Method and apparatus for conveying battery life of wireless earpiece

• US 10,200,780 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Steiner, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Con P
• Application Number:
  US15/687,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20180063629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 381 74, 381 58, 381380, 381151, 381311, 381388, 381323, 455573, 455572, 455 6711, 320114, 320128
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A system includes a left earpiece comprising a left earpiece housing and a right earpiece comprising a right earpiece housing and a radio transceiver disposed within at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece, and a software application executable on a computing device in operative communication with the radio transceiver; wherein the software application provides a visual representation of the left earpiece and a visual representation of the right earpiece and wherein the visual representation of the left earpiece indicates a remaining charge for the left earpiece and wherein the visual representation of the right earpiece indicates a remaining charge for the right earpiece. A method for displaying battery life is also provided.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a left earpiece comprising a left earpiece housing and a right earpiece comprising a right earpiece housing and a radio transceiver disposed within at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece; and

a software application executable on a computing device having a screen display element in operative communication with the radio transceiver;

wherein the left earpiece further comprises a left corona operatively connected to the left earpiece housing and comprising a light tube and at least one lighting element;

wherein the right earpiece further comprises a right corona operatively connected to the right earpiece housing and comprising a light tube and at least one lighting element;

wherein the software application provides a visual representation of the left earpiece and a visual representation of the right earpiece on the screen display element of the computing device and wherein the visual representation of the left earpiece indicates a remaining charge for the left earpiece and wherein the visual representation of the right earpiece indicates a remaining charge for the right earpiece;

wherein the visual representation of the right earpiece includes a representation of the right corona of the right earpiece lit to a color indicative of the remaining charge of the right earpiece and wherein the visual representation of the left earpiece includes a representation of a lighting element of the left corona of the left earpiece lit to a color indicative of the remaining charge of the left earpiece.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the radio transceiver transmits a historical profile of battery usage of the left earpiece and the right earpiece to the computing device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

4. A method for displaying battery life of a left earpiece and a right earpiece on a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving battery life information from the left earpiece and the right earpiece, the battery life information communicated using a radio transceiver disposed within at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece;

displaying the battery life information on a screen display element of the computing device using a software application stored on the computing device; and

synchronizing the battery life information to a visual representation of the left earpiece and the right earpiece displayed on the screen display element of the computing device using the software application, wherein the visual representation of the left earpiece and the right earpiece further displays the battery life information of the left earpiece and the right earpiece;

wherein the visual representation of the left earpiece and the right earpiece further comprises a left earpiece corona and a right earpiece corona, wherein the left earpiece corona is chromatically illuminated in proportion to the remaining battery life of the left earpiece and the right earpiece corona is chromatically illuminated in proportion to the remaining battery life of the right earpiece.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising receiving a historical profile of the battery life of the at least one wireless earpiece.

6. A system comprising:

a left earpiece comprising a left earpiece housing and a right earpiece comprising a right earpiece housing and a radio transceiver disposed within at least one of the left earpiece and the right earpiece; and

a software application executable on a computing device having a screen display element in operative communication with the radio transceiver;

wherein the left earpiece further comprises a left corona operatively connected to the left earpiece housing and comprising a light tube and at least one lighting element;

wherein the right earpiece further comprises a right corona operatively connected to the right earpiece housing and comprising a light tube and at least one lighting element;

wherein the software application provides a visual representation of the left earpiece and a visual representation of the right earpiece on the screen display element of the computing device and wherein the visual representation of the left earpiece and the right earpiece further comprises a left earpiece corona and a right earpiece corona, wherein the left earpiece corona is chromatically illuminated in proportion to the remaining battery life of the left earpiece and the right earpiece corona is chromatically illuminated in proportion to the remaining battery life of the right earpiece.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the radio transceiver transmits a historical profile of battery usage of the left earpiece and the right earpiece to the computing device.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the computing device is a mobile device.