Contextual audio switching for a USB controlled audio device

• US 8,363,844 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Winter, Richard M
• Primary Examiner(s): Clark, S. V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miyoshi, Jesse Y
• Application Number:
  US12/343,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 381/81, 381/119, 381/311
• US Class Current: 381/81
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• 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

Systems and methods for contextual audio switching for a USB controlled audio device coupled to a processor-based host are presented. Two or more USB audio endpoints associated with a singular output audio transducer or transducer set are declared at the USB controlled audio device. The two or more USB audio endpoints are monitored to identify an audio signal presence at the two or more USB audio endpoints. A priority audio signal may be determined responsive to identifying the audio signal presence at two or more USB audio endpoints.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage memory storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for contextual audio switching for a USB controlled audio device coupled to a processor-based host comprising:

declaring two or more USB audio endpoints associated with a singular output audio transducer or transducer set at the USB controlled audio device;

monitoring the two or more USB audio endpoints to identify an audio signal presence at the two or more USB audio endpoints, wherein each USB audio endpoint is associated with an audio mixer at the processor-based host in a one-to-one relationship;

determining a priority audio signal responsive to identifying the audio signal presence at two or more USB audio endpoints; and

routing only the priority audio signal to the singular output audio transducer or transducer set.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein routing only the priority audio signal to the singular output audio transducer or transducer set comprises switching from a first audio signal currently output at the singular output audio transducer or transducer set to the priority audio signal.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the USB controlled audio device comprises a USB Bluetooth dongle and an associated Bluetooth headset, and wherein declaring two or more USB audio endpoints at the USB controlled audio device comprises:

declaring a first USB audio endpoint to receive telephony SCO audio for transmission from the USB Bluetooth dongle to the associated Bluetooth headset; and

declaring a second USB audio endpoint to receive Stereo SBC encoded A2DP audio for transmission from the USB Bluetooth dongle to the associated Bluetooth headset.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the singular output audio transducer or transducer set is a single speaker or a stereo speaker pair.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein routing only the priority audio signal to the singular output audio transducer or transducer set comprises wirelessly transmitting the priority audio signal to a wireless headset comprising the singular output audio transducer or transducer set.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, further comprising instructions for allocating a host audio application residing on the processor-based host to a declared USB audio endpoint.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 6, wherein the host audio application is selected from the group consisting of a VoIP telephony application, a media player application, and a host operating system.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the processor-based host comprises a personal computer and the USB controlled audio device comprises a USB Bluetooth dongle and an associated Bluetooth headset.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein declaring two or more USB audio endpoints at the USB controlled audio device comprises:

declaring an input USB audio endpoint to receive an audio signal from an input audio transducer or transducer set to be transmitted to the processor-based host;

declaring a first output USB audio endpoint to receive a mono audio signal from the processor-based host to be transmitted to the singular output audio transducer or transducer set;

declaring a second output USB audio endpoint to receive a stereo audio signal from the processor-based host to be transmitted to the singular output audio transducer or transducer set.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing only the priority audio signal to the singular output audio transducer or transducer set comprises switching from a Bluetooth audio A2DP channel to a Bluetooth audio SCO channel with a Bluetooth device comprising the singular output audio transducer or transducer set.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 1, wherein the priority audio signal is a telephony signal.

12. A USB controlled audio device comprising:

a wireless device comprising;

an output audio transducer or transducer set; and

a first wireless communications module;

a USB dongle comprising;

a USB port;

a processor;

a second wireless communications module, the second wireless communications module operable to establish wireless communications with the wireless device;

a non-transitory computer readable storage memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to declare two or more output USB audio endpoints at the USB controlled audio device associated with the output audio transducer or transducer set, determine a priority audio signal responsive to identifying an output audio signal presence at two or more output USB audio endpoints, and wirelessly transmit only the priority audio signal to the wireless device for output at the output audio transducer or transducer set.

13. The USB controlled audio device of claim 12, the non-transitory computer readable storage memory storing further instructions to switch from transmitting a current audio signal to the wireless device to transmit the priority audio signal to the wireless device.

14. The USB controlled audio device of claim 12, wherein the first wireless communications module and the second wireless communications module are Bluetooth modules, and wherein the two or more output USB audio endpoints declared comprise a first output USB audio endpoint to receive telephony SCO audio and a second output USB audio endpoint to receive stereo SBC encoded A2DP audio.

15. The USB controlled audio device of claim 12, wherein the wireless device further comprises a microphone and wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage memory stores further instructions to declare an input USB audio endpoint to receive an input audio signal from the microphone.

16. The USB controlled audio device of claim 12, wherein the wireless device comprises a Bluetooth headset and the computer readable memory stores further instructions to switch from a Bluetooth audio A2DP channel to a Bluetooth audio SCO channel between the USB dongle and the Bluetooth headset to transmit the priority audio signal.

17. The USB controlled audio device of claim 12, wherein the output audio transducer or transducer set is a single speaker or a stereo speaker pair.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage memory storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for contextual audio switching for a USB controlled audio device comprising:

declaring an input USB audio endpoint associated with a wireless headset microphone;

declaring a first output USB audio endpoint associated with a wireless headset speaker to receive a first audio signal from a processor-based host, the first audio signal comprising a telephony signal;

declaring a second output USB audio endpoint associated with the wireless headset speaker to receive a second audio signal from the processor-based host;

monitoring the first output USB audio endpoint and the second output USB audio endpoint to identify a presence of the first audio signal, the second audio signal, or both the first audio signal and the second audio signal;

transmitting the first audio signal to the wireless headset speaker responsive to identifying the presence of the first audio signal or identifying the presence of both the first audio signal and the second audio signal.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein transmitting the first audio signal to the wireless headset speaker comprises switching from a Bluetooth audio A2DP channel to a Bluetooth audio SCO channel.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein the first output USB audio endpoint is associated with a first output audio mixer at the processor-based host and the second output USB audio endpoint is associated with a second output audio mixer at the processor-based host.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 20, wherein the first output audio mixer at the processor-based host receives a telephony signal from a VoIP telephony application.