US 12,229,470 B2
System and method for pairing a hearing device and an appliance
Peter William Chalmers, Tustin, CA (US); Jon Gallegos, Huntington Beach, CA (US); Jeff Kohanek, Huntington Beach, CA (US); and Kenneth G. Sweeney, Oceanside, CA (US)
Assigned to Universal Electronics Inc., Santa Ana, CA (US)
Filed by Universal Electronics Inc., Santa Ana, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 14, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/019,574.
Application 17/019,574 is a continuation of application No. 15/091,714, filed on Apr. 6, 2016, granted, now 10,853,021.
Prior Publication US 2020/0409649 A1, Dec. 31, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04R 1/10 (2006.01); G06F 3/16 (2006.01); H04B 7/26 (2006.01); H04W 4/60 (2018.01)
CPC G06F 3/162 (2013.01) [G06F 3/165 (2013.01); H04B 7/26 (2013.01); H04R 1/1041 (2013.01); H04R 2227/005 (2013.01); H04R 2420/07 (2013.01); H04R 2460/07 (2013.01); H04W 4/60 (2018.02)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sink device, comprising:
a processing device;
a transceiver;
at least one speaker; and
a memory having stored instructions wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing device, cause the sink device to perform steps for pairing the sink device with a one of a first audio device having a first appliance identifying data and a second audio device having a second appliance identifying data, where each of the first audio device and the second audio device are adapted to provide audio data to the sink device via use of the transceiver and a common communications protocol for output via the at least one speaker, the steps comprising:
receiving from the first audio device the first appliance identifying data and receiving from the second audio source device the second appliance identifying data;
using the received first and second appliance identifying data to automatically associate a pairing priority level with each one of the first and second audio source devices;
storing in the memory the priority pairing level that was automatically associated with each one of the first and second audio source devices; and
in response the sink device detecting an incoming signal loss while paired to a third audio source device, automatically broadcasting a request signal, receiving from the first audio source device a first response signal having the first appliance identifying data and receiving from the second audio source device a second response signal having the second appliance identifying data, using the first and second appliance identifying data in the first and second response signals to read from the memory the priority pairing level that was previously, automatically associated with each of the first and second audio source devices, using at least the pairing priority level that was previously, automatically associated with each of the first and second audio source devices as read from memory to select the one of the first and second audio source devices for pairing, and automatically pairing with the selected one of the first and second audio source devices whereupon the transceiver will have a communicative data connection for receiving audio data only from the selected one of the first and second audio source devices.