Wireless Audio Sharing

• US 20080175403A1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jook, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jook, Inc.
• Inventors: Tang, Terence, Tan, Min-Liang, Chan, Hoe
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for wireless sharing of audio sounds among a plurality of users with access to a dedicated, shared signal. A user of the present invention can communicate his or her audio sounds to other users, who can receive the audio sounds wirelessly and choose to rebroadcast them. As such, an audio sound sharing network can be readily established at any time and place among participants in the network.

Claims

1. A system for sharing an audible experience comprising:

a first headphones comprising;

a plurality of speakers;

a wireless transceiver; and

a first control system for said wireless transceiver adapted to control a transmission of a first encoded audio signal to a second headphones comprising a second wireless transceiver and a second control system adapted to generate an audio playback corresponding to said first audio signal;

whereby said first headphones and said second headphones are part of a closed network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said second headphones comprise a user interface to receive input from a user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said second control system is adapted to transmit a second audio signal to a third headphones simultaneously with its receiving said first audio signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said second control system generates said audio playback to said first audio signal while transmitting said second audio signal to said third headphones.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission occurs on one of a plurality of discrete channels.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said one of a plurality of discrete channels is selected automatically.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said automatic selection occurs by hunting.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said automatic selection occurs by frequency hopping.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said one of a plurality of discrete channels is selected manually.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said manual selection is denoted by numbers.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said manual selection is denoted by colors.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said one of a plurality of discrete channels is indicated by a visual cue.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein said one of a plurality of discrete channels is indicated by an audible cue.

3. The system of claim 3, wherein said user interface includes a setting to opt to play said first audio signal received from said first headphones.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said user interface includes a setting to opt to retransmit said first audio signal.

5. The system of claim 4, where said retransmission of said audio signal is on a designated channel selected using the user interface.

17. An audio sharing network comprising:

a first playback system comprising;

a first wireless transceiver; and

a first control system for said wireless transceiver adapted to control reception, transmission and playback of a dedicated audio signal; and

a second playback system comprising;

a second wireless transceiver; and

a second control system adapted to for said wireless transceiver adapted to control reception, transmission and playback of said dedicated audio signal.

18. The network of claim 18, wherein said second control system is adapted to allow a user to rebroadcast said dedicated audio signal to a third playback system.

20. The network of claim 18, wherein said first control system is adapted to encrypt said dedicated audio signal before transmission, thereby generating an encrypted audio signal.

19. The network of claim 19, wherein said second control system is adapted to decode said dedicated audio signal.

21. A device peripheral comprising:

a controller;

a transceiver controllable by the controller for performing a signaling operation, the signaling operation being one of receiving reception signals, transmitting transmission signals and simultaneously receiving the reception signals and transmitting the transmission signals;

a device interface couplable to a device for communicating the controller with the device, the controller for performing a communication operation via the device interface, the communication operation being one of transmitting first media data to the device, receiving second media data from the device and simultaneously receiving first media data from and transmitting second media data to the device, and

wherein the controller is operable for one of simultaneous and separate performance of the signaling operation and the communication operation, the reception signals carrying and being convertible into one of a third media data and the first media data, and the transmission signals carrying and being converted from one of the first media data, the second media data, the third media data and a fourth media data.

22. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth media data comprises at least one of textual data, video data, image data and audio data.

23. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein one of the third and first media data is decoded from the reception signals.

24. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first, second, third and fourth media data is encoded prior to being transmitted as the transmitting signals.

25. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein second media data is derived from the first media data.

26. The device peripheral of claim 21, further comprises a user interface operable by user for controlling at least one of the signaling operation and communication operation.

27. The device peripheral of claim 26, wherein the user interface is further operable for selecting the one of simultaneous and separate performance of the signaling operation and the communication operation.

28. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein transmitting transmission signals and receiving reception signals occurs on one of a plurality of discreet channels.

29. The device peripheral of claim 28, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is automatically selected.

30. The device peripheral of claim 29, wherein the automatic selection occurs by hunting.

31. The device peripheral of claim 29, wherein the automatic selection occurs by frequency hopping.

32. The device peripheral of claim 28, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is selected manually.

33. The device peripheral of claim 32, further comprises a display for displaying numbers denoting the manual selection.

34. The device peripheral of claim 32, further comprises a display for displaying colors denoting the manual selection.

35. The device peripheral of claim 28, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is indicated by a visual cue.

36. The device peripheral of claim 28, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is indicated by an audible cue.

37. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein the devices comprises a playback module for playback of at least one of the first media data and the second media data.

38. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein the device is at least one of a headphone, a media device and a wireless communication device.

39. The device peripheral of claim 21, wherein the device peripheral is a dongle.

40. A device comprising:

a controller;

a transceiver controllable by the controller for performing a signaling operation, the signaling operation being one of receiving reception signals, transmitting transmission signals and simultaneously receiving the reception signals and transmitting the transmission signals;

a playback module; and

a data interface for communicating the controller with the playback module, the controller for performing a communication operation via the data interface, the communication operation being one of transmitting first media data to at least one other device, receiving second media data from the at least one other device and simultaneously receiving first media data from and transmitting second media data to the device, the playback module being operable for playback of one of the first media data and the second media data,

wherein the controller is operable for one of simultaneous and separate performance of the signaling operation and the communication operation, the reception signals carrying and being convertible into one of a third media data and the first media data, and the transmission signals carrying and being converted from one of the first media data, the second media data, the third media data and a fourth media data.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth media data comprises at least one of textual data, video data, image data and audio data.

42. The device of claim 40, wherein one of the third and first media data is decoded from the reception signals.

43. The device of claim 40, wherein at least one of the first, second, third and fourth media data is encoded prior to being transmitted as the transmitting signals.

44. The device of claim 40, wherein second media data is derived from the first media data.

45. The device of claim 40, further comprises a user interface operable by user for controlling at least one of the signaling operation and communication operation.

46. The device peripheral of claim 45, wherein the user interface is further operable for selecting the one of simultaneous and separate performance of the signaling operation and the communication operation.

47. The device of claim 40, wherein transmitting transmission signals and receiving reception signals occurs on one of a plurality of discreet channels.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is automatically selected.

49. The device of claim 48, wherein the automatic selection occurs by hunting.

50. The device of claim 48, wherein the automatic selection occurs by frequency hopping.

51. The device of claim 47, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is selected manually.

52. The device of claim 41, further comprises a display for displaying numbers denoting the manual selection.

53. The device of claim 41, further comprises a display for displaying colors denoting the manual selection.

54. The device of claim 47, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is indicated by a visual cue.

55. The device of claim 47, wherein the one of a plurality of discreet channels is indicated by an audible cue.

56. The device of claim 40, wherein the device is at least one of a headphone, a media device and a wireless communication device.