Wireless Earphone

• US 20190007763A1
• Filed: 09/07/2018
• Published: 01/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rich, Zachary C., Stiehl, Kurt R., Chawan, Arun D., Howes, Michael B., Aase, Jonathan S., Andersen, Esge B., Azmi, Yacine, Minoo, Jahan C., Shaw, David J., Kumar, Aarti, Prats, Augustin, Watson, Robert D., Paquier, Baptiste P., Berny, Axel D., Cook, Benjamin W., Guterman, Jerzy S., Cousins, Benjamin Adair
• Granted Patent: US 10,567,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

A housing has a bud portion abutting an elongated stem portion. The bud portion is to fit within an ear. The bud portion has a primary sound outlet at its far end that is to be inserted into an outer ear canal, and abuts the stem portion at its near end. A speaker driver is inside the bud portion. Electronic circuitry inside the housing includes a wireless communications interface to receive audio content over-the-air and in response provides an audio signal to the speaker driver. A rechargeable battery as a power source for the electronic circuitry is located inside a cavity of the stem portion. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A wireless earphone comprising:

a housing having a bud portion abutting a stem portion, wherein the bud portion is sized and dimensioned to fit within an ear, the bud portion a) having a first end comprising a primary sound outlet and b) a second end abutting the stem portion;

a speaker driver positioned inside the housing;

electronic circuitry positioned inside the housing that includes a wireless communications interface to receive audio content over-the-air and in response provides an audio signal to the speaker driver;

a rechargeable power source positioned inside the housing; and

a microphone positioned inside a cavity of the stem portion.

2. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the bud portion comprises a flexible tip at the first end, and the flexible tip is dimensioned to be inserted into the ear.

3. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the speaker driver is positioned inside a cavity of the bud portion.

4. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable power source is positioned inside the cavity of the stem portion.

5. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable power source is positioned inside a cavity of the bud portion.

6. The earphone of claim 1 wherein a front face of the bud portion extends between the first end and the second end and is positioned just behind and in contact with a tragus of the ear, and a rear face of the bud portion also extends between the first end and the second end.

7. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the stem portion is an elongated stem portion comprising a first end and a second end, the first end of the elongated stem portion abuts the second end of the bud portion, and wherein the microphone is positioned closer to the second end than the first end of the elongated stem portion.

8. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the microphone is a first acoustic microphone, and the earphone further comprises a second acoustic microphone, the second acoustic microphone is positioned in the cavity of the bud portion, closer to the first end than the second end of the bud portion.

9. The earphone of claim 8 further comprising a third acoustic microphone, wherein the third acoustic microphone is positioned inside the cavity of the stem portion.

10. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the cavity in the stem portion is open to the cavity in the bud portion and a plurality of wires pass from the cavity in the stem portion to the cavity in the bud portion to supply power to the electronic circuitry, and the rechargeable power source is positioned inside the cavity of the stem portion.

11. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable power source is positioned in the stem portion, and the earphone further comprising a connector positioned in the stem portion, wherein the connector is coupled to a) the rechargeable power source, for charging the power source from an external power source, and b) the electronic circuitry, for data communications with an external device.

12. The earphone of claim 11 wherein the connector comprises a pair of conductive terminals that are exposed at an external surface of the stem portion to conduct electrical power from the external power source to charge the rechargeable power source that is inside the stem portion.

13. The earphone of claim 12 wherein the microphone is positioned within the stem portion, longitudinally between the pair of conductive terminals and the rechargeable power source.

14. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable power source is a lithium-based rechargeable battery.

15. The earphone of claim 1 wherein a longitudinal axis of the stem portion is vertical, while a center axis of the primary sound outlet is horizontal.

16. A wireless earphone comprising:

a housing having a bud portion abutting a stem portion, wherein the bud portion is sized and dimensioned to fit within an ear, the bud portion a) having a primary sound outlet at its far end that is to be inserted into the ear and b) abutting the stem portion at its near end;

a speaker driver positioned inside the housing;

electronic circuitry positioned inside the housing, the electronic circuitry comprising a wireless communications interface to receive audio content over-the-air and, in response, provide an audio signal to the speaker driver;

a rechargeable power source positioned inside the housing; and

a rear support coupled to the housing, and wherein a connecting member extends from the rear support.

17. The earphone of claim 16 wherein the connecting member comprises a cord dimensioned to tether the earphone to another earphone.

18. The earphone of claim 16 wherein the connection member comprises an ear hook dimensioned to attach the earphone to the user'"'"'s ear.

19. The earphone of claim 16 wherein the speaker driver is positioned within a cavity of the housing that is inside the bud portion, and the rechargeable power source is positioned within a cavity of the housing that is inside the stem portion.

20. The earphone of claim 16 further comprising a microphone positioned within a cavity of the housing that is inside the stem portion.

21. The earphone of claim 16 further comprising a flexible tip coupled to the bud portion.

22. The earphone of claim 16 further comprising a vibration sensor positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the electronic circuitry.

23. The earphone of claim 16 further comprising an orientation sensor positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the electronic circuitry.

24. The earphone of claim 16 further comprising a proximity sensor positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the electronic circuitry.