Earpiece system

• US 9,706,282 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Burgett, Seth D., Fishbaine, David, Daniels, Richard J., Wetle, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, TALIA F
• Application Number:
  US12/710,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20100296664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,695 Days
• Field of Search: 705 28, 703 6, 703 1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• 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 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06

Abstract

A system and method for providing earpieces for a user includes an inventory of standard earpieces having a plurality of different parameters, and a device for making a non-contact measurement of the user'"'"'s ear, such as a camera or scanner. An ear-piece is selected from the inventory based on the non-contact measurement of the user'"'"'s ear.

Claims

1. An earbud delivery system comprising:

an earbud system including a three-dimensional scanner, a calculator and a processor, the three-dimensional scanner configured to generate a non-contact ear measurement for a user'"'"'s ear, the non-contact ear measurement including a size measurement and a shape measurement for the user'"'"'s ear;

the calculator for calculating at least one factor for each earpiece within an inventory of earpieces based on the non-contact ear measurement from the three-dimensional scanner, the at least one factor is selected from the group consisting of;

a pain score, a stay-in score and an ambient sound suppression score; and

the processor configured to select an earpiece from the inventory of earpieces based on the non-contact ear measurement from the three-dimensional scanner and the at least one calculated factor from the calculator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional scanner comprises a camera for generating the non-contact ear measurement.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-contact ear measurement is generated based on a three-dimensional image of the user'"'"'s ear is generated from the three-dimensional scanner.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer system including:

an earpiece parameter database for storing earpiece parameter data; and

wherein the processor is further configured to select the earpiece based on the earpiece parameter database and the non-contact ear measurement.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory of earpieces includes a first inventory situated proximate to the three-dimensional scanner to generate the non-contact ear measurement and a second inventory situated remote from the three-dimensional scanner to generate the non-contact ear measurement.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the earpiece is an earbud or an earbud adapter.

7. A system comprising:

an earbud system including a three-dimensional scanner, a calculator and a processor, the three-dimensional scanner configured to generate a non-contact ear measurement for a user'"'"'s ear, the non-contact ear measurement including a size measurement and a shape measurement for the user'"'"'s ear;

the calculator configured to calculate at least one factor for each earpiece from a plurality of earpieces where each earpiece is associated with a plurality of parameters, the calculator calculating the at least one factor based on the non-contact ear measurement and the plurality of parameters for each respective earpiece and wherein the at least one factor is selected from the group consisting of;

a pain score, a stay-in score and an ambient sound suppression score; and

the processor configured to select an earpiece from the plurality of earpieces based on the non-contact ear measurement and the at least one calculated factor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-contact ear measurement is generated based on a 3D image of the user'"'"'s ear obtained from the three-dimensional scanner.