Wireless audio device and wireless media player to communicate and playback audio, and method of operation

• US 8,548,381 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syndefense
• Original Assignee: Robin Dua
• Inventors: Dua, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US13/556,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20130045681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 348/838, 340/572.1, 705/14, 455/41.3, 455/2.01, 455/3.06, 455/556.1, 455/552.1, 455/557, 455/41.2, 463/25, 463/17, 250/201.5, 206/308.1, 369/53.47, 369/44.28
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless media player and a related system and methodology are disclosed. One aspect of the wireless media player system pertains to a virtual connector system, apparatus, and method for the automatic establishment of wireless connectivity with other electronic devices. In one embodiment, the media player device employs the use of integrated Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to exchange communication settings, media capability, and other parameters with an external device that also has integrated RFID technology. The automatic exchange of settings and other information via a proximity-based RFID data exchange allows a media player to quickly establish a secure communication link with another device via a commonly supported wireless protocol such as Ultra Wideband (UWB) or Bluetooth. Another aspect of the media player system pertains to a method of using the captured media capability of the connecting device to customize certain menu options and software parameters in the media player.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a wireless communication connection between at least one wireless audio device and wireless media player, the method comprising:

requesting, with the at least one wireless audio device or the wireless media player, a Near Field Communication (NFC) communication session between the at least one wireless audio device and the wireless media player;

retrieving communication configuration information and device-descriptive data through the NFC communication session between the at least one wireless audio device and the wireless media player;

configuring a wireless communication transceiver in accordance with the retrieved communication configuration information and device-descriptive data; and

establishing the wireless communication connection through the configured wireless communication transceiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of audio data with the wireless media player;

transmitting the selected audio data from the wireless media player to the at least one wireless audio device via the established wireless communication connection;

converting the received audio data to an audio output signal with a processor of the at least one wireless audio device; and

outputting the audio output signal through at least one speaker of the at least one wireless audio device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

controlling the transmission of the selected audio data to one or more of the at least one wireless audio device according to at least one input provided to the wireless media player.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting of the selected audio data includes transmitting the selected audio data from the wireless media player to the at least one wireless audio device via the corresponding wireless communication connections established in accordance with the communication configuration information and the device description data, received through the NFC communication session.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting of the selected audio data comprises transmitting at least one of content stored on the wireless media player, an audio data stream being received by the wireless media player, internet content received by the wireless media player, broadcast radio being received by the wireless media player, and content stored on a network storage device of which the wireless media player is communicatively connected to.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving audio data with the wireless media player;

transmitting the audio data from the wireless media player to the at least one wireless audio device via the established wireless communication connection;

converting the received audio data to an audio output signal with a processor of the at least one wireless audio device; and

outputting the audio output signal through at least one speaker of the at least one wireless audio device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving of the audio data includes receiving the audio data through a network transceiver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving of communication configuration information includes retrieving Bluetooth pairing information through the at least one NFC communication session between the at least one wireless audio device and the wireless media player, and

wherein the configuring of the wireless communication transceiver includes pairing a Bluetooth transceiver in both the wireless audio device and the wireless media player in accordance with the retrieved Bluetooth pairing information retrieved via the NFC communication session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting comprises:

receiving a selection from a user of the at least one wireless audio device or the wireless media player to request the at least one Near Field Communication (NFC) communication session between the at least one wireless audio device and the wireless media player.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the communication configuration information and the device-descriptive data in a storage device of the wireless media player.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting sound received by the at least one wireless audio device to audio data with a processor; and

transmitting the audio data from the at least one wireless audio device to the wireless media player via the established wireless communication connection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the converting sound received by the at least one wireless audio device to audio data with the processor and the transmitting the audio data from the at least one wireless audio device to the wireless media player via the established wireless communication connection is performed with a wireless headset of the at least one audio device, the wireless headset having a microphone to convert the sound into the audio data.

13. A wireless audio apparatus comprising:

a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag to provide communication configuration information and descriptive data of the wireless audio apparatus over a NFC communication channel to a wireless media player; and

a wireless communication transceiver to establish a wireless communication channel with the wireless media player according to at least the transmitted descriptive data, and to receive audio data via the established wireless communication channel;

a processor to convert the received audio data to an audio output signal;

at least one speaker to output the audio output signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

an indicator to visually define a predetermined area aligned with the NFC tag where, upon the wireless media player and the wireless audio apparatus coming into predetermined proximity to one another within the predetermined area, at least one NFC communication session with the wireless media player is requested to provide the descriptive data of the wireless audio apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor converts a received sound signal into an audio input data, and the wireless communication transceiver transmits the audio input data via the established wireless communication channel to the wireless media player.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the audio data received by wireless communication transceiver includes at least one of content stored on the wireless media player, an audio data stream being received by the wireless media player, internet content received by the wireless media player, broadcast radio being received by the wireless media player, and content stored on a network storage device of which the wireless media player is communicatively connected to.

17. A system comprising:

a device, comprising;

a storage unit to store data assets;

a transceiver to transmit one or more of the data assets over a primary communication channel; and

another transceiver to receive device descriptive data over a secondary communication channel; and

another device, comprising;

a complementary transceiver to receive the one or more data assets transmitted by the transceiver of the device over the primary communication channel; and

a complementary other transceiver to transmit the device descriptive data transmitted by the another transceiver over the secondary communication channel when the device and the another device are in predetermined proximity one to another, the primary communication channel being established when the device descriptive data is transmitted.