Motorcycle audio system

• US 4,445,228 A
• Filed: 11/01/1982
• Issued: 04/24/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Parts Distributors Incorporated (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Parts Distributors Incorporated (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Bruni, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rubinson, G. Z.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Application Number:
  US06/438,303
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 381/86, 381/24, 179/146 E, 179/146 R, 455/99, 455/345, 455/350, 455/351, 181/199, 181/150, 362/72
• US Class Current: 381/302
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/10 Arrangement of audio equipment; Supports therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/929 Article carrier for electrical device

Abstract

A stereo audio system for a motorcycle includes a housing (10) for a radio receiver and/or tape deck and speaker-mirror assemblies (11, 12) mounted on base-socket assemblies (13, 14) threaded over mounting posts screwed into tapped holes in place of conventional mirrors on the motorcycle handle bars (15, 16). Crossbars (17, 18) support the housing from the base-socket assemblies. Speakers (11a, 12a) are connected to a power amplifier in the housing by wires which are routed through the base-socket assemblies to the crossbars, and then inside or along the outside of the crossbars to the housing. Mirrors (11c, 12c) occupy half of the housings (11b, 12b) for the speakers.

Claims

1. In an audio system for motorcycles, a speaker-mirror assembly comprised of a speaker-mirror housing and both a speaker and a mirror supported by said speaker-mirror housing mounted on a handlebar of the motorcycle by a bracket assembly, said audio system further comprising a power amplifier and an audio program unit connected through said power amplifier to said speaker, wherein said speaker-mirror housing includes a board mounted in a front opening thereof and said speaker is supported by said board in a position within said housing at one end thereof, said board being slotted in the area over said speaker, and wherein said mirror is mounted over said board on the outside of said speaker-mirror housing at the other end thereof.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said speaker-mirror housing is formed with a hemispherical portion on the bottom, and wherein said mounting bracket assembly is comprised of

a threaded mounting post screwed into a tapped hole in said handlebar,

a jam nut and a hold down nut,

a base socket adapted to be placed over said post and shaped at the upper end to receive said hemispherical portion of said speaker-mirror housing, and recessed to receive said jam nut between said hemispherical portion and said base socket,

a friction cup adapted to be placed over said post and shaped to fit over said hemispherical portion of said speaker-mirror housing, and

a compression spring between said friction cup and hold down nut.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said speaker-mirror housing is divided into separable bottom and top portions to allow said friction cup, compression spring and hold-down nut to be placed over said post to complete a bracket assembly for a speaker-mirror housing before the speaker-mirror housing is completed by placement of the top portion over the bottom portion.

4. The combination of claim 1 including a second speaker-mirror assembly comprised of a housing and both a speaker and a mirror, said speaker-mirror assembly being mounted on the handlebar on the other side of the motorcycle, said audio system further comprising a second power amplifier for said second speaker-mirror assembly, and said audio program unit is a stereo unit having separate leads to the separate power amplifiers.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said speaker-mirror assemblies are mounted on handlebars on both sides of the motorcycles with the mounting bracket assembly of each directly below the speaker with the mirror of each speaker-mirror assembly extending outwardly from the motorcycle.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said housing for each speaker-mirror assembly is formed with a hemispherical portion on the bottom and wherein each of said mounting bracket assemblies is comprised of

a threaded mounting post screwed into a tapped hole in the handlebar,

a jam nut and a hold down nut,

a base socket adapted to be placed over said post and shaped at the upper end to receive said hemispherical portion of said housing, and recessed to receive said jam nut between said hemispherical portion and said base socket,

a friction cup adapted to be placed over said post and shaped to fit over said hemispherical portion of said housing, and

a compression spring between said friction cup and hold down nut.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein each speaker-mirror housing is divided into separable bottom and top portions to allow said friction cup, compression spring and hold-down nut to be placed over the mounting post to complete a bracket assembly for a speaker-mirror housing before the speaker-mirror housing is completed by placement of the top portion over the bottom portion.

8. The combination of claim 6 or 7 wherein each of said mounting bracket assemblies is further comprised of a crossbar bracket placed over said post beneath said base socket, said combination further including a central housing for said audio program unit and power amplifiers and a crossbar extending from each crossbar bracket to said central housing, one crossbar supporting said central housing on each of said opposing sides.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said central housing is comprised of a base for support of said audio program unit and power amplifiers and a lid pivoted on said crossbars for access to said audio program unit.

10. The combination of claim 9 including means for holding said lid steady in a plurality of open positions within limits.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said base supports said amplifiers within an enclosure thereof, and supports said audio programming unit on top, wherein said lid is shaped to fit over said audio programming unit, and wherein said audio programming unit is removable by the operator of said motorcycle for security.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein said audio programming unit is secured to said top of said base by easy release fastening means.

13. The combination of claim 2 or 6 wherein said post is slotted longitudinally to provide a passage for speaker wires from a speaker in a housing supported by a mounting bracket through the mounting bracket to the base thereof.

14. The combination of claim 8 wherein said crossbar bracket of each mounting bracket assembly has a ball-shaped end placed over said post and a hole therethrough adapted to allow the crossbar bracket to be pivoted on said post over a limited angle, said base being shaped with a concave surface at the bottom thereof to fit over said ball-shaped end, and a spacer between said handlebar and said ball-shaped end of said crossbar bracket shaped with a concave surface to fit under said ball-shaped end.