PORTABLE DVD PLAYER

PRIORITY INFORMATION This application claims priority of Provisional Application Serial No. 60/755771 filed on January 4, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to portable combination audio and video playback devices, and more particularly to portable digital video disc (DVD) playback devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Digital video discs, sometimes called "digital versatile discs" or simply "DVDs." are the size of an audio CD (approximately 120 mm in diameter or 60 mm in radius for standard full size DVDs), over 15 times the data on an audio CD. DVD storage capacity is much higher than CD-ROM (and a DVD can deliver the data at a higher rate than CD-ROM.

DVD players include a motor that spins the disc, and a laser that reads information from the disc. The laser uses visible red light (as opposed to an audio CD player's infrared laser) to "read" the pits etched in the disc. These laser pulses are translated into electrical form by a digital signal processor (DSP), which is one type of integrated circuit. DVD players also include a digital decoder and a microcontroller.

DVD technology represents a tremendous improvement in video and audio quality over traditional systems such as televisions, VCRs and CD-ROM. However,

the technology has been difficult to utilize in part because DVD players are typically large, cumbersome devices that are difficult to transport. Furthermore, because DVD players must be operationally attached to a video display, such as a television or television monitor, they are virtually impossible to use anywhere space is limited, such as in a car or on an airplane.

In view of the forgoing, it is desirable to have a portable DVD player capable of being easily transported and being used under a wide variety of conditions.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a small, hand-held, hand- sized portable DVD player capable of reproducing data recorded on an optical disk while being easily transportable, such as by providing a DVD based video and audio playback system that is simple and easy to use, self-contained, and compact enough to take almost anywhere. The DVD player is useful wherever portable video playback is needed. Anywhere sound and/or DVD playback is desired, the portable DVD player will be a mobile solution. Examples of uses are: air travel entertainment—movies, videos, etc., personal education and study (each disc is capable of storing thousands of books), and on-the-spot do-it-yourself videos—auto repair, gardening, cooking, home projects. The DVD player may be part of kit that includes any or all of: a battery, a AC power adapter, headphones, carrying case, wireless remote control, a DC car cord, and RCA cables.

In one embodiment the DVD player may be a portable tablet DVD player. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable DVD player which comprises in a single housing a disk drive having a DVD loading

chamber and reading and output units for outputting video and audio data, and which is capable of reproducing data recorded in the DVD while being portable.

In one embodiment, a portable DVD player having a single housing provided with a DVD load mechanism according to the present invention, comprises in the housing a DVD reader for reading data recorded on the DVD by rotating the DVD loaded on the DVD load mechanism; an MPEG decoder reproducing video data (when present) from DVD data read by the reader; a sub-picture decoder reproducing sub pictures (when present) from the DVD data read by the reader; an audio decoder reproducing audio data (when present) from the DVD data read by the reader; and a system controller controlling system components each in the housing. The DVD player can include operator interfaces for initiating control of various functions of the DVD player as known to those of skill in the art. In one embodiment, the DVD player includes an output terminal mixing the reproduced video data and the sub- picture data, and outputting the mixed data to an external monitor and/or a communication port selectively outputting at least some of the DVD data and the mixed data to external devices

The DVD player can include connections for outputting audio and video to external devices including external display and audio reproduction devices, ha one embodiment, the DVD player can include connections for optical digital audio output such as a fiber optic digital audio connection used to connect a digital source component (e.g., DVD player, CD player, etc.) to a receiver or pre-amplifier. The data passed through such a connection can be the "raw" digital audio signal using laser (light) pulses. This means of interconnect can minimize interference and degradation of the data. The DVD player can include connections for external AC or DC power

supplies. For example, the DVD player can include connections for a detachable battery thereby enabling portable reproduction of data recorded in the DVD.

In one embodiment, a portable DVD player includes an LCD display within the housing. The LCD display may be a color LCD display and may be a flat panel display.

In an embodiment, a portable DVD player includes a small generally thin housing having a display surface, a bottom surface separated from the display surface, and side surfaces connecting the display surface and the bottom surface. At least a portion of the display surface includes a video display. The housing can include a DVD entry port such that a DVD can be inserted into the housing. The portable DVD player may be both mechanically and electronically isolated for physical shocks and jolts to the player.

In another embodiment a portable DVD player may include a display face that has a surface area less than two times the largest surface area of a standard DVD or CD.

In yet another embodiment, a portable DVD player may include a DVD reader and a battery pack where the battery is externally mounted (i.e., outside the housing of the DVD player) and removably attachable to a rear surface of the DVD player. The battery may include a viewing angle adjustment member. The portable DVD player may read and play DVD, CD, CDR, CDRW, and MP3 formats, and may include an optical audio output connection.

In another embodiment, an electronic audio/visual device may include a portable tablet DVD player including a DVD reader having a display surface and a detachable battery pack, where the display surface has a surface area less than two times a largest surface area of a standard size DVD or CD.

An advantage of the present invention is that it can include a liquid-crystal display, long life rechargeable battery, headphones, and a full complement of audio/video connections. These components allow for fully independent operation and compatibility with any television, home theater, or other video system. Another advantage of the present invention is that it is housed in a compact

"tablet" form factor making it very rugged, yet easy to use and transport.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description in conjunction with the drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figure 1 illustrates a prospective view of a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a bottom view of a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a side view of a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 shows a side view of a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a side view of a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a battery for a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 shows a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As used herein "DVD" means digital video (or versatile) disk, CD, CDR, and

CDRW disks. A method and apparatus for a portable tablet DVD player is disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be understood, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a display surface 16 of a portable tablet DVD player 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The DVD player 10 includes a housing 12 having side faces 30, 40, 50 and 60 that serves as a housing for the components of the DVD player 10. A display 14 for viewing video data and controls 18 to control many of the standard features (play, stop, fast-forward, rewind, pause, skip ahead, skip back, menu/setup, etc.) of the DVD player 10 are located on a display surface 16 of the housing 12 and may be adjacent to speakers 19. Infrared sensor 11 is also located on the display surface. The housing 12 is a generally thin durable enclosure that may be constructed of any appropriate materials known to those of skill in the art including various plastics, polymers and metals. The housing is small, generally sized such that the surface area of the display surface 16 is no more than twice the surface area of the largest surface of a standard size DVD. For example, the housing may be sized such that it is easily hand-carryable by children.

The housing may include a variety of colors, designs, textures, handles, grips and the like on its various surfaces. While the housing 12 is illustrated to be generally rectangular in shape, it should be noted that the display and rear surfaces can be other than parallel and flat, the side surfaces can be curved or rounded, textured etc. Furthermore, other embodiments of the present invention have housing shapes other than generally rectangular, such as round, oval , octagonal, hexagonal or any other shape. Accordingly, the housing may have any number of side surfaces with any configuration of connections and controls among the various side surfaces.

The DVD reader may be an off-the-shelf module connected to standard use, decoding, software, processing and control interfaces and hardware known to those of skill in the art. Further, the reader may be physically and electronically isolated from mechanical shocks and impacts such as by using mechanical shock mounts in the housing 12 (such mechanical shock mounts not being shown but being known to those skilled in the art), by buffering the data in memory for a period of time before decoding to allow sectors to be reread in the event of a shock-induced data stream discontinuity.

Display 14 may be sized such that it provides the largest viewing area possible, while including sufficient room for control interfaces 18 and speakers 19 on the display surface 16. A typical display size may be approximately 3.5" diagonally. Display 14, for example may not have a surface area less than approximately 40% of the surface area of a standard size DVD. For example the display has a surface area greater than 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60% or 75% of the surface area of a standard DVD. In addition, display 14 may not take up less than 20% of the surface area of the display surface, for example it may take up 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% 60% or more of the surface area of the display surface. Display 14 may be an LCD display or any

other suitable display. For example, the display 14 may be a 3.5" LCD active or passive matrix display and may have with high-output fluorescent cold cathode back light. The display 14 has at least 320 X 240 pixel resolution. The video controller for the display 14 may provide high-resolution, flexible onscreen graphics, overlay of graphics onto full-screen video playback, and LCD drivers for direct connection to display.

Infrared sensor 11 is provided for use with an infrared remote control and receives commands from the control to provide comprehensive control features optimized to access all of the features available with the DVD format. The housing 12 is preferably made with a "tablet" form factor, which is easy to use and carry. The single piece design of the housing 12 provides simplicity, ease of manufacture, ruggedness, reduced weight, and serviceability.

Figure 2 illustrates a bottom surface 20 of DVD player 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Bottom surface 20 includes hook receivers 22 to allow for a battery (not shown) to be attached and detached in conjunction with locking hole 29 and battery interface 24 to electronically connect the battery to DVD player 10. Feet 26 cushion DVD player 10 when resting on bottom surface 20, and rear speakers 28 wrap around from bottom surface 20 to side surfaces 30 and 40.

Figures 3-5 show side surfaces 30, 40, and 50 of housing 12 of DVD player 10. Side surface 30 includes power on/off switch 32, external power supply interface

34, and hold switch 36 and protective member 38. Speakers 28 wrap around from bottom surface 20 to which battery 60 is shown attached. Side surface 40 includes volume control 42, headphone jack 44, audio out jack 46, and video out jack 48. Side face 50 includes DVD access latch 52.

Headphone hack 44 may be a standard 3.5 mm stereo mini jack and may have surround sound capability. Audio out jack 46 may provide for both optical digital audio out and coaxial audio out. Audio and video out may be connected via RCA cables to an external display device for viewing . Figures 6A-B illustrate a detachable battery 60 for use with the DVD player

10. The battery 60, includes a front surface 62 and a bottom surface 64. Front surface 62 includes attaching hooks 66, locking latch 68 and interface 70 for supplying power to the DVD player 10. Bottom surface 64 includes locking switch 72 and viewing angle adjustment member 74. Battery 60 attaches to bottom surface 20 by sliding attaching hooks 66 into hook receivers 22 until interface 70 is in electrical connection with battery interface 24 and latch 68 is position within latch hole 29 to prevent the battery 60 from sliding off of the DVD player 10. Battery 60 may be a 7.4V rechargeable battery.

The DVD player 10 with battery connected is sized such that it is less than 2 inches in depth measured from display surface 16 to bottom surface of battery 60, for example 1.9 inches, 1.8 inches, or 1.7 inches or less. The battery may be a super slim rechargeable battery pack having, for example, a use life between recharges of approximately 2.5 hours. Preferably, the battery is detachable rather than built-in. Because of the currently available battery use life, it may not always be possible to view an entire movie on one battery. Advantageously, as opposed to other portable DVD players, a detachable battery can help solve this problem.. Specifically, one battery may be removed and an additional charged battery or batteries may be inserted in its place to provide for viewing of longer movies or more than one movie without having to recharge the battery.

Figure 7 illustrates DVD player 10 when opened by sliding DVD access latch 52. By sliding latch 52, internal hinges 82 and 84 pivot display surface 16 to provide access to DVD load chamber 80, DVD holder 86, and locking hole 88 which can engage with locking member 90 using DVD access latch 52 to hold the DVD player 10 closed. DVD reader 92 is shown adjacent to DVD holder 86. DVD load mechanism 80 receives the DVD on holder 86. hi operation, a battery 60 (or other power supply using interface 34) may be connected to the DVD player. The DVD player 10 may have the power turned on or off. Access latch 52 may be actuated causing hinges 82 and 84 to pivot at least a portion of display surface 16 to provide access to load chamber 80 and DVD holder

86. A DVD maybe inserted into load chamber 80 onto DVD holder 86. Display surface 16 may pivoted counter to the opening force of hinges 82 and 84 forcing locking member 90 into locking hole 88 causing access latch 52 to reengage to hold the DVD player 10 closed. Power may be turned on (if not already on) and controls 18 may be manipulated to control the playback of the data on the DVD. The data may be audio only or audio/video, in which case display 14 may be used to display the video from the data, or the video may be output to an external display device using video out jack 48. Audio output maybe to speakers 19 and 28, to headphones via headphone jack 44, or to an external audio system via audio out jack 46. Volume for speakers 19 and

28, or for headphones may be controlled using volume control 42.

Alternate product configurations are easily accommodated by substitution of key system components. Since standard components are used in many areas of the system, similar components can be substituted. For instance, a more compact unit can be built by utilizing a smaller LCD and battery. The display controller may

accommodate varying display sizes, while the power converter and battery charger may be configurable for different battery sizes and technologies. More fully functioned base configurations may be possible by simply including additional (optional) components for added functionality. The system software of an embodiment of the DVD player may be structured into two main levels: the high-level user interface software and the low-level device control software. The software may run on the system microcontroller, and may be stored on a read only memory ("ROM"). The low-level section may interface directly with the various hardware components of the system, interacting directly with them at a register level. It may provide for power-on and initialization, configuration of the hardware components, basic device control and synchronization, and interface to the user interface software.

In one embodiment, the DVD player may provide either or both of two layers of isolation for physical shocks and impacts: mechanical and electronic. Physical shock isolation may be accomplished via mechanical shock mounting within the housing. This isolation may be integral to the housing itself and may employ a mechanical damping mechanism. The second level of shock isolation may be electronic and may be performed using a video data buffer. Data from the drive may be buffered in memory for a brief period before decryption and decoding to allow disc tracks to be reread in the event of a shock-induced data stream discontinuity.

An embodiment of the DVD player may include any number of known standard features, including a portable, self-contained DVD audio/video playback and viewing system, and a tablet form factor for portability, simplified design, ruggedness, and low weight. The DVD player plays DVDs and provides full screen, full frame-rate, full motion video playback. Simplified user controls may be provided

for standard basic functions and an onboard infrared receiver may be included to receive signals from a wireless remote control. The DVD player may possess audio processing for full surround sound with standard stereo headphones.

The DVD player may be powered using any of three sources: an detachable rechargeable battery that powers entire system, an AC wall adapter that provides DC power for the system, and a DC source (e.g., auto cigarette lighter adapter) that provides DC power for system.

While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents that fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are alternative ways of implementing both the process and apparatus of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the appended claim includes all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention