Speaker grill with graduated hole sizing over a transition area for a media device

• US 10,412,473 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Nam, Youjin, Long, Nicholas, Oishi, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Etesam, Amir H
• Application Number:
  US15/283,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20180098140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/023 Screens for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A grill cover that fits over or is positioned over high frequency acoustical regions and low frequency acoustical regions of a playback device. A portion of the grill cover that fits over or is positioned over a high frequency acoustical region has small area openings and a portion of the grill over a low frequency acoustical region has large area openings. In portions of the grill cover between the portions over high and low frequency acoustical regions, the openings may have an intermediate area to visually blur the differences between the portions of the grill covers. To further blur the differences, the differently sized openings may be interleaved.

Claims

1. A playback device that outputs acoustics based on audio information comprising:

a housing that encloses control circuitry and acoustical equipment and has at least one high frequency acoustical region that outputs high frequency acoustics from a first portion of the housing in a first direction and at least one low frequency acoustical region that outputs low frequency acoustics from a second portion of the housing that is adjacent to the first portion and in a second direction; and

a grill cover positioned over the at least one high frequency acoustical region and the at least one low frequency acoustical region, where the grill cover comprises;

a body;

a first portion of the body positioned over the at least one high frequency acoustical region of the playback device and that defines a plurality of openings through the body wherein each of the plurality of openings has a small area configured to relieve a low airflow induced in the high frequency acoustical area; and

a second portion of the body positioned over the at least one low frequency acoustical region of the playback device and that defines a second plurality of openings through the body wherein each of the second plurality of openings is sized to have a large area that is larger than the small area to relieve a high airflow induced by the low frequency acoustical area.

2. The playback device of claim 1 wherein the grill cover further comprises:

a third portion of the body that is between the first portion and the second portion and positioned over an acoustically insignificant region of the housing of the playback device that defines a third plurality of openings where each of the third plurality of openings are sized to have a first intermediate area that is greater than the small area and less than the large area.

3. The playback device of claim 2, wherein the third portion of the body of the grill cover defines a number of openings that are sized to have the small area that are interleaved with the third plurality of openings in the third portion.

4. The playback device claim 2 where the third portion of the grill cover defines a number of openings that are sized to have the large area that are interleaved with the third plurality of openings in the third portion.

5. The playback device of claim 2 wherein the third portion of the body of the grill cover defines a fourth plurality of openings where each of the fourth plurality of openings are sized to a second intermediate area that is greater than the small area and less than the large area.

6. The playback device of claim 5 wherein the third plurality of openings and the fourth plurality of openings defined in the third portion of the body of the grill cover are interleaved.

7. The playback device of claim 2 wherein the third portion of the body of the grill cover is proximate a visual distraction associated with the housing of the playback device.

8. The playback device of claim 2 wherein the third portion of the body of the grill cover is a different color from at least one of the first and second portions of the body.

9. A playback device that outputs acoustics based on audio data comprising:

a housing that encloses control circuitry and acoustical equipment and has a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a backside, and opposing end sides;

at least one high frequency acoustical region that outputs high frequency acoustics from the housing on the front side of the housing;

at least one low frequency acoustical region that outputs low frequency acoustics from the housing on at least one opposing side of the housing; and

a grill cover positioned over the at least one high frequency acoustical region and the at least one low frequency acoustical regions, where the grill cover comprises;

a body;

a first portion of the body positioned over the at least one high frequency acoustical region on the front side of the playback device and that defines a plurality of openings through the body wherein each of the plurality of openings has a small area configured to relieve a low airflow induced in the high frequency acoustical area; and

a second portion of the body positioned over the at least one low frequency acoustical region of the playback device on the at least one opposing side of the housing and that defines a second plurality of openings through the body wherein each of the second plurality of openings is sized to have a large area that is larger than the small area to relieve a high airflow induced by the low frequency acoustical area.

10. The playback device of claim 9 wherein the grill cover further comprises:

a third portion of the body that is between the first portion and the second portion and positioned at a corner formed by the front side and the at least one opposing side that is an acoustically insignificant region of the housing of the playback device and that defines a third plurality of openings where each of the third plurality of openings are sized to have a first intermediate area that is greater than the small area and less than the large area.

11. The playback device of claim 10 wherein the third portion of the body of the grill cover defines a fourth plurality of openings where each of the fourth plurality of openings are sized to a second intermediate area that is greater than the small area and less than the large area.

12. The playback device of claim 11 wherein the third plurality of openings and the fourth plurality of openings defined in the third portion of the body of the grill cover are interleaved.