752 results about "MP3 player" patented technology

The invention is embodied in a system for diabetes management including a medical device (MD) and a consumer electronic device (CED). The CED may be used to monitor and / or control the MD. In particular embodiments, the system may include a connector that plugs into the CED to allow communication between the MD and the CED. The medical device may be an external infusion device, implantable pump, glucose meter, glucose monitor, continuous glucose monitoring system, or the like. The CED may be any type of consumer electronic device including, but not limited to, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), BlackBerry, Smartphones, pocketpc phones, mp3 players, radios, CD players, and the like.

An FM transmitter and power supply / charging assembly electrically coupleable with an MP3 player. The assembly includes a modular docking unit having a main body portion with a docking cavity therein, wherein the main body portion contains the FM transmitter and power / charging circuitry, with coupling means in the docking cavity for connecting the MP3 player with the FM transmitter and power / charging circuitry, to accommodate FM transmission by the FM transmitter of audio content when played by the MP3 player in the docking cavity of the modular docking unit, and adapted for transmitting electrical power through the modular docking unit and the power / charging circuitry therein, for charging of a battery of the MP3 player and / or powering of the MP3 player.

An audio user interface that generates audio prompts that help a user interact with a user interface of a device is disclosed. One aspect of the present invention pertains to techniques for providing the audio user interface by efficiently leveraging the computing resources of a host computer system. The relatively powerful computing resources of the host computer can convert text strings into audio files that are then transferred to the computing device. The host system performs the process intensive text-to-speech conversion so that a computing device, such as a hand-held device, only needs to perform the less intensive task of playing the audio file. The computing device can be, for example, a media player such as an MP3 player, a mobile phone, or a personal digital assistant.

The present invention provides systems and methods for managing and controlling networked devices. A system comprises a host application executing on, for example, a personal computer, and one or more networked devices executing a client application. A networked device includes a consumer appliance equipped with network capability, a digital device such as MP3 players and DVRs, an electronically-controlled device such as a light circuit or other type of circuit, and the like. The host application automatically establishes communication with the networked device. The networked device configures a user interface for user control of the networked device. The host application provides a graphical layout of the networked device.

A digital audio file search method and apparatus for digital audio files is provided that allows a user to navigate the audio files by generating speech sounds related to the information of the audio files to facilitate searching and playback. The digital audio file search method and apparatus searches for audio files in a portable digital audio player in combination with an automobile audio system through speech sounds by utilizing text-to-speech processing and by prompting response from a user in response to the generated speech sounds. The text-to-speech technology is utilized to generate the speech sound based on tag-data of the audio files. When hearing the speech sounds, the user gives instruction for searching the files without being distracted from driving the automobile.

Methods and apparatus for downloading one or more lighting programs including one or more lighting effects. The lighting program(s) may be downloaded from a web site to one or more LED-based lighting devices that are configured to execute the downloaded lighting program(s) so as to reproduce the lighting effect(s). In various examples, a variety of programming devices may be employed to facilitate wired or wireless downloading, including one or more computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, media players (e.g., MP3 players), and the like. Information may be uploaded to the web site to facilitate selection and / or creation of lighting effect(s) that are included in the downloaded lighting program(s).

Autonomous personal service robot to monitor its owner for symptoms of distress and provide assistance. The system may include sensors to detect situations before they affect people such as smoke, heat, temperature and carbon monoxide sensors. The system can provide security for the home. The PRA may comprise features such as a medicine dispenser and blood pressure cuff. Features such as broadband internet, MP3 player, reading lights and eye glass tracker provide butler type capabilities that enable the system to appeal to markets beyond the elderly and infirmed. The system may also include an X10 transmitter / receiver to automatically control various household lights and appliances. Equipping the system with a robot arm enables the robot to fetch items, turn on and off wall switches and open the refrigerator.

A holder, electrical supply, and optional RF transmitter unit to hold, supply power to, and receive a data signal from an operating electronic device when the device (e.g., MP3 player) is held in the unit is disclosed. Electrical power enters the unit's power acquisition portion (e.g., cigarette lighter adapter) from an external source and flows to the electronic device via the holder. A data signal from the electronic device is processed by an RF transmitter in the unit, and the resulting RF signal is broadcast by an antenna (e.g., gooseneck) that preferably forms a repositionable mechanical connection between the holder and the power acquisition unit.

A system for wireless remote control of a gateway and ordering or invocation of services provided by a headend. The remote control includes a video display and user input device or keyboard and can decompress and display compressed streaming video in some embodiments. Some species of the remote control can act as web browsers, appliance control, TIVO function control, an IP telephony telephone, a cellular telephone and / or an MP3 player. In some embodiments, the gateway and / or headend can implement TIVO-like functions under control from a wireless remote of custom design or implemented on a Personal Digital Assistant.

An apparatus comprising a pair of headphones which have selective port connections formed in their housings allowing connection with an auxiliary audio appliances such as an AM / FM radio, CD player, cassette players, MP3 player as well as a cellular telephone. The apparatus specifically has one port for connection to a cellular telephone which is connected to a switching circuit which when activated by the occurrence a telephonic connection interrupts the audio from the auxiliary audio appliance.

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for RSS content administration for rendering RSS content on a digital audio player. Embodiments include retrieving, through an RSS feed, RSS content; extracting text from the RSS content; creating a media file; and storing the extracted text of the RSS content as metadata associated with the media file. Embodiments also typically include extracting one or more images from the RSS content; and storing the extracted images as metadata associated with the media file. Embodiments also typically include extracting text from the RSS content for audio rendering on the digital audio player; converting the text to speech; and recording the speech in the audio portion of the media file. Many embodiments also include storing the media file on a digital audio player; displaying the metadata describing the media file; and playing the audio portion containing the speech.

A personalized media service provides, e.g., user customization of radio channel selections, immediate availability of multiple pre-programmed and / or customized channels, the ability to intersperse different types of content including periodically refreshed information content, availability of personal radio functions on devices such as car audio systems, PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, etc. Available channels include, e.g., pre-programmed channels selected for the user based on an interest profile, user-owned content, user-specified recorded content, etc. An audio user interface facilitates user selection of programming and user purchase of currently played audio material. An overall radio experience is thus provided that combines the customization and flexibility of digital media with the immediacy and ubiquity of radio. Video materials may also be accommodated.

An entertainment system comprising a base unit with a transceiver for interacting, at times, with a control unit via a communications link, and a control unit for controlling the base unit, the control unit being dockable with the base unit to establish direct electrical connection between them, and including a transceiver for interacting with the control unit via said link when undocked. The control unit is a separate aspect of the invention or system. The base unit may contain a tuner, preferably with bandless tuning capability, and may be designed to receive into a universal docking arrangement a digitally controllable auxiliary audio source such as a portable MP3 player or other device. The base unit may further provide alarm clock functionality with numerous features including a “fail-safe” volume control system and fail-safe alarm time setting capability.

A watch or other type of portable electronic console that employs a number of different functions in order to improve its usability. The watch may, for example, allow a user to connect the watch to one or more remote electronic devices, such as an electronic performance sensor or MP3 player. The watch then displays information related to the connected electronic devices. Still further, the watch may allow a user to control the operation of one or more connected remote electronic devices. Thus, if the watch is connected to a remote speed / distance monitor employing a calibration variable, then the watch may allow the user to adjust the calibration variable. The watch also provides a multi-tiered menu for accessing its various functions. Each operational mode in the first tier relates to a broad category of different functions of the watch, and contains one or more operational submodes in a second tier. The submodes in the second tier are for performing specific functions related to the generic category of functions identified by the first-tier operational mode. Still further, the watch allows a user to conveniently select how the information provided by the watch is displayed. Moreover, the watch includes a power save function that reduces the power consumption of the watch when it is not in use.

A system for wireless remote control of a gateway and ordering or invocation of services provided by a headend. The remote control includes a video display and user input device or keyboard and can decompress and display compressed streaming video in some embodiments. Some species of the remote control can act as web browsers, appliance control, TIVO function control, an IP telephony telephone, a cellular telephone and / or an MP3 player. In some embodiments, the gateway and / or headend can implement TIVO-like functions under control from a wireless remote of custom design or implemented on a Personal Digital Assistant.

A FM transmitter and charger assembly includes a primary member, a FM transmitting device, and a securing member; audio signals in a MP3 player can be transferred to, and transmitted by the transmitting device when both the MP3 player and the FM transmitting device are connected to the primary member while a radio can receive the signals, and play music accordingly when it is tuned to the same channel as the transmitting device; the securing member includes a hollow part for the MP3 player to be closely inserted therein, and an engaging plate connected to a back of the hollow part and capable of being detachably fitted onto the primary member; thus, a certain primary member allows different MP3 players to be securely connected thereto with the help of various securing members, which have different sizes for suiting MP3 players with different sizes.

A digital audio file search method and apparatus for digital audio files is provided that allows a user to navigate the audio files by generating speech sounds related to the information of the audio files to facilitate searching and playback. The digital audio file search method and apparatus searches for audio files in a portable digital audio player in combination with an automobile audio system through speech sounds by utilizing text-to-speech processing and by prompting response from a user in response to the generated speech sounds. The text-to-speech technology is utilized to generate the speech sound based on tag-data of the audio files. When hearing the speech sounds, the user gives instruction for searching the files without being distracted from driving the automobile.

A digital audio player, including a casing, a memory within said casing for storing digital audio including songs and a commercial, a digital-to-analog converter within said casing and operatively connected to said memory for converting digital audio to analog audio, an analog audio player within said casing and operatively coupled to said digital-to-analog converter, for playing the songs in response to manual user commands, and for automatically playing the commercial, and a processor for stopping the automatic playing of the commercial after a specific event has occurred. A method and a computer-readable storage medium are also described.

An multimedia device integration system is provided. One or more after-market audio or video devices, such as a CD player, CD changer, digital media device (e.g., MP3 player, MP4 player, WMV player, Apple iPod, portable music center, or other device) satellite receiver (e.g., XM or Sirius receiver), DAB receiver, video device (e.g., DVD player), cellular telephone, or any other device or combinations thereof, is integrated for use with an existing OEM or after-market car stereo or video system, wherein control commands can be issued at the car stereo or video system and data from the after-market device can be displayed on the car stereo or video system. Control commands generated at the car stereo or video system are received, processed, converted into a format recognizable by the after-market device, and dispatched to the after-market device for execution. Information from the after-market device is converted into a format recognizable by the car stereo or video system, and dispatched to the car stereo or video system for display thereon. One or more auxiliary input sources can be integrated with the car stereo or video system, and selected using the controls of the car stereo or video system. A docking station is provided for docking a portable audio or video device for integration with the car stereo or video system.

The present invention relates in general to portable processor based devices that provide computing, communication or entertainment functionality. More particularly, the present invention pertains to portable processor based devices operable while being held in its user's hand and providing communications, organizer and / or entertainment functions, such as cellular telephones, palm-sized organizers, and MP3 players, and to portable processor based devices providing general computing capabilities, such as laptop or handheld personal computers (PCs). More specifically, the present invention relates to systems that detachably mate a plurality of portable processor based devices to provide their combined functionality in an integrated structure.

A host computer is provided with a main display unit and an auxiliary display unit. The host computer can free up screen space on the main display screen by routing certain types of display information to the auxiliary display unit for display. Display information can range from notification of events such as receipt of email, appointments, system messages, and information from separate applications. The auxiliary display panel may function as a user interface for audio, video, “push information”, MP3 player or become the hardware equivalent of a multimedia player. The auxiliary display panel may be integrated together with the host computer in the same physical structure or may be part of a standalone display unit that is wired or wirelessly coupled to the host computer.

There is disclosed a sleeve for holding a portable electronic device such as an MP3 player, mobile telephone, PDA and the like. The sleeve is provided with an integrally formed secondary winding that enables the sleeve to pick up magnetic flux from an inductive charging platform and associated circuitry for generating a DC charging voltage that can be used to charge a battery in the device while the device is received within the sleeve. The sleeve is formed with a connector designed to fit a power / data connection socket in the device, and may also be provided with a connection port enabling the device to be connected to a computer while it is received within the sleeve.

Sleeves for different portable electronic devices (portable media players, wireless telephones, handheld computers, etc.) adapt the outer contours of the devices such that all can fit within the pocket of a standard device dock. Each sleeve situates its portable electronic device within the pocket of the dock such that at least one of its power / communications ports is situated at a standard location. The device dock then also accommodates a connector which fits within the dock pocket, and which has power / communications ports situated at the standard location, such that when the sleeved device is inserted into the pocket, its power / communications ports interface with the power / communications ports of the connector. The connector can incorporate data storage devices, power supplies, interface cables extending to other devices (such as personal computers, stereo systems, etc.) such that it lends the functionality of these devices to the sleeved device situated within the pocket.

A headset having a built-in audio source and cable management mechanism is disclosed herein. The headset is composed of two loop-style earpieces and a cable connecting the two earpieces. One earpiece has a built-in audio source such as a MP3 player, an AM / FM receiver, and the like. The cable is for delivering audio signal from the audio source built in one earpiece to the other. The other earpiece has a built-in cable winder so that the cable could be pulled and fixed to a desired length. When the headset is not in use, a slight pull and release of the cable would allow the cable winder to retract the cable back into the earpiece.

A sensor which uses a plurality of partial fingerprint readers (imagers), and various computational algorithms, to detect changes in fingerprint images as a function of finger movement. The sensor can provide both finger motion information and fingerprint images. The sensor uses multiple partial fingerprint readers, arranged in different directions on a surface, to detect finger motion in two dimensions. The sensor can also detect the relative speed and direction of finger movement. Some sensor embodiments use deep finger penetrating radio frequency (RF) based circuits, which can be inexpensively printed or formed on the surface of robust and flexible dielectric materials such as Kapton tape. The sensor also has textured surfaces to help guide the user. The sensor both small and robust, and is well suited for control applications for low-cost mass market microprocessor controlled devices such as cell phones, MP3 players, laptop computers, and other devices.

This invention describes a protective device and associated method for protecting (including the protection from water and dust) a mobile terminal whether or not the terminal is in use, and for providing a hands-free operation of the mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal can be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a MP3 player, or any similar portable communication device or a mobile electronic device.

The present invention relates to a USB storage device having a USB plug with top and bottom terminals, connection terminals of the USB plug being provided at both top and bottom sides so that an information terminal apparatus such as a PC, a notebook, an MP3 player and a digital camera, can be inserted in face-down / face-up manners, comprising a main unit and a cover unit, the main unit comprising a USB plug having connection terminals at both sides to be connected to a USB port of the information terminal apparatus to communicate data, and slide rails provided in a longitudinal direction to define a sliding range for rail protrusions of the cover unit; and the cover unit comprising rail protrusions inserted into the slide rails and provided at both ends of the cover unit toward the main unit so that the cover unit can rotatably move along with the slide rail. Therefore, since the USB storage device according to the present invention includes the connection terminals of the USB plug at top and bottom sides, it can be inserted into the information terminal apparatus in a face-down or face-up manner. Further, in the USB storage device according to the present invention, the sliding range for the rail protrusions provided on the cover unit is defined into the slide rails extending the corresponding main unit, thereby preventing the cover unit from being separated and missing.