US009438987B2
`
`a2) United States Patent
`US 9,438,987 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`
` Kosset al. (45) Date of Patent: *Sep. 6, 2016
`
`
`(54) SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS EARPHONES
`
`(71) Applicant: Koss Corporation, Milwaukee, WI
`(US)
`
`(58) Field of Classification Search
`CPC weeeccceecreseteneeetee H04M 1/6041; HO4R 5/033
`USPC wees 455/412.2; 381/370, 58, 74, 182;
`379/430, 433.01
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(72)
`
`Inventors: Michael J. Koss, Milwaukee, WI (US);
`Michael J. Pelland, Princeton, WI (US)
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`.
`(*) Notice:
`
`(73) Assignee: KOSS CORPORATION, Milwaukee,
`WI (US)
`.
`.
`.
`.
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis-
`claimer.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 14/695,696
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Apr. 24, 2015
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2015/0237439 Al
`Aug. 20, 2015
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(63) 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
`(Continued)
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`HOAR 1/10
`HO4AW 4/00
`
`(2006.01)
`(2009.01)
`(Continued)
`
`(52) U.S. Cl.
`CPC we. HOAR 1/1091 (2013.01); HO4W 4/008
`(2013.01); HO4W 48/20 (2013.01); HO4R
`2201/107 (2013.01); HO4R 2420/07 (2013.01);
`HO4W 84/18 (2013.01)
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,784,685 A
`7/1998 Stanford et al.
`6,389,463 B2
`5/2002 Bolas
`6,671,494 Bl
`12/2003 James
`(Continued)
`
`JP
`WO
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`2004-320597
`11/2004
`WO 2006/047724 A2
`5/2006
`(Continued)
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Supplementary European Search Report for European Application
`No. 09731146.8 mailed Jun. 10, 20ul, 7 pages.
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner — Kiet Doan
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — K&L Gates LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`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 configu-
`ration parameters for the wireless earphone set that are
`transmittable to the wireless earphone set via the Internet,
`and that are configurable by an authenticated user of the
`client computing device via the host server to generate
`updated configuration 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.
`
`10 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets
`
`10
`STREAMING DIGITAL
`AUDIOCONTENTSERVER
` 4
`HOSTSERVER
`
`re
`
`
`
`
`RAL
`
`DATA
`SOURCE
`
`
`
`
`
`APPLE 1087
`
`APPLE 1087
`
`1
`
`

`

`US 9,438,987 B2
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`Page 2
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`(60)
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`(51)
`
`(56)
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`continuation of application No. 12/936,488, filed as
`application No. PCT/US2009/039754 on Apr. 7,
`2009, now Pat. No. 8,190,203.
`
`Provisional application No. 61/123,265, filed on Apr.
`7, 2008.
`
`Int. Cl.
`
`HO4W 48/20
`HOAW 84/18
`
`(2009.01)
`(2009.01)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`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
`7,650,168 B2
`7,680,490 B2
`7,697,899 B2
`7,734,055 B2
`7,764,775 B2
`7,805,210 B2
`7,861,312 B2
`7,962,482 B2
`8,023,663 B2
`8,027,638 B2
`8,102,836 B2
`8,190,203 B2
`8,295,516 B2
`8,335,312 B2
`8,401,202 B2
`8,478,880 B2
`
`1/2004 Kitamura
`9/2004 Lemchenetal.
`8/2005 Lemchenet al.
`2/2006 Glaser
`4/2006 Vanderelli
`8/2006 Jordan
`8/2006 Takahashi
`10/2006 Hall
`11/2006 Hachimuraetal.
`9/2007 Mathews
`2/2008 Nishiguchi etal.
`12/2008 Yuen
`3/2009 Jannard etal.
`10/2009 Awiszus
`1/2010 Bailey
`3/2010 Bloebaum etal.
`4/2010 Rofougaran
`6/2010 Chiloyan
`7/2010 Tarkoff et al.
`9/2010 Cucos
`12/2010 Lee et al.
`6/2011 Handman
`9/2011 Goldberg
`9/2011 Sanguino
`1/2012 Jerlhagen
`5/2012 Pelland et al.
`10/2012 Kondoetal.
`12/2012 Gerhardtetal.
`3/2013 Brooking
`7/2013 Finkelstein etal.
`
`8,553,865
`8,571,544
`8,655,420
`8,792,945
`2004/0107271
`2005/0064853
`2005/0198233
`2006/0206487
`2006/02 12442
`2006/0268830
`2007/0008984
`2007/00376 15
`2007/0049 198
`2007/0165875
`2007/0253603
`2007/0297618
`2008/0031470
`2008/0062939
`2008/0076489
`2008/0298606
`2008/0299948
`
`B2
`B2
`Bl
`B2
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`Al
`
`2009/00413 13
`
`Al
`
`2010/0290642
`2013/00395 10
`
`Al
`Al
`
`ok
`
`ke
`
`10/2013
`10/2013
`2/2014
`7/2014
`6/2004
`3/2005
`9/2005
`9/2006
`9/2006
`11/2006
`1/2007
`2/2007
`3/2007
`7/2007
`11/2007
`12/2007
`2/2008
`3/2008
`3/2008
`12/2008
`12/2008
`
`2/2009
`
`11/2010
`2/2013
`
`Menardetal.
`Pelland et al.
`Pelland et al.
`Russell et al.
`Ahnetal.
`Radpour
`Manchester
`Harada
`Conrad.
`Evans
`Philips
`Glezerman
`Walsh et al.
`Rezvani
`Kimuraet al.
`Nurmiet al.
`Angelhag
`Van Horn
`Roseneret al.
`Johnsonetal.
`Rosener wo... eee H04M 1/6066
`455/412.2
`Brown woes H04M 1/05
`382/124
`
`Haseagawa
`Pelland et al.
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`
`WO 2007/136620 A2
`WO 2007/139578 Al
`WO 2008/033478 Al
`WO 2008/054985 A2
`WO 2009/086555 Al
`
`11/2007
`12/2007
`3/2008
`5/2008
`7/2009
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/
`US09/39754 mailed Jun. 11, 2009, 2 pages.
`for International
`International Preliminary Examination 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.
`IT Review, “LTB 802.11 WiFi Headphones”, http://itreview.
`belproject.com/item/1536 accessed on Mar. 13, 2008 (4 pages).
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`2
`
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`FIG.2A
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`6
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`Sheet 5 of 16
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`US 9,438,987 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`US 9,438,987 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sheet 11 of 16
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`US 9,438,987 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`US 9,438,987 B2
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`1
`SYSTEM WITH WIRELESS EARPHONES
`
`PRIORITY CLAIM
`
`The present application claims priority as a continuation
`to United States nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.
`13/609,409, filed Sep. 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,049,
`502, issued Jun. 2, 2015, which is a continuation of United
`States continuation application Seri. 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 United States nonprovi-
`sional patent application Ser. No. 12/936,488, filed Dec. 20,
`2010, now USS. Pat. No. 8,190,203, issued May 29, 2012,
`which is a national stage entry of PCT/US09/39754, filed
`Apr. 7, 2009, which claims priority to United States provi-
`sional 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 headphoneset that connects
`to the data storage unit, usually with a 14" 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 cumbersomeand 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 oneof 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 maytransition
`automatically 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 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 Internetradio server, including, for
`example, an Internet radio server that broadcasts streaming
`audio from the data source or some other content.
`
`In another generalaspect, the present inventionis directed
`to a system comprising a wireless earphoneset and a client
`computing device, both of which are communicable with a
`host server via the Internet. The host server stores configu-
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
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`25
`
`30
`
`35
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`40
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`45
`
`50
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`55
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`60
`
`65
`
`2
`ration parameters for the wireless earphone set that are
`transmittable to the wireless earphone set via the Internet,
`and that are configurable by an authenticated user of the
`client computing device via the host server to generate
`updated configuration parameters for the wireless earphone
`set. The updated configuration parameters for the wireless
`earphone set are transmitted by the host server to the
`wireless earphoneset via the Internet
`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 earphone totransition 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 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 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 earphone transitions 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 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 access points to allow a wireless-
`
`19
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`19
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`US 9,438,987 B2
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`3
`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 shapeofthe ear canal portion 14. Thatis, in various
`embodiments, activation (e.g. rotation) of the knob 16 may
`cause the ear canal portion 14 to change shapesoasto, for
`example, radially expandtofit 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/orin 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 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 may be 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
`hanger bar 17 that allows the earphone10 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
`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
`
`20
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`45
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`4
`(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 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 modesfor
`
`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 bea digital audio player (DAP), such as an mp3 player
`or an iPod, or any othersuitable 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 thatis
`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,itis 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 RSS]) 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
`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.
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`US 9,438,987 B2
`
`5
`Whenthe 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 thatis 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.
`For example, as shown in FIG. 2B,
`the infrastructure
`network 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 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 may both transition automatically to an agreed-
`upon WLAN30 that is in the range of both devices when
`they cannot communicate satisfactorily 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
`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 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
`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
`
`6
`source 20. For example, where the data source 20 is a
`wireless-capable device, such as a portable DAP, the data
`source 20 may connectto the streaming digital audio content
`server 70 via a wireless network 304 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 may listen to audio from the data source 20
`even when(1) the earphone 10 andthe 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 commu-
`nication via a commonlocal infrastructure 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 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 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 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
`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 RFradiation,
`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 speakerele-
`ment(s) for conveying the soundto the user of the earphone
`10. According to various embodiments, the earphone 10 may
`
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`35
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`US 9,438,987 B2
`
`7
`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
`earphonesare provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,206, assigned
`to Koss Corporation, which is incorporated herein byref-
`erence in its entirety.
`The antenna 108 may receive and transmit the wireless
`signals from and to the wireless networks 24, 30. ARF(e.g.,
`Wi-Fi) module 110 of the transceiver circuit 100 in com-
`munication 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 commu-
`nicates 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
`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
`management unit 124 may control
`the processor unit’s
`access to the memory units 120, 122. The volatile memory
`122 may comprise, 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 memoryunits 120, 122 maystore firmware that
`is executed by the processor unit 114. Execution of the
`firmware by the processor unit 114 may provide various
`functionality for the earphone 10, such as the automatic
`transition between wireless networks as described herein.
`
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`30
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`The memory units 120, 122 mayalso cache received digital
`audio.
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`
`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 I°S interface
`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 I?S interface 126, may convert
`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
`
`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 210, as shownin FIG. 4B. In that way, the earphone
`10 could connect directly to a da