SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN HEARING AID AND MULTIPLE DEVICES

• US 20150351143A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Seymour, Eric T., Fleizach, Christopher B., Fisch, Ian M., Linde, Joakim, Foo, Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 9,763,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A method for controlling a peripheral from a group of computing devices is provided. The method sets up a group of computing devices for providing media content and control settings to a peripheral device such as a hearing aid. The computing devices in the group are interconnected by a network and exchange data with each other regarding the peripheral. A master device in the group is directly paired with the peripheral device and can use the pairing connection to provide media content or to apply the control settings to the peripheral device. The peripheral device is paired with only the master devices of the group. A slave device can request to directly pair with the peripheral device and become the master device in order to provide media content to the peripheral.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising one or more processing units for executing a program comprising sets of instructions for:

providing a first set of data to a peripheral device by using a first wireless connection between the computing device and the peripheral device;

receiving a request from another computing device for a second wireless connection to the peripheral device, the other computing device making the request to provide a second set of data to the peripheral device; and

terminating, when the second set of data has a higher priority than the first set of data, the first wireless connection to allow the other computing device to establish the second wireless connection in order to provide the second set of data.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is allowed to have only one wireless connection, wherein the computing device terminates the first wireless connection in order for the other device to establish the second wireless connection.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the program further comprising a set of instructions for rejecting the request by the other computing device when the second set of data has a lower priority than the first set of data.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of data are different types of audio data.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for relinquishing the direct connection in favor of the second device when second set of data is from a phone call that the user initiated.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for relinquishing the direct connection in favor of the other computing device when second set of data is from a phone call that the user explicitly answered.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a hearing aid.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the second set of data is from a media playback, wherein the media playback pauses until the other computing device establishes the second wireless connection with the peripheral device.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by one or more processing units, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

controlling, at a first device, a peripheral device by providing a set of control parameters to the peripheral device over a direct connection that pairs the first device with the peripheral device;

receiving a modified set of control parameters over a network from a second device; and

applying the modified set of control parameters to the peripheral device by using the direct connection.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program further comprising a set of instructions for replicating the modified set of control parameters over the network to a third device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, where the direct connection pairs only the first device with the peripheral device, wherein the second device and the third device are not paired with the peripheral device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the modified set of control parameters is based on a user input at the second device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein each of the first device and the second device comprises a graphical user interface for displaying and modifying the set of control parameters of the peripheral device.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the display of the set of control parameters at the first device is synchronized with the display of the set of control parameters at the second device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the peripheral device is a hearing aid.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of control parameters comprises environment specific parameters for the hearing aid.

17. A method comprising:

at a first device, controlling a peripheral device by providing a set of control parameters to the peripheral device over a direct connection that pairs the first device with the peripheral device;

receiving a modified set of control parameters over a network from a second device; and

applying the modified set of control parameters to the peripheral device by using the direct connection.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising replicating the modified set of control parameters over the network to a third device.

19. The method of claim 18, where the direct connection pairs only the first device with the peripheral device, wherein the second device and the third device are not paired with the peripheral device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the modified set of control parameters is based on a user input at the second device.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the first device and the second device comprises a graphical user interface for displaying and modifying the set of control parameters of the peripheral device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the display of the set of control parameters at the first device is synchronized with the display of the set of control parameters at the second device.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the peripheral device is a hearing aid.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the set of control parameters comprises environment specific parameters for the hearing aid.