IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,350,200
Granted Patent B2
US 11,350,200 · App. 17/079,922 · Granted May 31, 2022

Wireless audio source switching

Inventors: Jack T. Ha (San Ramon, CA); Adam Scott Koniak (Redwood City, CA); Gareth James Selfe (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
H04R1/1041G06F3/165H04M1/6066H04M1/72412H04R3/12H04R5/033H04R5/04H04W4/80H04W76/10H04W84/20H04R25/554H04R2225/55H04R2420/03H04R2420/05H04R2420/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,350,200
App. No.
17/079,922
Granted
May 31, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for wireless audio source switching. One of the methods includes receiving user input selecting a user interface control corresponding to one of a plurality of paired audio source devices with a wireless audio sink device that is a slave device of a first master/slave connection with a first paired audio source device of the plurality of paired audio source devices. The wireless audio sink device initiates a request to become a master device of a second master/slave connection with a second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control. The wireless audio sink device sends to the second paired audio source device a request to become a slave device of the second master/slave connection. The wireless audio sink device receives audio input from the second paired audio source device and outputs the received audio input.

Claims (49)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless audio sink device, user input selecting a user interface control of the wireless audio sink device, the user interface control corresponding to one of a plurality of paired audio source devices, wherein the wireless audio sink device is a slave device of a first master/slave connection with a first paired audio source device of the plurality of paired audio source devices;

identifying, by the wireless audio sink device, a second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control;

initiating, by the wireless audio sink device, a request to switch to being a master device to begin receiving audio input from the second paired audio source device having second master/slave connection with the second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control;

determining, by the wireless audio sink device, that the second master/slave connection has been established with the second paired audio source device;

in response to the determining, sending, by the wireless audio sink device to the second paired audio source device, a request to become a slave device of the second master/slave connection; and

receiving, by the wireless audio sink device, audio input from the second paired audio source device and outputting the received audio input.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless audio sink device receives the audio input from the second paired audio source device without receiving any further user input after receiving the user input selecting the user interface control.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless audio sink device receives the audio input from the second paired audio source device without any of the plurality of paired audio source devices receiving any user input after the wireless audio sink device receives the audio input from the second paired audio source device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control comprises:

identifying a user interface control index corresponding to the user interface control;

identifying a wireless protocol address associated with the user interface control index;

searching a trusted device table for an entry having the wireless protocol address; and

identifying a trusted device index corresponding to the second paired audio source device; and

using the trusted device index to initiate the request to become a master device of a second master/slave connection with the second paired audio source device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a separate switching device table that associates user interface control indexes with wireless protocol addresses.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising storing, in a persistent data store integrated with the wireless audio sink device, the switching device table that associates user interface control indexes with wireless protocol addresses.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface control is a physical button of a plurality of physical buttons of the wireless audio sink device, each button of the plurality of physical buttons being assigned to a respective paired audio source devices of the plurality of paired audio source devices.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface control is a physical user interface of the wireless audio sink device that cycles through the plurality of paired audio source devices in response to subsequent user inputs.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the wireless audio sink device, that a connection with an audio source device has been lost; and

switching, by the wireless audio sink device, to another paired audio source if and only if further user input selecting a different audio source device is received.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining, by the wireless audio sink device, that the audio source device is available again; and

in response, automatically reestablishing a connection with the audio source device.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying, by the wireless audio sink device, a particular activity identifier of the second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control; and

providing, to the second paired audio source device, the particular activity identifier, and

wherein receiving, by the wireless audio sink device, the audio input from the second paired audio source device comprises receiving audio input corresponding to the particular activity identifier.

12. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that are operable, when executed by a data processing apparatus, to cause the data processing apparatus to perform the method of claim 1 .

13. A wireless audio sink device comprising one or more processors and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving user input selecting a user interface control of the wireless audio sink device, the user interface control corresponding to one of a plurality of paired audio source devices, wherein the wireless audio sink device is a slave device of a first master/slave connection with a first paired audio source device of the plurality of paired audio source devices;

identifying a second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control;

initiating a request to switch to being a master device to begin receiving audio input from the second paired audio source device having a second master/slave connection with the second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control;

determining that the second master/slave connection has been established with the second paired audio source device;

in response to the determining, sending, to the second paired audio source device, a request to become a slave device of the second master/slave connection; and

receiving audio input from the second paired audio source device and outputting the received audio input.

14. The wireless audio sink device of claim 13 , wherein the wireless audio sink device is configured to receive the audio input from the second paired audio source device without receiving any further user input after receiving the user input selecting the user interface control.

15. The wireless audio sink device of claim 13 , wherein the wireless audio sink device is configured to receive the audio input from the second paired audio source device without any of the plurality of paired audio source devices receiving any user input after the wireless audio sink device receives the audio input from the second paired audio source device.

16. The wireless audio sink device of claim 13 , wherein identifying the second paired audio source device corresponding to the selected user interface control comprises:

identifying a user interface control index corresponding to the user interface control;

identifying a wireless protocol address associated with the user interface control index;

searching a trusted device table for an entry having the wireless protocol address; and

identifying a trusted device index corresponding to the second paired audio source device; and

using the trusted device index to initiate the request to become a master device of a second master/slave connection with the second paired audio source device.

17. The wireless audio sink device of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise maintaining a separate switching device table that associates user interface control indexes with wireless protocol addresses.

18. The wireless audio sink device of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise storing, in a persistent data store integrated with the wireless audio sink device, the switching device table that associates user interface control indexes with wireless protocol addresses.

19. The wireless audio sink device of claim 18 , wherein the user interface control is a physical button of a plurality of physical buttons of the wireless audio sink device, each button of the plurality of physical buttons being assigned to a respective paired audio source devices of the plurality of paired audio source devices.

20. The wireless audio sink device of claim 13 , wherein the user interface control is a physical user interface of the wireless audio sink device that cycles through the plurality of paired audio source devices in response to subsequent user inputs.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2020
From: HA, JACK T.; KONIAK, ADAM SCOTT; SELFE, GARETH JAMES
To: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 054215/0014 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 16176287 · Jun 24, 2016 · regional
Continuity (3)
Division 16311650
Provisional Application 62354649 · Jun 24, 2016
Related Publication 20210044887A1 · Feb 11, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,743,246