Earphone (surround sound) speaker

• US 6,356,644 B1
• Filed: 02/20/1998
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Pollak, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US09/026,976
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381/17-19, 381/300, 381/301, 381/309, 381/310, 381/26, 381/74, 381/99, 381/182, 381/370, 381/371, 381/384, 381/FOR.126, 381/FOR.149, 381/FOR.165, 381/328, 181/128, 181/129, 181/130, 181/135, D14/205, 379/430
• US Class Current: 381/371
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/022 Plurality of transducers corresponding to a plurality of sound channels in each earpiece of headphones or in a single enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A headphone system that including casings that each contain at least two speakers. Each speaker in each casing is able to produce sounds of different frequencies and/or coming from separate channels. The headphone set may include an electrical device for separating one or more individual signals into two or more signals. The electrical device may be located directly on the headset.

Claims

1. A stereo headphone set comprising:

a plurality of casings, each casing of said plurality of casings having a first projection, a second projection, and an exterior surface;

said first projection of said casing having an external surface, said external surface of said first projection including a first projection outer surface and a first projection inner surface, said first projection inner surface being closer to an ear auricle than said first projection outer surface;

said second projection of said casing, being structurally adapted for insertion within said ear auricle, being positioned closer to said ear auricle than said first projection, and having an external surface, said external surface of said second projection including a second projection outer surface and a second projection inner surface; and

said exterior surface of said casing having an inner surface and an outer surface,

wherein said first projection outer surface and said second projection outer surface conjointly form said outer surface, and

wherein said first projection inner surface and said second projection inner exterior surface conjointly form said inner surface.

2. A stereo headphone set of claim 1 wherein:

said casing is V-shaped.

3. A stereo headphone set of claim 1 further comprising:

an elbow located at a distal end of the first projection and at a distal end of the second projection, said first projection protruding from the second projection at said elbow and said second projection protruding from said first projection at said elbow.

4. A stereo headphone set of claim 3 wherein:

said each casing is V-shaped, having a vertex at said elbow.

5. A stereo headphone set of claim 1 wherein:

said first projection further comprises at least one first speaker, and

said second projection further comprises at least one second speaker.

6. A stereo headphone set of claim 5 wherein:

said casing is V-shaped.

7. A stereo headphone set of claim 5 further comprising:

an elbow located at a distal end of the first projection and at a distal end of the second projection, said first projection protruding from the second projection at said elbow and said second projection protruding from said first projection at said elbow.

8. A stereo headphone set of claim 5 wherein:

said at least one first speaker having a speaker face that is substantially parallel with said first projection inner surface;

said at least one second speaker having a speaker face that is substantially parallel with said second projection inner surface; and

said first speaker face is positioned substantially normal to said second speaker face.

9. A stereo headphone set of claim 5 wherein:

said first projection further comprises a first opening for said at least one first speaker, and

said second projection further comprises a second opening said for at least one second speaker.

10. A stereo headphone set of claim 9 wherein:

said first opening is in contact with said at least one first speaker to form a first speaker face, and

said second opening is in contact with said at least one second speaker to form a second speaker face.

11. A stereo headphone set of claim 10 wherein:

said first speaker face is positioned substantially normal to said second speaker face.

12. The stereo headphone set of claim 5, further comprising:

an apparatus for supplying at least one first signal to said at least one first speaker and for supplying at least one second signal to said at least one second speaker.

13. The stereo headphone set of claim 12 wherein:

said first signal is different from said second signal.

14. A stereo headphone set of claim 12 further comprising:

a headband fastened to said casing, said apparatus being attached to said headband.

15. The stereo headphone set of claim 12 wherein:

said apparatus is located on a plug, and

said plug being attached to said headset by a cord, and being adapted to combine with and receive signals from a port located in a remote stereo sound system.

16. The stereo headphone set of claim 12 wherein:

at least one second speaker comprises a plurality of speakers, and

a speaker of said plurality of speakers is positioned closer to said ear auricle than another speaker of said plurality of speakers.

17. The stereo headphone set of claim 16 wherein:

said apparatus for supplies a separate, individual signal to each speaker of said plurality of speakers.

18. The stereo headphone set of claim 12 wherein:

said apparatus delays at least one of said first signal and said second signal to produce a delayed signal.

19. The stereo headphone set of claim 18 wherein:

said delayed signal is channeled to one of said at least one first speaker and said at least one second speaker, and

a signal other than said delayed signal is channeled to another of said at least one first speaker and said at least one second speaker.

20. The stereo headphone set of claim 12 wherein:

said apparatus produces an echo or reverberation effect.

21. A stereo headphone set of claim 1 wherein:

said plurality of casings comprises a casing for a left ear auricle and a casing for a right ear auricle.

22. A stereo headphone set of claim 1 further comprising a headband attached to said casing.

23. A stereo headphone set comprising:

a plurality of casings, each casing of said plurality of casings, being bounded by a convex exterior portion and a concave exterior portion and having a profile in the shape of a crescent, said each casing including;

at least two chambers, one chamber of said at least two chambers being different in size that another chamber of said at least two chambers, and each chamber of said at least two chambers being structurally adapted to house at least one speaker;

a chamber wall, said chamber wall separating said one chamber of said at least two chambers from said another chamber of said at least two chambers;

a bowl-shaped casing body, said casing body being asymmetrical and having said convex exterior; and

an arc-shaped rim, said rim influencing the profile of said concave exterior portion.

24. A stereo headphone set of claim 23 wherein said casing body is asymmetrical in relation to said chamber wall.