Audio earphones having an adjustable cable system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9877098-B1
Application number	US-201615261539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

Features of the present application provide an audio earphone having an adjustable cable system interconnecting a first speaker unit (e.g., left speaker) and a second speaker unit (e.g., right speaker). The adjustable cable system may include a plurality of pods connected to different parts of the adjustable cable system such that the relative movement of the pods may adjust an effective length of the adjustable cable system. The audio earphone of the present disclosure may also include a plurality of operating modes for operating the audio earphone where each of the plurality of operating modes may correspond to one of a plurality of relative distances between a first pod and a second pod.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An audio earphone apparatus, comprising:
a first speaker unit for providing a first audio output;
a second speaker unit for providing a second audio output;
an adjustable cable system connected to the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit;
at least a first pod and a second pod, wherein the first pod and the second pod are separately connected to different parts of the adjustable cable system such that relative movement between the first pod and the second pod adjusts an effective length of the adjustable cable system;
at least one power source mounted within at least one of the first pod or the second pod; and
a processor in communication with a memory having instructions that define a plurality of operating modes for operating the audio earphone apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of operating modes corresponds to at least one of a plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod.

2. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable cable system connected to the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit includes:
a first cable having respective fixed connections with the first speaker unit and the first pod and having a first movable connection with the second pod; and
a second cable having respective fixed connections with the second speaker unit and the second pod and having a second movable connection with the first pod.

3. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first pod and the second pod each have a relative position that corresponds to a reduced effective length of the cable system.

4. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the effective length of the adjustable cable system comprises a distance between the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit.

5. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first speaker unit includes a first sensor and the second speaker unit includes a second sensor, the first sensor and the second sensor configured to determine whether the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit are inserted or removed from a user's ear.

6. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor operates the audio earphone apparatus in one of the plurality of operating modes based on signals from at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor, wherein the plurality of operating modes includes pausing multimedia associated with the audio earphone apparatus and resuming the multimedia.

7. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor operates the audio earphones apparatus in a first operating mode of the plurality of operating modes based on determination that the audio earphone apparatus is within a predetermined range of a host device, wherein the first operating mode includes transferring the audio output from the audio earphone apparatus to the host device and transitioning the audio earphone apparatus into power conserve mode.

8. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 7 , wherein at least the first pod having the first power source and the second pod having the second power source are charged by the host device while the audio earphone apparatus is in the power conserve mode.

9. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that define the plurality of operating modes for operating the audio earphone apparatus, further include instructions for:
determining whether the one of the plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod is at least a first distance;
switching the audio earphone apparatus to a power conserve mode when the one of the plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod is less than the first distance; and
transitioning to a first audio operating mode when the one of the plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod is greater than the first distance.

10. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining whether the one of the plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod satisfies at least a second distance;
maintaining the first audio operating mode when the one of the plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod is greater than the first distance but less than the second distance; and
transitioning to a second audio operating mode when the one of the plurality of relative distances between the first pod and the second pod exceeds the second distance.

11. The audio earphone apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first audio operating mode is audio player mode and the second audio operating mode is voice communication mode.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Riley Raymond Walter
• Dearsley Simon Cameron
• Henry Emron Jackson
• Schoeck Kaitlyn Marley

Classifications

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• H04R5/04

  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 title

• H04R5/033

  Headphones for stereophonic communication {(details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10)} · CPC title

• H04R1/1033 Primary

  Cables or cables storage, e.g. cable reels (cord reels per se H02G11/02; arrangements for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of conductors or cables B65H75/34; extensible conductors or cables, e.g. self-coiling cords H01B7/06) · CPC title

• H04R29/001

  for loudspeakers (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title