HEADPHONES WITH AN ERGONOMIC CUSHION AND AN ERGONOMIC CUSHION THEREOF

• US 20180167713A1
• Filed: 12/06/2017
• Published: 06/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kingston Technology Corporation
• Inventors: CHOU, PETER LEEKUO, Lee, Baron King, Liang, Wei-Min, Ma, Pen Hao
• Granted Patent: US 10,462,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• 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 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a headphone or an earpiece that includes a cushion that advantageously allows for improved comfort, sound quality, and stability in the ear. The cushion includes an inner cavity, an ear-canal aperture and a tip portion, wherein the inner cavity of the cushion accommodates a nozzle portion of a housing within the cavity, and the axis of the inner cavity is substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the ear-canal aperture opens toward the ear canal of the user'"'"'s ear when the headphone or the earpiece is worn by the user, and wherein the tip portion engages the concha of the user'"'"'s ear when the headphone or the earpiece is worn by the user, and the axis of the tip portion is not parallel to the first axis.

Claims

1. An earpiece device, comprising:

a housing, the housing including a first chamber and a nozzle portion, wherein the nozzle portion extends along a first axis and extends toward an ear canal of a user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user;

an acoustic driver for converting applied audio signals to acoustic energy, wherein the acoustic driver is acoustically coupled to the first chamber of the housing;

a cushion, the cushion including an inner cavity, an ear-canal aperture and a tip portion, wherein the inner cavity of the cushion accommodates the nozzle portion within the cavity, and the axis of the inner cavity is substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the ear-canal aperture opens toward the ear canal of the user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user, and wherein the tip portion engages the concha of the user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user, and the axis of the tip portion is not parallel to the first axis.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tip portion includes a compliant material and applies pressure at a first pressure point corresponding to a point on the inner side of the tragus of the user'"'"'s ear and at a second pressure point corresponding to a point on the inner side of the antitragus of the user'"'"'s ear, when the earpiece device is worn by the user.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the first and second pressure points is about 15 mm to 20 mm.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the axis of the tip portion and the first axis is between about 65 to 40 degrees.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the axis of the tip portion and the first axis is between about 80 to 30 degrees.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the earpiece device is worn in the user'"'"'s ear along a second axis, and an angle between the first axis and the second axis is about 20 to 50 degrees.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the earpiece device is worn in the user'"'"'s ear along a second axis, and an angle between the first axis and the second axis is about 10 to 60 degrees.

8. An earpiece device, comprising:

a sound delivery housing, the sound delivery housing including a first chamber and an end portion, wherein the end portion extends along a first axis and extends toward an ear canal of a user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user; and

a removable eartip, the removable eartip including an inner cavity, an ear-canal aperture and a tip portion, wherein the inner cavity of the cushion accommodates the end portion within the cavity, and the axis of the inner cavity is substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the ear-canal aperture opens toward the ear canal of the user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user, and wherein the tip portion engages the concha of the user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user, and the axis of the tip portion is not parallel to the first axis.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the tip portion includes a compliant material and applies pressure at a first pressure point corresponding to a point on the inner side of the tragus of the user'"'"'s ear and at a second pressure point corresponding to a point on the inner side of the antitragus of the user'"'"'s ear, when the earpiece device is worn by the user.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the distance between the first and second pressure points is about 15 mm to 20 mm.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein an angle between the axis of the tip portion and the first axis is between about 65 to 40 degrees.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein an angle between the axis of the tip portion and the first axis is between about 80 to 30 degrees.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the earpiece device is worn in the user'"'"'s ear along a second axis, and an angle between the first axis and the second axis is about 20 to 50 degrees.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein the earpiece device is worn in the user'"'"'s ear along a second axis, and an angle between the first axis and the second axis is about 10 to 60 degrees.

15. The device according to claim 8, further comprising, at least one acoustic driver for converting applied audio signals to acoustic energy, wherein the at least one acoustic driver is acoustically coupled to the first chamber of the housing.

16. An earpiece device, comprising:

a sound delivery housing, the sound delivery housing including a first chamber and an end portion, wherein the end portion extends along a first axis and extends toward an ear canal of a user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user; and

a removable ear interface, the removable ear interface including an inner cavity, an ear-canal aperture and a tip portion, wherein the inner cavity of the cushion accommodates the end portion within the cavity, and the axis of the inner cavity is substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the ear-canal aperture opens toward the ear canal of the user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user, and wherein the tip portion engages the concha of the user'"'"'s ear when the earpiece device is worn by the user, and the axis of the tip portion is not parallel to the first axis.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the tip portion includes a compliant material and applies pressure at a first pressure point corresponding to a point on the inner side of the tragus of the user'"'"'s ear and at a second pressure point corresponding to a point on the inner side of the antitragus of the user'"'"'s ear, when the earpiece device is worn by the user.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the distance between the first and second pressure points is about 15 mm to 20 mm.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein an angle between the axis of the tip portion and the first axis is between about 65 to 40 degrees.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the earpiece device is worn in the user'"'"'s ear along a second axis, and an angle between the first axis and the second axis is about 20 to 50 degrees.