antenna terminal 12 a. The tuner 12 performs detecting, de-multiplexing and extracting the digital television signals. And the tuner 12 generates image signals and sound signals. The image signals (first image signals) generated by the tuner 12 are output to the image processing circuit 13. The sound signals (first sound signals) generated by the tuner 12 are output to the sound processing circuit 14. In addition, frequency information for tuner 12 to synthesize and multiplexing information are obtained from a channel map CM stored in the ROM 11 c. A writable media is applied as the ROM 11 c, because the channel map has to be updated corresponding to user's favorites and broadcasting condition. The switching circuit 22, for example, connected with the external input terminal 23 such as an S-type terminal (i.e. Separate video or S-Video terminal) or a D1-type terminal e.g. And the switching circuit 22 can switch to output image signals and sound signals received through the external input terminal 23 into the image processing circuit 13 and the sound processing circuit 14.
FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view of appearances of the television 10 and the media player. The media player is corresponding to a player device of the present invention. According to FIG. 2, the television 10 has the LCD panel 16 a in a substantial thin plane shape standing substantially vertically. Abovementioned circuits are placed behind the LCD panel 16 a. The television 10 has a foot part 24. The foot part is comprised of a base part 24 a in a substantial plane shape that can widely contact with a horizontal plane, and a brace 24 b that is substantially vertically extended from the base part 24 a and is coupled to the LCD panel 16 a. A hollow portion 24 c where a bottom edge of the media player 50 can be inserted, is formed by making a hollow downward from an upper plane of the base part 24 a. The media player 50 is supported to be vertical by fitting together by inserting the bottom edge of the media player 50 into the hollow portion 24 c. Then, for preventing a top edge of the media player 50 from conflicting to a bottom edge of the LCD panel 16 a, the hollow part 24 c is formed at a position forward to the LCD panel 16 a. An I/O (Input/Output) terminal unit 59 (not illustrated) is formed in the bottom edge of the media player 50, and abovementioned connecting terminal unit 17 d is formed in the hollow portion 24 c.
The I/O terminal unit 59 and the connecting terminal unit 17 d are formed at corresponding position each other, therefore the I/O terminal unit 59 and the connecting terminal unit 17 d can electrically connect when the bottom edge of the media player 50 is inserted into the hollow portion 24 c. Accordingly, the image signals and the sound signals can be transmitted from the media player 50 to the docking unit 17, through the I/O terminal unit 59 and the connecting terminal unit 17 d. Also, the electric power can be supplied from the television 10 to the media player 50, and the control signals can be mutually transmitted between the television 10 and the media player 50. The charging switch 17 c is formed at a position where is on the upper plane of the base part 24 a and is adjacent to the hollow portion 24 c. The charging switch 17 c can be slid. If users slide the charging switch 17 c to an on-side direction, the charging of the media player 50 is turned on. And if users slide the charging switch 17 to an off-side direction (opposite to the on-side direction); the charging of the media player 50 is turned off. In particular, connection and disconnection of a power supply line connecting the charging circuit 17 b and the connecting terminal unit 17 d are switched.
[1] M button→[2] D button→[3] D button→
[4] D button→[5] R button→[6] P button
FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing the operation panel 57 of the media player 50 and an operation menus (structure) of the application program of the media player 50. In FIG. 7, each of the operation menus is comprised of some items and a main menu is provided as a top class of the operation menus. Each of items (media files) of the operation menus can be selected by operating the operation panel 57. The operation panel 57 is comprised on an M button for returning to the main menu, an U button for moving to upper items in a same class of the operation menus, a D button for moving to lower items in the same class of the operation menus, an L button for returning to upper (illustrated in left hand side) class of the operation menus, an R button for moving to lower (illustrated in right hand side) class of the operation menus, and a P button for determining (playing) a selected item (media file). In case, the CPU 51 a of the media player 50 receive the operation commands corresponding to the consecutive operations from [1] to [6], first, an “AUDIO” folder that is a top item of the main menu is selected by the command corresponding to the operation [1]. In addition, if the media player 50 has been turned off, the media player 50 is turned on by the command corresponding to the operation [1]. Next, a “PODCAST” folder is selected by moving downward three times in the main menu according to the commands corresponding to the operations from [2] to [4]. And, a “NEW ARRIVAL” folder that is a top item of the “PODCAST” folder is selected by the command corresponding to the operation [5]. In a state that the “NEW ARRIVAL” folder that is selected, the media files belonging to the “NEW ARRIVAL” folder are played by the command corresponding to the operation [6].
The process performed when (just after) the media player 50 is connected to the television 10 is explained above, a process performed after the media player 50 to the television 10 will be explained below. FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart of a monitoring charging process performed after the media player 50 to the television 10. In step S3 10, the charging circuit 17 b of the docking unit 17 periodically measures an amount of charge of the battery 54 in the media player 50 through the connecting terminal unit 17 d and the I/O terminal unit 59. And, in case the amount of charge is less than a predetermined threshold, the microcomputer 11 makes the charging circuit 17 b perform to charge the battery 54 in step S320. However, in case the charging switch 17 c is slid to the off-side direction, the power supply line is cut off. Therefore, in case the charging switch 17 c is slid to the off-side direction, substantially, the charging the battery 54 can not be performed. On the other hand, the amount of charge is not less than the predetermined threshold, the microcomputer 11 does not make the charging circuit 17 b perform to charge the battery 54 and returns to step S310. The microcomputer 11 can always judge whether the amount of charge of the battery 54 has reached the predetermined threshold and can stop charging that is started when the media player 50 is connected to the television 10 (in step S110), because the monitoring charging process described above is periodically performed while the media player 50 is connected to the television 10. Therefore, futile electricity consumption can be prevented. Further, the charging can be also started, in case users slide the charging switch 17 c to the on-side direction after the media player 50 is connected to the television 10 and the amount of the charge is not less than the predetermined threshold. In addition, timings to perform this monitoring charging process can be determined based on elapsed time from starting to charge.
[4] R button→[5] P button→[6] M button→
[7] R button→[8] P button
E. Modified Embodiments E-1. The Modified Embodiment of the Dummy Image
Further, the dummy image should not limited to be completely generated by the microcomputer 11, and the dummy image can be generated by combining the OSD signals generated by the microcomputer 11 and image signals coming from other input sources. For example, the dummy image can be generated by combining the OSD signals generated by the microcomputer 11 and the image signals based on the television broadcasting signals received by the tuner 12. For example, users can watch a television channel such as a sport channel that has less importance of sounds, with listening sounds from the media player 50. By displaying the television channel with the message notifying that the television 10 is outputting the sound signals coming from the media player 50, it can be prevent users from misunderstanding that the television 10 is out of order. Further, as concrete method for combining the image signals based on the television broadcasting signal and the ODS signals, they can be superimposed in a common area and each of them can be displayed in divided areas of the LCD panel 16 a.
E-2. A Power Saving Operation
[4] R button→[5] D button→[6] D button→
[7] P button
[7] P button→
[8] M button→[9] R button→[10] D button→
[11] P button
[4] D button→[5] D button→[6] R button→
[7] R button→[8] D button→[9] P button
The television of the present invention includes a speaker; a display; a tuner for receiving television broadcasting signals and generates first sound signals and first image signals based on the television broadcasting signals; a connecting terminal for connecting to a player device having an operation panel generating operation commands according to user's operations; an operation macro outputting unit for outputting an operation macro same as a plurality of the operation commands to the player device in order to make the player device perform consecutive operations, through the connecting terminal.
US8818534 Oct 29, 2010 Aug 26, 2014 Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Electronic apparatus with automatic orientation function
U.S. Classification 348/553, 348/731, 348/E05.097, 348/E05.096
International Classification G11B31/00, H04N5/64, G11B20/10, H04N5/44, H04N7/173, H04N5/765, H04N5/50
Cooperative Classification H04N21/4126, H04N5/781, H04N5/775, H04N21/8153, H04N21/4882, H04N5/445, H04N21/485
European Classification H04N21/41P5, H04N5/445, H04N5/775
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ONOMATSU, TAKEHIRO;REEL/FRAME:021657/0538