Wireless Modular Speaker

• US 20150296282A1
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fuhu, Inc. (Mattel Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fujioka, Robb
• Granted Patent: US 9,706,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. An apparatus 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;

a gripping mechanism within the mounting hole configured to hold the enclosure in a fixed position;

one or more loudspeakers within the enclosure;

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

a wireless module to connect the apparatus and another device; and

a sensor module that detects the presence of other speakers near the apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is rectangular.

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

4. The apparatus 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 apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enclosure has a width dimension, a depth dimension, and a height dimension that are substantially equal such that the apparatus is substantially a cube.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:

an amplifier, a processor and a memory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sensor module adjusts output frequencies of the amplifier and the one or more loudspeakers to reduce overlapping frequencies with the other speakers.

8. The apparatus 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 apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more loudspeakers are a combination of one or more of woofer speakers, midrange speakers, and tweeter speakers.

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

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

covers for the one or more loudspeakers mounted within the enclosure, and rounded edges joining the covers.

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

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the covers include angular topological features.

14. The apparatus 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 apparatus of claim 1, wherein the top plate comprises a volume increase control and a volume decrease control.

16. The apparatus 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.

17. The apparatus 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.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sensor module 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.

19. The apparatus 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.

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

21. The apparatus 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 apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting hole receives a supportive member of a speaker stand.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, 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.

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

25. The apparatus 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.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein inductively charging the battery and operating the wireless modular speaker to produce audible sounds occurs simultaneously.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the inductive circuitry is positioned within the mounting hole, where the speaker stand comprises circuitry suitable for inductively charging the battery by way of the mounting hole.

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

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the tablet docking station is coupled with one or more wireless modular speakers.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the docking station inductively charges the battery in the wireless modular speaker.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the apparatus is coupled to the tablet docking station by way of a wireless connection.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the apparatus is coupled to the docking station using a cable.

33. A method comprising:

determining, using a sensor module, the presence of one or more other speakers near the wireless modular speaker;

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

sending signals to an amplifier and one or more loudspeakers, using the sensor module;

adjusting an output frequency range of the one or more loudspeakers of the wireless modular speaker.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

determining with the sensor module, if the wireless modular speaker disconnects from the one or more other speakers; and

producing sound having the output frequency range while connected to the one or more other speakers.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the wireless modular speaker produces sound ranging from 1000 Hz to 10 KHz.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the one or more other speakers produces sound ranging from 20 Hz to 3000 Hz.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more loudspeakers of the apparatus adjust their output frequency to a modified frequency range of 3001 Hz to 10 KHz to reduce transmitting overlapping frequencies.