HK1193915A - A system for controlling one or more functions of an electronic device - Google Patents

Description

Repositionable control system and method of using the same

Technical Field

The following description relates generally to a repositionable control system and method of using the same. In particular, the specification relates to a relocatable control device for controlling functions associated with an audio listening device.

Background

Audio listening devices (e.g., headphones, headsets, etc.) are widely used in connection with the listening or playback features of many electronic devices, including, for example, portable audio devices, portable multimedia devices, mobile phones, smart phones, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), personal computers, exercise equipment including multimedia players, and any other electronic device including multimedia players. The audio listening device may be connected to the electronic device wired and/or wirelessly (e.g., bluetooth, radio frequency, WiFi, etc.). For example, a wired audio listening device may include a plug connector-equipped wire or cable configured to detachably couple to an electronic device to receive an audio playback signal. In some commercially available models, the audio listening cable may include a second plug connector for detachably coupling the audio listening cable with the audio listening device.

Many audio listening cables include a control unit attached to the cable itself. The control unit may enable a user to control one or more audio playback features including, for example, volume level, track selection, play/pause, and the like. For example, the control unit may be relocated near the middle portion of the audio listening cable, so that the user can quickly and easily access, for example, volume control without accessing the electronic device attached to the cable. This is a particularly convenient feature when the electronic device is stored in a pocket, carrying bag, or other receptacle for freeing the user's hands.

Some commercially available audio listening devices include a microphone, for example, for performing the implementation of telephone conversation and/or voice command features associated with an attached electronic device. In some devices, the microphone may be attached directly to the headphone portion of the audio listening device, for example, on an extended member that brings the microphone closer to the user's mouth. In other devices, a microphone is attached to the audio cable, e.g., at the upper portion of the cable, to optimally capture the user's voice signals. In some commercially available devices, the microphone is included in the same housing as the audio playback control unit, and the control unit may be used to control the microphone as well as the audio playback features described above.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is defined by the appended claims. This specification summarizes certain aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims.

One embodiment includes a system for controlling one or more functions of an electronic device. The system comprises: a cable configured to selectively couple to an electronic device and transmit electrical signals to and from the electronic device; at least two electrical conductors electrically coupled to the cable; and a repositionable control device selectively coupled to the at least two electrical conductors. The relocatable control device is configured to control one or more functions associated with an electronic device.

Other articles, features, and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional articles, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

Drawings

The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles described herein. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary repositionable control system, including a repositionable control device and a cable, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1B is a detailed view of a portion of the repositionable control system of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the repositionable control system of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary repositionable control system according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary relocatable control system in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary repositionable control system according to yet another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary repositionable control system according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an exemplary cable in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary cable in accordance with another embodiment;

fig. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary cable in accordance with yet another embodiment.

Illustrative and exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to and in conjunction with the following figures.

Detailed Description

The following description describes, illustrates, and exemplifies one or more specific embodiments of the present invention with reference to the principles of the present invention. This description is not provided to limit the invention to the embodiments described herein, but rather to explain and teach the principles of the invention to enable those skilled in the art to understand these principles and to be able to apply them, with understanding, not only to the embodiments described herein, but also to other embodiments as may be conceived in view of these principles. The scope of the disclosure is intended to cover all such embodiments as may come within the scope of the appended claims, including the literal and equivalent principles.

In this application, the use of "or" is intended to include "and". The reference to explicit or implicit terms is not intended to indicate a basic set. In particular, references to "the" object or "an" object are also intended to mean one of a possible plurality of such objects.

Conventional control units for audio listening devices can be cumbersome, cumbersome and/or distracting to the user, especially when exercising, or otherwise engaged in physical activity. For example, when a jogger wears headphones with the control unit attached to the headphone cable, the control unit housing and the headphone cable may bounce around with the user's motion. As a result, the attached housing may repeatedly hit or bump against, for example, a jogger's chest during activity. It will be readily appreciated that the amount of force with which the housing strikes the user depends on the degree of activity of the user wearing the headset and/or the bulkiness of the control unit.

If, for example, the microphone arrangement is included in the control unit, the housing may become more bulky in order to accommodate the microphone circuitry and related elements. And the control unit may be located higher up in the headset cord, for example closer to the user's mouth. As a result, the control unit housing containing the microphone may bounce with greater force and come closer to (perhaps even strike) the user's face, thus increasing the annoyance of the user to the control unit. Although the user is less likely to be injured by movement of the housing, given the size and weight of a typical control unit, the user may be bothered so as to select another different type of headset while exercising. For example, a user may be forced to forgo the convenience of having easy access to volume control buttons in exchange for a headphone system that does not hit the user while exercising.

As described in greater detail below, the foregoing problems may be solved and a technical advance may be achieved by a repositionable control device that may be selectively moved from a first position on a cable to a second position on the cable, where the cable is coupled to an electronic device such as, for example, an audio listening system. The second location on the cable may be specifically selected so that the relocatable control device does not restrain a user engaged in physical activity. And the cable may be designed so as to enable operative coupling with the repositionable control device in a first position, and in some embodiments, in a second position. As an example, the cables may be designed such that operative coupling is achieved at any one or more locations. Thus, a user of the repositionable control apparatus described herein may have the convenience of having easy access to the control unit without the inconvenience of being bumped by the control unit housing while engaged in exercise or other physical activity.

Fig. 1 and 2 depict an embodiment of a repositionable control system 100 for controlling one or more functions of an electronic device 105, such as a cable 110 electrically coupled to the system 100. The electronic device 105 may include mobile telephone circuitry for answering and making calls, audio sources for playing music and other electrical audio signals, and/or computing circuitry for performing these and other functions associated with the electronic device 105. The cable 110 may include a first end 112 and a second end 114. The first end 112 may include an electrical connector 116 for removably attaching the cable 110 to the electronic device 105. In one embodiment, the electrical connector 116 may be an audio plug, and the electronic device 105 may include an input aperture (not shown) sized accordingly to receive the audio plug. The electrical connector 116 may be any type of detachable audio plug including, but not limited to, a 6.35 millimeter stereo plug, a 3.5 millimeter stereo plug, a 2.5 millimeter stereo plug, a TS connector, a TRS connector, and/or a TRRS connector.

As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, cable 110 may transmit electrical audio signals and other electrical signals from electronic device 105 attached at first end 112 to audio listening device 118 attached at second end 114. The audio listening device 118 may reproduce a received electrical audio signal, such as a music signal, through the earpiece 119 to make the user enjoy listening. In certain embodiments, system 100 includes audio listening device 118 and cable 110 is a dedicated cable for audio listening device 118. For example, the second end 114 of the cable 110 may be fixedly attached to the audio listening device 118, so the cable 110 and the device 118 form a single unit.

In other embodiments, such as the embodiments shown in fig. 3-5, cable 110 may be configured as a separate or separable cable that includes an electrical connector 120 on second end 114 of cable 110 for detachable coupling to audio listening device 118 in addition to an electrical connector 116 on first end 112 for detachable coupling to electronic device 105. In one embodiment, electrical connector 120 may be an audio plug, and audio listening device 118 may include one or more input apertures (not shown) sized accordingly to receive electrical connector 120. In such embodiments, audio listening device 118 may or may not be included within system 100. For example, it may be desirable not to include the audio listening device 118, so that the system 100 may be used with a wider variety of audio listening devices 118, including any compatible devices already owned by the user.

The electrical connector 120 may be any type of detachable audio plug including, but not limited to, a 6.35 millimeter stereo plug, a 3.5 millimeter stereo plug, a 2.5 millimeter stereo plug, a TS connector, a TRS connector, and/or a TRRS connector. The electrical connector 120 may be similar to or different from the electrical connector 116 included in the first end 112 of the cable 110 for detachably coupling to the electronic device 105. In some embodiments, the second end 114 of the cable 110 may include at least two electrical connectors 120, each electrical connector 120 being connected to a respective one of the earpieces 119.

In fig. 1A, audio listening device 118 is shown for purposes of example only, and is not intended to limit system 100 in any way. For example, cable 110 may be coupled to any type of audio listening device 118, including, but not limited to, headphones, earphones, earpieces, and the like. In one embodiment, audio listening device 118 may include only one earpiece 119. In some embodiments, audio listening device 118 may include an internal audio source for playing an electrical audio signal (such as a music signal) directly through earpiece 119. In such embodiments, cable 110 may transmit, for example, other electrical audio signals from electronic device 105 to audio listening device 118, such as, for example, audio signals associated with video files, voice memos, email attachments, video games, and/or telephony audio signals when the electronic device includes telephony circuitry.

It will be appreciated that the type of audio listening device 118 to be used with the system 100 may determine how the second end 114 of the cable 110 is configured. For example, in fig. 1A, audio listening device 119 includes two earpieces 119a and 119b, and cable 110 is split into two segments 114a and 114b at a "Y" connector, with segment 114a attached to earpiece 119a and segment 114b attached to earpiece 119 b. In embodiments including a detachable cable 110, each segment 114a and 114b may include an electrical connector 120 for detachably coupling the cable 110 to an earpiece 119. In another embodiment, second end 114 of cable 110 may include a single detachable electrical connector 120, and earpieces 119 of audio listening device 118 may be electrically coupled to a single input port configured to detachably couple with electrical connector 120. As another example, for the one-earpiece audio listening device 118, the earpiece 119 may be coupled to the electronic device 105 by the single cable 110.

In addition to cable 110, system 100 may include a repositionable control device 121 that may be operatively and mechanically coupled to cable 110. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the repositionable control device 121 may include a housing 122 and buttons 124 for receiving user inputs. Although the embodiment of FIG. 1A includes three buttons 124, a repositionable control device 121 according to the present disclosure may have any number of buttons 124. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a repositionable control system 100 that includes a repositionable control device 121 having a single button 124. In some embodiments, relocatable control device 121 may also include a microphone 126 to capture voice signals, for example, as shown in FIG. 6. In such embodiments, repositionable control device 121 may be configured to enable a user to control one or more functions associated with microphone 126, audio listening device 118, and/or electronic device 105 by pressing one or more buttons 124 and/or by speaking commands into microphone 126.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, in certain embodiments, the cable 110 may include one or more electrical conductors 130 at least partially exposed on an outer surface of the cable 110. In certain embodiments, the electrical conductors 130 may be internally coupled to one or more channels 132 contained in the cable 110. For example, electrical conductors 130a and 130b may be electrically coupled to microphone channel 132a and ground channel 132b, respectively, of cable 110, as shown in fig. 2, 4, and 5.

The number of channels 132 included in the cable 110 may depend on the type of audio signal (e.g., mono or stereo) that may be played, for example, by an audio source included within the electronic device 105. It will be appreciated that the cable 110 may require more channels 132 to play the stereo signal than to play the mono signal. For example, in fig. 2, cable 110 includes three channels: a microphone channel 132a, a ground channel 132b, and a signal channel 132 c. Thus, the cable 110 of fig. 2 may be used, for example, to play a mono signal. As another example, fig. 4 depicts another embodiment of cable 110 having four channels 132: a microphone channel 132a, a ground channel 132b, a left signal channel 132d, and a right signal channel 132 e. Fig. 5 depicts another embodiment of cable 110 having five channels 132: microphone channel 132a, left ground signal channel 132b, right ground signal channel 132f, left signal channel 132d, and right signal channel 132 e. The cable 110 of fig. 4 and 5 may be used, for example, to play a mono signal or a stereo signal, since in either embodiment there are dual signal channels. It is noted that cable 110 may include any number and/or type of channels 132 and is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

As shown in fig. 7-9, the shape and size of electrical conductors 130 may vary, for example, depending on the type of cable 110 and/or depending on the mechanism used to attach repositionable control device 121 to cable 110. As an example, in fig. 7 and 8, the cable 110 is shown as a flat cable. However, the electrical conductor 130 is shown as having a square shape in fig. 7, while the electrical conductor 130 is shown as having a circular shape in fig. 8. As another example, in fig. 9, the cable 110 is shown as a round cable and the electrical conductor 130 is shown as having a rectangular shape and may at least partially wrap around the cable 110. It is noted that the electrical conductors 130 may have any size or shape suitable for the particular cable 110 and are not limited to the example described. In one embodiment, the electrical conductors 130 are exposed only at one end of the cable 110. The electrical conductors 130 may be made of copper or any other electrically conductive material.

The electrical conductors 130 may serve as an electrical interface between the cable 110 and the repositionable control device 121, for example, when the control device 121 is attached to the cable 110. In some embodiments, the housing 122 of the repositionable control device 121 may include one or more electrical contacts whose outer surfaces are exposed on a bottom surface (not shown) of the housing 122 and whose inner surfaces are electrically coupled to control circuitry (not shown) contained within the housing 122 of the control device 121. Once control device 121 is attached to cable 110, the outer surfaces of the electrical contacts of housing 122 may be substantially aligned with the surfaces exposed by electrical conductors 130, thereby creating an electrical connection or interface between the two surfaces. This interface may be used to send electrical signals between the relocatable control device 121 and, for example, the electronic device 105 using the cable 110.

The electrical conductors 130 are not limited to the above-described configuration and may be implemented in other arrangements. For example, in one embodiment, the electrical conductors 130 may be embedded in the cable 110, and one or more openings in the cable 110 may provide access to the electrical conductors 130. In accordance with this embodiment, the repositionable control device 121 may have one or more conductive pins or any other type of protrusion attached to a bottom surface of the control device 121. The pin may be sized to fit within an opening of the cable 110 so that when the pin touches the electrical conductor 130, an electrical interface may be created between the cable 110 and the repositionable control device 121.

In one embodiment, control circuitry within relocatable control device 121 may generate control signals in response to user input (e.g., user selection of button 124 and/or user command through microphone 126) and may send the control signals over cable 110 to a predetermined destination (e.g., electronic device 105, microphone 126, and/or audio listening device 118). In some embodiments, the control circuitry may include one or more electrical switches (not shown) for detecting user selection of the button 124, such as a toggle switch, a push button switch, a touch sensitive switch, or any other type of switch that may be implemented within the repositionable control device 121. In one embodiment, for each button 124, the control circuit may include an associated electrical switch. In certain embodiments, user selection of a button 124 may cause a change in electrical continuity through a corresponding electrical switch. The control circuitry may be configured to detect the accompanying voltage change and generate appropriate control signals for transmission over cable 110 to electronic device 105, audio listening device 118, and/or microphone 126. In embodiments including a microphone 126, the control circuitry may be electrically coupled to the microphone 126 within the housing 122 and may be configured to control electrical audio signals associated with the microphone 126. For example, button 124 may be configured to enable a user to control the operation of microphone 126 in association with electronic device and/or audio listening device 118.

In response to control signals received from relocatable control device 121, one or more functions associated with electronic device 105, audio listening system 118, and/or microphone 126 may be controlled, adjusted, or otherwise affected. For example, the relocatable control device 121 may be configured to be capable of controlling mute/un-mute functionality, volume control functionality, call answer/reject functionality, call hold functionality, call start/end functionality, power on/off functionality, voice command on/off functionality, track selection functionality, track search functionality, play/pause functionality, selection functionality, and any other functionality that may be associated with the system 100 and/or any component connected thereto.

In accordance with some embodiments, the current operating mode of system 100, electronic device 105, audio listening device 118, and/or microphone 126 may determine which functions are controllable by relocatable control device 121 at a given time. For example, in embodiments where the electronic device 105 includes both mobile telephone circuitry and an audio source, the possible operating modes may include an incoming call mode, an active call mode, a voice command mode, an audio playback mode, an audio selection mode, and so forth. In some embodiments, more than one mode of operation may be active simultaneously. For example, the system 100 may be in an audio playback mode while in a voice command mode.

When in the audio playback mode (e.g., when the music audio signal is playing through the audio listening device 118), in some embodiments, the electronic device 105 may determine that the button 124 controls a pre-assigned audio playback function, such as, for example, a play/pause function, a volume control function, and/or a track selection function. In other embodiments, the button 124 may be configured to control voice command on/off functions during audio playback mode in addition to or in lieu of audio playback functions. It is noted that the number of buttons included in the relocatable control device 121 may determine the number of functions controlled thereby. For example, according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1A, during audio playback mode, buttons 124a and 124c may be used to control volume control functions (e.g., for increasing volume and decreasing volume, respectively), while key 124b may control play/pause functions. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, where the repositionable control device 121 includes a single button 124, the button 124 may be used to control only the play/pause function during the audio playback mode. It is noted that button 124 may be used to control any of a number of functions, including but not limited to any of those described herein or known in the art.

While in the incoming call mode (e.g., upon detecting an incoming call), in some embodiments, the electronic device 105 can determine that the button 124 controls, for example, a call answer/reject function and/or a voice command function. For example, in one embodiment, during the incoming call mode, a user selection of the button 124 and/or a voice command to "answer" may generate a "call answer" command, which may be sent to the electronic device 105. Upon receiving the call answer command, the electronic device 105 may switch the audio signal being played, e.g., through the audio listening device 118, from a music audio signal to a telephone audio signal, thereby entering an active call mode. In one embodiment, during the active talk mode, the electronic device 105 may determine that the button 124 controls a pre-assigned phone talk function, such as, for example, a mute/un-mute function or an end-of-call function. Upon detecting the end of the telephone call, the electronic device may automatically continue to play the audio signal through the audio listening device 118.

To enhance the control options for repositionable control device 121 (whether it be a three-button control device as shown in fig. 1A and 2, a single-button control device as shown in fig. 6, or other configuration or other number of buttons), in some embodiments, system 100, electronic device 105, audio listening device 118, and/or microphone 126 may be configured to detect different types and/or combinations of button presses on buttons 124 and control different functions of electronic device 105, microphone 126, and/or audio listening device 118 accordingly. As one example, the different types of button presses may include, but are not limited to, standard button presses, short button presses, long button presses, double button presses, single button presses, double button presses, and any other type of button press that lasts for a predetermined amount of time. For example, in one embodiment, a short press may be a press lasting less than two seconds, a long press may be a press lasting more than two seconds, and a double tap may be two short presses that are temporally consecutive (e.g., less than one second between the two presses). It is noted that the principles described herein are not limited to the exact amount of time associated with each button press type or the exact type of button press associated with controlling a particular function.

To illustrate how a user may operate the buttons 124 of the system 100, in one embodiment, during an active talk mode, the user may mute the call by pressing the button 124 for a short time and may end the call by pressing the same button 124 for a long time. As another example, when operating in both the voice command mode and the audio playback mode, a short press of the button 124 may be associated with selection of a play/pause function from the audio playback mode, a long press of the button 124 may be associated with selection of a voice command on/off function from the voice command mode, and a double press of the button 124 may be associated with selection of a track search function from the audio playback mode. Other combinations of button presses may be used to control various functions associated with the system 100.

As described above, in some embodiments, system 100 and/or components connected thereto (e.g., electronic device 105, audio listening device 118, and/or microphone 126) may operate in a voice command mode at a given time. During the voice command mode, the microphone 126 may be used to capture voice signals that may be processed and converted into control signals for controlling various functions associated with the system 100 and/or components connected thereto. For example, during the incoming call mode, the user may be prompted by the electronic device to say "answer" to answer the call or "reject" to ignore the call. Microphone 126 may capture a user's voice commands and, using, for example, electrical conductor 130a and microphone channel 132a within cable 110, may transmit voice signals to electronic device 105 for voice detection and other signal processing. Microphone 126 may be any type of known microphone capable of being housed within housing 122 and operating in conjunction with system 100, electronic device 105, and/or audio listening device 118. In one embodiment, the microphone 126 may be a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone, a capacitor microphone, a dynamic microphone, or any type of digital microphone.

Repositionable control device 121 may have different configurations or combinations of components than those shown in the figures and/or described above. For example, in some embodiments, the repositionable control device 121 includes at least one button 124 without a microphone. In accordance with this embodiment, relocatable control device 121 may still be used to control system 100, electronic device 105, and/or audio listening device 118.

In certain embodiments, the repositionable control device 121 may include an attachment mechanism (not shown) for attaching the housing 122 of the control device 121 to the cable 110. The attachment mechanism disclosed herein allows the repositionable control device 121 to be selectively repositioned from a first position 134 on the cable 110 to at least a second position 136 on the cable 110.

In some embodiments, the first location 134 on the cable 110 may be located at an upper portion of the cable 110, e.g., closer to the second end 114 of the cable 110. In one embodiment that includes microphone 126, the location of first location 134 may be selected to optimize voice signal detection and capture using microphone 126. For example, in FIG. 6, repositionable control device 121 is positioned on section 114a of cable 110. In this position, the microphone 126 may be closer to the user's mouth and may easily extend toward the user's mouth as desired. It is noted that in such embodiments, repositionable control device 121 may be positioned on either segment 114a or segment 114b of cable 110 to provide the same result. In another embodiment, the location of first location 134 may be selected to provide easy and natural access to control device 121 when the user is wearing the audio listening device 118. For example, in FIG. 1A, repositionable control device 121 is located below the Y-connector where cable 110 is split into segments 114a and 114 b.

In either embodiment, the second location 136 on the cable 110 may be located, for example, at a lower portion of the cable 110, e.g., closer to the first end 112 of the cable 110. In FIG. 1A, the repositionable control device is attached to the cable 110 at a second location 136. As one example, the user may prefer to place the control device 121 in the second position 136 while jogging or busy with other physical activities at least because in the second position 136, the control device 121 does not hit the user's face or otherwise inconvenience the user while active. It is noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact position of first position 134 and/or second position 136.

In certain embodiments, the first location 134 on the cable 110 includes the electrical conductors 130, and the second location 136 does not contain any electrical conductors 130. Thus, when in the first position 134, the control device 121 may be operatively coupled to the cable 110 by the electrical conductors 130, and when in the second position 136, the control device 121 may not be operatively coupled to the cable 110 (e.g., may not be used to control a function associated with the system 100). In such an embodiment, for example, the second location 136 may be considered a storage location for the control device 121. In further embodiments, the second location includes a second pair of electrical conductors 130 for operatively coupling the repositionable control device 121 to the cable 110. In such an embodiment, system 100 provides a user with two operating positions 134, 136 on cable 110 for attaching repositionable control device 121. In further embodiments, rather than one or more predetermined attachment locations, the repositionable control device 121 may be repositioned to any location on the cable 110. It is noted that in such embodiments, at least one of these locations on the cable 110 (e.g., where the control device 121 is electrically coupled to the electrical conductor 130) will be an operating location.

In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism may be a mechanical friction-based mechanism that uses friction to hold housing 122 in place on cable 110. In one embodiment, the attachment mechanism may include, for example, a button that, when pressed, releases the friction and allows the housing 122 to be moved to another position. To re-attach the control device 121 to the cable 110, the user may again press a button on the attachment mechanism to re-apply the frictional force between the attachment mechanism and the cable 110. In one embodiment, the button on the attachment mechanism may be a spring-loaded button. In other embodiments, the attachment mechanism may use magnetic force to hold housing 122 in place on cable 110. In accordance with certain embodiments, an attachment mechanism may be incorporated into and/or attached to the housing 122 of the repositionable control device 121. In other embodiments, the attachment mechanism may be partially contained on the repositionable control device 121 and the remainder of the attachment mechanism may be contained on the cable 110.

In certain embodiments, the attachment mechanism may be configured to allow the repositionable control device 121 to be completely detached from the cable 110. For example, in one embodiment, the control device 121 may be completely removed or disengaged from its position on the cable 110 before being re-attached to the desired location on the cable. In other embodiments, the attachment mechanism may be configured to slidingly attach the repositionable control device 121 to the cable 110. In such embodiments, for example, repositionable control device 121 may be partially decoupled or loosened from its position on cable 110 and slid up or down cable 110 until the desired re-coupling position is reached. In one such embodiment, the attachment mechanism may be configured to wrap around the cable 110 so that at least a portion of the cable 110 is always enclosed within the attachment mechanism.

In some embodiments, the housing 122 may include one or more openings through which respective portions of the buttons 124 may be exposed for user selection, and a portion of the microphone 126, if any, may be exposed for capturing voice signals. In one embodiment, the opening in the housing 122 for the microphone 126 may be located on an opposite side of the housing 122 from the opening for the button 124. In another embodiment, all of the openings may be located on the same side of the housing 122. Housing 122 may be made of plastic or any other lightweight, non-conductive material.

It is emphasized that the embodiments described above, particularly any "preferred" embodiments, are possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

Claims (17)

1. A system for controlling one or more functions of an electronic device, the system comprising:

a cable configured to selectively couple to an electronic device and transmit electrical signals to and from the electronic device, the cable including at least two electrical conductors electrically coupled to the cable; and

a repositionable control device selectively coupled to the at least two electrical conductors of the cable, the repositionable control device configured to control the one or more functions associated with the electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the repositionable control device includes one or more buttons, each button being electronically configured to selectably control at least one of the one or more functions associated with the electronic device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the relocatable control device further comprises a microphone.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the repositionable control device includes at least one button electronically configured to selectably control one or more functions associated with a microphone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the repositionable control device includes an attachment mechanism configured to detachably couple the repositionable control device to the cable.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to enable the repositionable control device to move from a first position on the cable to a second position on the cable.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a first location on the cable includes the at least two electrical conductors to which the repositionable control device is coupled when in the first location.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a second set of electrical conductors electrically coupled to the cable, wherein a second location on the cable includes the second set of electrical conductors to which the repositionable control device is coupled when in the second location.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the second location on the cable does not include an electrical conductor.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to allow the repositionable control device to be completely detached from the cable before being reattached to the cable.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to allow the repositionable control device to slide from a first position on the cable to a second position on the cable without completely detaching the repositionable control device from the cable.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more functions associated with the electronic device include at least one of: a mute function, a volume control function, a track selection function, a pause function, a voice command function, an answer function, or a track search function.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a mobile phone.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a media player.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the cable is configured to electrically couple to and transmit electrical signals from an electronic device to a headset system.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a headset system electrically coupled to the cable, the cable transmitting electrical signals from the electronic device to the headset system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two electrical conductors are exposed on a surface of the cable.