ELECTRONIC ACCESSORY FOR DETECTING AND COMMUNICATING A CONNECTION ATTRIBUTE CORRESPONDING TO ANOTHER ELECTRONIC ACCESSORY

• US 20160165381A1
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kapoor, Daman, Watson, Robert D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72516 with means for out-of-range alerting
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

At an electronic accessory of a master electronic device, a connection attribute can be detected that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a connection between the electronic accessory and at least one other electronic accessory of the master electronic device. A connection-indicative signal can be generated at the electronic device that includes the connection attribute. The connection-indicative signal can be transmitted to the master electronic device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, at an electronic accessory of a master electronic device, a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a connection between the electronic accessory and at least one other electronic accessory of the master electronic device;

generating, at the electronic accessory, a connection-indicative signal that includes the connection attribute; and

transmitting the connection-indicative signal to the master electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic accessory is a primary electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory includes a secondary electronic accessory, such that the method further comprises:

receiving, at the primary electronic accessory, a master-device signal from the master electronic device;

changing an operation of the primary electronic accessory based on the signal; and

transmitting a primary-device signal from the primary electronic accessory to the secondary electronic accessory, wherein the primary-device signal reflects at least part of the master-device signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing, at the primary electronic device, an operation corresponding to the master-device signal,

wherein receipt of the primary-device signal at the secondary electronic accessory facilitates performance at the secondary electronic accessory of a secondary-device operation corresponding to the primary-device signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory includes an earphone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection attribute includes:

an indication as to whether the electronic accessory is connected to the at least one other electronic accessory via a short-range network;

or

a strength of the connection between the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory, wherein the connection is over a short-range network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection attribute corresponds to an identification of a new connection between or a disconnection between the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection-indicative signal corresponds to an instruction to store a location of the master electronic device in association with the connection attribute or a processed version thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection attribute is indicative of a weakening connection or a disconnection between the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory, and wherein the connection-indicative signal corresponds to an instruction to facilitate presentation of an alert at the master electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the electronic accessory, a locate-accessory signal from the master electronic device, wherein the connection-indicative signal is transmitted to the master electronic device in response to the locate-accessory signal;

receiving, at the electronic accessory, a position-identifying signal from the at least one other electronic accessory that indicates whether the at least one other electronic accessory estimates that the at least one other electronic accessory is positioned in an ear;

when the position-identifying signal indicates that the at least one other electronic accessory estimates that the at least one other electronic accessory is positioned in a person'"'"'s ear, transmitting a relayed position-identifying signal to the master electronic device that indicates that the at least one other electronic accessory is estimated to be positioned in an ear;

receiving, at the electronic accessory, an alert-instruction signal from the master electronic device; and

in response to receiving the alert-instruction signal, transmitting a relayed alert-instruction signal to the at least one other electronic accessory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection includes a wireless connection over a short-range network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection-indicative signal is transmitted to the master electronic device wirelessly over a short-range network.

12. An electronic accessory of a master electronic device, the electronic accessory comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including;

detecting, at the electronic accessory of the master electronic device, a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a connection between the electronic accessory and at least one other electronic accessory of the master electronic device;

generating, at the electronic accessory, a connection-indicative signal that includes the connection attribute; and

transmitting the connection-indicative signal to the master electronic device.

13. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the electronic accessory is a primary electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory is a secondary electronic accessory, such that the actions further include:

receiving, at the primary electronic accessory, a master-device signal from the master electronic device;

changing an operation of the primary electronic accessory based on the signal; and

transmitting a primary-device signal from the primary electronic accessory to the secondary electronic accessory, wherein the primary-device signal reflects at least part of the master-device signal.

14. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein the actions further include:

performing, at the primary electronic device, an operation corresponding to the master-device signal,

wherein receipt of the primary-device signal at the secondary electronic accessory facilitates performance at the secondary electronic accessory of a secondary-device operation corresponding to the primary-device signal.

15. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein each of the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory includes an earphone.

16. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the connection attribute includes:

an indication as to whether the electronic accessory is connected to the at least one other electronic accessory via a short-range network;

or

a strength of the connection between the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory, wherein the connection is over a short-range network.

17. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the connection attribute corresponds to an identification of a new connection between or a disconnection between the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory.

18. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the connection-indicative signal corresponds to an instruction to store a location of the master electronic device in association with the connection attribute or a processed version thereof.

19. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the connection attribute is indicative of a weakening connection or a disconnection between the electronic accessory and the at least one other electronic accessory, and wherein the connection-indicative signal corresponds to an instruction to facilitate presentation of an alert at the master electronic device.

20. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the actions further include:

receiving, at the electronic accessory, a locate-accessory signal from the master electronic device, wherein the connection-indicative signal is transmitted to the master electronic device in response to the locate-accessory signal;

receiving, at the electronic accessory, a position-identifying signal from the at least one other electronic accessory that indicates whether the at least one other electronic accessory estimates that the at least one other electronic accessory is positioned in an ear;

when the position-identifying signal indicates that the at least one other electronic accessory estimates that the at least one other electronic accessory is positioned in a person'"'"'s ear, transmitting a relayed position-identifying signal to the master electronic device that indicates that the at least one other electronic accessory is estimated to be positioned in an ear;

receiving, at the electronic accessory, an alert-instruction signal from the master electronic device; and

in response to receiving the alert-instruction signal, transmitting a relayed alert-instruction signal to the at least one other electronic accessory.

21. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the connection includes a wireless connection over a short-range network.

22. The electronic accessory of claim 12, wherein the connection-indicative signal is transmitted to the master electronic device wirelessly over a short-range network.

23. A system comprising:

a master electronic device; and

an electronic accessory of the master electronic device, the electronic accessory comprising;

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including;

detecting, at the electronic accessory of the master electronic device, a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a connection between the electronic accessory and at least one other electronic accessory of the master electronic device;

generating, at the electronic accessory, a connection-indicative signal that includes the connection attribute; and

transmitting the connection-indicative signal to the master electronic device.

24. A system comprising:

an electronic accessory of a master electronic device, the electronic accessory comprising;

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including;

detecting, at the electronic accessory of the master electronic device, a connection attribute that is indicative of a presence or a characteristic of a connection between the electronic accessory and at least one other electronic accessory of the master electronic device;

generating, at the electronic accessory, a connection-indicative signal that includes the connection attribute; and

transmitting the connection-indicative signal to the master electronic device; and

the at least one other electronic accessory.