Patent ID: 8238590

Claim:
An apparatus structured to be worn on the head of a user to audibly output a sequence of pieces of audio conveyed to the apparatus by a remote audio source, the apparatus comprising: a first acoustic driver; a first ear coupling structured to be positioned in close proximity to a first ear of the user to position the first acoustic driver to audibly output a first portion of a single piece of audio of the sequence of pieces of audio to the first ear; a first sensor positioned relative to the first ear coupling to detect whether or not the first ear coupling is positioned in close proximity to the first ear; and a circuit coupled to the first sensor to monitor the first sensor, and structured to: in response to receiving from at least the first sensor an indication of at least the first ear coupling not being positioned in close proximity to the first ear, signal the audio source with a first command to cease playing the single piece of audio in a manner that enables playing of the single piece of audio to be resumed at a point at which the single piece of audio ceases to be played by the audio source in response to being signaled with the first command; in response to receiving from at least the first sensor an indication of at least the first ear coupling again being positioned in close proximity to the first ear within a first predetermined period of time after receiving the indication of at least the first ear coupling not being positioned in close proximity to the first ear, signal the audio source with a second command to resume playing the single piece of audio starting at the point at which the single piece of audio ceased to be played by the audio source in response to being signaled with the first command; and in response to not receiving from at least the first sensor an indication of at least the first ear coupling again being positioned in close proximity to the first ear within the first predetermined period of time, signal the audio source with a third command to prepare to resume playing the single piece of audio starting at the beginning of the single piece of audio.