System and method for wirelessly providing multimedia

• US 20080280654A1
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Solomon, Yoram
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/569.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

System and method for wirelessly providing multimedia. A system includes a headset and a wireless communications device. The wireless communications device controls the operation of the headset with transmissions over a first wireless network. The headset includes a first ear piece, a second ear piece, and a connecting piece. The first ear piece has a first speaker, a first network interface to send and receive transmissions over the first wireless network, a second network interface to receive transmissions over a second wireless network, and a connecting piece. The connecting piece is coupled between the first ear piece and the second ear piece. The connecting piece includes a wire to electrically couple the second ear piece, the first ear piece, and the second network interface and to receive transmissions over the second wireless network. The wire may be made to any length since it may be embedded inside the connecting piece.

Claims

1. A headset comprising:

a first ear piece having a first speaker, the first ear piece comprising,

a first wireless network interface, the first network interface configured to send and receive transmissions over a first wireless network, and

a second wireless network interface, the second network interface configured to receive transmissions over a second wireless network;

a second ear piece having a second speaker; and

a connecting piece mechanically coupled at a first end to the first ear piece and at a second end to the second ear piece, the connecting piece comprising a conductive wire configured to electrically couple the second ear piece, the first ear piece, and the second wireless network interface, and to receive transmissions over the second wireless network.

2. The headset of claim 1, wherein the conductive wire is embedded inside the connecting piece.

3. The headset of claim 1, wherein the connecting piece is shaped so that it holds the first ear piece adjacent a first ear of a wearer and the second ear piece adjacent a second ear of the wearer.

4. The headset of claim 1, wherein the second wireless network interface provides audio signals to the second speaker via the conductive wire.

5. The headset of claim 4, wherein the second wireless network interface provides audio signals to the first speaker via a second wire.

6. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first ear piece further comprises:

a low pass filter coupled between the second wireless network interface and the conductive wire, the low pass filter to pass audio signals; and

a high pass filter coupled between the conductive wire and the second wireless network interface, the high pass filter to pass received transmissions from the second wireless network.

7. The headset of claim 1, wherein the conductive wire is further coupled to the first wireless network interface, and wherein the conductive wire sends and receives transmissions over the first wireless network.

8. The headset of claim 1, wherein the conductive wire comprises multiple electrically isolated conductive wires, and wherein separate conductive wires are used to provide audio signals to the second speaker and to receive transmissions over the second wireless network.

9. The headset of claim 1, wherein the connecting piece is made from a material selected from the group consisting of:

plastic, metal, fiber, fabric, and combinations thereof.

10. The headset of claim 1, wherein the connecting piece is the conductive wire.

11. A system comprising:

a headset comprising,

a first ear piece having a first speaker, the first ear piece comprising,

a first wireless network interface, the first network interface configured to send and receive transmissions over a first wireless network, and

a second wireless network interface, the second network interface configured to receive transmissions over a second wireless network,

a second ear piece having a second speaker, and

a connecting piece mechanically coupled at a first end to the first ear piece and at a second end to the second ear piece, the connecting piece comprising a conductive wire configured to electrically couple the second ear piece, the first ear piece, and the second wireless network interface, and to receive transmissions over the second wireless network; and

a wireless communications device wirelessly coupled to the headset over the first wireless network, the wireless communications device to control the operation of the headset with transmissions over the first wireless network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second wireless network interface receives multimedia transmissions over the second wireless network, and wherein information contained within the multimedia transmissions are provided to a user over the first speaker and the second speaker.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the headset further comprises a microphone coupled to the first wireless network interface, the microphone to convert audible information into electrical signals.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the second network interface comprises:

a low pass filter coupled to the conductive wire and to an amplifier, the low pass filter to pass an amplified signal from the amplifier onto the conductive wire; and

a high pass filter coupled to the conductive wire and to an RF circuit, the high pass filter to pass received transmissions over the second wireless network to the RF circuit.

15. A method for providing multimedia, the method comprising:

receiving a first transmission over a first wireless network, wherein the first transmission contains control instructions;

decoding the first transmission; and

applying the control instructions to a multimedia display device, wherein the multimedia display device receives a second transmission containing multimedia content over a second wireless network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, prior to the receiving:

receiving a user input at a first device;

encoding the user input; and

transmitting the user input over the first wireless device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transmission is received by a second wireless device, wherein the first transmission is transmitted by a third wireless device, and wherein the first wireless network comprises a short range wireless communications network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the short range wireless communications network is selected from the group consisting of:

Bluetooth, WiBree, Zigbee, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, proprietary wireless networks, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the second wireless network comprises a uni-directional wireless communications network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second wireless communications network is selected from the group consisting of:

FM radio, AM radio, shortwave radio, television, multimedia servers transmitting multimedia over RF waves, health monitoring transmissions, proximity sensor transmissions, security system sensor transmissions, home and building automation transmissions, and combinations thereof.