System and Apparatus for Communicating Digital Data through Audio Input/Output Ports
First Claim
1. A system for communicating digital data between a first and second device, wherein said first device has a processor, an audio input, an audio output, and an operating system and said second device has a microprocessor, an audio input, and an audio output;
- said system comprising;
software residing on the first device that monitors an audio input of the first device for a sequence of audio signals that represent a data transmission from an audio output of the second device and interprets said audio signals as digital data;
software residing on the second device that monitors an audio input of the second device for a sequence of audio signals that represent a data transmission from an audio output of the first device and interprets said audio signals as digital data;
software residing on the first device that encodes digital data into a sequence of audio signals and transmits said audio signals to the second device via an audio output on the first device; and
software residing on the second device that encodes digital data into a sequence of audio signals and transmits said audio signals to the first device via an audio output on the second device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for communicating digital data between a first and second device through audio input/output ports encodes the digital data into a series of audio frequency tones. The audio frequency tones are transferred between the devices as audio inputs. Audio decoding software residing on the devices monitors the audio inputs of the devices for audio signals representing digital data and decodes the audio signals into digital data when they are detected. The audio decoding and encoding software is preferably aftermarket software that is downloaded to the device through a digital data port and executed by the device'"'"'s operating system software. The system can be used to provide a low cost accessory that can communicate digital data to a device without using the device'"'"'s digital input/output port or requiring any expensive digital communication circuitry in the accessory.
151 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for communicating digital data between a first and second device, wherein said first device has a processor, an audio input, an audio output, and an operating system and said second device has a microprocessor, an audio input, and an audio output;
- said system comprising;
software residing on the first device that monitors an audio input of the first device for a sequence of audio signals that represent a data transmission from an audio output of the second device and interprets said audio signals as digital data; software residing on the second device that monitors an audio input of the second device for a sequence of audio signals that represent a data transmission from an audio output of the first device and interprets said audio signals as digital data; software residing on the first device that encodes digital data into a sequence of audio signals and transmits said audio signals to the second device via an audio output on the first device; and software residing on the second device that encodes digital data into a sequence of audio signals and transmits said audio signals to the first device via an audio output on the second device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
- said system comprising;
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7. An accessory for a portable electronic device having a processor and an audio output and a digital data input;
- said accessory comprising;
an audio input that receives an audio signal from an audio output of said electronic device; and software that processes said audio signal to identity encoded audio data and interprets the encoded audio data as digital control data for the accessorying an encoded audio signal based upon digital data and reconstructing the original digital data for use by the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- said accessory comprising;
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14. A method of communicating digital control data between an accessory and an electronic device having an audio input/output port, said method comprising:
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providing application software that is downloaded to the device through a digital data interface of the device; converting digital data to be transferred from the accessory to the device into an audio data file of selected frequency tones; transferring the audio data file to the device through the audio input port of the device; and converting the audio data file back into the original digital data with the application software. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification