US 2018/0324536 A1Published application

Multiple Room Communication System and Method

AssigneeBose Corporation

InventorsDon L. Drinkwater, Naganagouda B. Patil

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Abstract

A method for operating a wireless audio playback device that has an electro-acoustic transducer and a microphone, wherein the wireless audio playback device is configured for playback of audio signals received from a plurality of digital audio sources and for synchronized audio playback with one or more other wireless audio playback devices. A particular predefined user action is detected. Based on the detection, wireless communication with another wireless audio playback device is enabled. Then an audio signal received by the device microphone is transmitted to and played by the other wireless audio playback device.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A wireless audio playback device that is configured for playback of audio signals received from a plurality of digital audio sources and for synchronized audio playback with at least one other wireless audio playback device, comprising:

an electro-acoustic transducer;
a first microphone that is configured to detect speech;
a wireless network interface that is configured to accomplish wireless communication with at least one other wireless audio playback device, to support the synchronized audio playback;
a user interface comprising a user-operable button;
and
a processor that is configured to execute instructions that cause the wireless audio playback device to:
playback received audio signals;
select another wireless audio playback device to communicate with;
detect a single operation of the button and in response automatically connect with a particular audio source, such that the particular audio source begins playing on the electro-acoustic transducer;
while the wireless audio playback device is playing the particular audio source, detect a double operation of the button, and in response stop playing the particular audio source and establish a wireless local area network communication channel with the selected wireless audio playback device;
after establishing a wireless local area network communication channel with the selected wireless audio playback device, wirelessly transmit to the selected wireless audio playback device, over the wireless local area network communication channel, speech detected by the first microphone, where the selected wireless audio playback device has a second microphone that is configured to detect speech;
and then
receive from the selected wireless audio playback device over the wireless local area network communication channel speech that was detected by the second microphone;
and then
play the received speech using the electro-acoustic transducer.

12 more elements

A method that uses first and second wireless audio playback devices that are each configured for playback of audio signals received from a plurality of digital audio sources and for synchronized audio playback with one or more other wireless audio playback devices, where each of the first and second wireless audio playback devices comprises an electro-acoustic transducer, a user interface comprising a user-operable button, a microphone that is configured to detect speech, and a wireless network interface that provides for wireless communication with another wireless audio playback device, the method comprising:

detecting a single operation of the button of the first wireless audio playback device and in response automatically connecting the first wireless audio playback device with a particular audio source, such that the particular audio source begins playing on the electro-acoustic transducer of the first wireless audio playback device;
while the first wireless audio playback device is playing the particular audio source, detecting a double operation of the button of the first wireless audio playback device, and in response stopping the play of the particular audio source and establishing a wireless local area network communication channel with the second wireless audio playback device;
after establishing a wireless local area network communication channel with the second wireless audio playback device, wirelessly transmitting to the second wireless audio playback device, over the wireless local area network communication channel, speech detected by the microphone of the first wireless audio playback device;
and then
receiving at the first wireless audio playback device from the second wireless audio playback device over the wireless local area network communication channel, speech that was detected by the microphone of the second wireless audio playback device;
and then
playing the received speech using the electro-acoustic transducer of the first wireless audio playback device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/037,276Filed 17 Jul 2018
Priority: 2 Sep 2016
Published: 8 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04R 27/00
Public address systems
G06F 3/165
Sound input; Sound output: management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
G06F 3/167
Sound input; Sound output: audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
H04R 2227/003
Details of public address [PA] systems covered by H04R27/00 but not provided for in any of its subgroups: digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or…

Family

Application15/255,472Continuation · filed 2 Sep 2016
Application16/037,276Continuation
US 10,057,698 B2Related patent
US 10,681,480 B2Related patent
US 2018/0070187 A1Published application
US 2018/0324536 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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