# US 12,182,471 B2 · Electronic device using communication channel generated by electrical connection between electronic device and external electronic device, and method for operating electronic device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,182,471 B2
- Document ID: US12182471B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/844,891
- Filed: 2022-06-21
- Published: 2022-10-06
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-10
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kyungik Jang; Hyeonggeun Kim; Jungsoo Kim; Hasik Moon; Doosuk Kang; Byoungchul Lee; Jungho Cho; Bokun Choi; Donghoon Hyun
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12182471B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/162: {Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs}
- G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path}
- G10L 19/00: Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis (in musical instruments G10H)
- H04B 3/54: Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
- H04N 21/41407: {embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57)}
- H04N 21/43076: {of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices}
- H04N 21/43637: {involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114)}
- H04N 21/4392: {involving audio buffer management}
- H04N 21/8113: {comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format}
- H04R 1/08: Mouthpieces; {Microphones;} Attachments therefor
- H04R 1/1016: {Earpieces of the intra-aural type}
- H04R 1/1025: Accumulators specially adapted for earpieces; Arrangements specially adapted for charging thereof
- H04R 1/1041: {Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H)}
- H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
- H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup
- H04R 2420/07: Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

An electronic device and method are disclosed. The electronic device includes: a communication circuit for transceiving data, a charging circuit for receiving power via an electrical connection, and controlling a communication channel operative through the electrical connection, a memory, and a processor. The processor implements the method, including: receiving, via the charging circuit, and through the electrical connection, connection information of a first external electronic device for communicatively connecting to the first external electronic device, from a second external electronic device into which the electronic device is inserted and receiving power via the charging circuit, transmitting, via the charging circuit, and through the electrical connection, connection information of the electronic device for communicatively connecting to the first external electronic device, to the second external electronic device, and storing the connection information of the first external electronic device in the memory.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wireless earphone device comprising:
a first electronic device;
a second electronic device; and
a third electronic device in which the first electronic device and the second electronic device are inserted,
wherein the third electronic device comprises:
a charging circuit configured to transmit power to the first electronic device and the second electronic device, including a first terminal and a second terminal;
a memory; and
a processor,
wherein the processor is configured to:
establish a first communication channel between the first electronic device and the third electronic device, through an electrical connection formed between the first terminal and the first electronic device and a second communication channel between the second electronic device and the third electronic device through an electrical connection formed between the second terminal and the second electronic device,
receive, from the first electronic device and via the first communication channel, connection information on the first electronic device,
receive, from the second electronic device and via the second communication channel, connection information on the second electronic device,
transmit, to the first electronic device and via the first communication channel, the connection information on the second electronic device,
transmit, to the second electronic device and via the second communication channel, the connection information on the first electronic device,
detect a first user input on a touch sensor of the first electronic device and a second user input on a touch sensor of the second electronic device, and
in response that the first user input and the second user input satisfy predetermined condition, transmit, to the first electronic device, a request signal for updating connection information of an external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device, wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition related to touch input time of the first user input and the second user input,
wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
in response to receiving the request signal for updating the connection information of the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device, determine whether the connection information of the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device is different from the connection information of the second electronic device, and
update the connection information of the external electronic device to the connection information of the second electronic device based on the determination that the connection information of the external electronic device is different from the connection information of the second electronic device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The wireless earphone device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
establish a communication connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, based on the updated connection information of the external electronic device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The wireless earphone device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
transmit, through the first communication channel, state information of the first electronic device to the third electronic device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The wireless earphone device of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel is implemented via power line communication (PLC), generated based on the electrical connection between the first terminal and the first electronic device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The wireless earphone device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
execute updating the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device according to detecting whether a preset condition is satisfied.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The wireless earphone device of claim 5, wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
search a memory of the first electronic device for stored connection information of a power-supplying external device; and
based on detecting the stored connection information of the power-supplying external device is not stored in the memory, update the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device using the connection information on the second electronic device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The wireless earphone device of claim 6, wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
detect whether the connection information of the power-supplying external device is different from connection information of the third electronic device, and
based on detecting a difference, maintain the connection information on the external electronic device without updating the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device to the connection information on the second electronic device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The wireless earphone device of claim 5, wherein the first electronic device is configured to:
receive connection information on a power-supplying external electronic device that supplies power to the second electronic device through a communication circuit of the first electronic device, and
based on detecting that the received connection information on the power-supplying external electronic device matches the connection information on the third electronic device, maintaining the connection information on the external electronic device without updating the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device to the connection information on the second electronic device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The wireless earphone device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is further configured to receive, via a microphone of the first electronic device, the request signal.

### Claim 10

A method of operating a wireless earphone device comprising a first electronic device, a second electronic device and a third electronic device in which the first electronic device and the second electronic device are inserted, the method comprising:
establishing, by the third electronic device, a first communication channel between the first electronic device and the third electronic device, through an electrical connection formed between a first terminal of a charging circuit of the third electronic device and the first electronic device and a second communication channel between the second electronic device and the third electronic device through an electrical connection formed between a second terminal of the charging circuit of the third electronic device and the second electronic device,
receiving, by the third electronic device, connection information on the first electronic device via the first communication channel,
receiving, by the third electronic device connection information on the second electronic device via the second communication channel,
transmitting, by the third electronic device the connection information on the first electronic device to the electronic device via the second communication channel;
transmitting, by the third electronic device, the connection information on the second electronic device to the first electronic device via the first communication channel:
detecting, by the third electronic device, a first user input on a touch sensor of the first electronic device and a second user input on a touch sensor of the second electronic device;
in response that the first user input and the second user input satisfy predetermined condition, transmitting, by the third electronic device a request signal for updating connection information of an external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device to the first electronic device,
in response to receiving the request signal for updating the connection information of the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device, determining, by the first electronic device, whether the connection information of the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device is different from the connection information of the second electronic device, and
updating, by the first electronic device, the connection information of external electronic device to be paired with the electronic device to the connection information of the first external electronic device based on the determination that the connection information of the external electronic device stored in the memory is different from the connection information of the first external electronic device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
establishing, by the first electronic device, a communication connection with the second electronic device based on the updated connection information of the external electronic device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
transmitting, by the first electronic device, state information of the first electronic device to the third electronic device via the first communication channel.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the first communication channel is implemented via power line communication (PLC), generated based on the electrical connection between the first electronic device and the third electronic device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
executing, by the first electronic device, an update of the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device according to detecting whether a preset condition is satisfied.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising:
searching, by the first electronic device, a memory of the first electronic device for stored connection information of a power-supplying external device; and
based on detecting the stored connection information of the power-supplying external device is not stored in the memory, updating, by the first electronic device, the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device using the connection information on the second electronic device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
detecting, by the first electronic device, whether the connection information of the power-supplying external device is different from connection information of the third electronic device, and
based on detecting a difference, maintaining the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device without updating the connection information on the external electronic device to be paired with the first electronic device to the connection information on the second electronic device.