Audio jack with included microphone
First Claim
1. A connector for receiving a cylindrical plug, the connector comprising:
- a body defining a cavity for receiving the cylindrical plug along an insertion direction;
a plurality of electrical contacts in communication with the cavity, the plurality of electrical contacts configured to electrically connect with the cylindrical plug when the cylindrical plug is received in the cavity, at least one of the electrical contacts configured to mechanically engage and retain the cylindrical plug when the cylindrical plug is received in the cavity; and
a microphone supported by the body and having a sensing face with a center axis that is transverse to the insertion direction, the microphone being positioned such that the sensing face is at least partially covered by a side of the cylindrical plug that is parallel to the insertion direction when the cylindrical plug is received in the cavity.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A connector for receiving a cylindrical plug includes a body defining a plug aperture and a cavity for receiving the cylindrical plug. A plurality of electrical contacts in communication with the cavity make electrical connections with the cylindrical plug and retain the cylindrical plug. A microphone is coupled to the body such that the plug aperture and the cavity provide an acoustic path to the microphone. The microphone may be at an end of the connector opposite the plug aperture or on a side of the connector adjacent the plug aperture. The connector allows a microphone to be added to a device, such as a mobile telephone, without the need for an additional external aperture. The microphone in the connector may operate with a second microphone and processing electronics in the device to provide audio processing functions such as noise cancellation or audio beamforming.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A connector for receiving a cylindrical plug, the connector comprising:
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a body defining a cavity for receiving the cylindrical plug along an insertion direction; a plurality of electrical contacts in communication with the cavity, the plurality of electrical contacts configured to electrically connect with the cylindrical plug when the cylindrical plug is received in the cavity, at least one of the electrical contacts configured to mechanically engage and retain the cylindrical plug when the cylindrical plug is received in the cavity; and a microphone supported by the body and having a sensing face with a center axis that is transverse to the insertion direction, the microphone being positioned such that the sensing face is at least partially covered by a side of the cylindrical plug that is parallel to the insertion direction when the cylindrical plug is received in the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A handheld device, comprising:
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a housing; processing electronics supported by the housing; an electrical connector supported by the housing and electrically coupled to the processing electronics, the connector having a plug aperture and a cavity for receiving a cylindrical plug, the cavity defined by; an end wall opposite the plug aperture; and a sidewall extending at least partially between the plug aperture and the end wall; and a microphone disposed on the sidewall of the cavity and electrically coupled to the processing electronics, the microphone and the plug aperture being acoustically coupled by the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A communication device comprising:
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a housing; an electrical connector supported by the housing and defining a cavity configured to receive a plug; and a microphone disposed on a first interior surface of the cavity and positioned such that a sensing portion of the microphone faces a second interior surface of the cavity opposite the first interior surface. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification