上週新聞才提到Apple完成併購Beats公司，第一件功課就是面對Bose大廠的侵權告訴。
BOSE這個50年老牌（1964年）、經典又有設計性的音響大廠，對時尚、年輕與充滿話題的後起新秀BEATS（2008年成立）提出侵權告訴。
簡單從美國專利佈局來看，BOSE就如各方報導的除了外觀專利有很多反映技術研發的發明專利；而BEATS則是著重於外觀設計，發明專利也與聲音技術無關，這與一般人的感受算是相當。
BOSE的專利佈局廣及世界多個重要國家，近年來也是積極佈局（資料產生工具：Relecura手機版）：
BEATS一些設計專利：
專利申請日分佈顯示由2008年開始有專利申請案（資料產生工具：Petapator）：
主動式耳機降噪的技術有多種，基本原理就是在耳機上設計一個環境麥克風接收環境聲音（多數為噪音），有個數位處理器，可以將音訊減掉環境噪音的訊號，使得聽者的耳朵接收到的音訊已經將環境噪音減除了，可以純淨音訊。主動式降噪。從告訴書可知，BOSE近年來著重在降噪的技術，已經獲得22件美國專利，以及14件審理中的專利申請案，應該也包括自外部購入的專利，市場上的BOSE QC20產品就是實現這些專利技術的產品系列。
BOSE QC20（http://www.bose.com/）
BOSE對BEATS的告訴包括禁止中國進口美國的ITC訴訟，以及賠償相關的Delaware地方法院訴訟，之前還對網路上的仿冒品中國供應商提出告訴。
這次在ITC與地院的告訴中，BOSE提出5件專利，從這些專利就可以看到現在降噪的主要技術趨勢，系爭專利包括：6,717,537; 8,073,150; 8,073,151; 8,054,992; 8,345,888。
如果要瞭解BOSE利用這些降噪技術的效果，告訴原文提到耳機型號：QC20，顯然這些技術是已經在市場上出現，若侵權成立，可以請求賠償。
US6,717,537
這是Bose在2009年自Sonic Innovations Inc.購買的專利，關於一種降低數位處理系統延遲的技術，其中就提到這是一種應用在主動式降噪的裝置上的技術，技術主要是透過反饋技術取得調整採樣率的調整基礎，先提出較高採樣率的delta-sigma modulator調變器，以及取得delta-sigma modulator反饋的採樣率調整。
1. A digital closed feedback loop having an input, an output, a first summation node, and a second summation node, wherein a processed digital input signal is fed to a first input of the first summation node, the processed digital input signal has an intermediate sampling rate, and a disturbance signal is fed to a first input of the second summation node, the digital closed feedback loop comprising:
a compensation filter having an input coupled to an output of the first summation node;
a digital-to-analog converter having an input coupled to an output of the compensation filter;
an output transducer having an input coupled to an output of the digital-to-analog converter and having an output coupled to a second input of the second summation node;
an input transducer having an input coupled to an output of the second summation node;
a delta-sigma modulator having an input coupled to an output of the input transducer, wherein the output signal of the delta-sigma modulator has a first sampling rate that is higher than the intermediate sampling rate; and
a feedback sampling-rate converter having an input coupled to an output of the delt-asigma modulator and having an output coupled to a second input of the first summation node, wherein the output signal of the delta-sigma modulator is down-sampled from the first sampling rate to the intermediate sampling rate.
US8,073,150、US8,073,151這是一個可調整主動式降噪的技術，利用反饋降噪技術的專利，反饋路徑上設有濾波、調整、設定資料傳輸率等的電路，藉此調整主動降噪的設定值，下圖中的130就是一個反饋環境噪聲的麥克風。
incorporating a first ADC of the ANR circuit, a first plurality of digital filters of a quantity specified by a first set of ANR settings, and a DAC of the ANR circuit into a first pathway;
incorporating a second ADC of the ANR circuit, a second plurality of digital filters of a quantity specified by the first set of ANR settings, and the DAC into a second pathway;
selecting a type of digital filter specified by the first set of ANR settings for each digital filter of the first and second pluralities of digital filters from among a plurality of types of digital filter supported by the ANR circuit;
adopting a signal processing topology specified by the first set of ANR settings by configuring interconnections among at least the first and second ADCs, the first and second pluralities of digital filters and the DAC so that digital data representing sounds flows through the first pathway from the first ADC to the DAC through at least the first plurality of digital filters; digital data representing sounds flows through the second pathway from the second ADC to the DAC through at least the second plurality of digital filters; and the first and second pathways are combined at a first location along the first pathway and at a second location along the second pathway such that the digital data from both the first and second pathways are combined before flowing to the DAC;
configuring each digital filter of the first and second pluralities of digital filters with filter coefficients specified by the first set of ANR settings;
setting a data transfer rate at which digital data flows through at least a portion of at least one of the first and second pathways as specified by the first ANR settings;
operating the first and second ADCs, the first and second pluralities of digital filters and the DAC to provide ANR in the earpiece; and
changing an ANR setting specified by the first set of ANR settings to an ANR setting specified by a second set of ANR settings in synchronization with a transfer of digital data along at least a portion of at least one of the first and second pathways.
US8,054,992
高頻訊號補償的技術，增加降噪耳機的反饋電路相位邊緣，利用一補償器結合兩個頻率響應的幅度，設定在特定頻率間隔中隔絕音訊，可以達到降噪的功能。
1. A feedback circuit for an active noise reduction headphone comprising: an acoustic block characterized by a first magnitude frequency response; a compensator characterized by a second magnitude frequency response to combine the second magnitude frequency response with the first magnitude frequency response to provide a combined magnitude frequency response, wherein the second magnitude frequency response is characterized by a first pattern that has a positive slope at a frequency interval in the spectral portion above 10 kHz so that the phase shift of the combined magnitude frequency response of the feedback circuit at frequencies in the audible range of frequencies is less than the phase shift of the combined magnitude frequency response of the feedback circuit in the audible range of frequencies wherein the second magnitude frequency response characterized by a second pattern that does not have a positive slope in the spectral portion above 10 kHz.
US8,345,888，是US8,073,150家族專利
權利範圍主張一種在主動式降噪電路中的高頻數位訊號相位補償技術，包括編寫數位濾波器的係數，可以在某頻率範圍內補入正相位，選取加在增益上的係數而增加可聽頻率，之後調和這兩種頻率訊號。
1. A method of implementing a high-frequency phase compensation transform in a signal processing pathway of a circuit providing active noise reduction (ANR) circuit in a first range of frequencies in a personal ANR device, the method comprising:
programming a digital filter having at least one tap with at least one coefficient to cause the digital filter to employ the at least one tap to introduce at least one zero to introduce a positive phase in the pathway in at least the first range of frequencies; and
selecting the at least one coefficient to cause the addition of a gain that increases with frequency within a second range of audible frequencies outside of the first range of frequencies and that flattens in a range of frequencies above the second range of audible frequencies.
被告侵權產品為BEATS的「Studio®、Studio® Wireless」產品線（截圖來自：http://www.beatsbydre.com）：
後語：
這件侵權案顯然會被媒體關注，理由之一自然是Apple為Beats金主的關係，還有媒體關注Beats會給Apple產品的助益，侵權反而是個看戲的角度，也可能被轉變成行銷的手段。
就技術來看，Beats應該有不少技術是來自別人的，包括Bose， 所以侵權官司免不了，甚至侵權應該成立，而最後應該會是和解結束，並且Beats漲價之類的。
訴願原文：
資料參考：
http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/25/bose-picks-a-patent-fight-with-beats-over-noise-cancelling-headphones/
Reuters
Wikipedia
Ron
沒有留言:
張貼留言