Earphone assemblies with wingtips for anchoring to a user

• US 10,681,445 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hatfield, Dustin A., Stringer, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faley, Katherine A
• Application Number:
  US15/696,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20180070165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 381328, 381380
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1033 Cables or cables storage, e.g. cable reels cord reels per se H02G11/02; arrangements for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of conductors or cables B65H75/34; extensible conductors or cables, e.g. self-coiling cords H01B7/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones

Abstract

Earphone assemblies with wingtips are provided for anchoring to a user during use. A wing may extend from and between two different ends coupled to a housing of an earphone, while each of the at least one flex arm may extend along the wing. At least one flex arm may be rigid enough to prevent at least a portion of the wing from bending out of a plane of the wing such that a portion of the wing may maintain a functional position under and/or behind at least a portion of a crus of an anti-helix of a user'"'"'s ear to anchor the earphone to the user'"'"'s ear during use, while at least a portion of the wing may be flexible enough to provide comfort to the user'"'"'s ear.

Claims

1. An earphone assembly to be worn by a user'"'"'s ear, the earphone assembly comprising:

a housing having an audio port;

a speaker disposed within the housing and aligned to emit sound through the audio port;

a sheath removably coupled to the housing;

a deformable wing sized and shaped to anchor the earphone assembly to a user'"'"'s ear and having first and second ends coupled to first and second anchoring locations, respectively, on the sheath;

a first flex arm body positioned within the deformable wing and extending from the first anchoring location and terminating at a location between the first and second ends; and

a second flex arm body positioned within the deformable wing and extending from the second anchoring location and terminating at a location between a distal end of the first flex arm and the second end, wherein the first flex arm body has a length that is at least twice as long as a length of the second flex arm body and wherein a material of the first and second flex arm bodies is more rigid than a material of the deformable wing.

2. The earphone assembly of claim 1, wherein the first anchoring location is different than the second anchoring location.

3. The earphone assembly of claim 1, wherein a length of the first flex arm body comprises between 20% and 60% of a length of the deformable wing;

and a length of the second flex arm body comprises between 1% and 20% of the length of the deformable wing.

4. The earphone assembly of claim 1, wherein the first flex arm body and the second flex arm body extend along distinct portions of the length of the deformable wing.

5. The earphone assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second flex arm bodies exist within a wing plane;

and the first and second flex arm bodies are configured to prevent at least a majority of the wing from moving out from the wing plane.

6. The earphone assembly of claim 5, wherein the first and second flex arm bodies are configured to enable at least a portion of the wing to bend within the wing plane.

7. The earphone assembly of claim 5, further comprising a nozzle member extending from the housing along a sound axis and defining the audio port such that the audio port directs sound emitted by the speaker out from the earphone assembly along the sound axis, wherein the wing plane forms a sound wing angle with the sound axis in a range between 57°

and 97°

.

8. The earphone assembly of claim 1, wherein a portion of the deformable wing is operative to be positioned under an anti-helix crus of the user'"'"'s ear when the earphone assembly is worn by the user'"'"'s ear.

9. An earbud comprising:

a housing having an audio port;

a speaker disposed within the housing and aligned to emit sound through the audio port;

a sheath coupled to the housing;

a deformable wing sized and shaped to anchor the earbud to a user'"'"'s ear and having first and second ends coupled to first and second anchoring locations, respectively, on the sheath; and

a first flex arm body positioned within the deformable wing and extending from the first anchoring location and terminating at a location between the first and second ends, and a second flex arm body positioned within the deformable wing and extending from the second anchoring location and terminating at a location between a distal end of the first flex arm body and the second end;

wherein the first flex arm body has a length that is at least twice as long as a length of the second flex arm body, the first and second flex arm bodies have a constant width and thickness along at least a majority of their lengths, a material of the first and second flex arm bodies is more rigid than a material of the deformable wing, and the first and second flex arm bodies provide greater resistance when the deformable wing is bent in a first direction than when the deformable wing is bent in a second direction different than the first direction.

10. The earbud set forth in claim 9 wherein the sheath encases the housing and defines outer surfaces of the deformable wing.

11. The earbud set forth in claim 9 wherein a length of the deformable wing between the first and second ends forms a loop with the housing.

12. An earbud comprising:

a housing having an audio port;

a speaker disposed within the housing and aligned to emit sound through the audio port;

a sheath removably coupled to the housing;

a deformable wing sized and shaped to engage an anti-helix portion of a user'"'"'s ear thereby anchoring the earbud to the user'"'"'s ear, the deformable wing having first and second ends coupled to first and second anchoring locations, respectively, on the sheath;

a first flex arm body positioned within the deformable wing and extending from the first anchoring location and terminating at a location between the first and second ends; and

a second flex arm body positioned within the deformable wing and extending from the second anchoring location and terminating at a location between a distal end of the first flex arm body and the second end

wherein the first flex arm body has a length that is at least twice as long as a length of the second flex arm body and wherein a material of the first and second flex arm bodies is more rigid than a material of the deformable wing and the first and second flex arm bodies provide greater resistance when the wing is bent in a first direction than when the wing is bent in a second direction different than the first direction.

13. The earbud set forth in claim 12 wherein the sheath encases the housing and defines outer surfaces of the deformable wing.

14. The earbud set forth in claim 12 wherein a length of the deformable wing between the first and second ends forms a loop with the housing.