Headphone cushioning

• US 4,989,271 A
• Filed: 08/24/1989
• Issued: 02/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Sapiejewski, Roman, Breen, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schroeder, Werner H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Neas, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US07/398,132
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 2/208, 2/209, 381/72, 381/74, 381/68.7, 381/183, 381/187
• US Class Current: 2/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/14 external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/105 Manufacture of mono- or stereophonic headphone components
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/15 Determination of the acoustic seal of ear moulds or ear tips of hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

An improved cushion for use on a heater has a thin front skin formed with a circumferential groove. A thin flexible ring is attached to the circumferential groove. A flexible rear skin supports a foam ring and is sealed to the front skin so as to form a gel space. Structure, such as a retaining ring and mating holes and pins, attaches the cushion to the headset.

Claims

1. An improved cushion having an inner edge and an outer edge for use on a headset with earcups comprising:

a thin flexible front skin having a circumferential groove,

a thin flexible ring of a first width attached to said circumferential groove,

a flexible rear skin,

a foam ring which rests on said rear skin,

said front skin sealed to said rear skin so as to form a sealed region of a fifth width having a gel space with said flexible ring and said foam ring between said front and rear skins to define inner and outer gel rings of a second and a third widths respectively,

gel in said gel space, and

structure for attaching said cushion to a headset.

2. The improved cushion set forth in claim 1 wherein the first width of said thin flexible ring spans substantially one-half the second width of the inner gel ring and almost substantially the full third width of the outer gel ring.

3. The improved cushion set forth in claim 1 wherein the seal between the front and rear skin at the inner edge of the cushion is formed with an under cut of a fourth width.

4. The improved cushion set forth in claim 3 wherein the fourth width of said undercut is substantially egual to the fifth width of the sealed region between said front and rear skins.

5. The improved cushion set forth in claim 1 wherein said structure for attaching comprises,

a plurality of holes formed in said rear skin,

a plurality of pins on the surface of said earcups which pass through said holes, and

a retaining ring which snaps over the outer edge of the cushion.