Secure systems and methods for establishing wireless audio sharing connection

• US 10,299,300 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Young, Douglas Warren
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T
• Application Number:
  US15/981,549
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• 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 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• 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 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A system and method for tethering wireless audio devices. The method includes establishing a first wireless connection between an intermediary device and a primary audio device. A random resolvable address is received by the intermediary device from a secondary audio device. The random resolvable address is transmitted to the primary audio device via the first wireless connection. An instruction is transmitted to the primary audio device to analyze broadcasted data from nearby audio devices for a matching audio device having broadcasted data corresponding to the random resolvable address, and to initiate a second wireless connection with the matching audio device. Audio data is transmitted to the primary audio device via the first wireless connection for streaming the audio data from the primary audio device to the secondary audio device, identified to the primary audio device as the matching audio device, via the second wireless connection.

Claims

1. A method for tethering wireless audio devices, comprising:

establishing a first wireless connection between an intermediary device and a primary audio device;

receiving a random resolvable address by the intermediary device from a secondary audio device;

transmitting the random resolvable address from the intermediary device to the primary audio device via the first wireless connection;

transmitting an instruction to the primary audio device from the intermediary device, via the first wireless connection, to analyze broadcasted data from nearby audio devices for a matching audio device having broadcasted data corresponding to the random resolvable address, and to initiate a second wireless connection with the matching audio device; and

transmitting audio data to the primary audio device from the intermediary device via the first wireless connection and streaming the audio data from the primary audio device to the secondary audio device, identified to the primary audio device as the matching audio device, via the second wireless connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device comprises a software application installed on the intermediary device, and wherein the software application is configured to perform one or more of the establishing, the receiving, or any of the transmitting steps.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device does not directly connect to the secondary audio device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device does not have an identity resolving key associated with the random resolvable address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising packet broadcasted by the secondary audio device, and the random resolvable address is included in the BLE advertising packet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the random resolvable address is included in a manufacturer specific data field of the BLE advertising packet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless connection is a classic Bluetooth connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device comprises a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, or mobile computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary audio device and the secondary audio device comprise at least one of a headset, headphones, a speaker, and earbuds.

10. A method for tethering audio devices, comprising:

establishing a first wireless connection between an intermediary device and a primary audio device;

receiving a first advertising packet by the intermediary device from a secondary audio device, the first advertising packet comprising a random resolvable address for the secondary audio device;

communicating the random resolvable address to the primary audio device from the intermediary device via the first wireless connection;

receiving, by the primary audio device, a second advertising packet from each of one or more nearby audio devices;

analyzing, by the primary audio device, whether data in any second advertising packet matches the random resolvable address;

identifying, by the primary audio device, a matching audio device as one of the nearby audio devices having data in its second advertising packet that matches the random resolvable address;

establishing a second wireless connection between the primary audio device and the matching audio device;

transmitting audio data to the primary audio device from the intermediary device via the first wireless connection; and

streaming the audio data from the primary audio device to the secondary audio device, identified to the primary audio device as the matching audio device, via the second wireless connection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing the second wireless connection between the primary audio device and the matching audio device comprises:

establishing a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection between the primary audio device and the matching audio device;

initiating a BLE pairing between the primary audio device and the matching audio device;

sending a static address identifying the matching audio device as the secondary audio device to the primary audio device once the BLE pairing is complete;

establishing a Classic Bluetooth connection between the primary audio device and the secondary audio device using the static address; and

disconnecting the BLE connection.

12. A wireless audio device tethering system comprising:

an intermediary device having a wireless transceiver;

wherein the intermediary device is configured to establish a first wireless connection with a primary audio device and to receive a random resolvable address publicly broadcast from a secondary audio device;

wherein the intermediary device is further configured to transmit, to the primary audio device, audio data, the random resolvable address, and an instruction for the primary audio device to (i) analyze broadcasted data from nearby audio devices within communication range of the primary audio device for a matching audio device having broadcasted data corresponding to the random resolvable address and (ii) initiate a second wireless connection with the matching audio device, for streaming the audio data to the secondary audio device, identified to the primary audio device as the matching audio device, over the second wireless connection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the intermediary device comprises a software application installed on the intermediary device and the first wireless connection connects the software application to the primary audio device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the intermediary device is not directly connected to the secondary audio device.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the intermediary device does not have an identity resolving key associated with the random resolvable address.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the random resolvable address is received in a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising packet broadcasted by the secondary audio device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the random resolvable address is included in a manufacturer specific data field of the BLE advertising packet.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the intermediary device comprises a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, or mobile computing device and wherein the primary audio device and the secondary audio device comprise at least one of a headset, headphones, a speaker, and earbuds.

19. A wireless audio device tethering system comprising:

an intermediary device having a first wireless transceiver;

a primary audio device having a second wireless transceiver configured to establish a first wireless connection by the intermediary device;

wherein the intermediary device is configured to receive a random resolvable address from a secondary audio device and to transmit audio data and the random resolvable address to the primary audio device via the first wireless connection;

wherein the primary audio device is configured to analyze broadcasted data from local audio devices within communication range of the primary audio device for a matching audio device having broadcasted data corresponding to the random resolvable address, and to initiate a second wireless connection with the secondary audio device, identified to the primary audio device as the matching audio device, for streaming the audio data to the secondary audio device over the second wireless connection.

20. The wireless audio device of claim 19, wherein the primary audio device is configured to establish the second wireless connection between the primary audio device and the matching audio device by:

establishing a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection between the primary audio device and the matching audio device;

initiating a BLE pairing between the primary audio device and the matching audio device;

sending a static address identifying the matching audio device as the secondary audio device to the primary audio device once the BLE pairing is complete;

establishing a Classic Bluetooth connection between the primary audio device and the secondary audio device using the static address; and

disconnecting the BLE connection.