System with speaker, transceiver and related devices

• US 9,137,602 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Mayman, Avrum G., Yewell, Scott Talbot, Zamir, Lee, Drimusz, Laszlo Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US14/012,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20130343569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 381 77- 78, 381 80- 81, 381/85, 381/109, 381/79, 455 412- 413, 455/569.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/36 for access to common bus or bus system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4072 Drivers or receivers G06F13/4086 takes precedence; for multistate logic circuits H03K19/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/42 Bus transfer protocol, e.g. handshake; Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/00 Modulated-carrier systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/021 Aspects relating to docking-station type assemblies to obtain an acoustical effect, e.g. the type of connection to external loudspeakers or housings, frequency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers

Abstract

A system includes a housing, a speaker included in the housing, and a first transceiver to wirelessly transmit and receive audio content and control information. The speaker is able to produce audible signals from the audio content received by the transceiver.

Claims

1. A system comprising

a housing;

a speaker included in the housing;

a transceiver to wirelessly transmit and receive audio content and control information, the speaker being able to produce audible signals from the audio content received by the transceiver; and

a remote control that is able to control operation of the speaker and the transceiver, the remote control also being able to transmit a signal for selecting one or more remote speakers for operation which are remote from the housing, wherein the remote control can be used to control operations of one or more of the remote speakers, wherein the operations include one or more of volume control, balance, mute and equalization.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a remote control that can control the speaker as well as encoding and encryption parameters.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver includes a transmitter for transmitting wireless signals on a 2.4 GHz carrier frequency.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver includes a receiver for receiving wireless signals on a 2.4 GHz carrier frequency.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver complies with one or more of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver performs signal processing prior to transmission using one or more of phase modulation and digital modulation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the phase modulation and/or digital modulation include one or more of frequency shift key and phase shift key.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver complies with one or more protocols to transmit audio content including master/slave, server/client and peer/peer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein data can be provided in a bi-directional manner such that the transceiver, a remote speaker and/or other devices in the system can transmit or receive the data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system includes the remote speaker.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver can produce two channels for wireless transmission that can carry separate sets of audio content.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is detachably attached to the housing.

13. The system of claim 1, further including a docking port associated with the housing.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the transceiver is configured to wirelessly transmit digital information in addition to the audio content and the control information, and wherein the remote speaker comprises a display for presenting textual or graphical data included in the digital information transmitted from the transceiver.

15. A device, comprising:

a remote control that is able to control operation of a speaker that is included in a housing as well as a transceiver that is associated with the housing, the transceiver being able to wirelessly transmit and receive audio content and control information, the speaker being able to produce audible signals from the audio content received by the transceiver, the remote control also being able to transmit a signal for selecting one or more remote speakers for operation which are remote from the housing, wherein the remote control can be used to control operations of one or more of the remote speakers, wherein the operations controlled by the remote control include playback parameters, and wherein the playback parameters include one or more of volume control, balance, mute and equalization.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the operations controlled by the remote control include one or more of playback parameters, powering a speaker on and off, and setting a unique speaker identifier for a remote speaker.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the remote control can provide signals to trigger system wide operations.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the remote control can transmit a signal that initiates transmission of a signal from the transceiver that mutes at least one of the remote speakers.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the remote control that can transmit a signal that initiates transmission of a signal from the transceiver that causes at least one of the remote speakers to produce audible signals.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the remote control can select a unique identification number assigned to a remote speaker.

21. The device of claim 15, wherein the remote control can control encoding and encryption parameters.

22. The device of claim 15, wherein a signal can be transmitted from the remote control to the transceiver that identifies one or more remote speakers that are to be provided audio content for producing audible signals.

23. The device of claim 15, wherein the remote control can transmit one or more signals to the remote speakers to identify which remote speaker or group of remote speakers shall receive signals from the transceiver.

24. The device of claim 15, whereby some commands from the remote control are executed at the location of the housing and other commands are transmitted by the transceiver for execution by one or more of the remote speakers.

25. The device of claim 15, wherein one of the remote speakers includes a transceiver, whereby some commands from the remote control are executed by the remote speaker and other commands are transmitted by the transceiver of the remote speaker for execution at the location of the housing.

26. A system comprising

a housing;

a speaker included in the housing;

a first transceiver to wirelessly transmit and receive audio content and control information, the speaker being able to produce audible signals from the audio content received by the transceiver; and

a remote speaker which is remote from the housing and which has a selector switch which can be placed in a state such that the remote speaker can be grouped with other remote speakers, one or more of the remote speakers being able to wirelessly communicate with the first transceiver; and

a remote control that is able to control operation of the speaker and the transceiver, the remote control also being able to transmit a signal for selecting the remote speaker for operation, wherein the remote control can be used to control operations of the remote speaker, and wherein the operations include one or more of volume control, balance, mute and equalization.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the selector switch is one or more of a hardware switch and a software switch.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein when the remote speaker is grouped with the other remote speakers, the other remote speakers each have a switch which is in a same state as the state of the switch in the remote speaker.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the state of the switch is considered a room code.