Communication of audio control signals for wireless audio headphones

• US 7,808,962 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: Slamka, Milan, Yuzuriha, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US12/102,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 455/4.1, 455/550, 455/552.1, 4555691-557, 455/556.2, 455/353, 370/310, 370/328, 370/338, 710 62- 72, 381/17, 381/74, 381311-312, 381300-301, 381/331
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• 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 wireless audio headphone communication system has an audio input for receiving an audio signal from an audio source. A wireless transceiver receives and transmits radio frequency communications with a wireless audio headphone, the communications including an audio control signal that conforms to a wireless audio control protocol of a wireless communication protocol. A converter converts the audio control signal between the wireless audio control protocol transceived by the wireless transceiver and a local control protocol for controlling the audio source.

Claims

1. A USB dongle having a USB connector for communicating with a computing device through a USB port, comprising:

a wireless transceiver for transceiving wireless communications with a headphone according to a wireless communication protocol that includes a selected audio control signal that controls a selected audio function and conforms to a wireless audio control protocol; and

a converter that converts between the wireless audio control protocol transceived by the wireless transceiver and a local computing device control protocol that controls an audio source device interface on the computing device, the converter further providing to the computing device via the USB port a converted audio control signal that controls the selected audio function and conforms to the local computing device control protocol;

wherein the wireless audio control protocol and the local computing device control protocol both define application-level audio commands, wherein the audio commands comprise;

Play, Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down, Forward Track, and Previous Track.

2. The USB dongle of claim 1 in which the computing device does not include a driver for the wireless communication protocol.

3. The USB dongle of claim 1 in which the wireless communications are radio frequency communications.

4. The USB dongle of claim 1 in which the computing device includes a personal computer.

5. The USB dongle of claim 1 in which the local computer device control protocols include an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standard.

6. A wireless audio headphone communication system, comprising:

an audio input for receiving an audio signal from an audio source;

a wireless transceiver for receiving and transmitting radio frequency communications with a wireless audio headphone, the communications including an audio control signal that conforms to a wireless audio control protocol of a wireless communication protocol; and

a converter for converting the audio control signal between the wireless audio control protocol transceived by the wireless transceiver and a local control protocol for controlling the audio source;

wherein the wireless audio control protocol and the local control protocol both define application-level audio commands, wherein the audio commands comprise;

Play, Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down, Forward Track, and Previous Track.

7. The wireless audio headphone communication system of claim 6 in which the audio input receives the audio signal as a digital audio signal.

8. The wireless audio headphone communication system of claim 7 in which the audio source is in communication with a USB port and in which the audio input receives the audio signal at the USB port.

9. The wireless audio headphone communication system of claim 7 in which the audio source is included in a personal computer.

10. The wireless audio headphone communication system of claim 6 in which the audio input receives the audio signal as an analog audio signal.

11. The wireless audio headphone communication system of claim 6 further comprising an infrared transceiver for transceiving the audio control signal between the audio source and the wireless audio headphone communication system.

12. The wireless audio headphone communication system of claim 6 in which the audio source does not include a driver for the wireless communication protocol.

13. An audio headphone gateway, comprising:

an audio input for receiving an audio signal from an analog audio source;

a digital converter for converting the analog audio signal to a digital audio signal;

a wireless transceiver for receiving and transmitting radio frequency communications with a wireless audio headphone according to a wireless communication protocol, the communications including the digital audio signal and an audio control signal that conforms to a wireless audio control protocol of the wireless communication protocol;

a converter for converting the audio control signal between the wireless audio control protocol transceived by the wireless transceiver and an infrared control protocol for controlling the analog audio source; and

an infrared transceiver for transceiving the audio control signal between the analog audio source and the wireless audio headphone gateway;

wherein the wireless audio control protocol and the infrared control protocol both define application-level audio commands, wherein the audio commands comprise;

Play, Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down, Forward Track, and Previous Track.

14. The gateway of claim 13 in which the audio input for receiving an audio signal from an analog audio source is not a wired link.

15. The gateway of claim 13 in which the analog audio source includes a stereo player.

16. A wireless audio headphone communication system, comprising:

a wireless headphone, wherein the headphone is configured to wirelessly receive an audio signal, and wherein the headphone is configured to wirelessly transreceive audio control commands, wherein the audio control commands transreceived by the headphones conform to a wireless audio control protocol; and

a dongle communicatively coupled to a computing device and wirelessly coupled to the headphone, wherein the computing device is configured to send the audio signal and wherein the computing device is configured to transreceive audio control commands, wherein audio control commands tranreceived by the computing device conform to a local control protocol, the dongle comprising;

a wireless transceiver configured to transceive wireless communications with the headphone on behalf of the computing device, wherein the wireless communications comprise the audio signal and audio control commands; and

a converter that converts between

     1) the audio control commands transreceived by the headphones that conform to the wireless audio control protocol and

     2) the audio control commands transreceived by the computing device that conform to the local control protocol;

wherein the wireless audio control protocol and the local control protocol both define application-level audio commands, wherein the audio commands comprise;

Play, Pause, Volume Up, Volume Down, Forward Track, and Previous Track.