Plantronics, Inc.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

ShouBo Feng

Thomas G Criswell

Hua Zhao

John S Graham

Eric Kiner

Haidong Wang

Mingqi Wu

A first earbud configured to communicate with a user media device and a second earbud. The first earbud includes a battery, a battery monitor configured to determine a power level of the battery, a mode controller. The mode controller is configured to receive a first power level value from the battery monitor and a second power level value from the second earbud and make a determination that the first earbud is operating in a primary mode in which the first earbud receives audio data from the user media device and transmits the received audio data to the second earbud. The mode controller is further configured, in response to the determination that the first earbud is operating in the primary mode, switch the first earbud from the primary mode to a secondary mode based on at least one of the first power level and the second power level.

System for power consumption balancing in wireless earbuds

A male plug for coupling with a female jack is arranged to prevent short circuiting during the insertion and removal process. The female jack includes first, second, third, and fourth contact terminals. The first and second contact terminals are separated by a first-to-second jack terminal separation distance, and the second and third contact terminals are separated by a second-to-third jack terminal separation distance. The male plug includes a first ring contact segment arranged to contact the third contact terminal of the female jack. The first ring contact segment has a length less than the first-to-second jack terminal separation distance and the second-to-third jack terminal separation distance. The male plug includes a second ring contact segment arranged to contact the second contact terminal of the female jack. The second ring contact segment has a length less than the first-to-second jack terminal separation distance and the second-to-third jack terminal separation distance.

Plug and multi-mode charging and audio cable

A headset with a proximity control is provided. The headset comprises at least a first earpiece, a second earpiece, and a control device. To reduce the power consumption of the headset, the control device is configured to determine proximity between the first earpiece and the second earpiece, and, depending on the determined proximity, to set the headset to a low-power mode, in which at least one component of the headset is disabled to save power.

Headset with proximity user interface

Growing community of inventors

Suzhou, China

ShouBo Feng