Earphones with attachable expansion pack

• US 9,986,323 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: Armstrong, Judd, Duddy, Stephen, Shamsoddini, Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US14/946,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20170150245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 381309, 381315, 381323, 381328, 381 74, 381331, 381370, 381374, 381380, 381384, 455 306, 455 903, 455351, 4555691, 4555751
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/556 External connectors, e.g. plugs or modules H04R25/607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries

Abstract

A wearable device and methods for using the same provided. In one embodiment, a wearable device includes a pair of earphones with a controller and an expansion pack. The controller includes a first set of electrical contacts and a first set of modules. The expansion pack includes a second set of electrical contacts and a second set of modules. The controller is configured to electrically couple at least one module of the first set of modules to at least one module of the second set of modules when the controller is electrically coupled to the expansion pack. The expansion pack may further include a USB energy storage device to provide the earphones with an extended battery life when the expansion pack is coupled to the chargeable batteries of the controller.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a portable wearable device comprising;

one or more cables;

a pair of earphones, wherein each of the earphones are connected to the one or more cables;

a controller fixed to the one or more cables at a location spaced apart from each of the earphones, the controller configured for controlling operation of the earphones, the controller comprising;

a first electrical contact;

a first power source; and

a portable, detachable expansion pack attached to the controller, the expansion pack comprising;

a second electrical contact; and

a second power source, wherein

the first power source is electrically coupled to the second power source when the second electrical contact of the expansion pack is connected to the first electrical contact of the controller,

the first power source is configured to be charged by the second power source through the connection between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact when the earphones are positioned at the ears of a user, and

the portable wearable device and the detachable expansion pack are configured to be physically untethered to an external device when the first power source is charged by the second power source and the earphones are positioned at the ears of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first electrical contact of the controller and the second electrical contact of the expansion pack are configured to magnetically couple, such that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact are configured to attract the expansion pack to the controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the expansion pack comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) with a USB plug configured to couple to an external power supply source.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the USB plug is configured to couple to the external power supply source independent of the controller to charge the second power source of the expansion pack.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the USB energy storage device is configured to connect to the external power supply source with a corresponding USB 1, USB 2, or USB 3 port.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a dock platform and a dock cover, wherein the dock cover is configured to cover the dock platform when the expansion pack is not coupled to the dock platform.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable device is configured to enable attaching of the expansion pack to the controller when the earphones are positioned at the ears of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a set of alignment guides and the expansion pack includes a corresponding set of alignment guides configured to align the expansion pack to the controller.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the expansion pack includes a sensor configured to communicate with a processor in the controller.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first power source is configured to be charged by the second power source through the electrical coupling of the first power source to the second power source when the earphones are positioned at the ears of the user during exercise by the user.

11. A method of using a pair of earphones with an expansion pack, the method comprising:

coupling the expansion pack to a controller, wherein

the controller is attached to the pair of earphones by one or more cables at a location spaced apart from each of the pair of earphones,

the controller and the earphones are part of a portable wearable device,

the expansion pack is portable and detachable from the controller,

the controller comprises an electrical connector pin receptacle, and

coupling the expansion pack to the controller comprises inserting an electrical connector pin located on the expansion pack into the electrical pin receptacle located on the controller, which causes a coupling of a first power source of the controller to a second power source of the expansion pack when the electrical connector pin is inserted in the electrical pin receptacle; and

recharging the first power source with the second power source when the earphones are positioned at ears of a user and when the controller, the earphones and the expansion pack are physically untethered to an external device.

12. A method of claim 11, wherein coupling the expansion pack to the controller is performed by magnetic forces between the electrical connector pin and the electrical connector pin receptacle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the expansion pack comprises a USB plug configured to connect to an external power supply source to charge the second power source independent of charging the first power source of the controller.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising inserting the USB plug of the expansion pack coupled to the controller into a corresponding USB port of an external power supply source to provide a charging voltage simultaneously to the controller and the expansion pack.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein coupling the expansion pack to the controller is performed when the earphones are positioned at the ears of the user.

16. A system, comprising:

a portable wearable device comprising, a pair of earphones, a controller, and an attachable expansion pack electrically coupled and fastened to the controller, wherein

the controller is spaced apart from and coupled to the earphones by one or more cables,

the controller comprises a first electrical contact coupled to a first power source via an electrical connector pin receptacle,

the expansion pack comprises a second electrical contact coupled to a second power source via an electrical connector pin such that the first and second electrical contacts electrically couple when the electrical connector pin is inserted into the electrical connector pin receptacle, and

the first power source is configured to be charged by the second power source through the coupling between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact when the earphones are positioned at ears of a user, and

the portable, wearable device is configured to be physically untethered to an external device when the first power source is charged by the second power source and the earphones are positioned at the ears of the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller further comprises a dock platform configured to receive the expansion pack when the expansion pack is coupled to the controller.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the expansion pack comprises a USB energy storage device configured to connect to an external power supply source to provide a charging voltage to the controller of the earphones via the first and second electrical contacts when the expansion pack is coupled to the controller.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the wearable device is configured to enable fastening of the expansion pack to the controller when the earphones are positioned at the ears of the user.