System and method for audio pass-through that has at least two USB ports between multiple host computing devices

• US 9,524,141 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ikingdom Corp.
• Original Assignee: Ikingdom Corp.
• Inventors: Loh, Michael, Geeraert, Edmund, Navarro, Demetrio, Juskiw, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US14/137,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 710/2, 710 8- 10, 710/62, 710/73, 710/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/125 Medley, i.e. linking parts of different musical pieces in one single piece, e.g. sound collage, DJ mix
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/026 File encryption of specific electrophonic music instrument file or stream formats, e.g. MIDI, note oriented formats, sound banks, wavetables
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/325 Synchronizing two or more audio tracks or files according to musical features or musical timings
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/035 Crossfade, i.e. time domain amplitude envelope control of the transition between musical sounds or melodies, obtained for musical purposes, e.g. for ADSR tone generation, articulations, medley, remix
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/571 Waveform compression, adapted for music synthesisers, sound banks or wavetables
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/631 Waveform resampling, i.e. sample rate conversion or sample depth conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/641 Waveform sampler, i.e. music samplers; Sampled music loop processing, wherein a loop is a sample of a performance that has been edited to repeat seamlessly without clicks or artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

A digital audio pass-through device capable of connecting multiple host computing devices is described. The digital audio pass-through device allows computing devices such as personal computers (Mac or PC), tablets, and smart phones to share high quality digital audio data streams with one another via USB connections. The digital audio pass-through device also allows for the aggregation of high quality audio data from multiple computing devices with limited to no latency.

Claims

1. A digital audio pass-through device for sharing digital audio data between at least two host computing devices via a USB connection, comprising:

a first USB device port for communicatively coupling the digital audio pass-through device with a first host computing device via a first USB connection to receive a first digital audio data stream;

a second USB device port for communicatively coupling the digital audio pass-through device with a second host computing device via a second USB connection to receive a second digital audio data stream;

a first non-USB device port; and

a high speed digital audio gateway engine comprising a processor, a non-transitory electronic storage medium, and a set of executable instructions stored in the non-transitory electronic storage medium, wherein the set of executable instructions is configured to direct the first digital audio data stream and the second digital audio data stream and wherein the set of executable instructions includes a synchronization module configured to synchronize the first digital audio data stream with the second digital data audio stream and an audio signal from the non-USB device port.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-USB device port is selected from the group consisting of Ethernet, DVI, HDMI, VGA, DFP, S-Video, RCA, TRS, XLR, S/PDIF, coaxial, F connector, and Mini DVI.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first non-USB device port uses a communication protocol type selected from the group consisting of CODEC and Audio Video Bridging (AVB).

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the synchronization module is configured to synchronize the first digital audio data stream with at least one of (i) the second digital data audio stream and (ii) an audio signal from the non-USB device port by converting a sample rate of the first digital audio data stream.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions includes a sample rate module and a bit depth module.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the sample rate module is configured to determine a sample rate of the first digital audio data stream and wherein the bit depth module is configured to determine a bit depth of the first digital audio data stream.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the sample rate module is further configured to convert the sample rate of the first digital audio data stream to match a sample rate of the second digital audio data stream when the two are different, and wherein the bit depth module is further configured to convert the bit depth of the first digital audio data stream to match a bit depth of the second digital audio data stream when the two are different.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions includes a digital rights management module configured to (i) determine a digital right attribute for the first digital audio data stream, and (ii) apply a digital rights management rule to the first digital audio data stream.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of executable instructions includes a matrix mixer module configured to apply a first level to the first digital audio data stream and a second level to the second digital audio data stream.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the matrix mixer module is further configured to aggregate the first and second digital audio data streams after applying the first and second levels, respectively, to thereby produce an aggregated digital audio data stream.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the matrix mixer module is further configured to send the aggregated digital audio data stream to an output device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the output device is at least one of the first host computing device and the second host computing device.

13. A method of sharing a digital audio signal between multiple host computing devices across a USB connection, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first digital audio data stream from a first host computing device via a first USB device port;

receiving a second digital audio data stream from a second host computing device via a second USB device port;

receiving an audio signal from a non-USB device port,

synchronizing the first digital audio data stream with the second digital audio data stream and the audio signal from the non-USB device port; and

sending the first digital audio data stream to the second host computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a sample rate and a bit depth for each of the first and second digital audio data streams;

converting the sample rate and bit depth of the first digital audio data stream to match the sample rate and bit depth of the second digit audio data stream, respectively, when the sample rate and bit rate of the first digital audio data stream are different than the sample rate and bit rate of the second digital audio data stream, respectively;

determining a digital rights attribute associated with the first digital audio data stream; and

applying a digital rights management rule to the first digital audio data stream according to the digital rights attribute.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

applying a first level to the first digital audio data stream to produce a level-modified first digital audio data stream; and

applying a second level to the second digital audio data stream to produce a level-modified second digital audio data stream.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of aggregating the level-modified first digital audio data stream and the level-modified second digital audio data stream to produce an aggregated digital audio data stream.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of sending the aggregated digital audio data stream to an output device.

18. A digital audio pass-through device for sharing digital audio data between at least two host computing devices via a USB connection, comprising:

a first USB device port for communicatively coupling the digital audio pass-through device with a first host computing device via a first USB connection to receive a first digital audio data stream;

a second USB device port for communicatively coupling the digital audio pass-through device with a second host computing device via a second USB connection to receive a second digital audio data stream; and

a high speed digital audio gateway engine comprising a processor, a non-transitory electronic storage medium, and a set of executable instructions stored in the non-transitory electronic storage medium, wherein the set of executable instructions is configured to;

direct the first digital audio data stream and the second digital audio data stream;

determine a sample rate of the first digital audio data stream; and

determine a bit depth of the first digital audio data stream.