Method and system of managing volume and functionality control between an audio player and wireless earphones

• US 7,761,091 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Gudmundsen, Gail I., Friesema, David M., Dunn, William Franklin Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M
• Application Number:
  US11/850,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/41.2, 455/569.1, 455/575.2
• US Class Current: 455/419
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A method and system for providing low-noise, high-fidelity wireless Bluetooth earphones with control operation either at the earphone or the player that operate to control the volume and other functionality from either location in a seamless manner and provide probe volume control display regardless of which location is used.

Claims

1. A method of managing volume and functionality control between an audio player and wireless earphones comprising:

receiving a user volume input at the wireless earphones, wherein the user volume input indicates a desired increase or decrease in loudness of an output of the wireless earphones;

sending a signal indicating the user volume input to the audio player via a wireless link;

adjusting a volume setting in memory of the audio player;

sending a volume control setting signal to the wireless earphones via the wireless link, the volume control setting signal controlling an amount to attenuate an audio signal so that the output of the wireless earphones reflects the desired increase or decrease in loudness; and

at the wireless earphones, adjusting a volume of the audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the volume setting in the memory of the audio player corresponds to the volume of the output at the wireless earphones.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless link operates according to the Bluetooth®

protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user track selection input at the wireless earphones, wherein the user track selection input indicates whether to play, pause, forward, or reverse the output of the wireless earphones; and

sending a signal indicating the user track selection input to the audio player via the wireless link.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a digital full-scale audio signal to the wireless earphones via the wireless link.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a display of the volume setting at the audio player.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless earphones include a right earpiece and a left earpiece, and wherein the audio signal includes a right audio signal for play at the right earpiece and a left audio signal for play at the left earpiece, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending the right audio signal to the left earpiece; and

sending the left audio signal to the right earpiece.

8. A method of adjusting volume of an audio signal at wireless earphones comprising:

receiving via a wireless link a digital full-scale audio signal at the wireless earphones;

receiving a user volume input at the wireless earphones, wherein the user volume input indicates a desired increase or decrease of loudness of an output of the wireless earphones;

sending a signal indicating the user volume input to an audio player via the wireless link;

receiving a volume control setting signal at the wireless earphones via the wireless link, the volume control setting signal controlling an amount to attenuate the digital full-scale audio signal so that the output of the wireless earphones reflects the desired increase or decrease of loudness; and

at the wireless earphones, adjusting a volume of the audio signal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising adjusting a volume setting in memory of the audio player.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting a display of the volume setting at the audio player.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless link operates according to the Bluetooth®

protocol.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user track selection input at the wireless earphones, wherein the user track selection input indicates whether to play, pause, forward, or reverse the output of the wireless earphones; and

sending a signal indicating the user track selection input to the audio player via the wireless link.

13. A method of managing volume and functionality control between an audio player and wireless earphones comprising:

receiving a user volume input, wherein the user volume input indicates a desired increase or decrease of loudness of an output of the wireless earphones;

if the user volume input is received at the audio player, (i) adjusting a volume setting in memory of the audio player, (ii) sending a volume control setting signal to the wireless earphones via a wireless link, the volume control setting signal controlling an amount to attenuate an audio signal so that the output of the wireless earphones reflects the desired increase or decrease of loudness, and (iii) at the wireless earphones, adjusting a volume of the audio signal; and

if the user volume input is received at the wireless earphones, (i) sending a signal indicating the user volume input to the audio player via the wireless link, (ii) adjusting the volume setting in the memory of the audio player, (iii) receiving the volume control setting signal at the wireless earphones via the wireless link, and (iv) at the wireless earphones, adjusting a volume of the audio signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising if the user volume input is received at the audio player or if the user volume input is received at the wireless earphones, adjusting a display of the volume setting at the audio player.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless link operates according to the Bluetooth®

protocol.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a user track selection input at the wireless earphones, wherein the user track selection input indicates whether to play, pause, forward, or reverse the output of the wireless earphones; and

sending a signal indicating the user track selection input to the audio player via the wireless link.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein a volume setting of the audio signal at the audio player and at the wireless earphones is synchronized.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

sending a digital full-scale audio signal to the wireless earphones via the wireless link; and

attenuating the digital full-scale audio signal at the wireless earphones in response to receiving the volume control setting signal from the audio player.

19. A wireless earphone system comprising:

two earpieces;

a transceiver within one of the two earpieces to send and receive signals wirelessly;

control buttons on one of the two earpieces to receive user inputs at the earpiece, wherein the control buttons include volume control buttons and track selection control buttons, the control buttons coupled to the transceiver to send the user inputs to the transceiver; and

an attenuator within one of the two earpieces to attenuate an audio signal to a desired degree of loudness, wherein the attenuator attenuates the audio signal upon receiving a volume control setting signal that was wirelessly received at the transceiver, wherein the volume control setting signal is generated according to the user inputs.

20. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, wherein the two earpieces are connected via a wired link.

21. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, wherein the control buttons receive user volume inputs at the wireless earphones, wherein the user volume setting inputs indicate a desired increase or decrease of loudness of an output of the wireless earphones.

22. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, wherein in response to receiving a user input at the control buttons, the transceiver wirelessly sends a signal indicating the user input to an audio player via a wireless link.

23. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, further comprising an audio player to wirelessly receive the user inputs from the transceiver, to generate the volume control setting signal according to the user inputs, and to send the volume control setting signal to the transceiver to instruct the attenuator to attenuate the audio signal.

24. The wireless earphone system of claim 23, further comprising the audio player in response to receiving the user inputs from the transceiver, adjusting a volume setting in memory of the audio player and adjusting a display of the volume setting at the audio player.

25. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, wherein the transceiver sends and receives signals wirelessly according to the Bluetooth®

protocol.

26. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, wherein the two earpieces include a right earpiece and a left earpiece, and wherein the audio signal includes a portion for play at the right earpiece and a portion for play at the left earpiece, and wherein the attenuator further includes a switch that may be operated to send the portion for play at the right earpiece to the left earpiece and to send the portion for play at the left earpiece to the right earpiece.

27. The wireless earphone system of claim 19, wherein each of the two earpieces further includes a speaker.