Headset terminal with speech functionality

• US 8,842,849 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wahl, James, Viduya, Andres, Kessing, Ben, Byford, Roger Graham, Logan, James Randall, Tooze, Dominic, Shade, Philip, Lacy, Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAHNERT, FRIEDRICH
• Application Number:
  US13/007,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20110116672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 381/379, 381/375, 381/372, 381/71.6, 381/74, 381/370, 381/376, 381/377, 455/572.2, 455/569.1, 705/29
• US Class Current: 381/74
• 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 headset terminal for speech applications includes a headband assembly, an earcup assembly and a power source assembly. Processing circuitry is positioned in at least one of the earcup assembly and the power source assembly and includes speech processing circuitry for recognizing and synthesizing speech. A radio communicates with a central system to process the activity information of the headset terminal user. A rotatable microphone boom assembly includes controls mounted on opposite sides of a rotation axis to maintain a consistent orientation on the boom assembly with respect to the head of a user. The boom assembly snaps together with the earcup assembly to rotate. The headband assembly includes at least one transverse band and a sliding arm coupled to the earcup assembly for dynamically adjusting the position of the earcup assembly. A latch of the power source assembly snaps into position to secure it with the assembly and slides between latched and unlatched positions to secure a battery.

Claims

1. A headset comprising:

a headband assembly for spanning across the head of a user;

an earcup assembly coupled proximate one end of the headband assembly;

the earcup assembly including a housing with a speaker and a microphone boom assembly with a microphone;

at least one of the earcup assembly housing and the boom assembly including a retainer that includes a plurality of snaps positioned around the retainer;

the other of the earcup assembly housing and the boom assembly including a flange that is captured by the snaps;

the boom assembly and earcup assembly housing configured for snapping together for rotatably coupling the boom assembly with the earcup assembly to rotate on an axis.

2. The headset of claim 1 wherein the earcup assembly includes a circuit board for supporting circuit components for the headset.

3. The headset of claim 2 further comprising a power source coupled with the headband assembly and configured to provide power for the circuit components of the headset.

4. The headset of claim 2 wherein the circuit components include processing circuitry including speech processing circuitry configured for recognizing speech captured by the microphone from a user and for synthesizing speech to play for a user through the speaker to provide a speech interface, the processing circuitry further configured to communicate activity information with a user and collect data from a user using the speech interface.

5. The headset of claim 4 further comprising a WLAN radio coupled to the speech processing circuitry, the WLAN radio configured for communicating with a central system for directing data to and from the central system.

6. The headset of claim 5 wherein the processing circuitry is configured for using the speech interface and operating with a product distribution program run by the central system.

7. The headset of claim 5 further comprising a portable RFID reader operably coupled with the processing circuitry, the RFID reader operable for reading an RFID tag and generating an output.

8. The headset of claim 1 further comprising controls mounted on the microphone boom assembly to rotate with the assembly, the controls including elements mounted on opposite sides of the axis or rotation that maintain a consistent orientation on the boom assembly with respect to the head of a user when it is rotated in either direction;

so the headset may be used on either side of a user'"'"'s head.

9. The headset of claim 8 further comprising control buttons, at least one control button positioned on opposite sides of the rotational axis from each other.

10. The headset of claim 9 wherein the at least one control button on one side of the axis is shaped differently from the at least one button on the opposite side of the axis.

20. The headset of claim 5 wherein the processing circuitry is configured for using the speech interface and operating with a product distribution program run by the central system.

11. An adjustable headset comprising:

a headband assembly for spanning across the head of a user;

an earcup assembly coupled proximate one end of the headband assembly and including a speaker and microphone;

the headband assembly including at least one transverse band and a sliding arm that is slidingly coupled with the transverse band, the earcup assembly being coupled to the sliding arm for dynamically adjusting the position of the earcup assembly with respect to the headband assembly;

a guide structure positioned in a hidden cavity inside of the sliding arm;

an elongated cable coupled with the earcup assembly and articulating inside of the hidden cavity and wrapping back on itself around the guide structure to remain hidden when the earcup assembly is adjusted and the effective length of the cable varies;

to provide a desirable aesthetic to the adjustable headset.

12. The adjustable headset of claim 11 wherein the earcup assembly includes a rotatable microphone boom assembly for mounting the microphone.

13. The adjustable headset of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of guide structures positioned in the hidden cavity, the articulating cable wrapping back on itself multiple times around the guide structures.

14. The adjustable headset of claim 11 further comprising a slot extending along at least part of the sliding arm, the slot extending along the cavity for allowing passage of the cable from the transverse band to the cavity for articulating in the cavity when the position of the earcup is adjusted.

15. The adjustable headset of claim 11 further comprising a saddle coupled to an end of the transverse band, the sliding arm operable to slide in the saddle to adjust the position of the earcup.

16. The adjustable headset of claim 11 wherein the saddle includes a passage for directing the cable between the transverse band end and the sliding arm.

17. The headset of claim 11 further comprising a power source coupled with the headband assembly, the power source coupled with the elongated cable.

18. The headset of claim 11 further comprising processing circuitry including speech processing circuitry configured for recognizing speech captured by the microphone from a user and for synthesizing speech to play for a user through the speaker to provide a speech interface, the processing circuitry further configured to communicate activity information with a user and collect data from a user using the speech interface.

19. The headset of claim 18 further comprising a WLAN radio coupled to the speech processing circuitry, the WLAN radio configured for communicating with a central system for directing data to and from the central system.

21. A headset comprising:

a headband assembly for spanning across the head of a user;

an earcup assembly coupled proximate at least one end of the headband assembly;

the earcup assembly including;

a speaker for playing audio signals to a user;

a microphone boom assembly including a microphone for capturing speech of a user;

the microphone boom assembly being rotatably coupled with in the earcup assembly to rotate on a generally horizontal axis with respect to the earcup assembly;

controls mounted on the microphone boom assembly to rotate with the microphone boom assembly, the controls including elements mounted on opposite sides of the axis that maintain a consistent orientation on the boom assembly with respect to the head of a user when the boom assembly is rotated in either direction;

so the headset may be used on either side of a user'"'"'s head.

22. The headset of claim 21 further comprising processing circuitry positioned in the earcup assembly, the processing circuitry including speech processing circuitry for recognizing speech captured by the headset from a user and for synthesizing speech to a user to provide a speech interface to communicate activity information with a user and collect data from a user.

23. The headset of claim 21 further comprising control buttons, at least one control button positioned on opposite sides of the rotational axis from each other.

24. The headset of claim 23 wherein the at least one control button on one side of the axis is shaped differently from the at least one button on the opposite side of the axis.

25. The headset of claim 24 wherein the at least one control button on one side of the axis includes a convex shape and the at least one button on the opposite side of the axis is includes a concave shape.

26. The headset of claim 21 wherein one of the controls is configured to provide an UP function and one of the controls is configured to provide a DOWN function, the UP function control being located vertically above the DOWN function control on the microphone boom assembly.