Electronic accessory for an MP3 player, and method of providing the same

• US 20070291973A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin Corporation (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Neu, Thorben, Kleemann, David, Razo, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 7,803,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/334
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/00 Coupling devices specially adapted for supporting apparatus and having one part acting as a holder providing support and electrical connection via a counterpart which is structurally associated with the apparatus, e.g. lamp holders; Separate parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/945 Holders with built-in electrical component
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors of trolley lines B60M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/00 Stereophonic arrangements stereophonic pick-ups H04R9/16, H04R11/12, H04R17/08, H04R19/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/40 Visual indication of stereophonic sound image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing

Abstract

An electronic accessory (715) for an MP3 player comprising: (a) a body (705) having a neck (707) extending from the body, the neck having a cross-sectional dimension that is substantially less than a corresponding cross-sectional dimension of the body; (b) an electrical connector (763) located at least partially within the neck and configured to electrically connect the accessory to the MP3 player; (c) at least one electrical components (701) located at least partially within the body; and (d) a at least two electrical conductors (790) electrically coupling the electrical components to the electrical connector.

Claims

1. An electronic accessory for an MP3 player, the accessory comprising:

a body having a neck extending from the body, the neck having a cross-sectional dimension that is substantially less than a corresponding cross-sectional dimension of the body;

an electrical connector located at least partially within the neck and configured to electrically connect the accessory to the MP3 player;

at least one electrical components located at least partially within the body; and

a at least two electrical conductors electrically coupling the electrical components to the electrical connector.

2. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

when the electrical interface is plugged into the MP3 player, a first surface of the neck is in contact with a first surface of the MP3 player and a gap exists between the MP3 player and a first surface of the body.

3. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the neck and at least a portion of the body comprise plastic.

4. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

when the electrical interface is plugged into the MP3 player, a length of the gap between the surface of the second electronic device and the body is substantially equal to a thickness of a protective case for the MP3 player.

5. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the cross-sectional dimension of the neck is smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of an opening in a protective case for the MP3 player.

6. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the cross-sectional dimension of the neck is larger than a cross-sectional dimension of the electrical connector.

7. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the neck is oval-shaped and extends outward from a top surface of the body.

8. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the electrical connector is a thirty pin serial connector.

9. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the body comprises;

an external device interface.

10. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the body and neck are hollow.

11. The electronic accessory of claim 1, wherein:

the neck has two perpendicular cross-sectional dimensions that are both less than corresponding cross-sectional dimensions of the body.

12. The electronic accessory of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one electrical components comprise;

a stereo receiving system for an MP3 player.

13. An electronic accessory capable of being coupled to an electronic device comprising:

a hollow body having a width, a length, and a thickness, and a neck extending from the body, the neck having a length that is substantially less than the length of the body; and

a spacer having an opening sized and shaped to removably fit around the neck of the body.

14. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

a first surface of the spacer is configured to be secured against a first surface of the body of the housing when the neck of the housing is inside of the opening in the spacer.

15. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

the spacer comprises;

a disk portion having a width, a length, and a thickness; and

a lip portion extending outward substantially perpendicular to the width and the length of the disk portion, and the lip portion decreases in thickness toward an edge of the lip portion.

17. The electronic accessory of claim 15, wherein:

the lip portion decreases in thickness toward an edge of the lip portion.

19. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

when the electrical interface is plugged into the electronic device, the first surface of the spacer is in contact with the first surface of the electronic accessory and a second surface of the spacer is in contact with a first surface of the electronic device.

20. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

the neck of the body comprises;

a protrusion; and

the spacer comprises;

a dimple,

wherein;

the protrusion on the neck of body is configured to be coupled to the dimple on the spacer.

21. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

a width of the spacer is approximately equal to the width of the body of the housing.

22. The electronic accessory of claim 13, further comprising:

an electrical interface at least partially located within the neck and configured to electrically connect the electronic accessory to the electronic device;

at least one electrical components located at least partially within the hollow body;

at least two electrical conductors electrically coupling the electrical components to the electrical connector.

23. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

the spacer comprises plastic.

24. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

a width of the spacer is approximately equal to a width of the electronic device.

25. The electronic accessory of claim 13, wherein:

the body and the neck of the housing are formed from the same material.

18. The electronic accessory of claim 16, wherein

the first surface of the body of the housing has a radius of curvature;

and

an inside face of the lip portion of the spacer has a radius of curvature approximately equal to the radius of curvature of the first surface of the body of the housing.

26. A method of providing an electronic accessory capable of providing a stable connection to an electronic device independent of whether the electronic device is housed within a removable protective case, the method comprising in any order at least the steps of:

providing an electronic accessory comprising;

a body;

a neck extending from the body, the neck having a cross-sectional dimension that is substantially less than a corresponding cross-sectional dimension of the body;

an electrical connector located within the neck and configured to electrically connect the accessory to the electronic device;

at least one electrical component located at least partially within the body;

a plurality of electrical conductors electrically connecting the at least one electrical component to the electrical connector; and

providing a spacer having an opening wherein the neck will fit at least partially within the opening; and

at least one of;

instructing a user to omit the spacer if the electronic device is enclosed within a protective case; and

instructing a user to include the spacer if the electronic device is not housed within a protective case.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

providing packaging containing the electronic accessory and the spacer,

wherein;

the packaging contains at least one of writing and pictures performing at least one of the steps of;

instructing a user to omit the spacer if the electronic device is housed within a protective case; and

instructing a user to include the spacer if the electronic device is not housed within a protective case.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

providing within the accessory at least one microphone.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of:

providing within the accessory at least two microphones substantially offset by at least one of a distance and an angle.

30. An electronic accessory for an electronic device, the accessory comprising:

a body;

an electrical connector configured to electrically connect the accessory to the electronic device;

at least one electrical component located at least partially within the body;

at least two electrical conductors electrically connecting the electrical component to the electrical connector; and

a means for stably attaching the electronic accessory to the electronic device when the electronic device is housed within a removable protective case; and

a means for stably attaching the electronic accessory to the electronic device when the electronic device is not housed within a removable protective case.