EXPANDABLE SPEAKER ASSEMBLIES FOR PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICES

• US 20090080684A1
• Filed: 09/24/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zipbuds LLC
• Original Assignee: Zipbuds LLC
• Inventors: Defay, Robin Michael, Groset, Erik
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/021 Aspects relating to docking-station type assemblies to obtain an acoustical effect, e.g. the type of connection to external loudspeakers or housings, frequency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers

Abstract

Speaker assemblies for portable media players are disclosed herein. Speaker assemblies can include means for contracting and expanding the speakers to facilitate viewing and listening to a PMP in multiple orientations. Preferred means for contracting and expanding the speaker casings are operably coupled with means for rotating the PMP, such that when the PMP is in a wide viewable configuration, the speakers are expanded.

Claims

1. A speaker assembly comprising a housing configured to utilize a power source and being operably connected to 1 or more speakers having means for expanding and contracting, and further comprising means for releasably attaching and operably coupling to a portable media player (PMP), such that audio can be transmitted from the PMP through the 1 or more speakers.

2. The speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein said means for releasably attaching to said PMP are configured to rotate, such that a user can view the PMP in multiple orientations.

3. The speaker assembly of claim 2, wherein said means for expanding and contracting are operably coupled to said means for releasably attaching to said PMP, such that the speakers are configured to expand and contract based on the rotation of the PMP.

4. The speaker assembly of claim 3, wherein said means for releasably attaching to said PMP are operably coupled to a rotating central gear within the housing that is configured to expand and contract the speakers based upon clockwise or counter-clockwise rotational direction.

5. The speaker assemblies of claim 4, wherein said gear comprises two toothed quadrants positioned on opposite sides from each other and are complementary to toothed sections on extension arms coupled to said 1 or more speakers.

6. The speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein said means for expanding and contracting are configured to expand the 1 or more speakers to a position beyond the body of the PMP and contract the 1 or more speakers to a position behind the body of the PMP.

7. A speaker assembly comprising a housing configured to utilize a power source and being operably connected to 1 or more speakers having means for expanding and contracting, and further comprising means for releasably attaching and operably coupling to a portable media player (PMP) having a substantially rectangular screen that can display video or images in both a vertical and horizontal orientation, such that data can be transmitted from the PMP through the 1 or more speakers.

8. The speaker assembly of claim 7, wherein said means for releasably attaching to said PMP are configured to rotate, such that a user can view the PMP in both said vertical and horizontal orientation.

9. The speaker assembly of claim 8, wherein said means for expanding and contracting are operably coupled to said means for releasably attaching to said PMP, such that the speakers are configured to expand and contract based on the rotation of the PMP.