Wireless modular speaker

• US 9,706,278 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Fujioka, Robb
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Kenny
• Application Number:
  US14/684,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems

Abstract

A wireless modular speaker is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the apparatus has an enclosure having a top plate, a bottom plate, a front face, a rear face, a first side face, and a second side face, where at least a portion of the enclosure has a cover. The apparatus also has a mounting hole, a gripping mechanism within the mounting hole configured to hold the enclosure in a fixed position, one or more loudspeakers, a battery to supply power to the one or more loudspeakers, a wireless module to connect the apparatus and another device and a sensor mechanism that detects the presence of other speakers near the apparatus.

Claims

1. A wireless modular speaker, comprising:

an enclosure comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, a front face, a rear face, a first side face, and a second side face, wherein at least a portion of the enclosure has a cover;

a mounting hole that receives a supportive member of a speaker stand;

a gripping mechanism within the mounting hole configured to hold the enclosure in a fixed position, wherein the supportive member is comprised of a ferromagnetic material and the gripping mechanism comprises a magnetic fastener configured to employ magnetic attraction to hold the wireless modular speaker in the fixed position on the speaker stand;

one or more loudspeakers within the enclosure;

a battery configured to supply power to the one or more loudspeakers;

a sensor mechanism configured to detect the presence of one or more other speakers near the wireless modular speaker; and

a wireless module to connect the wireless modular speaker and the detected one or more other speakers.

2. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is rectangular.

3. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the wireless modular speaker is one of a plurality of wireless modular speakers that are wirelessly linked together to form a speaker network.

4. The wireless modular speaker of claim 3, wherein the speaker network enables a first wireless modular speaker to transmit audio data to a second wireless modular speaker such that an end-user of the second wireless modular speaker may listen to the audio sounds corresponding to the transmitted audio data.

5. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the enclosure has a width dimension, a depth dimension, and a height dimension that are substantially equal such that the wireless modular speaker is substantially a cube.

6. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1 further comprises:

an amplifier, a processor and memory.

7. The wireless modular speaker of claim 6, wherein the sensor mechanism is configured to adjust output frequencies of the amplifier and the one or more loudspeakers to reduce overlapping frequencies with the one or more other speakers.

8. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the one or more loudspeakers comprise one or more woofer speakers, one or more midrange speakers, or one or more tweeter speakers.

9. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the one or more loudspeakers are a combination of one or more of woofer speakers, midrange speakers, or tweeter speakers.

10. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein various speaker systems may be assembled by combining suitable sizes of the wireless modular speaker.

11. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, further comprising:

covers for the one or more loudspeakers mounted within the enclosure, and

rounded edges joining the covers.

12. The wireless modular speaker of claim 11, wherein the covers are comprised of a porous and pliable material.

13. The wireless modular speaker of claim 11, wherein the covers include angular topological features.

14. The wireless modular speaker of claim 13, wherein the covers are a skin which is interchangeable with other skins to alter the appearance of the wireless modular speaker.

15. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the top plate comprises a volume increase control and a volume decrease control.

16. The wireless modular speaker of claim 15, wherein the sensor mechanism is configured to detect the proximity of an object at the volume increase control and the volume decrease control, and respectively increase or decrease the output volume of the one or more loudspeakers.

17. The wireless modular speaker of claim 15, wherein the volume increase control and the volume decrease control comprise buttons that are depressed in order to respectively increase or decrease the output volume of the one or more loudspeakers.

18. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the volume increase control and the volume decrease control are configured such that an end-user operates the controls by placing a finger on the control.

19. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the volume increase control and the volume decrease control are configured to detect the proximity of an end-user'"'"'s finger.

20. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the first side face comprises a power button to turn the wireless modular speaker on and off.

21. The wireless modular speaker of claim 20, wherein the first side face comprises a connection button to link the wireless modular speaker with other speakers near the wireless modular speaker.

22. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the gripping mechanism is configured to grip the supportive member so as to hold the wireless modular speaker in the fixed position on the vertical member using friction.

23. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate of the wireless modular speaker comprises inductive circuitry suitable for inductively charging the battery when the wireless modular speaker is inductively coupled to an inductive charger.

24. The wireless modular speaker of claim 23, wherein inductively charging the battery and operating the wireless modular speaker to produce audible sounds occurs simultaneously.

25. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the wireless modular speakers is coupled to a tablet computer by way of a tablet docking station.

26. The wireless modular speaker of claim 25, wherein the tablet docking station is coupled with one or more wireless modular speakers.

27. The wireless modular speaker of claim 25, wherein the docking station inductively charges the battery in the wireless modular speaker.

28. The wireless modular speaker of claim 25, wherein the wireless modular speaker is coupled to the tablet docking station by way of a wireless connection.

29. The wireless modular speaker of claim 25, wherein the wireless modular speaker is coupled to the docking station using a cable.

31. The wireless modular speaker of claim 1, wherein the mounting hole passes from the top plate to the bottom plate.

30. A methods comprising:

determining the presence of one or more other speakers near a wireless modular speaker;

establishing a wireless connection between the wireless modular speaker and the one or more other speakers;

sending signals to an amplifier and one or more loudspeakers of the wireless modular speaker; and

adjusting an output frequency range of the one or more loudspeakers from an original output frequency range to an adjusted output frequency range in response to the sent signals;

determining whether the wireless modular speaker is connected to the one or more other speakers;

producing sound having the adjusted output frequency range when the wireless modular speaker is connected to the one or more other speakers; and

producing sound having the original output frequency range when the wireless modular speaker is disconnected from the one or more other speakers.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the original output frequency range of the one or more loudspeakers of the wireless modular speaker is 1000 Hz to 10 KHz.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more other speakers produces sound ranging from 20 Hz to 3000 Hz.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the adjusted output frequency range of the one or more loudspeakers of the wireless modular speaker is 3001 Hz to 10 KHz.