US 11,812,247 B2
System to move sound into and out of a listener's head using a virtual acoustic system
Martin E. Johnson, Los Gatos, CA (US); Afrooz Family, Los Angeles, CA (US); Darius A. Satongar, Staffordshire (GB); Jonathan D. Sheaffer, San Jose, CA (US); Lance F. Reichert, Oakland, CA (US); and Peter V. Jupin, Copenhagen (DK)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/695,238.
Application 17/695,238 is a division of application No. 17/107,613, filed on Nov. 30, 2020, granted, now 11,284,195.
Application 17/107,613 is a division of application No. 16/113,399, filed on Aug. 27, 2018, granted, now 10,880,649, issued on Dec. 29, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/566,087, filed on Sep. 29, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0210562 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04S 7/00 (2006.01); H04R 5/04 (2006.01); H04R 5/033 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 5/04 (2013.01) [H04R 5/033 (2013.01); H04R 2420/01 (2013.01); H04S 7/30 (2013.01); H04S 2400/11 (2013.01); H04S 2420/01 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for rendering a sound program for headphones, the method comprising:
determining a location for placing the sound program as being between a first ear piece and a second ear piece of the headphones;
in accordance with the determination that the location is between the first ear piece and the second ear piece:
filtering the sound program to produce a low-frequency portion and a high-frequency portion,
panning the high-frequency portion according to the location to produce a first panned high-frequency portion and a second panned high-frequency portion,
combining the low-frequency portion and the first panned high-frequency portion to produce a first in-head signal, and
combining the low-frequency portion and the second panned high-frequency portion to produce a second in-head signal;
driving the first ear piece with the first in-head signal; and
driving the second ear piece with the second in-head signal.