Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Andew J. Dillon
  • Patent number: 6442443
    Abstract: An improved information processing apparatus, which accomplishes power-saving of an audio amplifier depending on the activity of each peripheral device having an audio signal output. This information processing apparatus includes one or more peripheral devices, each having an audio signal output and a mute signal output, the mute signal output indicating a mute state in which the targeted peripheral device does not output an audio signal, an audio amplifier for receiving the audio signal from each of the one or more peripheral device, a speaker for generating an audible output in accordance with an output of said audio amplifier; and an AND gate for receiving the mute signal from each of the one or more peripheral devices to perform a logical AND operation of the mute signals, the AND gate outputting a control signal for disabling the audio amplifier when all of the mute signals indicate the mute state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Fujii, Takeshi Asami, Yukifumi Nakazawa