Wireless earphones with short range transmission

• US 9,866,962 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peter Vincent Boesen
• Original Assignee: Peter Vincent Boesen
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Jia, Xin
• Application Number:
  US14/839,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 864 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/92 Universal remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• 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 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 : Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system may include a left ear piece having an ear piece housing, a short range transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing, and a speaker disposed within the ear piece housing. The system may further include a right ear piece having an ear piece housing, a short range transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing, a speaker disposed within the ear piece housing. The system is adapted to play stereophonic audio using the left ear piece and the right ear piece.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a left ear piece comprising an ear piece housing having an external ear canal portion configured to extend into a left ear canal of a user when worn by the user, a short range transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing, a speaker disposed within the ear piece housing, and a microphone;

a right ear piece comprising an ear piece housing having an external ear canal portion configured to extend into a right ear canal of the user when worn by the user, a short range transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing, a speaker disposed within the ear piece housing, and a microphone;

wherein the system is adapted to play stereophonic audio using the left ear piece and the right ear piece and sense stereophonic audio using the left ear piece and the right ear piece;

a processor disposed within the ear piece housing of the left earpiece;

an inertial sensor operatively connected to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to use head orientation and movement to determine order of selections presented to the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the short range transceiver of the left earpiece is a radio transceiver and wherein the short range transceiver of the right earpiece is a radio transceiver.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the radio transceiver of the left earpiece and the radio transceiver of the right earpiece are Bluetooth transceivers.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the ear piece housing of the left earpiece is configured to fit to a left ear external auditory canal and wherein the ear piece housing of the right earpiece is configured to fit to a right ear external auditory canal.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the left ear piece and the right ear piece are configured to allow a user to hear environmental sounds when the left ear piece is in a left ear of the user and the right ear piece is in a right ear of the user.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the short range transceiver of the left ear piece is adapted to form a first audio communications link with a personal electronic device and wherein the short range transceiver of the right ear piece is adapted to form a second audio communications link with the personal electronic device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the personal electronic device is a phone.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising an internal antenna within the earpiece housing of the left earpiece and an internal antenna within the earpiece housing of the right earpiece.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein both the ear piece housing of the left ear piece and the ear piece housing of the right ear piece are completely-in-canal (CIC) housings.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein both the earpiece housing of the left ear piece and the ear piece housing of the right ear piece fit to both the external auditory canal and the concha.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein both the ear piece housing of the left ear piece and the ear piece housing of the right ear piece are behind-the-ear (BTE) housings.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the stereophonic audio comprises audio associated with a phone call.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the stereophonic audio comprises music transmitted to the system from a personal electronic device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the personal electronic device is a phone.

15. A system comprising:

a left ear piece and right ear piece, each of the left ear piece and the right ear piece comprising an ear piece housing having an external ear canal portion configured to extend into an ear canal of a user when worn by the user, a short range transceiver disposed within the ear piece housing, a speaker disposed within the ear piece housing, and a processor disposed within the ear piece housing, the processor operatively connected to the short range transceiver, a sensor operatively connected to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to use head orientation and movement to determine order of selections presented to the user;

wherein the system is adapted to play stereophonic audio using the left ear piece and the right ear piece and sense stereophonic audio using the left ear piece and the right ear piece;

wherein the system is adapted to communicate with a phone and play stereophonic audio associated with music communicated from the phone and to play audio associated with a phone call from the phone.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the short range transceiver of both the left ear piece and the right ear piece is a radio transceiver.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the radio transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the ear piece housing of the left ear piece and the ear piece housing of the right ear piece are each a completely-in-canal (CIC) housing.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the left ear piece and the right ear piece are configured to allow a user to hear environmental sounds when the left ear piece is in a left ear of the user and the right ear piece is in a right ear of the user.