Headset Hub Remote Control System

• US 20110032071A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GN Netcom A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: GN Netcom A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Tondering, Claus
• Granted Patent: US 8,816,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/4.31
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control

Abstract

A system comprising a wireless audio headset hub (1), at least two peripheral electronic devices (3, 4, 5) which are wirelessly connected to and controlled via the headset (1). The system further comprises a wireless handheld terminal (2), which is wirelessly connected to the headset (1) and comprising a terminal user interface (7) for receiving user input. The headset (1) and the terminal (2) are adapted so that a user by means of the terminal user interface (7) can control each of the peripheral electronic devices (3, 4, 5) via the headset (1).

Claims

1. A headset hub for a system comprising a wireless audio headset (1), for use with at least one peripheral electronic device, (3, 4, 5) which is wirelessly connected to and controlled directly through and by the headset hub (1);

a wireless handheld terminal (2), which provides keyboard and screen capabilities for user input which are used via the headset hub to control the peripheral electronic device and wirelessly connected to the headset hub (1), comprising;

a terminal user interface (7) provided on the terminal by a program application installed thereon, said interfaces configured such that user input on the handheld terminal transmits a signal to the headset hub and, wherein the headset hub (1) controls the at least one peripheral electronic devices (3, 4, 5) directly from a wireless signal sent from the headset hub and wherein the peripheral device transmits an audio link signal back to the user via the headset hub.

2. A headset hub according to claim 1, wherein the user, via the user interface (7), is able to open an audio channel between the headset and one selected peripheral electronic device (3, 4, 5) without communication back to the terminal.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless handheld terminal (2) has a display (6).

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the user via the user interface (7) can control a single device (3, 4, 5), wherein the display (6) indicates which device (3, 4, 5) has been chosen to control.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the display (6) indicates which functions of the chosen device (3, 4, 5) can be controlled by the terminal (2).

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the display (6) indicates which specific user input controls which specific controllable function.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral electronic devices comprise one or more of the following devices:

a television (3), a media player (4), a video recorder and a personal computer (5).

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the wireless handheld terminal (2) is a mobile phone, a wireless phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a keypad (7).

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein

the wireless handheld terminal (2) further comprises

a terminal control unit (12) for generating first control commands in response to the user input,

a terminal transmitter (13) for transmitting the first control commands to the headset hub (1), and wherein

the headset hub (2) comprises

a headset receiver (14) for receiving the first control commands from the terminal (2),

a headset control unit (15) for generating second control commands in response to the reception of the first control commands,

a headset transmitter (16) for transmitting the second control commands to one of the peripheral electronic devices (3, 4, 5), and wherein

each of the peripheral electronic devices (3, 4, 5) comprises

a device receiver (31, 41, 51) for receiving the second control commands,

a device control unit (32, 42, 52) for controlling the device in response to the reception of the second control commands from the headset hub.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the headset hub (1) comprises at least one speaker (17) and a headset receiver (14) for receiving a first audio signal and relaying the first audio signal to the speaker (17).

12. A system according to the claim 11, wherein the same headset receiver (14) is adapted to receive the first control commands and the first audio signal.

13. A system according to claim 10, wherein the headset (1) comprises a microphone (18) and a headset transmitter (16) for transmitting a second audio signal generated by the microphone (18).

14. A headset according to claim 13, wherein the headset transmitter (16) is adapted to transmit the second control commands and the second audio signal.

15. A method of remote controlling at least one peripheral electronic device (3, 4, 5) which is wirelessly controllable by a wireless headset hub, the method comprising:

a) configuring the headset hub to include a first transceiver link to communicate with a wireless terminal device;

b) configuring the headset hub to include a second transceiver link to communicate with said at least one peripheral electronic device;

c) configuring the wireless terminal device to become a provide keyboard input and display capabilities for the headset hub

d) installing configuration information to assign at least some keys of the terminal device keyboard to have predetermined functions set by the hub, such functions corresponding to functions needed to control said at least one peripheral electronic device;

e) receiving keystrokes from the terminal device and wirelessly transmitting same to the headset hub,

f) converting the keystrokes received at the hub to wireless transmission signal sendable to the peripheral electronic device in a format known to the peripheral device corresponding to the function assigned to the selected key; and

g) receiving an audible transmission from the peripheral device to the hub and on to a speaker in the hub, so that the user can hear and audio signal directly from said peripheral device without passing through the terminal.

17. The method of claim 15 further including the steps of:

a) assigning an audible word or phrase to each assigned key,

b) playing the audible word or phrase into a speaker in the headset hub, so that a wearer of the headset can audibly hear the function assigned to that key when depressed.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein such recognizable codes include codes to cancel the function of the selected key.

18. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of:

a) activating a microphone on the user'"'"'s headset in response to audible words or phrases transmitted into the speaker,

b) receiving any voice response from the user while the microphone is activated,

c) converting the voice response into a transmission recognizable to the peripheral electronic device, and

d) transmitting such recognizable code to the peripheral device.

20. An audio headset system comprising:

a) a wireless audio headset hub (1), for use with at least one peripheral electronic device (3, 4, 5) to controlled from said headset hub;

b) a wireless handheld terminal (2), whose keys are mapped by application software to correspond to predetermined functions known to the headset hub and which is wirelessly connected to the headset hub (1), said handheld terminal including a terminal user interface (7) which communicates directly with said headset hub, for receiving user input, and

wherein keys depressed on the terminal send wireless signals to the headset hub (1) and wherein the headset hub sends signals to at least one of the peripheral devices causing the at least one peripheral devices to respond and transmit and audio signal therefrom directly to the headset hub without the audio connection passing thru the terminal.