Electronic devices and accessories with media streaming control features

• US 9,838,811 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pelosi, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLAIR, KILE O
• Application Number:
  US15/285,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic device may play audio content to a user through a pair of earphones. The audio content may be content that is stored locally on the electronic device or may be streaming content that is provided by an online service. Control circuitry in the electronic device may monitor ear presence sensor structures in the earphones to determine whether the earphones are present in the ears of the user. In response to determining that the earphones have been removed from the ears of the user, the control circuitry may communicate with the online service provider. Communicating with the online service provider may include sending media streaming control commands to the online service provider. The media streaming control commands may, for example, include media streaming pause commands that instruct the online service provider to pause the audio content in response to the earphones being removed from the ears of the user.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured to receive audio content from an online service provider, comprising:

a component configured to transmit audio signals over a communications path to a pair of earphones each having sensor structures that determine whether the earphones are present on the ears of a user, wherein each earphone in the pair comprises a conductive mesh that passes sound produced by speakers in the earphones and that is divided into first and second electrodes, and wherein the sensor structures comprise a resistance-based sensor that detects changes in resistance between the first and second electrodes in each earphone in the pair; and

control circuitry configured to;

monitor the sensor structures to gather information on whether the earphones are present on the ears of the user by measuring the changes in resistance between the first electrode and the second electrode in each earphone in the pair; and

communicate the information to the online service provider.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

cellular transceiver circuitry that receives the audio content from the online service provider.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the online service provider comprises an Internet radio service and wherein the earphones play the audio content from the Internet radio service based on the audio signals.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the audio content comprises streaming audio content and wherein communicating the information to the online service provider comprises sending a pause command that instructs the online service provider to pause the streaming audio content.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the audio content comprises a streaming audio advertisement.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein communicating with the online service provider comprises sending user data to the online service provider.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein communicating the information to the online service provider comprises communicating information indicating that the user has removed the earphones during the streaming audio advertisement.

8. A method for operating a pair of earphones each having a speaker housing and a resistance-based ear presence sensor structure mounted in the speaker housing, the method comprising:

with speakers in the each of the speaker housings, playing audio content that passes through conductive mesh in each of the speaker housings, wherein the conductive mesh is split into first and second electrodes in each of the resistance-based ear presence sensor structures;

with control circuitry in the earphones, measuring a resistance between the first and second electrodes in each of the resistance-based ear presence structures to determine whether each of the earphones in the pair are present on the ears of a user;

with the control circuitry, comparing the measured resistance to a threshold; and

in response to determining that the measured resistance exceeds the threshold, adjusting the audio content that is being played by the speakers.

9. The method defined in claim 8, further comprising:

with the control circuitry, applying a voltage across the first and second electrodes in each of the resistance-based ear presence structures.

10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein measuring the resistance comprises measuring current that flows between the first and second electrodes in each of the resistance-based ear presence structures as a result of the applied voltage.

11. The method defined in claim 8, further comprising:

in response to determining that the measured resistance exceeds the threshold, generating user data that indicates that the earphones are not present on the ears of the user.

12. The method defined in claim 11, wherein the audio content comprises streaming audio content from an online service provider and wherein adjusting the audio content comprises sending a pause command to the online service provider that instructs the online service provider to pause the streaming audio content.

13. The method defined in claim 12, further comprising:

with communications circuitry in an electronic device, receiving the streaming audio content from the online service provider, wherein the electronic device provides the streaming audio content to the earphones; and

with the communications circuitry in the electronic device, transmitting the user data to the online service provider, wherein the online service provider pauses the streaming audio content in response to receiving the pause command.

14. An electronic device accessory that receives audio signals from an electronic device over a communications path, the electronic device accessory comprising:

a component configured to form the communications path;

left and right earphone housings;

left and right speaker drivers that receive the audio signals and produce sound based on the audio signals, wherein the left speaker driver is mounted in the left earphone housing and wherein the right speaker driver is mounted in the right earphone housing;

ear presence sensor structures attached to each of the left and right earphone housings, wherein each of the ear presence sensor structures comprises an acoustic grill that is split into first and second conductive mesh electrodes in each of the left and right earphone housings and that passes the sound generated by the left and right speaker drivers, respectively; and

control circuitry that measures a resistance between the first and second conductive mesh electrodes in each of the left and right earphone housings to determine whether at least one of the left and right earphone housings is present on the ears of a user.

15. The electronic device accessory defined in claim 14 wherein the control circuitry applies a voltage across the first and second conductive mesh electrodes in each of the left and right earphone housings.

16. The electronic device accessory defined in claim 15, wherein the control circuitry measures the resistance by measuring current that flows between the first and second conductive mesh electrodes in each of the left and right earphone housings as a result of the applied voltage.

17. The electronic device accessory defined in claim 14, wherein the control circuitry compares the resistance to a predetermined threshold to determine whether the earphones are present on the ears of the user, and wherein the audio signals received by the left and right speakers are adjusted in response to determining that the resistance exceeds the predetermined threshold.

18. The electronic device accessory defined in claim 17, wherein the audio signals comprise streaming audio signals from an online service provider, and wherein the online service provider pauses the streaming audio signals in response to the control circuitry determining that the resistance exceeds the predetermined threshold.