Un-tethered wireless audio system
A wireless speaker audio system configured to receive audio information wirelessly transmitted by an audio source including first and second wireless transceivers. The first wireless transceiver establishes a bidirectional secondary wireless link with the audio source for receiving and acknowledging receipt of the audio information. The first and second wireless transceivers communicate with each other via a primary wireless link. A wireless audio system including an audio source and first and second wireless transceivers. The first and second wireless transceivers communicate via a primary wireless link. The audio source communicates audio information to the first wireless transceiver via a secondary wireless link which is configured according to a standard wireless protocol. The first wireless transceiver is configured to acknowledge successful reception of audio information via the secondary wireless link. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
1. A first wireless audio output device configured to:
establish a first communication link with an audio source device;
establish a second communication link with a second wireless audio output device; and
send one or more communication parameters to the second wireless audio output device via the second communication link, the one or more communication parameters associated with a transmission by the audio source device;
receive an audio packet from the audio source device via the first communication link;
determine, after a predetermined amount of time from receipt of the audio packet, that a first acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet has not been received from the second wireless audio output device; and
in response to determining that the first acknowledgment has not been received, omit sending a second acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet to the source device.
2. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , further configured to:
receive, from the second wireless audio output device via the second communication link, a first acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet; and
send, to the audio source device via the first communication link, a second acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet.
3. The first wireless audio output device of claim 2 , wherein the audio packet is a retransmission of a previously transmitted audio packet.
4. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , further configured to:
in response to not receiving the first acknowledgment, send, to the source device via the first communication link, a negative acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet.
5. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , further configured to:
in response to not receiving the first acknowledgment, send, to the second wireless audio output device via the second communication link, at least a portion of the audio packet.
6. The first wireless audio output device of claim 5 , further configured to:
receive, from the second wireless audio output device via the second communication link, the first acknowledgment corresponding to the at least a portion of the audio packet; and
send, to the source device via the first communication link, a second acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet.
7. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the first communication link is a Bluetooth communication link.
8. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the second communication link is a Bluetooth communication link.
9. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the second communication link comprises a Bluetooth communication link and a proprietary communication link.
10. The first wireless audio output device of claim 9 , wherein the proprietary communication link is a one-way link from the second wireless audio output device to the first wireless audio output device.
11. The first wireless audio output device of claim 9 , wherein the proprietary communication link is a two-way link between the second wireless audio output device and the first wireless audio output device.
12. The first wireless audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless audio output device and the second wireless audio output device comprise wireless headphones, wireless earphones, wireless speakers, or wireless ear buds.
13. A first wireless audio output device configured to:
establish a first communication link with a source device;
establish a second communication link with a second wireless audio output device;
receive a first audio packet from the source device via the first communication link; and
send, to the second wireless audio output device via the second communication link, a second audio packet;
determine, after a predetermined amount of time from receipt of the audio packet, that a first acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet has not been received from the second wireless audio output device; and
in response to determining that the first acknowledgment has not been received, omit sending a second acknowledgment corresponding to the audio packet to the source device.
14. The first wireless audio output device of claim 13 , wherein the second audio packet comprises the first audio packet.
15. The first wireless audio output device of claim 13 , wherein the second audio packet comprises at least a portion of audio data from the first audio packet.
16. The first wireless audio output device of claim 13 , further configured to:
receive, from the second wireless audio output device via the second communication link, a first acknowledgment corresponding to the second audio packet; and
in response to receiving the first acknowledgment, send, to the source device via the first communication link, a second acknowledgment corresponding to the first audio packet.
17. The first wireless audio output device of claim 13 , wherein the first wireless audio output device and the second wireless audio output device comprise wireless headphones, wireless earphones, wireless speakers, or wireless ear buds.