111111
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US008190203B2
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Pelland et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8,190,203 B2
`May 29,2012
`
`(54) WIRELESS EARPHONE THAT TRANSITIONS
`BETWEEN WIRELESS NETWORKS
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Michael J. Pelland, Princeton, WI (US);
`Michael J. Koss, River Hills, WI (US);
`Michael Sagan, Marshall, WI (US);
`Steven R. Reckamp, Crystal Lake, IL
`(US); Gregory J. Hallingstad, Madison,
`WI (US); Jeffrey K. Bovee, Lake
`Geneva, WI (US); Morgan J. Lowery,
`DeForest, WI (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Koss Corporation, Milwaukee, WI (US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`12/936,488
`
`(22) PCTFiled:
`
`Apr. 7, 2009
`
`(58) Field of Classification Search .................. 455/445,
`455/414.4,73,456.1,420, 20, 11.1, 421;
`370/401, 352, 335; 381/74
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`7 I 1998 Stanford et a!.
`5,784,685 A
`6,792,091 B2
`9/2004 Lemchen eta!.
`6,937,712 B2
`8/2005 Lemchen eta!.
`7,003,515 B1
`2/2006 Glaser
`7,027,311 B2
`4/2006 Vanderelli
`7,099,370 B2
`8/2006 Takahashi
`7,120,388 B2
`10/2006 Hall
`1112006 Hachimura eta!.
`7,139,585 B2
`10/2009 Awiszus
`7,599,679 B2
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`WO WO 2007/136620 A2
`1112007
`(Continued)
`
`(86) PCTNo.:
`
`PCT /US2009/039754
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`§ 371 (c)(l),
`(2), ( 4) Date: Dec. 20,2010
`
`(87) PCT Pub. No.: W02009/126614
`
`PCT Pub. Date: Oct. 15, 2009
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2011/0103609 Al
`
`May 5, 2011
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 61/123,265, filed on Apr.
`7, 2008.
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`H04M 1100
`(2006.01)
`H04R 1110
`(2006.01)
`(52) U.S. Cl. ....................................... 455/556.1; 381/74
`
`Supplementary European Search Report for European Application
`No. 09731146.8 mailed Jun. 10, 2011,7 pages.
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner- Kiet Doan
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm- K&L Gates LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A wireless earphone that comprises a transceiver circuit for
`receiving streaming audio from a data source over a local ad
`hoc wireless network. When the data source and the earphone
`are out of range, they transition automatically to an infrastruc(cid:173)
`ture wireless network. If there is no common infrastructure
`wireless network for both the data source and the speaker(cid:173)
`phone set, the earphone connects to a host server via an
`available wireless network.
`
`33 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets
`
`20
`
`DATA
`SOURCE
`
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`US 8,190,203 B2
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`7,697,899 B2 *
`4/2010 Rofougaran .................... 455/73
`7,764,775 B2
`7/2010 Tarkoffetal.
`7,805,210 B2
`9/2010 Cucos
`2005/0064853 A1 *
`3/2005 Radpour .................... 455/414.4
`2005/0198233 A1
`9/2005 Manchester
`2006/0206487 A1
`9/2006 Harada
`2006/0212442 A1
`9/2006 Conrad
`2006/0212444 A1
`9/2006 Handman
`2007/0008984 A1
`112007 Philips
`2007/0037615 A1
`2/2007 Glezerman
`2007/0049198 A1
`3/2007 Walsh eta!.
`2007/0116316 A1
`5/2007 Goldberg
`2007/0165875 A1
`7/2007 Rezvani
`2007/0230727 A1
`10/2007 Sanguino
`2008/0062939 A1
`3/2008 Van Horn
`2008/0101279 A1
`5/2008 Russell
`2008/0291891 A1
`1112008 Jerlhagen
`2010/0246788 A1
`9/2010 Menard eta!.
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`WO 2007/139578 A1
`12/2007
`WO 2008/054985 A2
`5/2008
`WO 2009/086555 A1
`7/2009
`
`wo
`wo
`wo
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/
`US09/39754 mailed Jun. 11, 2009, 2 pages.
`International Preliminary Examination Report for International
`Application No. PCT/US09/39754 mailed Oct. 28, 2010, 8 pages.
`Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority for Inter(cid:173)
`national Application No. PCT/US09/39754 mailed 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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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29,2012
`
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`May 29,2012
`
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`May 29,2012
`
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`May 29,2012
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`May 29,2012
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 29,2012
`
`Sheet 10 of 16
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`US 8,190,203 B2
`
`CURRENT
`DATA RATE
`
`SIZE OF
`UPDATE
`
`50
`
`YES
`
`NO
`
`TRANSMIT
`UPDATE
`WIRELESSLY
`
`52
`
`TRANSMIT UPDATE TO
`EARPHONE VIA HOST
`COMPUTER
`
`51
`
`Fig. 5
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 29,2012
`
`Sheet 11 of 16
`
`US 8,190,203 B2
`
`NO
`
`!--------------------------------------~-~~-------------------
`
`EXCHANGE DATA REGARDING LOCAL
`INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKS
`
`62
`
`YES
`
`j
`
`NO
`
`1
`I
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`WIRELESS NETWORK
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`
`66
`
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`
`EARPHONE CONNECT TO STREAMING DIGITAL
`AUDIO CONTENT SERVER USING IP ADDRESS
`
`YES
`
`NO
`
`69
`
`Page 13 of 29
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 29,2012
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`Sheet 12 of 16
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`May 29,2012
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`May 29,2012
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`Sheet 14 of 16
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`US 8,190,203 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 29,2012
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`Sheet 15 of 16
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 29,2012
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`Sheet 16 of 16
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`US 8,190,203 B2
`
`1
`WIRELESS EARPHONE THAT TRANSITIONS
`BETWEEN WIRELESS NETWORKS
`
`PRIORITY CLAIM
`
`The present application claims priority to U.S provisional
`application Ser. No. 61/123,265, filed Apr. 7, 2008, which is
`incorporated herein by reference.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`2
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless earphone according
`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 wire-
`10 less earphone to transition automatically between wireless
`networks according to various embodiments of the present
`invention;
`FIGS. 7, 8 and 10 illustrate communication systems
`involving the wireless earphone according to various embodi-
`15 ments of the present invention;
`FIG. 9 is a diagram of a headset including a wireless
`earphone and a microphone according to various embodi(cid:173)
`ments of the present invention; and
`FIG.ll is a diagram of a pair of wireless earphones with a
`20 dongle according to various embodiments of the present
`invention.
`
`DESCRIPTION
`
`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 headphone set that connects to
`the data storage unit, usually with a lj4" or a 3.5 mmjack and
`associated cord. Often the headphones are in-ear type head(cid:173)
`phones. The cord, however, between the headphones and the
`data storage unit can be cumbersome and armoying 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 proposed, such as the Mon(cid:173)
`ster iFreePlay cordless headphones from Apple Inc., which
`include a docking port on one of the earphones that can 25
`connect directly to an iPod Shuffle. Because they have the
`docking port, however, the Monster iFreePlay cordless head(cid:173)
`phones from Apple are quite large and are not in-ear type
`phones. Recently, cordless headphones that connect wire(cid:173)
`lessly via IEEE 802.11 to a WLAN-ready laptop or personal 30
`computer (PC) have been proposed, but such headphones are
`also quite large and not in-ear type phones.
`
`In one general aspect, the present invention is directed to a
`wireless earphone that 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 ear(cid:173)
`phone may take different shapes and the exemplary shapes
`shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are not intended to be limiting. In
`35 one embodiment, the earphone transitions automatically and
`seamlessly, without user intervention, between communica(cid:173)
`tion modes. That is, the earphone may transition automati(cid:173)
`cally from an ad hoc wireless network to an infrastructure
`wireless network, without user intervention. As used herein,
`40 an "ad hoc wireless network" is a network where two (or
`more) wireless-capable devices, such as the earphone and a
`data source, communicate directly and wirelessly, without
`using an access point. An "infrastructure wireless network,"
`on the other hand, is a wireless network that uses one or more
`45 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 wire(cid:173)
`less earphone 10 according to various embodiments of the
`50 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 oftheuserofthe earphone 10. In various embodiments,
`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 some other user control (such as a dial,
`a pressure-activated switch, lever, etc.) for adjusting the shape
`60 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 shape so as to, for example, radi(cid:173)
`ally expand to fit snugly against all sides of the user's ear
`canal. Further details regarding such a shape-changing ear-
`65 bud earphone are described in application PCT/US08/88656,
`filed 31 Dec. 2008, entitled "Adjustable Shape Earphone,"
`which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The
`
`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 earphone are out of range via
`the ad hoc wireless network, they may transition automati(cid:173)
`cally to a common infrastructure wireless network (e.g., a
`wireless LAN). If there is no common infrastructure wireless
`network for both the data source and the earphone, the ear(cid:173)
`phone 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 wire- 55
`less earphone are described below.
`
`FIGURES
`
`Various embodiments of the present invention are
`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-2D illustrate various communication modes for
`a wireless earphone according to various embodiments of the
`present invention;
`
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`US 8,190,203 B2
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`3
`earphone 10 also may comprise a transceiver circuit housed
`within the body 12. The transceiver circuit, described further
`below, may transmit and receive the wireless signals, includ(cid:173)
`ing 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 may
`be used to adjust the ear canal portion 14. In addition, in other
`embodiments, the earphone 10 may not comprise a shape(cid:173)
`changing ear canal portion 14.
`In various embodiments, the user may wear two discrete
`wireless earphones 10: one in each ear. In such embodiments,
`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. 1 C, a headband 19
`may connect the two (left and right) earphones 10. The head(cid:173)
`band 19 may be an over-the-head band, as shown in the
`example of FIG. 1C, or the headband may be a behind-the(cid:173)
`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 wireless
`communication signals. In other embodiments comprising a
`headband 19, only one earphone 10 may comprise the trans(cid:173)
`ceiver circuit, and a wire may run along the headband 19 to the
`other earphone 10 to connect thereby the transceiver circuit to
`the acoustic transducer in the earphone that 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
`hanger bar 17 that allows the earphone 10 to clip to, or hang
`on, the user's ear, as shown in the illustrated embodiment of
`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 40
`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 concha of the listener's ear and the other element
`(the larger one) 106-B is not. The listener may use the hanger
`bar to position the earphone on 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 elements, 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 U.S. provisional patent application
`Ser. No. 61/054,238, which is incorporated herein by refer(cid:173)
`ence in its entirety.
`FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate various communication modes for
`a wireless data communication system involving the ear(cid:173)
`phone 10 according to embodiments of the present invention.
`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 transceiver circuit (de(cid:173)
`scribed in more detail below), may communicate wirelessly
`with a data source 20, which may comprise a wireless net(cid:173)
`work 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
`
`4
`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 encode the 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(cid:173)
`tivity for the data source 20. For example, the wireless net-
`10 work adapter 22 may comprise a wireless network interface
`card (WNIC) or other suitable transceiver that plugs into a
`USB port 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
`15 infrastructure wireless network). The digital audio transmit(cid:173)
`ted from the data source 20 to the earphone 10 via the wireless
`networks may comprise compressed or uncompressed audio.
`Any suitable file format may be used for the audio, including
`mp3, lossy or lossless WMA, Vorbis, Musepack, FLAC,
`20 WAY, AIFF, AU, or any other suitable file format.
`When in 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), Blue-
`25 tooth, Zigbee, UWB, or any other suitable wireless commu(cid:173)
`nication protocol. For purposes of the description to follow, it
`is assumed that the data source 20 and the earphone 10 com(cid:173)
`municate using a Wi -Fi protocol, although the invention is not
`so limited and other wireless communication protocols may
`30 be used in other embodiments of the invention. The data
`source 20 and the earphone 10 are considered in range for the
`ad hoc wireless network 24 when the 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
`35 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 earphone 10 has the data
`source 20 on his/her person, such as in a 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
`may transition automatically to communicate over an infra-
`45 structure 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
`50 components to make the transition to a common infrastruc(cid:173)
`ture wireless network 30 automatically and seamlessly, 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
`55 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.
`For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the infrastructure net(cid:173)
`work may comprise an access point 32 that is in the range of
`60 both the data source 20 and the earphone 10. The access point
`32 may be an electronic hardware device that acts as a wire(cid:173)
`less 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
`65 may both communicate wirelessly with the access point 32
`using the appropriate network data protocol (a Wi-Fi proto(cid:173)
`col, for example). The data source 20 and the earphone 10
`
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`5
`may both transition automatically to an agreed-upon WLAN
`30 that is in the range of both devices when they cannot
`commnnicate satisfactorily via the ad hoc wireless 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 embodi(cid:173)
`ment, the data source 20 may communicate wirelessly with
`one access point 32b and the earphone 10 may communicate
`wirelessly with another access point 32a of the same infra(cid:173)
`structure 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 net(cid:173)
`work over which the earphone 10 and the data source 20 can
`commnnicate, as shown in FIG. 2D, the earphone 10 may 15
`transition 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(cid:173)
`enabled host server 40. The host server 40 may be connected 20
`to the wireless network 30a via an electronic data communi(cid:173)
`cation network 42, such as the Internet. In one mode, the host
`server 40 may transmit streaming digital audio via the net(cid:173)
`works 33a, 42 to the earphone 10. In another mode, the host
`server 40 may transmit to the earphone 10 a network address, 25
`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 stream- 30
`ing 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 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 30b 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 45
`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
`may listen to audio from the data source 20 even when (i) the
`earphone 10 and the data source 20 are not in communication
`via an ad hoc wireless network 24 and (ii) the earphone 10 and
`the data source 20 are not in communication via a common
`local infrastructure wireless network 30.
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the earphone 10 according to
`various embodiments of the present invention. In the illus(cid:173)
`trated embodiment, the earphone 10 comprises a 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 com(cid:173)
`ponents (such as the power source 102 and the acoustic trans(cid:173)
`ducers 106) may be housed within the body 12 of the ear(cid:173)
`phone 10 (see FIG. 1). Other peripheral components, such as
`the microphone 104 and the antenna 108 may be external to
`
`6
`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
`implemented as 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 alterna-
`10 tive embodiments, however, the components of the trans(cid:173)
`ceiver circuit 100 could be realized with two or more discrete
`ICs or other components, such as separate ICs for the proces(cid:173)
`sors, 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(cid:173)
`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 charged for 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 power source 102,
`the docking station and/or computer may facilitate download-
`ing of data to and/or from the earphone 10. In other embodi(cid:173)
`ments, the power source 102 may comprise capacitors pas(cid:173)
`sively 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.
`The acoustic transducer(s) 106 may be the speaker element
`(s) for conveying the sound to the user of the earphone 10.
`35 According to various embodiments, the earphone 10 may
`comprise one or more acoustic transducers 106. For embodi(cid:173)
`ments having more than one transducer, one transducer may
`be larger than the other transducer, and a crossover circuit (not
`shown) may transmit the higher frequencies to the smaller
`40 transducer and may transmit the lower frequencies to the
`larger transducer. More details regarding dual element ear(cid:173)
`phones are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,206, assigned to
`Koss Corporation, which is incorporated herein by reference
`in its entirety.
`The antenna 108 may receive and transmit the wireless
`signals from and to the wireless networks 24, 30. A RF (e.g.,
`Wi-Fi) module 110 of the transceiver circuit 100 in commu(cid:173)
`nication with the antenna 108 may, among other things,
`modulate and demodulate the signals transmitted from and
`50 received by the antenna 108. The RF module 110 communi(cid:173)
`cates with a baseband processor 112, which performs other
`functions necessary for the earphone 10 to communicate
`using the Wi-Fi (or other communication) protocol.
`The baseband processor 112 may be in communication
`55 with a processor unit 114, which may comprise a micropro(cid:173)
`cessor 116 and a digital signal processor (DSP) 118. The
`microprocessor 116 may control the various components of
`the transceiver circuit 100. The DSP 114 may, for example,
`perform various sound quality enhancements to the digital
`60 audio received by the baseband processor 112, including
`noise cancellation and sonnd equalization. The processor unit
`114 may be in communication with a volatile memory unit
`120 and a non-volatile memory unit 122. A memory manage(cid:173)
`ment unit 124 may control the processor unit's access to the
`65 memory units 120, 122. The volatile memory 122 may com(cid:173)
`prise, for example, a random access memory (RAM) circuit.
`The non-volatile memory unit 122 may comprise a read only
`
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`US 8,190,203 B2
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`7
`memory (ROM) and/or flash memory circuits. The memory
`units 120, 122 may store firmware that is executed by the
`processor unit 114. Execution of the firmware by the proces(cid:173)
`sor unit 114 may provide various functionality for the ear(cid:173)
`phone 10, such as the automatic transition between wireless
`networks as described herein. The memory units 120, 122
`may also cache received digital audio.
`A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 125 may convert the
`digital audio from the processor unit 114 to analog form for
`coupling to the acoustic transducer(s) 106. An I2S interface 10
`126 or other suitable serial or parallel bus interface may
`provide the interface between the processor unit 114 and the
`DAC 125. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 128, which
`also communicates with the I2S interface 126, may convert 15
`analog audio signals picked up by the microphone 104 for
`processing by the processor unit 114.
`The transceiver circuit 100 also may comprise a USB or
`other suitable interface 130 that allows the earphone 10 to be
`connected to an external device via a USB cable or other 20
`suitable link. As shown in FIG. 4A, the external device may be
`a docking station 200 connected to a computer device 202.
`Also, in various embodiments, the earphone 10 could be
`connected directly to the computer 202 without the docking
`station 200. In addition, the external device may be a DAP 25
`210, as shown in FIG. 4B. In that way, the earphone 10 could
`connect directly to a data source 20, such as the DAP 210 or
`the computer 202, through the USB port 130. In addition,
`through the USB port 130, the earphone 10 may connect to a
`PC 202 or docking station 202 to charge up the power source 30
`102 and/or to get downloads (e.g., data or firmware).
`According to various embodiments, the earphone 10 may
`have an associated web page that a user may access through
`the host server 40 (see FIG. 2D) or some other server. An
`authenticated user could log onto the website from a client 35
`computing device 50 (e.g., laptop, PC, handheld computer
`device, etc., including the data source 20) (see FIG. 2D) to
`access the web page for the earphone 10 to set various profile
`values for the earphone 10. For example,