Music headphones for manual control of ambient sound

Abstract

A headphone and method for allowing manually controlled reception of ambient sound by a user. More particularly, the invention relates to a headphone for listening to an audio signal while allowing varying amounts of ambient sound to the user. In one aspect, the headphone comprises a manually-controllable physical characteristic that controls the amount of ambient sound accessible to the user. The physical characteristic can be sound ports that can be opened or closed. In another aspect, the headphone can comprise a microphone receptive of ambient sound, wherein the user can control the proportion of sound that comes from the ambient sound or the audio signal. The microphone can be part of a noise cancellation system.

1 . A method of operation of a first user device comprising:
 playing a media file at the first user device; and   sending synchronization signals to a second user device to effect synchronous playback of the media file at the first and second user devices.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein sending the synchronization signals comprises sending a time stamp from a beginning of the media file to a current position of the media file being played at the first user device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein sending the synchronization signals comprises sending a sample number of the media file currently being played at the first user device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising transferring the media file from the first user device to the second user device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein transferring the media file comprises transferring the media file from the first user device to the second user device through a peer-to-peer transfer. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising commencing the sending of the synchronization signals to the second user device once a sufficient amount of the media file has been transferred to the second user device to allow the synchronous playback of the media file at the first and second user devices. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the sufficient amount of the media file is less than all of the media file. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising commencing the sending of the synchronization signals to the second user device once the media file has been transferred to the second user device. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the media file is a media file stored by both the first user device and the second user device. 
     
     
         10 . A user device comprising:
 a communication interface adapted to communicatively couple the user device to a second user device; and   a controller associated with the communication interface adapted to:
 play a media file at the user device; and 
 send synchronization signals to the second user device via the communication interface to effect synchronous playback of the media file at the user device and the second user device. 
   
     
     
         11 . The user device of  claim 10  wherein the synchronization signals comprise a time stamp from a beginning of the media file to a current position of the media file being played at the user device. 
     
     
         12 . The user device of  claim 10  wherein the synchronization signals comprises a sample number of the media file currently being played at the user device. 
     
     
         13 . The user device of  claim 10  wherein the controller is further adapted to transfer the media file from the user device to the second user device. 
     
     
         14 . The user device of  claim 13  wherein the media file is transferred from the user device to the second user device through a peer-to-peer transfer. 
     
     
         15 . The user device of  claim 13  wherein the controller is further adapted to commence sending of the synchronization signals to the second user device once a sufficient amount of the media file has been transferred to the second user device to allow the synchronous playback of the media file at the user device and the second user device. 
     
     
         16 . The user device of  claim 15  wherein the sufficient amount of the media file is less than all of the media file. 
     
     
         17 . The user device of  claim 13  wherein the controller is further adapted to commence sending of the synchronization signals to the second user device once the media file has been transferred to the second user device. 
     
     
         18 . The user device of  claim 10  wherein the media file is a media file stored by both the user device and the second user device.