Lightweight speaker enclosure

• US 7,337,874 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clair Brothers Audio Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Southern California Sound Image, Inc.
• Inventors: Ritto, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): SAN MARTIN, EDGARDO
• Application Number:
  US11/151,687
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 181/199, 181/151, 181/292, 181/148, 181/146, 181/290, 181/296, 156/245, 156/285, 156/286, 156/307.3
• US Class Current: 181/199
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/088 and with one or more layers of non-plastics material or non-specified material, e.g. supports
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0097 Glues or adhesives, e.g. hot melts or thermofusible adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/04 cellular or porous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/06 containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0002 insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3418 Loud speakers
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/608 Honeycomb structures
• 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

Abstract

A speaker enclosure having a substantially seamless rigid outer skin, a middle sound absorbing layer, and a substantially seamless inner skin results in a lightweight speaker having sound absorbing characteristics. The speaker enclosure is comprised of two basic parts, a box section and a baffle section where each of these sections include a rigid outer skin, the middle sound absorbing layer and a seamless inner skin and are made according to the same method. The outer skin is formed from a layer of sheet molding compound, the middle sound absorbing layer includes pieces of honeycomb material, and the inner skin is formed from a layer of sheet molding compound. The layers of material are placed into a mold and then cured through vacuum bagging and heating thereby producing a strong, lightweight speaker enclosure made of materials which attenuate the transmission and retransmission of errant sound waves in the enclosure thereby reducing distortion of the sound signal produced by the speaker.

Claims

1. An enclosure for a sound speaker comprising:

a box section having side walls and a back wall which define a space for containing a speaker wherein said walls of said box section comprise an outer layer, a middle sound absorbing layer, and an inner layer, wherein the middle sound layer is able to resist compression along a first direction more than along a second direction that is generally perpendicular to the first direction;

a baffle section having at least one opening for allowing a diaphragm of said speaker to communicate therethrough wherein said baffle section is bonded to said front face of said box section to thereby enclose said speaker in an interior of said speaker enclosure; and

at least one adhering layer between the outer layer and the middle sound absorbing layer, or between the middle sound absorbing layer and the inner layer, wherein the at least one adhering layer can be formed under a first condition that that does not cause a compression of the middle sound layer beyond a threshold value along the first direction.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer is comprised of a material that defines a plurality of open spaces each containing a gas.

3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein said baffle section comprises an outer layer, a middle sound absorbing layer, and an inner layer.