Audio Entertainment System, Device, Method, And Computer Program

• US 20070274530A1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hollemans, Gerrit, Buil, Vincentius
• Application Number:
  US10/599,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274530A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

An audio entertainment system (100) comprises: a set of earpieces (101) for transducing audio (102), with a first earpiece (103) having a first input means (104) for receiving input (113) to control (106) the transducing; and a first detector (107) for detecting the first earpiece (103) being positioned (108) for transducing audio (102). The audio entertainment system (100) is arranged to enable (109) control (106) with the first input means (104) only after a predetermined first period (110) in which the first earpiece (103) is detected, with the first detector (107), to be continuously positioned for transducing audio (102). This prevents accidental operation of e.g. a media player with the input means (104) while e.g. inserting the first earpiece (103).

Claims

1. An audio entertainment system (100) comprising:

a set of earpieces (101) for transducing audio (102), with a first earpiece (103) having a first input means (104) for receiving input (113) to control (106) the transducing; and

a first detector (107) for detecting the first earpiece (103) being positioned (108) for transducing audio (102),

the audio entertainment system (100) being arranged to enable (109) control (106) with the first input means (104) only after a predetermined first period (110) in which the first earpiece (103) is detected, with the first detector (107), to be continuously positioned for transducing audio (102).

2. An audio entertainment system (100) as claimed in claim 1, the audio entertainment system (100) further comprising:

a second earpiece (111) having a second input means (112) for receiving input (113) to further control (114) the transducing; and

a second detector (115) for detecting the second earpiece (111) being positioned (108) for transducing audio (102),

the system (100) being further arranged to enable (109) control (106) and further control (114) only if in addition the second earpiece (111) is detected, with the second detector (115), to be positioned for transducing audio (102).

3. An audio entertainment system (100) as claimed in claim 2, the system (100) being further arranged to postpone enabling of the control action (106) and the further control action (114) until the second earpiece (111) has been detected, with the second detector (115), to be continuously positioned for transducing audio (102) for a predetermined second period (116).

4. An audio entertainment system (100) as claimed in claim 2, the system (100) being further arranged to postpone enabling of the control action (106) and the further control action (114) until both the first and the second input means (112) are simultaneously without input (113).

5. An audio entertainment system (100) as claimed in claim 2, the system (100) being further arranged to postpone enabling of the control action (106) and the further control action (114) until both the first and the second input means (112) have simultaneously been without input (113) for a predetermined third period (117).

6. An audio entertainment system (100) as claimed in claim 2, the system (100) being further arranged to disable (118) control (106) and further control (114) if both the first and the second input means (112) receive input (113) simultaneously.

7. An audio entertainment system (100) as claimed in claim 1, the system (100) being further arranged to disable (118) control (106) with the first input means (104) as soon as the first earpiece (103) is detected to be no longer positioned for transducing audio.

8. A method of transducing audio (102) by means of a set of earpieces (101) with a first earpiece (103) having a first input means (104) for controlling (106) the transducing, in which:

input (113) is given to the first input means (104); and

a first detector (107) detects the first earpiece (103) to be positioned for transducing audio, and

enabling the controlling control (106) with the first input means (104) only after a predetermined first period (110) in which the first detector (107) continuously detects the first earpiece (103) to be positioned for transducing audio (102).

9. A computer program product for use in an audio entertainment system (100), the audio entertainment system (100) comprising:

a set of earpieces (101) for transducing audio (102), with a first earpiece (103) having a first input (113) means for receiving input (113) to control (106) the transducing;

a processor for processing the input (113) to control (106) the transducing; and

a first detector (107) for detecting the first earpiece (103) being positioned (108) for transducing audio (102),

the computer program product being designed to instruct the processor to enable (109) control (106) with the first input means (104) only after a predetermined first period (110) in which the first earpiece (103) is detected, with the first detector (107), to be continuously positioned for transducing audio (102).