Headset with a retractable speaker portion

• US 8,582,755 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bradford, Eric, Wilson, Jay, Zellweger, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US12/697,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20100128916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 379/430, 37942001-42004, 381/370, 381374-376, 381/380, 455/575.2, 455/569.1, 455/569.2
• US Class Current: 379/430
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• 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 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

An earbud headset, a handset including the same, and methods of operating the headset and handset are provided. In one embodiment, an earbud headset includes a speaker portion that is retractable into and extendable from a base portion, thereby allowing for a thin profile form factor. Advantageously, the earbud headset allows for more convenient storage and/or integration with a handset such that a user may carry the handset and headset much like a single item.

Claims

1. An earbud headset, comprising:

a base portion;

an earbud speaker portion for transmitting sound; and

a neck portion comprising a post that is operably coupled to the base portion at a first location and to the earbud speaker portion at a second location, wherein the coupling at the first location permits rotation of the earbud speaker portion towards or away from the base portion.

2. The headset of claim 1, wherein the neck portion is configured to move the earbud speaker portion toward the base at a first position and away from the base at a second position, wherein the path between the first and second position is arcuate.

3. The headset of claim 2, wherein the neck portion is coupled to the base portion by a hinge joint.

4. The headset of claim 2, wherein base portion further comprises a recess for receiving the neck portion when the neck portion is in the first position.

5. The headset of claim 2, wherein base portion further comprises a recess for receiving the earbud speaker portion when the neck portion is in the first position.

6. The headset of claim 1, wherein the post is a spring-loaded post.

7. The headset of claim 1, wherein the headset includes a housing configured to be detachably coupled to a host device.

8. The headset of claim 7, wherein the host device and the headset are electrically coupled.

9. The headset of claim 8, wherein the host device is a power supply to the headset.

10. The headset of claim 7, wherein the host device electrically communicates with the headset.

11. The headset of claim 7, wherein the host device is a handset body.

12. The headset of claim 7, wherein when the host device and the headset are detached, the host device wirelessly communicates with the headset.

13. The headset of claim 1, wherein the base portion includes one of a battery, an antenna, a microphone, a gain control means, and an amplifying means.

14. The headset of claim 1, wherein the earbud speaker portion encases a transducer in a speaker capsule.

15. The headset of claim 1, wherein the earbud speaker portion is a speaker port not including a transducer.

16. The headset of claim 1, wherein the earbud speaker portion is configured to contact a lower concha of a user'"'"'s ear.

17. The headset of claim 1, wherein the earbud speaker portion is coupled to the neck portion by a joint selected from the group consisting of a ball-and-socket joint, a hinge, and a static joint.

18. A method of operating an earbud headset, comprising:

providing an earbud headset including;

a base portion;

an earbud speaker portion for transmitting sound; and

a neck portion comprising a post that is operably coupled to the base portion at a first location and to the earbud speaker portion at a second location, wherein the coupling at the first location permits rotation of the earbud speaker portion towards or away from the base portion;

rotating the earbud speaker portion away from the base; and

placing the earbud speaker portion in a user'"'"'s ear.