Wireless headphone with a spring-biased activating power switch

• US 5,708,725 A
• Filed: 08/08/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N.
• Application Number:
  US08/694,117
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 381/183, 381/187, 381/25, 381/74, 359/189, 320/2, 200/2, 379/430, 379/59, 379/61, 455/78, 455/90
• US Class Current: 381/370
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-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 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1066 Constructional aspects of the interconnection between earpiece and earpiece support earpiece support for monophonic headphones H04R1/105; earpiece support for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/0335 Earpiece support, e.g. headbands or neckrests for monophonic headphones H04R1/105

Abstract

A headphone like a cordless headphone including a pair of headphone units, a pair of supporting members, a headband and a pair of spring-biasing members. The headphone units are attached to one end of said supporting members. The headband is shaped in a substantially U-letter in cross section. When the listener wears the headband on the head, the headband is flexibly deformed to press the headphone units against the listener'"'"'s ears. A pair of spring-biasing members are disposed between the supporting members and the headband. The spring-biasing members spring-bias the supporting members in the direction in which the supporting members are contracted relative to the headband. Frictional forces generated between the supporting members and the headband under the condition that the listener wears the headband on the head are substantially equal to the spring-biasing forces of the spring-biasing members.

Claims

1. A headphone comprising:

a headphone unit including a switch for switching an operation state of said headphone;

a supporting member to which said headphone unit is attached;

a substantially U-shaped headband, said headband having said supporting member slidably attached to one end thereof, and said headband being flexibly deformable for pressing said headphone unit against a listener'"'"'s ear when the listener wears said headband on the head, wherein said switch is switched by said headband when said headband slides toward and away from said supporting member; and

a spring-biasing member connected between said supporting member and said one end of said headband, said spring-biasing member for spring-biasing said supporting member in a direction of drawing said supporting member towards said headband, wherein a frictional force generated between said supporting member and said headband when the listener wears said headband on the head is substantially equal to a spring-biasing force of said spring-biasing member.

2. The headphone according to claim 1, wherein one of said supporting member and said headband forms an arm-like member, the other of said supporting member and said headband forms a cylindrical member fitted into said arm-like member, the frictional force generated between an outer surface of said arm-like member and an inner surface of said cylindrical member is less than said spring-biasing force of said spring-biasing member when the listener does not wear said headband, so that said headband slides toward said supporting member and switches off said switch.

3. A headphone according to claim 2, wherein said spring-biasing member is extended between one end of said headband and said supporting member.

4. A headphone according to claim 1, said headphone further comprising a switch arranged in said headphone unit for switching an operation state of said headphone and wherein said switch is turned on and off by said supporting member when said supporting member slides over said headband.

5. A headphone comprising:

a headphone unit;

a supporting member to which said headphone unit is attached;

a substantially U-shaped headband, said headband having said supporting member slidably attached to one end thereof, and said headband being flexibly deformable for urging said headphone unit against a listener'"'"'s ear when the listener wears said headband on the head; and

a switch arranged in the headphone unit and being turned on by said headband when said headband is slid in a direction in which said headband is drawn away from said supporting member, said switch switching to an operation state of said headphone.

6. The headphone according to claim 5, wherein said headphone unit includes:

a receiving unit for receiving a transmitted signal;

signal processing means for signal processing an output signal from said receiving unit; and

a speaker unit for receiving said output signal from said signal processing means, and wherein operation of said signal processing means is switched ON/OFF by said switch.

7. The headphone according to claim 6, wherein said switch is turned off when said headband is slid towards said supporting member.

8. A headphone according to claim 7, wherein said switch is turned on and off by said supporting member.

9. The headphone according to claim 6, wherein said receiving unit comprises a light-receiving unit for receiving transmitted infrared rays and said light-receiving unit is disposed on said headphone unit.

10. The headphone according to claim 5, wherein said headphone further comprises spring-biasing means connected between said supporting member and said headband for spring-biasing said supporting member in a direction in which said supporting member is drawn toward said headband, and wherein a spring-biasing force generated by said spring-biasing means becomes substantially equal to a frictional force generated between said supporting member and said headband when the listener wears said headphone on the head and the frictional force is less then the spring-biasing force when the listener does not wear said headphone.