Speaker

• US 20090190787A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Poly-Planar Group, LLC
• Original Assignee: Poly-Planar Group, LLC
• Inventors: Pieklik, William R., Conroy, Timothy P.
• Application Number:
  US12/020,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20090190787A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/386
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/023 Screens for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops

Abstract

A speaker apparatus comprising a speaker housing member and a supporting bracket that can be easily installed on a spa or any other desired supporting surface. The speaker apparatus is configured such that the speaker housing member can move between a plurality of different positions relative to the supporting bracket, including at least an upward position and a downward position. In some embodiments, the speaker apparatus has a visual display that changes the orientation of the information so that the information is displayed in an upright orientation regardless of the orientation of the speaker housing member. In some embodiments, the speaker apparatus can comprise controls to control the speaker apparatus, audio signal source, spa, or other components.

Claims

1. A speaker comprising:

a bracket member configured to attach to a generally vertical support surface,

a speaker housing having at least one audio driver; and

a structure coupling the speaker housing to the bracket member so as to allow the speaker housing to move between at least a first position and a second position relative to the bracket member, at least a portion of the speaker housing being higher than the bracket member when in the first position than when in the second position.

2. The speaker of claim 1, wherein the at least one audio driver projects sound in a first direction when the speaker housing is in the first position and projects sound in a second direction when the speaker housing is in the second position, the second direction being substantially opposite to the first direction.

3. The speaker of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises at least one coupling structure selected from the group consisting of:

rotatable hinge, tongue and groove, ball-and-socket, hook and loop fastener, and screw and wingnut.

4. The speaker of claim 1, wherein the structure provides a predetermined amount of resistance to inhibit movement of the speaker housing relative to the bracket member.

5. The speaker of claim 1, wherein the speaker housing is rotatable relative to the bracket member so as to change the orientation of the audio driver relative to the bracket member.

6. The speaker of claim 5, wherein the structure comprises at least one spring configured to provide a predetermined amount of resistance to inhibit the rotation of the speaker housing relative to the bracket member.

7. The speaker of claim 1, wherein the speaker is configured to be attachable to a spa.

8. The speaker of claim 7, wherein the support surface is a side surface of the spa.

9. The speaker of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the speaker housing is positioned above a top surface of the spa when the speaker housing is in the first position, and the speaker housing is positioned below the top surface of the spa when the speaker housing is in the second position.

10. The speaker of claim 1, further comprising a slanted upper surface, the upper surface being disposed so that when a downward force is applied to the upper surface the speaker housing will move from the first position toward the second position.

11. The speaker of claim 1, wherein the speaker housing supports at least two audio drivers configured to provide stereophonic sound.

12. The speaker of claim 1, further comprising a detector for receiving wireless communication signals.

13. The speaker apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a receiver for receiving at least an FM signal.

14. The speaker of claim 1, further comprising a control panel for receiving a user selected volume level for sound produced by the speaker.

15. The speaker of claim 1, further comprising a control panel for receiving a user selected spa jet configuration.

16. A spa speaker comprising:

a bracket member configured to be fixed to a side of a spa;

a speaker housing supporting at least one audio driver; and

a structure movably coupling the bracket member to the speaker housing so as to allow the speaker housing to rotate relative to the bracket member and between at least an extended position and a stowed position, the speaker housing being disposed above a top surface of the spa when in the extended position so as to direct sound in a general direction toward the spa, and the speaker housing being disposed below the top surface of the spa when in the stowed position so as to direct sound in a general direction away from the spa.

17. The spa speaker of claim 16, wherein the structure is a hinge, the hinge being configured to allow the speaker housing to rotate approximately 180 degrees between the extended and stowed positions.

18. The spa speaker of claim 16, further comprising a display configured to display at least one setting selected from the group consisting of:

audio volume level, audio signal source, AM frequency, FM frequency, and audio tone.

19. The spa speaker of claim 16, further comprising a visual display for displaying data, the visual display being configured so that the data is displayed in an upright orientation when the speaker housing is in the extend and stowed positions.

20. A method of attaching a low-profile, flip-up speaker to a spa, the method comprising:

providing a speaker having a bracket member, a speaker housing, a coupling structure between the bracket member and the speaker housing, and at least one audio driver disposed within the speaker housing; and

fixing the bracket member to a supporting surface of the spa such that the bracket member is located below a top surface of the spa, wherein the speaker housing is rotatable relative to the fixed bracket member and between at least an extended position and a stowed position, the speaker housing being disposed above the top surface of the spa when in the extended position so as to direct sound in a general direction toward the spa, and the speaker housing being disposed below the top surface of the spa when in the stowed position.