Earpiece with App Environment

• US 20180014108A1
• Filed: 07/05/2017
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Dragicevic, Darko, Boesen, Peter Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 10,165,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

An earpiece includes an earpiece housing, a processor disposed within the earpiece housing, a memory operatively connected to the processor and disposed within the earpiece housing, and a plurality of software applications stored within the memory. The earpiece is configured to allow a user of the earpiece to select one of the plurality of software applications to run using the processor as a foreground application and allows for receiving user input into the foreground application.

Claims

1. An earpiece comprising:

an earpiece housing;

a processor disposed within the earpiece housing;

a memory operatively connected to the processor and disposed within the earpiece housing;

a plurality of software applications stored within the memory;

wherein the earpiece is configured to allow a user of the earpiece to select one of the plurality of software applications to run using the processor as a foreground application.

2. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is further configured to receive user input from the user into the foreground application.

3. The earpiece of claim 1 further comprising a microphone and wherein the user input comprises voice input received from the user using the microphone.

4. The earpiece of claim 1 further comprising an inertial sensor operatively connected to the processor and wherein the user input is in the form of movement of the user detected with the inertial sensor.

5. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is further configured to download an additional software application to the memory using a wireless transceiver disposed within the earpiece housing.

6. A method for controlling an earpiece comprising:

installing a plurality of different software applications within an earpiece;

receiving a selection of one of the plurality of different software applications from a user through a user interface of the earpiece;

executing the one of the plurality of different software applications based on the selection in a foreground mode of operation for the earpiece.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising receiving user input from the user of the earpiece through the user interface and receiving the user input into the one of the plurality of different software applications in the foreground mode of operation.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user input comprises voice input received at a microphone of the earpiece.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the user input comprises movement of the user received at an inertial sensor of the earpiece.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the user input comprises a gesture received at a gestural control interface of the earpiece.