Wireless audio system

• US 9,866,966 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2016
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
• Inventors: Lott, Phillip Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAHNERT, FRIEDRICH
• Application Number:
  US15/160,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20160345096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 381311, 381315, 381 56, 381 74, 381111, 381300, 381312, 381314, 381328, 381370, 381376, 381380, 455 411, 455 412, 455 66, 4555752
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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 1/005 For headphones

Abstract

A wireless audio system may be configured with a mobile communication device that is concurrently wirelessly connected to first and second monitors, respectively, via first and second wireless pathways. The first and second wireless pathways can be different and provide stereo audio reproduction with the first and second monitors with 5 ms of latency or less.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a communication device connected to a first audio reproducing monitor via a first wireless pathway and to a second audio reproducing monitor via a second wireless pathway, each wireless pathway communicating between a first near field magnetic induction (NFMI) antenna of the communication device and a first NFMI receiver positioned in each of the respective audio reproducing monitors to provide stereo audio reproduction with 5 ms or less of signal latency, the first audio reproducing monitor comprising a second NFMI antenna connected to a second NFMI receiver of the communication device via a third wireless pathway, the second audio reproducing monitor comprising a third NFMI antenna connected to the second NFMI receiver via a fourth wireless pathway.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device has a first NFMI processor connected to the first NFMI antenna and each audio reproducing monitor has a second NFMI processor respectively connected to the second and third NFMI antennae.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device is physically separated from each audio reproducing monitor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third wireless pathway is concurrently present between the communication device and the first audio reproducing monitor while the fourth wireless pathway is present between the communication device and the second audio reproducing monitor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and third wireless pathways concurrently redundant transmit signals between the communication device and the first audio reproducing monitor and the second and fourth wireless pathways concurrently transmit redundant signals between the communication device and the second audio reproducing monitor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third and fourth wireless pathways are each Bluetooth secured wireless pathways.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an NFMI microphone is wirelessly connected to the communication device via a fifth wireless pathway.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the NFMI microphone is physically attached to the first audio reproducing monitor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the NFMI microphone has a cable port electrically connected to a source, the source being physically and electrically separate from the communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the source is a battery.

11. A system comprising:

a communication device;

a first audio reproducing monitor connected to the communication device via a first wireless pathway;

a second audio reproducing monitor connected to the communication device via a second wireless pathway, each wireless pathway communicating between a near field magnetic induction (NFMI) antenna and a NFMI receiver to provide stereo audio reproduction with 5 ms or less of signal latency; and

an extension physically attached to the first audio reproducing monitor and continuously extending to an area below a head of a user, the extension being physically separate from the communication device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the extension consists of at least one electrical circuit.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a wireless signal booster.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical circuit is a battery.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the extension comprises one or more buttons configured to alter the first and second wireless pathways.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the extension comprises a microphone wirelessly connected to the communication device via a third wireless pathway.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the extension comprises a proximity sensor configured to detect hand gestures of the user.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the extension comprises a vibration sensor configured to detect when the user is speaking.

19. A method comprising:

connecting a communication device connected to a first audio reproducing monitor via a first wireless pathway;

forming a second wireless pathway between the communication device and a second audio reproducing monitor, each wireless pathway communicating between a first near field magnetic induction (NFMI) antenna in the communication device and a first NFMI receiver in the respective audio reproducing monitors;

connecting a second NFMI antenna of the communication device to a second NFMI receiver of the first audio reproducing monitor via a third wireless pathway;

forming a fourth wireless connection between the second NFMI antenna and a third NFMI receiver of the second audio reproducing monitor, the first and second wireless pathways concurrently transmitting different left and right audio signals, the third and fourth wireless connections concurrently transmitting a matching signal; and

reproducing an audio signal in stereo with the first and second audio reproducing monitors with 5 ms or less of signal latency.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communication device is positioned on a user while being physically separated from each audio reproducing monitor.