US009049502B2
`
`(12) United States Patent
`US 9,049,502 B2
`(10) Patent N0.:
`Pelland et al.
`
`(45) Date of Patent: *Jun. 2, 2015
`
`(54) SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS EARPHONES
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Michael J. Pelland, Princeton, WI (US);
`Michael J. Koss, Milwaukee, WI (US);
`Gregory J. Hallingstad, Madison, 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 466 days.
`
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis-
`claimer.
`
`(21) Appl.No.: 13/609,409
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Sep. 11, 2012
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2013/0039510A1
`
`Feb. 14, 2013
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(63) 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 onApr. 7, 2009,
`now Pat. No. 8,190,203.
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 61/123,265, filed on Apr.
`7, 2008.
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`H04R 1/10
`H04R 3/00
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(Continued)
`
`(52) U.S. Cl.
`CPC ............... H04R 3/00 (2013.01); H04M1/0254
`(2013.01); H04R 1/1091(2013.01);H04R
`5/033 (2013.01);
`
`(58) Field of Classification Search
`CPC ............................ H04M 2250/02, H04M 3/56
`USPC ........... 381/74, 71.6, 115, 374, 455/559, 522,
`455/569.2, 573, 418, 556.1, 90.1, 557, 42,
`455/575.2
`
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,784,685 A
`6,389,463 B2
`
`7/1998 Stanford et a1.
`5/2002 Bolas
`
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`JP
`W0
`
`2004-320597 A
`WO 2006/047724 A2
`
`11/2004
`5/2006
`
`(Continued)
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Supplementary European Search Report for European Application
`No. 097311468 mailed Jun. 10, 2011, 7 pages.
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner 7 Kiet Doan
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm 7 K&L Gates LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A system comprising a wireless earphone set and a client
`computing device, both of which are communicable with a
`host server via the Internet. The host server stores configura-
`tion parameters for the wireless earphone set that are trans-
`mittable to the wireless earphone set via the Internet, and that
`are configurable by an authenticated user of the client com-
`puting device via the host server to generate updated configu-
`ration parameters for the wireless earphone set. The updated
`configuration parameters for the wireless earphone set are
`transmitted by the host server to the wireless earphone set via
`the Internet.
`
`(Continued)
`
`29 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets
`
`30
`
`
`
`DATA
`SOURCE
`
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`US 9,049,502 B2
` Page 2
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`WWI/”2
`H04R 5/033
`H04R 5/04
`H04R 25/00
`(52) U.S.Cl.
`.
`CPC ................ H04R 5/04 (2013.01), H04R 25/554
`(2013.01);H04R 2201/103 (2013.01); H04R
`2225/55 (2013.01); H04R 2420/07 (2013.01)
`
`(200601)
`(200601)
`(200691)
`(2006.01)
`
`1/2007 Philips
`2007/0008984 A1
`s eta.
`$883 $331“?
`3883883383 2‘1
`6/2007 Chiloyan
`2007/0147630 A1
`6/2007 Lee et a1.
`2007/0150963 A1
`7/2007 Rezvani
`2007/0165875 A1
`2007/0253603 A1* ll/2007 Kimuraetal.
`2007/0297618 A1* 12/2007 Nurmietal.
`2008/0031470 A1
`2/2008 Angelhag
`2008/0062939 A1
`3/2008 Van Horn
`2008/0076489 A1
`3/2008 Rosener et 31,
`2008/0080705 A1*
`4/2008 Gerhardtet al.
`
`................ 382/115
`................. 381/716
`
`.............. 379/430
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5/2008 Russell
`2008/0101279 A1
`7/2008 Kondo
`2008/0165992 A1
`................. 381/74
`2008/0298606 A1* l2/2008 Johnson et a1.
`2009/0063703 A1
`3/2009 Finkelstein et al.
`
`6,671,494 131* 12/2003 James .......................... 455/661
`6,674,864 B1
`1/2004 Kitamura
`6,792,091 132
`9/2004 Lemchen et 31,
`6,937,712 B2
`8/2005 Lemchen et a1.
`7,003,515 B1
`2/2006 Glaser
`7,027,311 B2
`4/2006 Vanderelli
`7,095,455 B2
`8/2006 Jordan
`_
`7,099,370 B2
`8/2006 Takahashl
`7,120,388 B2
`10/2006 Hall
`7,139,585 B2
`11/2006 Hachimura et al.
`7,266,390 B2
`9/2007 Mathews
`7,467,021 B2
`12/2008 Yuen
`7,512,414 B2
`3/2009 Jannardetal.
`7,599,679 B2
`10/2009 AWiszus
`7,680,490 B2
`3/2010 Bloebaum et a1.
`7,697,899 B2
`4/2010 Rofougaran
`7,764,775 B2
`7/2010 Tarkoffetal.
`7,805,210 B2
`9/2010 Cucos
`7962 482 B2
`6/2011 Handman
`8:023:663 B2
`9/2011 Goldberg
`8,027,638 B2
`9/2011 Sanguino
`8,102,836 B2
`l/2012 Jerlhagen
`2005/0064853 A1
`3/2005 Radpour
`28827822913232 :1
`133882 Iltdranchester
`ishiguchi et a1.
`2006/0206487 A1
`9/2006 Harada
`2006/0212442 A1
`9/2006 Conrad
`2006/0268830 A1
`11/2006 Evans
`
`2009/0225996 A1
`2010/0246788 A1
`2010/0290642 A1
`
`9/2009 BfOOking
`9/2010 Menard et a1.
`11/2010 Haseagawa
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`W0 W0 2007/136620 A2
`W0 W0 2007/139578 A1
`W0 W0 2008/033478 A1
`W0
`WO 2008/054985 A2
`W0 W0 2009/086555 A1
`
`11/2007
`12/2007
`3/2008
`5/2008
`7/2009
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/
`US09/39754 mailed Jun. ll,2009,2pages.
`.
`I
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`for International
`nternational Preliminary Exam1nation Report
`Application No. PCT/US09/39754 mailed Oct. 28, 2010, 8 pages.
`Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority for Inter-
`national Application No. PCT/US09/39754 mailed Jun. 11, 2009, 5
`pages.
`“LTB 802.11 WiFi Headphones”, http://itreVieW.
`IT Review,
`.
`.
`belprOJect.com/item/1536 accessed on Mar. 13, 2008 (4 pages).
`
`* cited by examiner
`
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`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 1 0f 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`
`
`FIG. 18
`
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`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 2 0f 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`
`
`FIG. 1C
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 3 of 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 4 0f 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`
`
`DATASOURCE
`
`FIG.2A
`
`
`
`
` 24
`ADHOCWIRELESS
`
`NETWORK
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 5 of 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`SE
`
`momDOm
`
`mm.QE
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 6 of 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`SE
`
`momDOm
`
`0N.®_n_
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 7 of 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 8 0f 16
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`US 9,049,502 B2
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`MEMORY
`
`VOLATILE
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 9 0f 16
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`US 9,049,502 B2
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 10 0f 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`
`
`CURRENT
`DATA RATE
`
`SIZE OF
`UPDATE
`
`
`
`UPDATE OK TO BE
`SENT WIRELESSLY?
`
`
`
`
`50
`
`TRANSMIT
`UPDATE
`WIRELESSLY
`
`TRANSMIT UPDATE TO
`EARPHONE VIA HOST
`COMPUTER
`
`51
`
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
`
`Sheet 11 0f 16
`
`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`61
`
`
`
` COMMUNICATE
`VIA AD HOC WIRELESS
`
`NETWORK?
`
`
`
`
`
`nth PRIORITY
`INFRASTRUCTURE
`WIRELESS NETWORK
`AVAILABLE?
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`COMMUNICATE VIA nth
`INFRASTRUCTURE WIRELESS NETWORK
`
`CONNECT TO HOST SERVER
`
`HOST SERVER SENDS
`IPADDRESS
`
`66
`
`67
`
`
`
`EARPHONE CONNECT TO STREAMING
`DIGITALAUDIO CONTENT SERVER USING
`
`IPADDRESS
`
`
`LOSE CONNECTION?
`
`68
`
`
`
`69
`
`FIG. 6
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 13 of 16
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`US 9,049,502 B2
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`NV
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 14 0f 16
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 15 0f 16
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`US 9,049,502 B2
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`
`
`FIG. 10
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`Jun. 2, 2015
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`Sheet 16 0f 16
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`US 9,049,502 B2
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`150
`
`152
`
`FIG. 11
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`US 9,049,502 B2
`
`1
`SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS EARPHONES
`
`PRIORITY CLAIM
`
`The present application claims priority as a continuation to
`US. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 13/459,291
`filed May 17, 2012, now US. Pat. No. 8,571,544, which is a
`continuation of US. nonprovisional patent application Ser.
`No. 12/936,488, filed Dec. 20, 2010, now US. Pat. No. 8,190,
`203, which is a national stage entry of PCT/USO9/39754,
`filed Apr. 7, 2009, which claims priority to US. provisional
`patent application Ser. No. 61/123,265, filed Apr. 7, 2008.
`
`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 headphone set that connects to
`the data storage unit, usually with a 1/4" or a 3.5 mm jack and
`associated cord. Often the headphones are in—ear type head-
`phones. The cord, however, between the headphones and the
`data storage unit can be cumbersome and annoying to users,
`and the length ofthe cord limits the physical distance between
`the data storage unit and the headphones. Accordingly, some
`cordless headphones have been proposed, such as the Mon-
`ster 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 head-
`phones from Apple are quite large and are not in-ear type
`phones. Recently, cordless headphones that connect wire-
`lessly via IEEE 802.11 to a WLAN-ready laptop or personal
`computer (PC) have been proposed, but such headphones are
`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 earphone are out of range via
`the ad hoc wireless network, they may transition automati-
`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-
`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.
`
`In another general aspect, the present invention is directed
`to a system comprising a wireless earphone set and a client
`computing device, both of which are communicable with a
`host server via the Internet. The host server stores configura-
`tion parameters for the wireless earphone set that are trans-
`mittable to the wireless earphone set via the Internet, and that
`are configurable by an authenticated user of the client com-
`puting device via the host server to generate updated configu-
`ration parameters for the wireless earphone set. The updated
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`
`configuration parameters for the wireless earphone set are
`transmitted by the host server to the wireless earphone set via
`the Internet
`
`These and other advantageous, unique aspects of the wire-
`less 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 ofa 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 ofthe
`present invention;
`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-
`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-
`ments 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 of a 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 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-
`phone may take different shapes and the exemplary shapes
`shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are not intended to be limiting. In
`one embodiment, the earphone transitions automatically and
`seamlessly, without user intervention, between communica-
`tion modes. That is, the earphone may transition automati-
`cally from an ad hoc wireless network to an infrastructure
`wireless network, without user intervention. As used herein,
`an “ad hoc wireless networ ” 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 networ ,”
`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 wire-
`less 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
`
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`3
`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 ofthe user ofthe 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
`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-
`ally expand to fit snugly against all sides of the user’s ear
`canal. Further details regarding such a shape-changing ear-
`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
`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-
`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-
`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. 1C, a headband 19
`may connect the two (left and right) earphones 10. The head-
`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-
`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-
`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. IE is a side view according to one embodiment. As
`shown in the illustrated embodiment, the earphone 10 may
`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
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`such embodiments, another measure of adjustability for the
`user. More details regarding such a dual element, adjustable
`earphone may be found in US. provisional patent application
`Ser. No. 61/054,238, which is incorporated herein by refer-
`ence in its entirety.
`FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate various communication modes for
`
`a wireless data communication system involving the ear-
`phone 10 according to embodiments ofthe 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-
`scribed in more detail below), may communicate wirelessly
`with a data source 20, which may comprise a wireless net-
`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
`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-
`tivity for the data source 20. For example, the wireless net-
`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
`infrastructure wireless network). The digital audio transmit-
`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,
`WAV, 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-
`tooth, Zigbee, UWB, or any other suitable wireless commu-
`nication protocol. For purposes of the description to follow, it
`is assumed that the data source 20 and the earphone 10 com-
`municate using a Wi-Fi protocol, although the invention is not
`so limited and other wireless communication protocols may
`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) ofthe 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 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-
`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
`components to make the transition to a common infrastruc-
`ture wireless network 30 automatically and seamlessly, e. g.,
`
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`5
`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.
`
`For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the infrastructure net-
`work may comprise an access point 32 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 wire-
`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
`may both communicate wirelessly with the access point 32
`using the appropriate network data protocol (a Wi-Fi proto-
`col, for example). The data source 20 and the earphone 10
`may both transition automatically to an agreed-upon WLAN
`30 that is in the range of both devices when they cannot
`communicate 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-
`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-
`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-
`
`work over which the earphone 10 and the data source 20 can
`communicate, as shown in FIG. 2D, the earphone 10 may
`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 3011 to a network-
`enabled host server 40. The host server 40 may be connected
`to the wireless network 30a via an electronic data communi-
`cation network 42, such as the Internet. In one mode, the host
`server 40 may transmit streaming digital audio via the net-
`works 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 stream-
`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 stream-
`ing 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 42. After being authenticated by the streaming digi-
`tal 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 net-
`work 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
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`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-
`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-
`ponents (such as the power source 102 and the acoustic trans-
`ducers 106) may be housed within the body 12 of the ear-
`phone 10 (see FIG. 1). Other peripheral components, 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 1 00 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 altema-
`tive embodiments, however, the components of the trans-
`ceiver circuit 100 could be realized with two or more discrete
`
`ICs or other components, such as separate ICs for the proces-
`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-
`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
`orpart ofa 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-
`ments, the power source 102 may comprise capacitors pas-
`sively charged with RF radiation, such as described in US.
`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 ele-
`ment(s) for conveying the sound to 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 transducer may
`be larger than the other transducer, and a crossover circuit (not
`shown) may transmit the higher frequencies to the smaller
`transducer and may transmit the lower frequencies to the
`larger transducer. More details regarding dual element ear-
`phones are provided in US. 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-
`nication with the antenna 108 may, among other things,
`modulate and demodulate the signals transmitted from and
`received by the antenna 108. The RF module 110 communi-
`cates with a baseband processor 112, which performs other
`
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`US 9,049,502 B2
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`7
`functions necessary for the earphone 10 to communicate
`using the Wi-Fi (or other communication) protocol.
`The baseband processor 112 may be in communication
`with a processor unit 114, which may comprise a micropro-
`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
`audio received by the baseband processor 112, including
`noise cancellation and sound 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-
`ment unit 124 may control the processor unit’s access to the
`memory units 120, 122. The volatile memory 122 may com-
`prise, for example, a random access memory (RAM) circuit.
`The non-volatile memory unit 122 may comprise a read only
`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-
`sor unit 114 may provide various functionality for the ear-
`phone 10, such as the automatic transition between wireless
`networks as described herein. The memory units 120, 122
`may also cache receiv