post Tuesday October 9, 2012
The US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple’s patent application that was originally filed in March 2011 for detachable wireless listening devices. This “hybrid wireless headphone”, as the public calls it, is designed to free listeners from the inconvenience of wires by using wireless transmission technology, such as Bluetooth.
The device is designed for users participating in physical activities. “The cord is susceptible to becoming entangled while the end user is participating in physical activity. This is particularly nettlesome since the cord connected to the personal media player used while exercising or worn on the body requires frequent adjustment to avoid entanglement which can prove distracting or in some cases present a hazard to the end user” states the filing.
To address the issue, the device comprises two parts: a corded portion in communication with a host device arranged to provide audio signal and a listening device with detachable connector that could either be connected to the corded portion to receive audio signal or to be detached from the corded portion to receive wireless signal. The detachable connector could be in forms of clip, magnets or others materials. The listening device could be charged directly while it is connected to the part of the cord that is attached to the hosting device. Upon being disconnected, the charging process pauses and the wireless signal transmission activates.
Seven years ago Bluetooth was not able to realize high quality sound reproduction, the more advanced Bluetooth 4.0 today opens up the future for the hybrid wireless headphones.
Source: California Patent Attorney, US Patent and Trademark Office, Tech Crunch, Apple Insider
Image Source: Free Digital Photos
