Personal audio listening device

• US 7,778,410 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Wu, Chung-Chun, Liu, Chun-Hsin, Liu, Liang-Yi, Hung, Yu-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/593,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 379/430, 381/370, 381/374, 381/376, 381/381, 381/312, 381/322, 381/330, 455/575.1, 455/575.2, 455/575.6, 455/569.1, 181/128, 181/129
• US Class Current: 379/430
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection

Abstract

A personal audio listening device is adapted to be worn on a user'"'"'s ear, and includes a housing, a pivotal knob, and an ear hook member. The housing has a surface and a hollow portion, and defines a first axis and a second axis. The pivotal knob is pivotally mounted on the surface of the housing, and includes a pair of parallel resilient walls. The ear hook member includes a hook body and an end portion. The end portion includes a pivot element in the form of a polygonal post. The hook body is configured to be wearable on the user'"'"'s ear. The ear hook member is fittingly received between the resilient walls by means of the pivot element so as to be mounted on the pivotal knob. The ear hook member is pivotable about the first axis, and is rotatable about the second axis.

Claims

1. A personal audio listening device adapted to be worn on a user'"'"'s ear, comprising:

a housing having a surface and a hollow portion, and defining a first axis and a second axis;

a pivotal knob pivotably mounted on said surface of said housing, said pivotal knob including a pair of parallel resilient walls; and

an ear hook member including a hook body and an end portion, said end portion including a pivot element in the form of a polygonal post, said hook body being configured to be worn on the user'"'"'s ear, said pivot element being received fittingly between said resilient walls to thereby enable said ear hook member to be mounted on said pivotal knob, said ear hook member being pivotable about said first axis and being rotatable about said second axis.

2. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein, prior to rotation of said pivot element, two opposing sides of said polygonal post abut against opposite wall surfaces of said resilient walls, respectively, and when said pivot element is rotated, said polygonal post pushes said resilient walls gradually away from each other until said resilient walls are pushed apart to a widest stretched position by two diagonally opposite corners of said polygonal post, said resilient walls snapping against said opposing surfaces of said pivot element upon restoration of said resilient walls to original positions to thereby generate the feeling of a click.

3. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said pivot element is a post having an even number of sides.

4. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said pivot element is formed on said end portion of said ear hook member proximate to a distal end thereof, and has a cross-sectional size smaller than that of the remainder of said end portion, each of said resilient walls having lengthwise opposing ends each of which abuts against a juncture between said pivot element and the remainder of said end portion.

5. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said pivot element is formed at a distal end of said end portion, a neck portion being interposed between said pivot element and said hook body, said pivotal knob abutting against a juncture between said neck portion and said hook body.

6. The personal audio listening device according to claim 5, wherein opposite ends of one of said resilient walls are configured to bend toward opposite ends of the other of said resilient walls such that when said pivot element is received between said resilient walls, said resilient walls embrace said pivot element.

7. The personal audio listening device according to Claim 1, wherein said housing includes a through hole extending through said surface and in spatial communication with said hollow portion, said pivotal knob including a base and a cap, said base including a plurality of engaging walls disposed at an outer periphery thereof, hooks formed respectively at free ends of said engaging walls, and said resilient walls disposed between said engaging walls, said cap including a circular surrounding wall, two flanges extending along said circular surrounding wall, spaced apart from each other, and having a diameter greater than that of said through hole, a pair of slots formed in said circular surrounding wall, and a plurality of ribs formed on an inner wall surface of said circular surrounding wall and corresponding respectively to said hooks, wherein said base is extended through said through hole from said hollow portion, and each of said hooks engages a corresponding one of said ribs such that said pivotal knob is rotatably coupled to said housing.

8. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said housing includes a through hole extending through said surface and in spatial communication with said hollow portion, said pivotal knob including a base and a cap, said base including a plurality of engaging walls disposed at an outer periphery thereof, hooks formed respectively at free ends of said engaging walls, and said resilient walls disposed between said engaging walls, said cap including an annular bottom wall, a circular surrounding wall extending integrally and upwardly from said bottom wall, a pair of fitting holes provided in said circular surrounding wall, and a plurality of ribs formed on an inner wall surface of said circular surrounding wall and corresponding respectively to said hooks, said circular surrounding wall of said cap being extended outwardly through said through hole from said hollow portion such that said annular bottom wall is blocked by said housing, said end portion of said ear hook member being extended through said fitting holes, said base being inserted into said cap, said hooks respectively engaging said ribs such that said housing and said pivotal knob are rotatably coupled.

9. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said housing includes a through hole extending through said surface and in spatial communication with said hollow portion, said pivotal knob including a circular base and a circular cap, said circular base including a surrounding wall, a heat-fusible portion disposed under said base, extended through said through hole, and formed from a heat-fusible plastic material, a slot formed in said surrounding wall, a plurality of shoulder portions formed on said surrounding wall, and said resilient walls, said cap including a circular surrounding wall, a plurality of hook portions formed on said circular surrounding wall of said cap and corresponding respectively to said shoulder portions, and a slot formed in said circular surrounding wall of said cap and corresponding to said slot formed in said surrounding wall of said circular base, said heat-fusible portion being subjected to heat treatment after being extended into said hollow portion through said through hole to form said heat-fusible portion into a base disk, said hook portions of said cap respectively engaging said shoulder portions such that said housing and said pivotal knob are rotatably coupled.

10. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said first axis is substantially perpendicular to said second axis, said first axis being substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by a profile of the user'"'"'s ear, said second axis being substantially disposed in said plane.

11. The personal audio listening device according to claim 1, wherein said personal audio listening device is a Bluetooth earphone.