Patent ID: 7930047

Claim:
A system comprising: (A) a sound reproduction device comprising: a housing; one or more speakers located at least partially within the housing; an amplifier located within the housing for powering the one or more speakers; control circuitry located within the housing; and an interface located at least partially within the housing that is configured to provide a physical and electrical connection exclusively between the sound reproduction device and a separate audio source device having stored digital music files, wherein the connection includes: (i) an audio signal path configured to receive, from the audio source device, audio information from which audible sound corresponding to the digital music files produced by the sound reproduction device, and (ii) a control signal path configured to transmit control commands to the audio source device, wherein the control signal path is separate from the audio signal path; and (B) a remote control device configured to transmit at least a first type of control command and a second type of control command to the sound reproduction device, wherein the first type of control command controls a user function of the sound reproduction device and the second type of control command is configured to control a user function of the audio source device; wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive a control command from the remote control and, in response to receiving such a command: (i) controls a user function of the sound reproduction device when a control command of the first type is received, and (ii) transmits to the audio source device via the control signal path a command for controlling a user function of the audio source device when a control command of the second type is received.