Apparatus and method for a wireless extension collar worn around a human neck

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE50211-E
Application number	US-201815893442-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Feb 9, 2018
Priority date	Sep 13, 2011
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

A wireless extension device to end-user wireless device has a collar that is worn around the neck. The collar has two end-members that are positioned on the two collarbone areas next to the neck. The end-members have positioned directional speakers therein that radiate sound in the direction of two ears of the human wearing the collar around the neck. The end-members have positioned microphones that pick up voice commands of a human wearing the collar around the neck. The wireless collar extension device is used for hands free communication with end-user wireless device, without having to plug a prior art BLUETOOTH earpiece into one of the ears. The collar using voice commands can control operational mode of the end-user device pertaining to communications, music, computations, record, send and enter data and images.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A personal use wireless extension listening device that wirelessly connects with an end-user wireless device, comprising:
a. a collar that has two end-members and a joining member, the joining member connects the two end-members, wherein, when the collar is worn around the neck of a human, the joining member is positioned behind the neck and two end-members are positioned on two collarbone areas below the ears and next to the neck;
b. the two end-members of the collar have positioned thereon directional speakers and a radiator including tilt mechanisms therein, the tilt mechanisms adjust the direction of the speakers for the speakers to radiate sound above in direction of the ears of the human wearing the collar around the neck, wherein the radiator is a disk that radiates an ultrasonic signal using a Piezo electric effect, wherein the personal use wireless extension listening device is used to listen to audio that is wirelessly received from an end-user wireless device; wherein the end-user wireless device is from a group of, a music system, a mobile wireless communication device, a desktop communication device, and an audio/video recording device, and wherein the directional speakers comprise an ultrasound frequency signal generator, an audio logic to produce an audio signal, and a modulator to modulate an ultra-sonic frequency carrier wave with the audio signal to direct audio sound towards the ears of the human; and
c. the end members each including: at least one antenna for the transmission and reception of wireless signals between the personal use wireless extension device and the end-user wireless device, wherein a transmitting pattern of a transmitting antenna in each of the end-members is oriented below the neck of the user; and circuitry that receives voice commands from the human to control the end-user wireless deviceof the collar house integrated circuits with embedded logic, the embedded logic receives voice commands from the human and a device status from the end-user wireless device to control an operational mode for communication, music, computations, record, send and enter data and images in the end-user wireless device.

2. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 1 , comprising:
the end-members of the collar house integrated circuits with embedded logic, controls, wireless circuits, transmitting and receiving antennas, microphones, and batteries, in addition to the directional speakers, wherein the end-members also function as a wireless communication device, to the end-user wireless device.

3. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 2 , comprising:
the integrated circuits have a embedded logic for receiving that receives a voice command of the human wearing the collar to control wherein the voice command is for controlling operation of the personal use wireless extension deviceon/off, activating a right or a left side of the personal use wireless extension device, and turning audio volume up and down.

4. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 2 , comprising:
a. the integrated circuits have a logic for receiving voice commands from the human wearing the collar that control operation of the end-user wireless device and wirelessly transmit such commands to the end-user wireless device;
b. the integrated circuits also have a logic for receiving device status data from the end-user wireless device and translate the end-user wireless device status data into audio signals for the human wearing the collar;
c. wherein the voice commands and the a device status data received by the embedded logic from the end-user wireless device are used to effect change in the operational mode for communication, music, computations, record, send and enter data and images in the end-user wireless device.

5. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 2 1 , comprising:
a transmitting pattern of the transmitting antenna in each of the end-members is oriented below the neck of the user to keep transmitted radiation away from head area of the human wearing the collar wherein, instead of one or more antennas being located in the end-members, and antenna is located in the joining member.

6. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 1 , comprising:
a. a joint in the center of the joining member that joins two halves of the collar, the joint facilitates removal and wear of the collar on the human neck; and
b. the joint has a feature being used to adjust the collar for different human neck sizes.

7. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 1 , comprising:
the joining member has hinges for movement between end-members and the joining member that facilitate positioning the end-members with the directional speakers flat on the collarbone area.

8. The personal use wireless extension device as in claim 1 , comprising:
the end-members have a tilt and fine tune an orientation of the directional speakers toward the human earsthe two end-members of the collar have positioned thereon a tilt mechanism to adjust the direction of the directional speakers for the directional speakers to radiate sound toward the ears of the human wearing the collar around the neck and fine tune an orientation of the directional speakers towards the human ears.

9. A method for a personal use wireless extension listening device that wirelessly connects with end-user device, comprising steps of:
a. creating a collar that has two end-members and a joining member, the joining member connects the two end-members, wherein, when the collar is worn around neck of a human, the joining member is positioned behind the neck and the two end-members are positioned on two collarbone areas below the ears and next to the neck;
b. positioning directional speakers and a radiator including tilt mechanisms in the end-members and adjusting by tilt mechanisms direction of the speakers for radiating audio sound above in a direction of the ears of the human wearing the collar around the neck, and using wherein the directional speakers are used to wirelessly listen to audio that is wirelessly received from the end-user wireless device; wherein the radiator is a disk that radiates an ultrasonic signal using a Piezo electric effect, wherein the end-user wireless device is from a group of, a music system, a mobile wireless communication device, a desktop communication device, and an audio/video recording device; and producing an audio signal by an audio logic of the directional speakers and modulating, by a modulator of the directional speakers, an ultra-sonic frequency carrier wave with the audio signal to direct audion sound towards the ears of the human; and
c. housing in the end-membersof the collar integrated circuits with embedded logic, receiving by the embedded logic voice commands from the human and a device status from the end-user wireless device for controlling an operational mode for communication, music, computations, record, send and enter data and images in the end-user wireless device: at least one antenna for the transmission and reception of wireless signals between the personal use wireless extension device and the end-user wireless device, wherein a transmitting pattern of a transmitting antenna in each of the end-members is oriented below the neck of the user; and circuitry that receives voice commands from the human to control the end-user wireless device.

10. The method for the personal use wireless extension device as in claim 9 , comprising steps of:
a. housing in end-members of the collar, integrated circuits with embedded logic, controls, wireless circuits, transmitting and receiving antennas, microphones, and batteries, in addition to the dir

Assignees

• Singhal Tara Chand

Inventors

• Singhal Tara Chand

Classifications

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title

• H04R2217/03

  Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves · CPC title

• H04R2201/023

  Transducers incorporated in garment, rucksacks or the like · CPC title

• H04B1/385

  Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets · CPC title

• H04R1/32 Primary

  for obtaining desired directional characteristic only {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/40)} · CPC title