Master device for using connection attribute of electronic accessories connections to facilitate locating an accessory

• US 10,015,836 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2017
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kapoor, Daman, Watson, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H
• Application Number:
  US15/826,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20180092145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 216 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72516 with means for out-of-range alerting
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A connection-indicative signal can be received at a master electronic device from an electronic accessory. The connection-indicative signal can include a connection attribute indicative of a presence or characteristic of a connection between the electronic accessory and at least one other electronic accessory of the master electronic device. A location of the master electronic device can be determined at the master electronic device. The location can be stored at the master electronic device in association with the connection attribute. The master electronic device can detect a locate-accessory input that corresponds to a request to locate the at least one other electronic accessory; or that a locate-accessory condition is satisfied based on another connection attribute included in another connection-indicative signal received from the electronic accessory. The stored location can be retrieved in response to the detecting. A presentation that includes location information that corresponds to the stored location can be presented.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, via a master-device receiver of a master electronic device and from a first electronic accessory, a connection-indicative signal that includes a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of an accessory-to-accessory connection between the first electronic accessory and a second electronic accessory, the first electronic accessory including;

a first-accessory receiver configured to receive audio signals via a master-accessory connection from the master electronic device;

a speaker configured to output at least part of the received audio signals; and

a transmitter configured to transmit other audio signals via the accessory-to-accessory connection to the second electronic accessory, the other audio signals including or being based upon at least part of the audio signals; and

performing a set of actions at one or more processors of the master electronic device, the set of actions including;

in response to receiving the connection-indicative signal;

identifying a location of the master electronic device; and

updating a data structure to include the connection attribute in association with the location and a second-accessory identifier of the second electronic accessory;

determining that a locate-accessory condition is satisfied in association with the second electronic accessory; and

in response to the determination;

retrieving the location from the data structure, wherein retrieving the location from the data structure includes determining that, from amongst multiple locations stored in the data structure in association with the second-accessory identifier, the location is a most recently stored location associated with a corresponding connection attribute that is above a predefined threshold; and

facilitating a presentation that is indicative of the location.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the locate-accessory condition is satisfied includes receiving an input corresponding to a request to provide location data associated with the second electronic accessory.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location of the master electronic device is determined using GPS signals received at the master electronic device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a master-to-accessory connection between the master electronic device and the first electronic accessory;

updating the data structure to include the second connection attribute in association with location data and a first-accessory identifier of the first electronic accessory.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the updated data structure includes:

a data entry that includes the location, the connection attribute, and the second connection attribute; and

another data entry that includes another location, another connection attribute, and another second connection attribute.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the first electronic accessory and the second electronic accessory includes an earphone.

7. A master electronic device comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform actions including;

accessing a connection-indicative signal that includes a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of an accessory-to-accessory connection between a first electronic accessory and a second electronic accessory, the connection-indicative signal having been received at the master electronic device from the first electronic accessory, the first electronic accessory including;

a receiver configured to receive audio signals via a master-accessory connection from the master electronic device;

a speaker configured to output at least part of the received audio signals; and

a transmitter configured to transmit other audio signals via the accessory-to-accessory connection to the second electronic accessory, the other audio signals including or being based upon at least part of the audio signals;

in response to receiving the connection-indicative signal;

identifying a location of the master electronic device; and

updating a data structure to include the connection attribute in association with the location and a second-accessory identifier of the second electronic accessory;

determining that a locate-accessory condition is satisfied in association with the second electronic accessory; and

in response to the determination;

retrieving the location from the data structure, wherein retrieving the location from the data structure includes determining that, from amongst multiple locations stored in the data structure in association with the second-accessory identifier, the location is a most recently stored location associated with a corresponding connection attribute that is above a predefined threshold; and

facilitating a presentation that is indicative of the location.

8. The master electronic device of claim 7, wherein determining that the locate-accessory condition is satisfied includes receiving an input corresponding to a request to provide location data associated with the second electronic accessory.

9. The master electronic device of claim 7, wherein the location of the master electronic device is determined using GPS signals received at the master electronic device.

10. The master electronic device of claim 7, wherein the actions further include:

determining a second connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a master-to-accessory connection between the master electronic device and the first electronic accessory;

updating the data structure to include the second connection attribute in association with location data and a first-accessory identifier of the first electronic accessory.

11. The master electronic device of claim 10, wherein the updated data structure includes:

a data entry that includes the location, the connection attribute, and the second connection attribute; and

another data entry that includes another location, another connection attribute, and another second connection attribute.

12. The master electronic device of claim 7, wherein each of the first electronic accessory and the second electronic accessory includes an earphone.

13. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to perform actions including:

accessing connection-indicative signal that includes a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of an accessory-to-accessory connection between a first electronic accessory and a second electronic accessory, the connection-indicative signal having been received from the first electronic accessory, the first electronic accessory including;

a receiver configured to receive audio signals via a master-accessory connection from a master electronic device;

a speaker configured to output at least part of the received audio signals; and

a transmitter configured to transmit other audio signals via the accessory-to-accessory connection to the second electronic accessory, the other audio signals including or being based upon at least part of the audio signals;

in response to receiving the connection-indicative signal;

identifying a location of the master electronic device; and

updating a data structure to include the connection attribute in association with the location and a second-accessory identifier of the second electronic accessory;

determining that a locate-accessory condition is satisfied in association with the second electronic accessory; and

in response to the determination;

retrieving the location from the data structure, wherein retrieving the location from the data structure includes determining that, from amongst multiple locations stored in the data structure in association with the second-accessory identifier, the location is a most recently stored location associated with a corresponding connection attribute that is above a predefined threshold; and

facilitating a presentation that is indicative of the location.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein determining that the locate-accessory condition is satisfied includes receiving an input corresponding to a request to provide location data associated with the second electronic accessory.

15. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein the location of the master electronic device is determined using GPS signals received at the master electronic device.

16. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein the actions further include:

determining a second connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a master-to-accessory connection between the master electronic device and the first electronic accessory;

updating the data structure to include the second connection attribute in association with location data and a first-accessory identifier of the first electronic accessory.

17. The computer-program product of claim 16, wherein the updated data structure includes:

a data entry that includes the location, the connection attribute, and the second connection attribute; and

another data entry that includes another location, another connection attribute, and another second connection attribute.