Audio control using a wireless home entertainment hub

• US 9,155,123 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Porto Vinci Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Igoe, Patrick T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US13/035,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20110150235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 381/119, 455/3.06, 704500-504, 369 1- 12, 725/38, 725/78, 725/81
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/08 by combining tones G10H1/14, G10H1/16 take precedence; chord G10H1/38
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440209 for formatting on an optical medium, e.g. DVD
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless home entertainment hub (WHEB) to communicate with audio sink devices is disclosed. The WHEB may instruct the audio sink device to change volume of audio data provided to the audio sink device. The WHEB may also transmit instructions to the audio sink device to discontinue reception of the audio data from a first source device and begin reception of data from a second source device in response to activation of the second source device.

Claims

1. A method performed by a wireless home entertainment hub, the method comprising:

receiving, by the wireless home entertainment hub, audio data from a first source device, wherein the audio data comprises a first number of audio channels;

processing, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the audio data in response to capabilities of an audio sink device, wherein the processing comprises down-mixing the audio data to a second number of audio channels less than the first number of audio channels;

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the audio data to the audio sink device;

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, instructions to the audio sink device to discontinue reception of the audio data from the first source device and to begin reception of data from a second source device in response to activation of the second source device; and

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, to the first source device an instruction to decrement an internal reference count, wherein the first source device determines whether to stop transmission based on the internal reference count.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

registering, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the first source device and the audio sink device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting each channel of the first number of audio channels to a different audio sink device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio sink device includes one or more wireless speakers.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining capabilities associated with the audio sink device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each channel of the first number of audio channels is matched to a different audio sink device based on the determined capabilities of the audio sink device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determined capabilities include a frequency range for audio data output.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determined capabilities include a position within a home entertainment system.

9. A method performed by a wireless home entertainment hub, the method comprising:

receiving, by the wireless home entertainment hub, audio data from a first source device, wherein the audio data comprises a first number of audio channels;

processing, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the audio data in response to capabilities of audio sink devices by matching each audio channel of a second number of audio channels with different audio sink devices;

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the audio data to a first subset of the audio sink devices, wherein the first subset includes the different audio sink devices matched to an audio channel of the first number of audio channels;

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, instructions to the audio sink devices to discontinue receiving the audio data from the first source device and begin receiving data from a second source device in response to activation of the second source device; and

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub to the first source device, an instruction to decrement an internal reference count, wherein the first source device determines whether to stop transmission based on the internal reference count.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

registering, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the first source device and the audio sink devices.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting each channel of the first number of audio channels to the different audio sink devices.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining additional audio channels from the audio data not included in the first subset; and

transmitting the additional audio channels to one or more audio sink devices in a second subset of the audio sink devices.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining capabilities associated with the audio sink devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional audio channels are determined based on the determined capabilities associated with the audio sink devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determined capabilities include a frequency range for audio data output.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determined capabilities include a position within a home entertainment system.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the audio sink devices include one or more wireless speakers.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

transmitting an instruction to the second subset of the audio sink devices to enter a low power mode.

19. A method performed by a wireless home entertainment hub, the method comprising:

receiving, by the wireless home entertainment hub, a first instruction to change volume of audio data provided to an audio sink device;

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, a second instruction to the audio sink device to change the volume;

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub, instructions to the audio sink device to discontinue receiving the audio data from a first source device and begin reception of data from a second source device in response to activation of the second source device; and

transmitting, by the wireless home entertainment hub to the first source device, an instruction to decrement an internal reference count, wherein the first source device determines whether to stop transmission based on the internal reference count.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first instruction to change the volume of the audio data is an instruction to mute the audio data.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the first instruction is performed in response to a user activating an actuator on a remote control.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein transmitting the second instruction is performed wirelessly.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the audio sink device includes one or more wireless speakers.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

registering, by the wireless home entertainment hub, the first source device and the audio sink device.

25. A wireless home entertainment hub comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a first instruction to change volume of audio data provided to an audio sink device;

the transceiver configured to transmit a second instruction to the audio sink device to change the volume;

the transceiver is further configured to transmit instructions to the audio sink device to discontinue reception of the audio data from a first source device and begin reception of data from a second source device in response to activation of the second source device; and

the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the first source device, an instruction to decrement an internal reference count, wherein the first source device determines whether to stop transmission based on the internal reference count.

26. The wireless home entertainment hub of claim 25, wherein the first instruction to change the volume of the audio data is an instruction to mute the audio data.

27. The wireless home entertainment hub of claim 25, wherein reception of the first instruction is performed in response to a user activating an actuator on a remote control.

28. The wireless home entertainment hub of claim 25, wherein transmission of the second instruction is performed wirelessly.

29. The wireless home entertainment hub of claim 25, wherein the audio sink device includes one or more wireless speakers.

30. The wireless home entertainment hub of claim 25 further comprising:

a processor configured to register the first source device and the audio sink device.