DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM WITH VARIABLE-BANDWIDTH TRAFFIC CHANNELS
First Claim
1. A method for conveying data over a communications path, comprising:
- with a transmitting data interface, obtaining data corresponding to a plurality of traffic channels; and
with transmitting data allocation circuitry in the transmitting data interface, combining the data from each of the plurality of traffic channels into a single data stream, wherein the data stream comprises a stream of superframes, each superframe containing a plurality of frames, each frame comprising a plurality of data slots including at least one boundary slot, wherein the boundary slot carries data for one of the plurality of traffic channels in a first subset of the frames in a given superframe and wherein the boundary slot carries data for another of the plurality of traffic channels in a second subset of the frames in the given superframe.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Electronic devices and equipment may communicate over a wired communications path. The wired communications path may include one or more wires and may be associated with a headphone cable. Data may be conveyed in the form of a digital data stream containing multiple traffic channels. The digital data stream may include superframes, each of which has multiple frames of data. The frames of data may each contain a number of data slots. Some of the slots in a superframe may be used exclusively by a particular one of the traffic channels. Boundary slots may be shared between traffic channels. Data interface circuitry may implement a data dispersion algorithm that determines the pattern in which data from each traffic channel is distributed within each boundary slot. Transmitting data interface circuitry may merge traffic channels into a single data stream. Receiving data interface circuitry may reconstruct the traffic channels.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for conveying data over a communications path, comprising:
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with a transmitting data interface, obtaining data corresponding to a plurality of traffic channels; and with transmitting data allocation circuitry in the transmitting data interface, combining the data from each of the plurality of traffic channels into a single data stream, wherein the data stream comprises a stream of superframes, each superframe containing a plurality of frames, each frame comprising a plurality of data slots including at least one boundary slot, wherein the boundary slot carries data for one of the plurality of traffic channels in a first subset of the frames in a given superframe and wherein the boundary slot carries data for another of the plurality of traffic channels in a second subset of the frames in the given superframe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Electronic equipment that is configured to receive data from an electronic device over a communications path, comprising:
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an audio connector in the path that has at least first and second terminals; a differential receiver that receives differential data signals from the first and second terminals and that supplies a corresponding digital data stream; and a data interface that receives the digital data stream and that extracts multiple traffic channels of data from the digital data stream. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electronic device, comprising:
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audio circuitry that generates digital audio signals in a plurality of traffic channels; a connector having at least first and second contacts, wherein the connector is electrically coupled to a wired communications path; and data interface circuitry that transmits the digital audio signals through the first and second contacts in a data stream having superframes, each superframe containing a plurality of frames, and each frame having a plurality of data slots, wherein at least some of the data slots are filled with the digital audio signals. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification