APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SHARING CONTENTS VIA HEADPHONE SET

• US 20090097672A1
• Filed: 11/11/2005
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Buil, Vincent, Hollemans, Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/023 Transducers incorporated in garment, rucksacks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

The present invention relates to sharing of content between multiple users. A data player(10) decodes pre-stored audio data therein using a decoding function, and a converter converts the decoded digital data to analog to a headphone set in communication with the data player. When another user places his or her headphone set (2,4) close to the data player(10), the data player(10) confirms whether it has right to receive transmission from the data player, and after successful verification, reproduced data from the data player can be shared by the users.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reproducing data, comprising:

a memory(32) for storing a pre-recorded audio data;

a decoder(34) for decoding the audio data for a subsequent output to at least one headphone set(2,4) in communication with said apparatus; and

an ID reader(26) for detecting at least one foreign headphone set(2,4) to determine whether said foreign headphone set (2,4) has a right to access a requested cryptographic class of service.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cryptographic unit(22) for providing cryptographic functions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said cryptographic unit(22) including at least one preprogrammed encrypting/decrypting key to apply to a digital data received from said foreign headphone set(2,4) to establish a communication with said foreign headphone set(2,4).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said ID reader(26) is an RFID reader to verify a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said at least one headphone set(2,4).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control input for controlling the reproducing of said audio data based on a key input from an operator.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said decoder(34) decodes MP3 files.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one headphone set(2,4) is a wireless headphone.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one headphone set(2,4) is integrated into a wearable garment.

9. A data reproducing device for sharing reproduced data between a plurality of headphone sets, comprising:

a transmitting unit for transmitting said reproduced data to a first headphone set; and

a detecting unit for detecting a second headphone set present near said data reproducing device or said first headphone set in order to validate whether said second headphone set has a right to receive said reproduced data; and

means for transmitting said reproduced data to said second headphone set after successful validation.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a cryptographic unit(22) for providing cryptographic functions to perform the validation of right to receive said reproduced data.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said cryptographic unit(22) including at least one preprogrammed encrypting/decrypting key to apply to a digital data received from said second headphone set to establish a communication with said second headphone set.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising an RFID reader to verify a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said second headphone set.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one headphone set(2,4) is integrated into a wearable garment.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein said first and second headphone sets(2,4) are wireless headphones.

15. A method for sharing data between a plurality of headphone sets(2,4), the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a communication connection between a data reproducing unit and a first headphone set;

detecting a second headphone set to determine whether said second headphone set has a right to receive data transmission from said data reproducing unit; and

upon successful determination, transmitting the data transmission to said second headphone set.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said detection is validated by applying encrypting/decrypting key to digital data received from said second headphone set.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said detection is validated upon confirmation of a machine-readable symbol on an RFID tag provided in said second headphone set.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said first and second headphone sets(2,4) are wireless headphones.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said at least one headphone set(2,4) is integrated into a wearable garment.