Headphone

• US 7,120,268 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Murozaki, Katsunori, Nageno, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): DABNEY, PHYLESHA LARVINIA
• Application Number:
  US10/250,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20040170294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 381/182, 381/330, 381/370, 381/374, 381/376, 381/379, 381385-386, 381/381, 381/390
• US Class Current: 381/381
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• 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 1/1075 Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

In order to obtain an ear-hook headphone that is light and comfortable to wear, a supporting portion that supports a housing portion is provided in the vicinity of one end of an approximately U-shaped bend of an arm-shaped guide portion; a pushing portion that resiliently pushes from behind the auricle of a user toward the housing portion is provided in the vicinity of the other end; and a sound-outputting surface of the housing portion is disposed on the face side of the listener wearing the headphone to be approximately perpendicular to the surface formed by the bend of the arm-shaped guide portion. According to this construction, the housing portion can be easily accommodated in the earhole of the user'"'"'s ear with the guide portion being slipped along the base of the user'"'"'s ear, and the headphone can be reliably worn with the pushing portion resiliently pushing from behind his/her auricle.

Claims

1. In a headphone provided with a housing portion including an electro-acoustic transducer therein and an arm-shaped guide portion supporting said housing portion, the headphone characterized in that:

said arm-shaped guide portion has an approximately U-shaped bend,

a supporting portion which is provided in the vicinity of one end of said bend and supports said housing portion,

a projecting handle that extends from said supporting portion, and

a pushing portion which is provided in the vicinity of the other end of said bend and resiliently pushes from behind the auricle of a listener toward said housing portion; and

,

a sound-outputting surface of said housing portion is disposed on the face side of a listener wearing the headphone to be approximately perpendicular to a plane transected by an entire the bend of said arm-shaped guide portion;

wherein the housing portion is constructed and arranged to be accommodated in an earhole of the listener.

2. A headphone according to claim 1, wherein a cord which supplies electric signals to said electro-acoustic transducer is adapted to be pulled out from an end of said handle so that the portion of the cord that is pulled out it is external to the handle.

3. A headphone according to claim 1, wherein a cord which supplies electric signals to said electro-acoustic transducer is adapted to be pulled out from said handle, and wherein a cord stopper is provided in said handle.

5. A headphone according to claims 1 or 4, wherein a diaphragm included in the electro-acoustic transducer within said housing portion is also disposed to be approximately perpendicular to the surface formed by the bend of said arm-shaped guide portion, and sound emitted by the vibration of the diaphragm is output from said sound outputting surface.

6. A headphone according to claims 1 or 4, wherein the projecting handle is approximately linear and is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to an extended axis of said arm-shaped guide portion.

7. A headphone according to claims 1 or 4, wherein the center of said housing portion is deviated from the axis of said arm-shaped guide portion so that said housing portion is asymmetrical.

8. A headphone according to claims 1 or 4, wherein the center of said housing portion is placed on the axis of said arm-shaped guide portion so that said housing portion is symmetrical.

9. A headphone according to claims 1 or 4, wherein openings of said housing portion which emit sound from the sound-outputting surface are provided only at the positions close to the earhole of the listener wearing the headphone and no other openings for emitting sound are provided at positions away from the earhole on said sound-outputting surface.

10. A headphone according to claims 1 or 4, wherein said arm-shaped guide portion and said housing portion are integrally formed.

4. In a headphone provided with a housing portion including an electro-acoustic transducer therein and an arm-shaped guide portion supporting said housing portion, the headphone characterized in that:

said arm-shaped guide portion has an approximately U-shaped bend,

a supporting portion which is provided in the vicinity of one end of said bend and supports said housing portion,

a projecting handle that extends from said supporting portion, and

a pushing portion which is provided in the vicinity of the other end of said bend and resiliently pushes from behind the auricle of a listener toward said housing portion, and

wherein a curved guide portion extends from the pushing portion; and

a sound-outputting surface of said housing portion is disposed on the face side of a listener wearing the headphone to be approximately perpendicular to a plane transected by an entire the bend of said arm-shaped guide portion;

wherein the housing portion is constructed and arranged to be accommodated in an earhole of the listener.