US009986325B2
`
`a2) United States Patent
`US 9,986,325 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`
` Kosset al. (45) Date of Patent: *May 29, 2018
`
`
`(54) SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS EARPHONES
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`(72)
`
`(71) Applicant: Koss Corporation, Milwaukee, WI
`(US)
`Inventors: Michael J. Koss, Milwaukee, WI (US);
`MichaelJ. Pelland, Princeton, WI (US)
`(73) Assignee: KOSS CORPORATION,Milwaukee,
`WI (US)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`a
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. days.
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis-
`claimer.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 15/650,362
`
`(65)
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Jul. 14, 2017
`os
`.
`.
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2017/0318378 Al
`Nov. 2, 2017
`toa
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(63) Continuation of application No. 15/293,785, filed on
`,
`,
`129,999,
`Oct. 14, 2016, now Pat. No. 9,729,959, which is a
`(Continued)
`
`(52) US. Cl
`CPC .
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`HOAR 1/10
`HO4M 1/02
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(Continued)
`HOAR 1/1041 (2013.01); HO3G 3/02
`(2013.01); HO3K 17/9622 (2013.01);
`:
`(Continued)
`(58) Field of Classification Search
`CPC viceccsereeeecnees HO4R 2460/13; HO4W 52/0229
`(Continued)
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,784,685 A
`7/1998 Stanford et al.
`6.389.463 B2 ee a
`(Continued)
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`2004-320597
`11/2004
`WO 2006/047724 A2
`5/2006
`(Continued)
`
`IP
`WO
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Supplementary European Search Report for European Application
`No. 09731146.8 dated Jun. 10, 2011, 7 pages.
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner — Kiet Doan
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — K&L Gates LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`Apparatus comprises adapter and speaker system. Adapteris
`configured to plug into port of personal digital audio player.
`Speaker system is in communication with adapter, and
`p
`Pp
`progr
`P
`comprises multiple acoustic transducers, programmable pro-
`cessor circuit, and wireless communication circuit. In first
`operational mode, processor circuit receives, via adapter,
`and processes digital audio content from personal digital
`audio player into which adapter is plugged, and the multiple
`acoustic transducers output the received audio content from
`the personal digital audio player.
`In second operational
`mode, wireless communication circuit receives digital audio
`content from a remote digital audio source over a wireless
`network, processor circuit processes the digital audio con-
`tent received from remote digital audio source, and the
`multiple acoustic transducers output
`the audio content
`received from the remote digital audio source.
`
`3 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets
`
`
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`US 9,986,325 B2
`Page 2
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`continuation of application No. 15/082,040, filed on
`Mar. 28, 2016, now Pat. No. 9,497,535, which is a
`continuation of application No. 14/695,696, filed on
`Apr. 24, 2015, now Pat. No. 9,438,987, which is a
`continuation of application No. 13/609,409, filed on
`Sep. 11, 2012, now Pat. No. 9,049,502, which is a
`continuation of application No. 13/459,291, filed on
`Apr. 30, 2012, now Pat. No. 8,571,544, which is a
`continuation of application No. 12/936,488, filed as
`application No. PCT/US2009/039754 on Apr. 7,
`2009, now Pat. No. 8,190,203.
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 61/123,265, filed on Apr.
`7, 2008.
`
`(51)
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2009.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2008.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2009.01)
`(2009.01)
`
`1/2010 Bailey
`7,650,168 B2
`3/2010 Bloebaum et al.
`7,680,490 B2
`4/2010 Rofougaran
`7,697,899 B2
`6/2010 Chiloyan
`7,734,055 B2
`7/2010 Tarkoff et al.
`7,764,775 B2
`9/2010 Cucos
`7,805,210 B2
`12/2010 Lee et al.
`7,861,312 B2
`6/2011 Handman
`7,962,482 B2
`9/2011 Goldberg
`8,023,663 B2
`9/2011 Sanguino
`8,027,638 B2
`12/2011 Weinansetal.
`8,073,137 B2
`1/2012 Jerlhagen
`8,102,836 B2
`5/2012 Pelland et al.
`8,190,203 B2
`10/2012 Kondoetal.
`8,295,516 B2
`12/2012 Gerhardtetal.
`8,335,312 B2
`3/2013 Brooking
`8,401,202 B2
`7/2013 Finkelstein et al.
`8,478,880 B2
`7/2013 Kumar
`8,483,755 B2
`10/2013 Menardet al.
`8,553,865 B2
`10/2013 Pellandet al.
`8,571,544 B2
`2/2014 Pellandet al.
`8,655,420 Bl
`7/2014 Russell et al.
`8,792,945 B2
`6/2015 Pellandet al.
`9,049,502 B2
`6/2004 Ahnetal.
`2004/0107271 Al
`3/2005 Radpour
`2005/0064853 Al
`9/2005 Manchester
`2005/0198233 Al
`9/2006 Harada
`2006/0206487 Al
`9/2006 Conrad
`2006/0212442 Al
`9/2006 Handman etal.
`2006/0212444 Al
`11/2006 Evans
`2006/0268830 Al
`1/2007 Phillips
`2007/0008984 Al
`2/2007 Glezerman
`2007/0037615 Al
`3/2007 Walshetal.
`2007/0049198 Al
`3/2007 Lee
`2007/0053543 Al
`7/2007 Rezvani
`2007/0165875 Al
`11/2007 Kimuraetal.
`2007/0253603 Al
`12/2007 Nurmietal.
`2007/0297618 Al
`1/2008 Bevirt et al.
`2008/0019557 Al
`2/2008 Angelhag
`2008/0031470 Al
`3/2008 Van Horn
`2008/0062939 Al
`3/2008 Roseneretal.
`2008/0076489 Al
`2008/0242312 Al* 10/2008 Paulson... GOIS 19/25
`455/456.1
`
`12/2008 Johnsonetal.
`2008/0298606 Al
`5/2009 Bevirt et al.
`2009/0116678 Al
`2009/0248178 Al* 10/2009 Paulson ............ GOIC 21/26
`700/66
`
`2010/0290642 Al
`2013/0039510 Al
`2013/0099507 Al*
`
`2015/0237439 Al
`
`11/2010 Haseagawa
`2/2013 Pellandet al.
`4/2013 Moriya oe FO2N 15/067
`290/38 E
`
`8/2015 Kossetal.
`
`Int. Cl.
`HOAR 3/00
`HOAR 5/033
`HOAR 5/04
`HOAW 48/20
`H03G 3/02
`H03K 17/96
`HOAR 1/02
`HO4H 20/95
`HOAL 29/12
`HO4R 25/00
`HOAW 84/18
`HOAW 84/12
`(52) U.S. Cl.
`CPC ...... HO4H 20/95 (2013.01); HO4L 61/6068
`(2013.01); HO4M 1/0254 (2013.01); HO4R
`1/02 (2013.01); HO4R 1/1091 (2013.01);
`HOAR 3/00 (2013.01); HO4R 5/033 (2013.01);
`HIOAR 5/04 (2013.01); HO4W 4/80 (2018.02);
`HOAW 48/20 (2013.01); HO3K 2217/960785
`(2013.01); HO4R 25/554 (2013.01); HO4R
`2201/103 (2013.01); HO4R 2201/107
`(2013.01); HO4R 2225/55 (2013.01); HO4R
`2420/07 (2013.01); HO4W 84/12 (2013.01);
`HO4W 84/18 (2013.01)
`(58) Field of Classification Search
`USPC ....... 381/74, 381, 323, 111, 379, 71.6, 71.1,
`381/309, 314; 455/456.1, 456.3, 552.1,
`455/73, 569.1, 66.1, 575.2
`See application file for complete search history.
`WO WO 2007/136620 A2—11/2007
`
`
`WO WO 2007/139578 Al—12/2007
`WO
`WO 2008/033478 Al
`3/2008
`(56)
`References Cited
`WO
`WO 2008/054985 A2
`5/2008
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`WO
`WO 2009/086555 Al
`7/2009
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`6,671,494 Bl
`6,674,864 Bl
`6,792,091 B2
`6,937,712 B2
`7,003,515 Bl
`7,027,311 B2
`7,095,455 B2
`7,099,370 B2
`7,120,388 B2
`7,139,585 B2
`7,266,390 B2
`7,337,027 B2
`7,467,021 B2
`7,512,414 B2
`7,599,679 B2
`
`12/2003 James
`1/2004 Kitamura
`9/2004 Lemchenetal.
`8/2005 Lemchenetal.
`2/2006 Glaser
`4/2006 Vanderelli
`8/2006 Jordan
`8/2006 ‘Takahashi
`10/2006 Hall
`11/2006 Hachimuraet al.
`9/2007 Mathews
`2/2008 Nishiguchiet al.
`12/2008 Yuen
`3/2009 Jannard etal.
`10/2009 Awiszus
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/
`US09/39754 dated Jun. 11, 2009, 2 pages.
`for International
`International Preliminary Examination Report
`Application No. PCT/US09/39754 dated Oct. 28, 2010, 8 pages.
`Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority for Inter-
`national Application No. PCT/US09/39754 dated Jun. 11, 2009, 5
`pages.
`IT Review, “LTB 802.11 WiFi Headphones”, http://itreview.
`belproject.com/item/1536 accessed on Mar. 13, 2008 (4 pages).
`
`* cited by examiner
`
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`May29, 2018
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`
`
`FIG. 1C
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`
`
`
`ESS
`
`AD
`
`FIG.2A
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`YOMISN
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`déOld
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`VG
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`JOaN0S
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`YOOMLIN
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`Sheet 7 of 16
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`US 9,986,325 B2
`
`
`
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`USAWRSLNSINODO1ONY|
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`FBNNOS|ee
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`Sheet 8 of 16
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`US 9,986,325 B2
`
`POWER SOURCE
`
`POWER SOURCE
`CONTROL
`
`102
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`Sheet 10 of 16
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`
`
`UPDATE OK TO BES.
`SENT WIRELESSLY. >
`
` SIZE OF
`UPDATE
`
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`EARPHONE VIAHOST
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`Sheet 11 of 16
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`Sheet 12 of 16
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`FIG. 10
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`10
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`US 9,986,325 B2
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`1
`SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS EARPHONES
`
`PRIORITY CLAIM
`
`The present application claims priority as a continuation
`to U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 15/293,
`785, filed Oct. 14, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.
`nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 15/082,040,filed
`Mar. 28, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,497,535, issued on Nov.
`15, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. nonprovisional
`patent application Ser. No. 14/695,696, filed Apr. 24, 2015,
`now USS. Pat. No. 9,438,987, issued on Sep. 6, 2016, which
`is a continuation of U.S. nonprovisional patent application
`Ser. No. 13/609,409,filed Sep. 11, 2012, now US. Pat. No.
`9,049,502, issued Jun. 2, 2015, which is a continuation of
`U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 13/459,291,
`filed Apr. 30, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,571,544, issued Oct.
`29, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application
`Ser. No. 12/936,488, filed Dec. 20, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No.
`8,190,203, issued May 29, 2012, which is a national stage
`entry of PCT/US2009/039754, filed Apr. 7, 2009, which
`claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser.
`No. 61/123,265, filed Apr. 7, 2008, all of which are incor-
`porated herein by reference in their entireties.
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`US. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 14/031,
`938, filed Sep. 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,655,420,
`issued Feb. 18, 2014, is also a continuation of U.S. nonpro-
`visional patent application Ser. No. 13/609,409, filed Sep.
`11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,049,502, mentioned above.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Digital audio players, such as MP3 players and iPods, that
`store and play digital audio files, are very popular. Such
`devices typically comprise a data storage unit for storing and
`playing the digital audio, and a headphoneset that connects
`to the data storage unit, usually with a 4" or a 3.5 mm jack
`and associated cord. Often the headphones are in-ear type
`headphones. The cord, however, between the headphones
`and the data storage unit can be cumbersome and annoying
`to users, and the length of the cord limits the physical
`distance between the data storage unit and the headphones.
`Accordingly, some cordless headphones have been pro-
`posed, such as the Monster iFreePlay cordless headphones
`from Apple Inc., which include a docking port on one of the
`earphones that can connect directly to an iPod Shuffle.
`Because they have the docking port, however, the Monster
`iFreePlay cordless headphones from Apple are quite large
`and are not in-ear type phones. Recently, cordless head-
`phonesthat connect wirelessly via IEEE 802.11 to a WLAN-
`ready laptop or personal computer (PC) have been proposed,
`but such headphonesare also quite large and not in-ear type
`phones.
`
`SUMMARY
`
`In one general aspect, the present invention is directed to
`a wireless earphone that comprises a transceiver circuit for
`receiving streaming audio from a data source, such as a
`digital audio player or a computer, over an ad hoc wireless
`network. When the data source and the earphoneare out of
`range via the ad hoc wireless network, they may transition
`automatically to a common infrastructure wireless network
`Page 19 of 28
`
`2
`(e.g., a wireless LAN). If there is no common infrastructure
`wireless network for both the data source and the earphone,
`the earphone may connect via an available infrastructure
`wireless network to a host server. The host server may, for
`example, broadcast streaming audio to the earphone and/or
`transmit to the earphone a network address (e.g., an Internet
`Protocol
`(IP) address) for a network-connected content
`server that streams digital audio. The earphone may then
`connect to the content server using the IP address. The
`content server may be an Internet radio server, including, for
`example, an Internet radio server that broadcasts streaming
`audio from the data source or some other content.
`
`These and other advantageous, unique aspects of the
`wireless earphone are described below.
`
`FIGURES
`
`invention are
`Various embodiments of the present
`described herein by way of example in conjunction with the
`following figures, wherein:
`FIGS. 1A-1E are views of a wireless earphone according
`to various embodiments of the present invention;
`FIGS. 2A-2Dillustrate various communication modes for
`a wireless earphone according to various embodiments of
`the present invention;
`FIG.3 is a block diagram of a wireless earphone accord-
`ing to various embodiments of the present invention;
`FIGS. 4A-4B show the wireless earphone connected to
`another device according to various embodiments of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 5 is a diagram of a process implemented by a host
`server according to various embodiments of the present
`invention;
`FIG. 6 is a diagram of a process implemented by the
`wireless earphoneto transition automatically between wire-
`less networks according to various embodiments of the
`present invention;
`FIGS. 7, 8 and 10 illustrate communication systems
`involving the wireless earphone according to various
`embodiments of the present invention;
`FIG. 9 is a diagram of a headset including a wireless
`earphone and a microphone according to various embodi-
`ments of the present invention; and
`FIG.11 is a diagram ofa pair of wireless earphones with
`a dongle according to various embodiments of the present
`invention.
`
`DESCRIPTION
`
`In one general aspect, the present invention is directed to
`a wireless earphonethat receives streaming audio data via ad
`hoc wireless networks and infrastructure wireless networks,
`and that transitions seamlessly between wireless networks.
`The earphone may comprise one or more in-ear, on-ear, or
`over-ear speaker elements. Two exemplary in-ear earphone
`shapes for the wireless earphone 10 are shown in FIGS. 1A
`and 1B, respectively, although in other embodiments the
`earphone may take different shapes and the exemplary
`shapes shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are not intended to be
`limiting. In one embodiment, the earphonetransitions auto-
`matically and seamlessly, without user
`intervention,
`between communication modes. That is, the earphone may
`transition automatically from an ad hoc wireless network to
`an infrastructure wireless network, without user interven-
`tion. As used herein, an “ad hoc wireless network” is a
`network where two (or more) wireless-capable devices, such
`as the earphoneand a data source, communicate directly and
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`wirelessly, without using an access point. An “infrastructure
`wireless network,” on the other hand, is a wireless network
`that uses one or more access points to allow a wireless-
`capable device, such as the wireless earphone, to connect to
`a computer network, such as a LAN or WAN(including the
`Internet).
`FIGS. 1A and 1B show example configurations for a
`wireless earphone 10 according to various embodiments of
`the present invention. The examples shown in FIGS. 1A and
`1B are not limiting and other configurations are within the
`scope of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1A and
`1B, the earphone 10 may comprise a body 12. The body 12
`may comprise an ear canal portion 14 that is inserted in the
`ear canal of the user of the earphone 10. In various embodi-
`ments, the body 12 also may comprise an exterior portion 15
`that is not inserted into user’s ear canal. The exterior portion
`15 may comprise a knob 16 or someotheruser control (such
`as a dial, a pressure-activated switch, lever, etc.) for adjust-
`ing the shape of the ear canal portion 14. That is, in various
`embodiments, activation (e.g. rotation) of the knob 16 may
`cause the ear canal portion 14 to change shapesoas to, for
`example, radially expandto fit snugly againstall sides of the
`user’s ear canal. Further details regarding such a shape-
`changing earbud earphoneare described in application PCT/
`US08/88656,filed 31 Dec. 2008, entitled “Adjustable Shape
`Earphone,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its
`entirety. The earphone 10 also may comprise a transceiver
`circuit housed within the body 12. The transceiver circuit,
`described further below, may transmit and receive the wire-
`less signals, including receive streaming audio for playing
`by the earphone 10. The transceiver circuit may be housed
`in the exterior portion 15 of the earphone 10 and/or in the ear
`canal portion 14.
`Although the example earphones 10 shown in FIGS. 1A
`and 1B include a knob 16 for adjusting the shape of the ear
`canal portion 14, the present invention is not so limited, and
`in other embodiments, different means besides a knob 16
`maybe used to adjust the ear canal portion 14. In addition,
`in other embodiments, the earphone 10 may not comprise a
`shape-changing ear canal portion 14.
`In various embodiments, the user may wear twodiscrete
`wireless earphones 10: one in each ear. In such embodi-
`ments, each earphone 10 may comprise a transceiver circuit.
`In such embodiments, the earphones 10 may be connected
`by a string or some other cord-type connector to keep the
`earphones 10 from being separated.
`In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1C, a headband
`19 may connect the two (left and right) earphones 10. The
`headband 19 maybe an over-the-head band, as shownin the
`example of FIG. 1C, or the headband may be a behind-the-
`head band. In embodiments comprising a headband 19, each
`earphone 10 may comprise a transceiver circuit; hence, each
`earphone 10 may receive and transmit separately the wire-
`less communication signals. In other embodiments compris-
`ing a headband 19, only one earphone 10 may comprise the
`transceiver circuit, and a wire may run along the headband
`19 to the other earphone 10 to connect thereby the trans-
`ceiver circuit to the acoustic transducer in the earphonethat
`does not comprise the transceiver circuit. The embodiment
`shown in FIG. 1C comprises on-ear earphones 10; in other
`embodiments, in-ear or over-ear earphones may be used.
`In other embodiments, the earphone 10 may comprise a
`hangerbar 17 that allows the earphone 10 to clip to, or hang
`on, the user’s ear, as shownin the illustrated embodimentof
`FIGS. 1D-1E. FIG. 1D is a perspective view of the earphone
`and FIG. 1E is a side view according to one embodiment. As
`shown in the illustrated embodiment, the earphone 10 may
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`comprise dual speaker elements 106-A, 106-B. One of the
`speaker elements (the smaller one) 106-A is sized to fit into
`the cavum conchaofthe listener’s ear and the other element
`
`(the larger one) 106-B is not. The listener may use the
`hangerbar to position the earphoneon the listener’s ear. In
`that connection, the hanger bar may comprise a horizontal
`section that rests upon the upper external curvature of the
`listener’s ear behind the upper portion of the auricula (or
`pinna). The earphone may comprise a knurled knob that
`allows the user to adjust finely the distance between the
`horizontal section of the hanger bar and the speaker ele-
`ments,
`thereby providing,
`in such embodiments, another
`measure of adjustability for the user. More details regarding
`such a dual element, adjustable earphone may be found in
`USS. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/054,238,
`which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
`FIGS. 2A-2Dillustrate various communication modes for
`
`a wireless data communication system involving the ear-
`phone 10 according to embodiments of the present inven-
`tion. As shown in FIG. 2A, the system comprises a data
`source 20 in communication with the earphone 10 via an ad
`hoc wireless network 24. The earphone 10, via its trans-
`ceiver circuit (described in more detail below), may com-
`municate wirelessly with a data source 20, which may
`comprise a wireless network adapter 22 for transmitting the
`digital audio wirelessly. For example, the data source 20
`may be a digital audio player (DAP), such as an mp3 player
`or an iPod,or any other suitable digital audio playing device,
`such as a laptop or personal computer, that stores and/or
`plays digital audio files. In other embodiments, the data
`source 20 may generate analog audio, and the wireless
`network adapter 22 may encodethe analog audio into digital
`format for transmission to the earphone 10.
`The wireless network adapter 22 may be an integral part
`of the data source 20, or it may be a separate device that is
`connected to the data source 20 to provide wireless connec-
`tivity for the data source 20. For example,
`the wireless
`network adapter 22 may comprise a wireless network inter-
`face card (WNIC) or other suitable transceiver that plugs
`into a USBport or other port or jack of the data source 20
`(such as a TRS connector) to stream data, e.g., digital audio
`files, via a wireless network (e.g.,
`the ad hoc wireless
`network 24 or an infrastructure wireless network). The
`digital audio transmitted from the data source 20 to the
`earphone 10 via the wireless networks may comprise com-
`pressed or uncompressed audio. Any suitable file format
`maybe used for the audio, including mp3, lossy or lossless
`WMA,Vorbis, Musepack, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, AU, or any
`other suitable file format.
`
`Whenin range, the data source 20 may communicate with
`the earphone 10 via the ad hoc wireless network 24 using
`any suitable wireless communication protocol,
`including
`Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16),
`Bluetooth, Zigbee, UWB, or any other suitable wireless
`communication protocol. For purposes of the description to
`follow,it is assumedthat the data source 20 and the earphone
`10 communicate using a Wi-Fi protocol, although the inven-
`tion is not so limited and other wireless communication
`
`protocols may be used in other embodiments of the inven-
`tion. The data source 20 and the earphone 10 are considered
`in range for the ad hoc wireless network 24 whenthe signal
`strengths (e.g., the RSSI) of the signals received by the two
`devices are above a threshold minimum signal strength
`level. For example, the data source 20 and the earphone 10
`are likely to be in range for an ad hoc wireless network when
`then are in close proximity, such as when the wearer of the
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`5
`earphone 10 has the data source 20 on his/her person, such
`as ina pocket, strapped to their waist or arm, or holding the
`data source in their hand.
`
`When the earphone 10 and the data source 20 are out of
`range for the ad hoc wireless network 24, that is, when the
`received signals degrade below the threshold minimum
`signal strength level, both the earphone 10 and the data
`source 20 maytransition automatically to communicate over
`an infrastructure wireless network (such as a wireless LAN
`(WLAN)) 30 that is in the range of both the earphone 10 and
`the data source 20, as shown in FIG. 2B. The earphone 10
`and the data source 20 (e.g., the wireless network adapter
`22) may include firmware, as described further below, that
`cause the components to make the transition to a common
`infrastructure wireless network 30 automatically and seam-
`lessly, e.g., without user intervention. The earphone 10 may
`cache the received audio in a buffer or memory for a time
`period before playing the audio. The cached audio may be
`played after the connection over the ad hoc wireless network
`is lost to give the earphone 10 and the data source 20 time
`to connect via the infrastructure wireless network.
`
`the infrastructure
`For example, as shown in FIG. 2B,
`network may comprise an access point32 that is in the range
`of both the data source 20 and the earphone 10. The access
`point 32 may be an electronic hardware device that acts as
`a wireless access point for, and that is connected to, a wired
`and/or wireless data communication network 33, such as a
`LAN or WAN,for example. The data source 20 and the
`earphone 10 may both communicate wirelessly with the
`access point 32 using the appropriate network data protocol
`(a Wi-Fi protocol, for example). The data source 20 and the
`earphone 10 mayboth transition automatically to an agreed-
`upon WLAN30 that is in the range of both devices when
`they cannot communicatesatisfactorily via the ad hoc wire-
`less network 24. A procedure for specifying an agreed-upon
`infrastructure wireless network 30 is described further
`
`below. Alternatively, the infrastructure wireless network 30
`may have multiple access points 32a-b, as shown in FIG.
`2C. In such an embodiment, the data source 20 may com-
`municate wirelessly with one access point 326 and the
`earphone 10 may communicate wirelessly with another
`access point 32a of the sameinfrastructure wireless network
`30. Again, the data source 20 and the earphone 10 may
`transition to an agreed-upon WLAN.
`If there is no suitable common infrastructure wireless
`
`network over which the earphone 10 and the data source 20
`can communicate, as shown in FIG. 2D, the earphone 10
`maytransition to communicate with an access point 32a for
`an available (first) wireless network (e.g., WLAN) 30a that
`is in the range of the earphone 10. In this mode, the earphone
`10 may connect via the wireless network 30a to a network-
`enabled host server 40. The host server 40 may be connected
`to the wireless network 30a via an electronic data commu-
`nication network 42, such as the Internet. In one mode,the
`host server 40 may transmit streaming digital audio via the
`networks 33a, 42 to the earphone 10. In another mode, the
`host server 40 may transmit to the earphone 10 a network
`address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, for a
`streaming digital audio content server 70 on the network 42.
`Using the received IP address, the earphone 10 may connect
`to the streaming digital audio content server 70 via the
`networks 30a, 42 to receive and process digital audio from
`the streaming digital audio content server 70.
`The digital audio content server 70 may be, for example,
`an Internet radio station server. The digital audio content
`server 70 may stream digital audio over the network 42 (e.g.,
`the Internet), which the earphone 10 may receive and
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`process. In one embodiment, the streaming digital audio
`content server 70 may stream digital audio received by the
`streaming digital audio content server 70 from the data
`source 20. For example, where the data source 20 is a
`wireless-capable device, such as a portable DAP, the data
`source 20 may connect to the streaming digital audio content
`server 70 via a wireless network 306 and the network 42.
`
`Alternatively, where for example the data source 20 is
`non-wireless-capable device, such as a PC, the data source
`20 may have a direct wired connection to the network 42.
`After being authenticated by the streaming digital audio
`content server 70, the data source 20 may stream digital
`audio to the streaming digital audio content server 70, which
`may broadcast the received digital audio over the network
`42 (e.g., the Internet). In such a manner, the user of the
`earphone 10 maylisten to audio from the data source 20
`even when(i) the earphone 10 andthe data source 20 are not
`in communication via an ad hoc wireless network 24 and(11)
`the earphone 10 and the data source 20 are not in commu-
`nication via a commonlocalinfrastructure wireless network
`30.
`
`FIG.3 is a block diagram of the earphone 10 according to
`various embodiments of the present invention. In theillus-
`trated embodiment, the earphone 10 comprisesa transceiver
`circuit 100 and related peripheral components. As shown in
`FIG.3, the peripheral components of the earphone 10 may
`comprise a power source 102, a microphone 104, one or
`more acoustic transducers 106 (e.g., speakers), and an
`antenna 108. The transceiver circuit 100 and some of the
`peripheral components (such as the power source 102 and
`the acoustic transducers 106) may be housed within the body
`12 of the earphone 10 (see FIG. 1). Other peripheral com-
`ponents, such as the microphone 104 and the antenna 108
`may be external to the body 12 of the earphone 10. In
`addition, some of the peripheral components, such as the
`microphone 104, are optional in various embodiments.
`In various embodiments, the transceiver circuit 100 may
`be implementedas a single integrated circuit (IC), such as a
`system-on-chip (SoC), which is conducive to miniaturizing
`the components of the earphone 10, which is advantageous
`if the earphone 10 is to be relatively small in size, such as
`an in-ear earphone (see FIGS. 1A-1B for example).
`In
`alternative embodiments, however, the components of the
`transceiver circuit 100 could be realized with two or more
`discrete ICs or other components, such as separate ICs for
`the processors, memory, and RF (e.g., Wi-Fi) module, for
`example.
`The power source 102 may comprise, for example, a
`rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery (or batteries). In
`other embodiments, the power source 102 may comprise one
`or more ultracapacitors (sometimes referred to as superca-
`pacitors) that are charged by a primary power source. In
`embodiments where the power source 102 comprises a
`rechargeable battery cell or an ultracapacitor, the battery cell
`or ultracapacitor, as the case may be, may be chargedfor use,
`for example, when the earphone 10 is connected to a
`docking station or computer. The docking station may be
`connected to or part of a computer device, such as a laptop
`computer or PC. In addition to charging the rechargeable
`powersource 102, the docking station and/or computer may
`facilitate downloading of data to and/or from the earphone
`10.
`In other embodiments,
`the power source 102 may
`comprise capacitors passively charged with RF radiation,
`such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,311. The power
`source 102 may be coupled to a power source control
`module 103 of transceiver circuit 100 that controls and
`
`monitors the power source 102.
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`The acoustic transducer(s) 106 may be the speaker ele-
`ment(s) for conveying the soundto the user of the earphone
`10. According to various embodiments, the earphone 10 may
`comprise one or more acoustic transducers 106. For embodi-
`ments having more than one transducer, one trans