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U.S. Patent: 9,037,088


Patent Title

Smart phone that includes a wireless communication unit compatible with at least one protocol within bluetooth and/or IEEE802.11 standards for wireless transmission of audio digital content from the smart phone to a wireless audio output device for voice output or music playing

Meta Information

Issued Date: May 19, 2015
Inventor: William Ho Chang et al
External Links: UPSTO, Google Patents

Technical Fields

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Abstract

Smart phones are herein disclosed and enabled. The smart phones include a graphical user interface, a touch sensitive screen, a digital camera, and a wireless communication unit compatible with Bluetooth.RTM. and/or IEEE 802.11 standards. The user may install additional applications to the smart phones. In one example, the smart phones may connect wirelessly to a Bluetooth.RTM. wireless audio output device. To setup a wireless Bluetooth.RTM. connection, the smart phone may provide an interface over the touch sensitive screen, wirelessly discover one or more wireless devices for user selection, and lock a wireless communication link between the smart phone and the selected wireless audio output device. A password or code may be required for establishing connection. Thereafter, a security key or identity of the wireless audio output device may be stored in the smart phones to facilitate future connections. The smart phones may also support direct wireless communication based on IEEE 802.11 standards.

U.S. Patent Number: 9,037,088

Sample Claim

1. A method for wireless transmission of audio digital content from a smart phone to a wireless audio output device over wireless communication, said smart phone being a mobile and wireless information apparatus with access to at least part of the audio digital content, the smart phone including:

a digital camera,

a touch sensitive screen,

a graphical user interface for interacting with a user over the touch sensitive screen,

a speaker;

a processing unit,

a memory or storage unit,

operating system software to facilitate operation of client applications at the smart phone,

a document editing application,

an Internet browsing application,

a communication manager or client application for managing wireless communication at the smart phone, and

a wireless communication unit that includes a radio frequency controller for establishing wireless communication with one or more wireless devices that are distinct devices from the smart phone, the wireless communication being compatible with at least one protocol within a Bluetooth® wireless standard, or with at least one protocol within an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining, by the communication manager or client application at the smart phone, an indication from over the graphical user interface of the touch sensitive screen for initiating wireless discovery of one or more wireless devices over the wireless communication that is compatible with at least one protocol within a Bluetooth® wireless standard, or with at least one protocol within an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard;

(b) discovering, at the smart phone, over the wireless communication that is compatible with at least one protocol within a Bluetooth® wireless standard, or with at least one protocol within an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard, one or more wireless devices that has broadcasted its availability over the wireless communication for wireless device discovery;

(c) receiving, over the graphical user interface of the touch sensitive screen of the smart phone, a selected wireless audio output device from among the one or more wireless devices discovered over the wireless communication that is compatible with at least one protocol within a Bluetooth® wireless standard, or with at least one protocol within an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard, the selected wireless audio output device being a distinct device from the smart phone;

(d) locking a wireless communication link between the smart phone and the discovered and selected wireless audio output devices for transmitting at least part of the audio digital content from the smart phone to the wireless audio output device;

(e) transmitting, through the wireless communication unit of the smart phone and over the locked wireless communication link that is compatible with at least one protocol within a Bluetooth® wireless standard, or with at least one protocol within an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard, at least part of the audio digital content to the selected wireless audio output device for output;

(f) storing information associated with the discovered and selected wireless audio output device in the memory or storage unit of the smart phone,

wherein, the storing of the information associated with the discovered and selected wireless audio output device in the smart phone, enables the smart phone to skip at least part of the wireless discovery step (b) to facilitate future connections to the wireless audio output device; and

wherein, the smart phone, being a mobile and wireless information apparatus, is further configurable for installing additional applications for expanding the functionalities of the smart phone, the installing of additional applications for expanding the functionalities of the smart phone being facilitated, at least partly, by the operating system software included in the smart phone.