METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PORTABLE AUDIO DEVICES

• US 20140341399A1
• Filed: 05/13/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: DUSSE, Stephen, EBERT, Doug, WONG, Dudley Guy Kiang, WU, Biqing (Becky), HOWELL, Jon Albert, FRY, Kelly
• Granted Patent: US 9,942,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure may provide an apparatus and method of controlling and altering the acoustic output of audio devices that are used in conjunction with a computing device. In some embodiments, the apparatus and methods include a wireless speaker communication method and computing device software application that are configured to work together to more easily setup and deliver audio information from an audio source to one or more portable audio speakers.

Claims

1. A method for generating an acoustic output from an audio device, comprising:

receiving, at a first audio device, device specifications associated with a second audio device via a first communication link formed between the first audio device and the second audio device;

sending audio data to the second audio device from the first audio device, wherein the sent audio data is derived from audio data received from a supervising audio device via a second communication link formed between the first audio device and the supervising audio device; and

generating a first acoustic output from the first audio device using the audio data received from the supervising audio device and a second acoustic output from the second audio device using the sent audio data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

altering at least a portion of the audio data received from a supervising audio device based on information received in the device specifications, wherein the sent audio data comprises at least a portion of the altered audio data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second acoustic output is derived from the altered audio data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second communication links comprises a Wi-Fi link, a Bluetooth®

link, near field communication link or a link via a cloud-based service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the device specifications associated with the second audio device further comprises:

retrieving the device specifications associated with the second audio device from memory disposed in the first audio device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the retrieving the device specifications associated with the second audio device further comprises:

retrieving the device specifications associated with the second audio device from memory disposed in the second audio device; and

sending the device specifications to the first audio device via the first communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the device specifications associated with the second audio device further comprises:

retrieving the device specifications associated with the second audio device from memory disposed in the second audio device; and

sending the device specifications to the first audio device via the first communication link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device specifications comprise a physical attribute of the second audio device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the physical attribute information to the supervising audio device via the second communication link; and

generating an image of the second audio device on a display coupled to the supervising audio device, wherein the image is derived from the sent physical attribute information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sent audio data comprises a setting parameter, wherein the setting parameter is selected from the group consisting of a volume setting, a equalizer setting and a balance setting.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication link is formed by a method comprising:

initiating a pairing process to form the first communication link by performing a physical action on the first or the second audio devices.

12. A method for generating an acoustic output from an audio device, comprising:

receiving, at a supervising audio device, device specifications associated with a first audio device via a first communication link formed between the first audio device and the supervising audio device;

displaying at least one physical attribute of the first audio device on an image displaying device coupled to the supervising audio device based on the received device specifications;

sending audio data to the first audio device from the supervising audio device via the first communication link; and

generating a first acoustic output from the first audio device using the audio data received from the supervising audio device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

altering at least a portion of the audio data based on information received in the device specifications, wherein the audio data sent to the first audio device comprises at least a portion of the altered audio data, and the first acoustic output is derived from the altered audio data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one physical attribute that is displayed on the image displaying device is derived from information provided in the received device specifications.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the supervising audio device, device specifications associated with a second audio device via a second communication link formed between the second audio device and the supervising audio device;

displaying at least one physical attribute of the second audio device on the image displaying device coupled to the supervising audio device based on the device specifications received from the second audio device; and

generating a second acoustic output from the second audio device using audio data received from the supervising audio device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the second acoustic output further comprises:

sending the audio data to the first audio device from the supervising audio device via the first communication link; and

then

sending the audio data to the second audio device from the first audio device via the second communication link.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the second acoustic output further comprises:

sending the audio data to the second audio device from the supervising audio device via the second communication link.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and the second communication links comprises a Wi-Fi link, a Bluetooth®

link, near field communication link or a link via a cloud-based service.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the device specifications associated with the first audio device further comprises:

retrieving the device information associated with the first audio device from memory disposed in the supervising audio device, wherein the device information is selected based on information provided in the received device specifications.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the device specifications associated with the first audio device further comprises:

retrieving the device specifications associated with the first audio device from memory disposed in the first audio device; and

sending the device specifications to the supervising audio device via the first communication link.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the sent audio data comprises a setting parameter, wherein the setting parameter is selected from the group consisting of a volume setting, an equalizer setting and a balance setting.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the first communication link is formed by a method comprising:

initiating a pairing process to form the first communication link by performing a physical action on the first or the second audio devices.

23. A method for generating an acoustic output from an audio device, comprising:

sending device specifications from a first audio device to a supervising audio device via a first communication link formed between the first audio device and the supervising audio device;

receiving audio data from the supervising audio device via the first communication link;

sending the audio data to a second audio device via a second communication link formed between the first audio device and the second audio device; and

generating a first acoustic output from the first audio device using the audio data received from the supervising audio device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein sending the audio data to the second audio device further comprises:

altering at least a portion of the audio data before sending the audio data to the second audio device, wherein the alterations made to the audio data is based on device information stored within memory of the first audio device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first acoustic output is derived from the altered audio data.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein altering the at least the portion of the audio data further comprises:

retrieving the device information from memory disposed in the second audio device;

sending the device information to the first audio device via the second communication link; and

storing the device information within the memory of the first audio device before altering the portion of the audio data.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the audio data received from the supervising audio device comprises a setting parameter, wherein the setting parameter is selected from the group consisting of a volume setting, an equalizer setting and a balance setting.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the first communication link is formed by a method comprising:

initiating a pairing process to form the first communication link by performing a physical action on the first or the second audio devices.

29. An electronic device configured to generate audio output, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless transceiver that is in communication with the processor;

an I/O device structured to provide input to the processor and to receive output signals from the processor, wherein the I/O device comprises a speaker; and

a memory having stored therein a number of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising;

sending device specifications associated with the electronic device to a supervising device via a first communication link formed between the electronic device and the supervising device;

sending audio data to the electronic device from the supervising device via the first communication link; and

generating a first acoustic output from the first audio device using the audio data received from the supervising audio device.

30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the memory also includes device specifications associated with the electronic device, wherein the device specification is selected based on information provided in the received device specifications.