Apparatus for audio communication

• US 8,737,666 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Saila, Sami, Jaakkola, Mikael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US12/520,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20100310107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,713 Days
• Field of Search: 381/331, 381/370, 381/371, 381/374, 381/375, 381/380, 381/381, 381/384, 379/430, 379/438, 455/550.1, 455/569.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.6, 320/108
• US Class Current: 381/375
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/083 Special constructions of mouthpieces

Abstract

A headset (10) for audio communications comprising a speaker housing (11) and a boom (12) for a microphone (41, 51), the headset arranged to provide a retracted state and an extended state, wherein the boom is arranged to be wrapped around the speaker housing in the retracted state and be unwrapped from the speaker housing in the extended state. The headset may be used as a hands-free unit for a telephone.

Claims

1. A headset for audio communications comprising a speaker housing and a resiliently flexible boom for a microphone, the headset configured to provide a retracted state and an extended state, wherein the boom is configured to be resiliently biased in a wrapped configuration about the speaker housing in the retracted state and be unwrapped from the speaker housing in the extended state by release of the bias, wherein the boom comprises one or more inductive loops, and wherein one or more headset components are configured to be charged by the one or more respective inductive loops, and wherein the headset is configured such that the boom inductive loop(s) are in electrical engagement with the respective electrical component inductive loop(s) to provide for charging for one or more of the components of the headset in the retracted state.

2. The headset of claim 1, wherein the boom is configured to be wrapped around an outer perimeter of the speaker housing.

3. The headset according to claim 1, wherein the speaker housing comprises a channel, and the boom and the channel are configured to house the boom in the channel when the headset is in the retracted state.

4. The headset according to claim 1, wherein the headset comprises a user releasable latch mechanism configured to releasably hold the boom in the retracted state.

5. The headset of claim 4, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a magnetic element configured to engage with a magnetic element of the microphone to hold the boom in the retracted state.

6. The headset of to claim 1, wherein the boom comprises or is composed of a material selected from one or more of a spring steel, a beryllium-copper alloy, a nickel-titanium alloy and a polymer.

7. The headset according to claim 1, wherein the headset is configured to have a low power mode and a high power mode, and wherein the headset is configured such that the low power mode is associated with the retracted state and the high power mode is associated with the extended state.

8. The headset according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the speaker housing is configured to be inserted into the ear canal of a user in use.

9. A method of operating an audio communications headset, the headset configured to have a low power mode and a high power mode, and wherein the headset comprises a speaker housing and a resiliently flexible boom for a microphone, the headset configured to provide retracted state and an extended state, wherein the boom is configured to be resiliently biased in a wrapped configuration around the speaker housing in the retracted state and be unwrapped from the speaker housing in the extended state by release of the bias, and wherein the retracted state is associated with the lower power mode and the extended state is associated with the high power mode, the method comprising changing the state of the headset to switch the headset between the low and high power modes, wherein the boom comprises one or more inductive loops, and wherein one or more headset components are configured to be charged by the one or more respective inductive loops, and wherein the headset is configured such that the boom inductive loop(s) are in electrical engagement with the respective electrical component inductive loop(s) to provide for charging for one or more of the components of the headset in the retracted state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the high power mode is associated with the use of the headset to make use of one or more functions of an apparatus associated with the headset.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodied with a computer program configured to detect the state of a headset, the headset configured to have a low power mode and a high power mode, and wherein the headset comprises a speaker housing and a resiliently flexible boom for a microphone, the headset configured to provide a retracted state and an extended state, wherein the boom is configured to be resiliently biased in a wrapped configuration around the speaker housing in the retracted state and be unwrapped from the speaker housing in the extended state by release of the bias, and wherein the retracted state is associated with the lower power mode and the extended state is associated with the high power mode, and wherein the computer program comprises computer code configured to switch the headset between the low power mode and the high power mode based on the detected configuration of the headset, wherein the boom comprises one or more inductive loops, and wherein one or more headset components are configured to be charged by the one or more respective inductive loops, and wherein the headset is configured such that the boom inductive loop(s) are in electrical engagement with the respective electrical component inductive loop(s) to provide for charging for one or more of the components of the headset in the retracted state.