Headphone accessory
AssigneeHarman International Industries, Incorporated
InventorsMichael W. Silber, Christopher M. Dragon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A headphone accessory for use with a portable audio device and headphones. The headphone accessory includes an audio source input for receiving audio signals from an audio device. An audio sound transducer receives external sounds and converts the external sound to external sound signals. A signal mixer for continuously varies the balance of a source audio volume to an external sound volume. The signal mixer mixes the volume-adjusted source audio signals with volume-adjusted external sound signals. An audio output outputs the mixed source audio and external sound signals.
Claims20
A headphone accessory comprising:
- an audio source input for receiving audio signals from an audio device;
- an audio sound transducer for receiving external sounds and converting the external sound to external sound signals;
- a signal mixer for varying the balance of a source audio volume to an external sound volume by increasing one of the source audio volume and the external sound volume while decreasing the other of the source audio volume and the external sound volume in response to a user control, and for mixing volume-adjusted source audio signals with volume-adjusted external sound signals;
- and
- an audio output for outputting the mixed source audio and external sound signals.
A portable audio device comprising:
- a player unit having an audio output;
- a headphone accessory having:
- an audio source input for receiving audio signals from the player unit;
- an audio sound transducer for receiving external sounds and converting the external sound to external sound signals;
- a signal mixer for varying the balance of a source audio volume to an external sound volume by increasing one of the source audio volume and the external sound volume while decreasing the other of the source audio volume and the external sound volume in response to a user control, and for mixing volume-adjusted source audio signals with volume-adjusted external sound signals;
- and
- an audio output for outputting the mixed source audio and external sound signals;
- and
- headphones connected to the audio output.
A portable audio device comprising:
- a headphone accessory having:
- an audio source input for receiving audio signals from a player unit;
- an audio sound transducer for receiving external sounds and converting the external sound to external sound signals;
- a signal mixer for varying the balance of a source audio volume to an external sound volume by increasing one of the source audio volume and the external sound volume while decreasing the other of the source audio volume and the external sound volume in response to a user control, and for mixing volume-adjusted source audio signals with volume-adjusted external sound signals;
- and
- an audio output for outputting the mixed source audio and external sound signals;
- and
- at least one headphone for connecting to the audio output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.