Patent Publication Number: US-2016224309-A1

Title: Portable audio adapter with bulit-in flash memory

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to audio adapter devices and, more specifically, to a portable audio adapter device with built-in flash memory for storing user settings or preferences. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     Loudspeakers have been widely used to enhance users&#39; audio experience. Traditionally, a loudspeaker arrangement, e.g., for a home theater, includes an audio receiver/amplifier that is connected to an audio source (for example, a radio or a television), and a set of loudspeakers. The audio receiver/amplifier generally has a user interface to allow a user to adjust sound profiles, such as volume, bass and other sound amplifications. The audio receiver/amplifier&#39;s user interface can be rotating dials or sliding bars. 
     Based on the user&#39;s selected settings, the audio receiver/amplifier then adjusts the audio signals and/or loudspeaker settings in an attempt to provide particular sound settings or profiles for the user. However, any user&#39;s selected setting is accessible only locally at that particular audio receiver/amplifier. 
     Similarly, with the development and adoption of digital audio, more audio sources, e.g., music players, televisions and computers, now include digital sound cards to provide digital audio themselves without an audio receiver/amplifier. For example, a computer can be preinstalled with a sound card and corresponding sound editor software. Therefore, through the computer user interface, e.g., a keyboard and a mouse, a computer user can select particular sound settings after running the sound editor software on the computer. Similar to the conventional audio receiver/amplifier, any user&#39;s selected setting is accessible only locally at that particular computer. 
     Therefore, what is needed is a device that can enable a user&#39;s audio preference to be portable. In particular, when using a headphone, which is a pair of small loudspeakers that are designed to be portable, the need to enable a user&#39;s audio preference to be portable is especially important. Currently, even though a user can use the headphone with different audio sources, the user needs to first download the sound editor software onto each audio sources and input or set up his/her sound settings through each audio source&#39;s interface to enjoy his/her preferred sound profile via the headphone from that particular audio source. Also needed is a portable audio adapter device that is compact and have few or no moving parts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the invention are directed to a portable audio adapter device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. 
     An object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a portable audio adapter device that includes a built-in flash memory for storing user settings or preferences. 
     Another object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a portable audio adapter device that automatically downloads any headphone driver software and preloads user settings or preferences. 
     Another object of embodiments of the invention is to provide an audio adapter device that enables user headphone settings or preferences to be portable. 
     Another object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a compact audio adapter device that enables user headphone settings or preferences to be portable. 
     Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of embodiments of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the embodiments of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
     To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of embodiments of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, a device includes a built-in flash memory, an audio port, a main body, the main body including the flash memory and the audio port, a cable, the cable attached to the main body, and a USB-compliant connector, the connector attached to an end of the cable and providing connection to an audio source, wherein the built-in flash memory has a memory capacity to store user audio preference settings, and the audio port provides connection to a headphone or a loudspeaker. 
     In another aspect, a portable device includes a flash memory, a first audio port, a second audio port, a main body, the main body including the flash memory, the first audio port and a second audio port, a cable, the cable attached to the main body, and a USB-compliant connector, the connector attached to an end of the cable and providing connection to an audio source, wherein the built-in flash memory has a memory capacity to store user audio preference settings, and at least one of the first and second audio ports. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of embodiments of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 1A  is an illustration of an on-ear/over-ear headphone according to the related art. 
         FIG. 1B  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of setting up a headphone according to the related art. 
         FIG. 2A  is an illustration of a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is an illustration of an audio portion of a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2C  is an illustration of components of a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of setting up a portable audio adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of contents held in a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now he made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1A  is an illustration of an on-ear/over-ear headphone with microphone according to the related art. As illustrated in  FIG. 1A , a headphone  10  includes a pair of ear-cups  12 , a headband  14 , microphone elements  16  and cable. The ear-cups  12  are connected at two ends of the headband  14 . The headband  14  is intended to be over a user&#39;s head during use, while the ear-cups  12  are intended to be on or over the user&#39;s ears. In addition, the microphone elements  16  are mounted on one or both of the ear-cups  12  to provide microphone features. To use, the headphone  10  is connected to an audio source  20  via the cable. In particular, the cable includes one or more jacks  18 , which are to be plugged into ports on the audio source  20 . For example, one of the jacks  18  is plugged into an audio output port on the audio source  20  for receiving audio signals from the audio source  20  to the ear-cups  12 . Another of the jacks  18  is plugged into an audio input port on the audio source  20  for transmitting audio signals from the ear-cups  12  to the audio source  20 . 
       FIG. 1B  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of setting up a headphone according to the related art. As illustrated in  FIG. 113 , to enable a user to adjust sound profile when using a computer, the user needs to install a sound editor software on a computer as illustrated at step  30 . Subsequently, the user connects a headphone to the computer at step  32 . At step  34 , the user launches the sound editor software that was previously installed at step  30  on the computer. Then, through the computer&#39;s user interface, such as a mouse pointer, the user can adjust sound profile/attributes using the sound editor software. 
       FIG. 2A  is an illustration of a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 2A , a portable audio adapter device  100  can operate with a headphone or a loudspeaker. The portable audio adapter device  100  includes a main body  110 , a cable  112  and a connector  114 . The main body  110  includes at least one audio port  116  for receiving an audio connector from a headphone, a loudspeaker or a sound bar. 
     The cable  112  is attached to the main body  110 . For example, the cable  112  may be attached to the main body  110  on a side or at a portion of the main body  110  opposite or different from the audio port  116 . The connector  114  is at an end of the cable  112 . The connector  114  provides a connection to an audio source. In particular, the connector  114  may be a connector in compliance with a USB Specification. Alternatively, the connector  114  may be a connector in compliance with High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). For example, the connector  114  can support connection with a digital audio source, such as a computer, a game console or digital television. 
     In addition to the audio port  116 , the main body  110  may further include additional ports  118   a  and  118   b.  The ports  118   a  and  118   b  may include an alternative or secondary audio port or a USB port. The additional ports  118   a  and  118   b  provides expansions from or additional access to the audio adapter device  100 . Alternatively or in addition, the additional ports  118   a  and  118  provides additional access to the audio source and/or the headphone/loudspeaker/sound bar that is connected to the audio adapter device  110 . 
     The main body  110  preferably is small, compact and lightweight. For example, the main body  110  may have a size similar to a USB flash drive. The main body  110  preferably may weight about 9.0 gram or 0.02 pound, and the dimensions of the main body  110  preferably may be about 50 mm×20 mm×8 mm. Alternatively, the main body  110  may weight up to 227 gram or 0.50 pound. The dimensions of the main body  110  may be 50˜130 mm in length, 20˜82 mm in width, and 8˜52 mm in height. 
     Further, the main body  110  preferably includes no moving parts. For example, the portable audio adapter device  100  preferably is a small dongle or a dongle-like device that can be readily transported. 
       FIG. 2B  is an illustration of an audio portion of a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 2B , when using with a headphone, the audio port  116  can support, for example, a stereo jack plug (in styles: tip ring (TR), tip ring sleeve (IRS), tip ring ring sleeve (TRRS), a mini stereo jack plug, 3.5 mm audio jack, 3.5 mm smart device jack, or another version), a XLR connector, a MIDI connector, a USB connector, or stereo RCA plugs. 
       FIG. 2C  is an illustration of components of a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the main body  110  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) is built-in with various components. The main body  110  includes an audio amplifier  120 , a sound processor  122 , and a memory  124 . The sound processor  122  can manage the audio amplifier  120 , and may be a virtual surround sound processor. In particular, together with the audio amplifier  120 , the sound processor  122  provides additional or alternative sound amplification to the audio source or the headphone/loudspeaker/sound bar. 
     The memory  124  has sufficient memory capacity to store a sound editor software and user preferences, and may be a flash NAND memory. Thus, during operation, the sound processor  122  or another built-in processor can launch the sound editor software stored in the memory  124 . 
     In addition, the main body  110  may include a digital-analog converter  126  to support an analog signal. Thus, during operation, the sound processor  122  or another built-in processor can convert analog signals to digital signals and/or digital signals to analog signal using the digital-analog converter  126 . 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of setting up a portable audio adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a portable audio adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention operates as a flash memory dongle. At step  310 , the flash memory dongle is to be connected between a headphone to a computer. At step  320 , the content stored in the flash memory in the flash memory dongle can be automatically launched or manually launched onto the computer. The content may include sound editor software, user audio preferences, user songs, or user save game. Then, at step  330 , the user is able to access his game, game plays, or music on that computer. Similarly, the user is able to enjoy audio at his preferred sound attributes on that computer view the connected headphone. Therefore, the steps of downloading or installing sound editor software, for example, from a CD, are skipped. Although not shown, instead of a headphone, the flash memory dongle can be used with or connected to a loudspeaker or a sound bar. 
       FIG. 4  is an illustration of contents held in a portable audio adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the memory  124  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) stores various content and has sufficient memory capacity to store installation file(s). In particular, for enabling game plays to a user, the memory  124  stores game installation file(s). In addition or alternatively, the memory  124  stores user interface installation files(s). For example, a user may prefer specialty gaming interfaces or peripheral devices that require installations. The installation file(s) for the user interface or the peripheral device can be stored in the memory  124 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the memory  124  also stores preferred headphone settings. Although not shown, instead of a headphone setting, the memory  124  can store preferred settings for a loudspeaker or a sound bar. In addition, due to the substantial storage capacity in the memory  124 , the memory  124  stores and supports a set of preferred user audio preferences for connecting with more than one audio sources. For example, the portable audio adapter can detect and/or determine the type of audio source it is connected to and adjust the audio settings stored in the memory  124  according to the detected audio source type, in order to achieve the same set of preferred user audio preferences even after the adapter is disconnected from a first audio source and is reconnected to a second or different audio source. Alternatively, the memory  124  stores and support different sets of preferred user audio preferences for connecting to different audio sources, respectively. Further, the memory  124  stores and support different sets of preferred user audio preferences for different users. 
     In addition with gaming, game saves and/or game preference data can be saved and stored in the memory  124 . In addition, movie files and music files can be stored in the memory  124 . 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the audio adapter device of embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that embodiments of the invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.