Apple's Smart Earphone Patent Detects Multiple Users, Switches Audio Profiles To Match

The United States Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday has granted Apple another pat ent of an earphone cable that is described to automatically detect when it is shared between multiple users then switch from stereo sound to monophonic audio or deliver completely different songs to each.

It is a very common scenario to see two people sharing a single headset together specifically in public transits. It might seem okay to most people but there are also some which find it a little annoying and inconvenient to share the same ear accessory and listen to songs forcedly which they do not like; and this is what Apple tries to resolve with its newly granted earphone patent.

Apple Insider reports that Apple's U.S. Patent No. 9,049,508 for "Earphones with cable orientation sensors" features a number of sensors which identify whether the accessory is being used by one or more users and subsequently switches the audio in a stereo sound scheme or separate mono signals when respectively  used by a single or multiple user.

The viable sensors are installed in a Y-junction where the cable is split in two to link both right and left buds. Apple's patent for the said earphones also described it to have light detectors and capacitive sensors which helps determine how the devices are being worn and in what positions. Other than that, it also uses other sensor techniques like piezo-electric force sensors and some equations for conveying suitable thresholds to single- and multi-user scenarios as reported by Tech Crunch.

Apple's newly granted patent might sound really practical and interesting but it is probably not very likely to make it to the company's near-future EarPods product. Computer World reports that the company has already focused on minimizing customer reliance on cords like its Apple Watch's inductive charger and the new 12-inch MacBook's single USB Type-C cable. 

Meanwhile, this Patent was first filed in the USPTO by the company back in 2012 with Paul G. Puskarich as its inventor.