Wireless earbud charging and communication systems and methods

• US 9,906,851 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Royal Isle Design LLC
• Original Assignee: Evolved Audio LLC
• Inventors: Schrems, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCARTY, TAUNYA A
• Application Number:
  US15/340,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20170339482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0249 Details of the mechanical connection between the housing parts or relating to the method of assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0274 for an electrical connector module
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

A case for storing a mobile computing device and a wireless earbud includes a back panel; a front panel defining a viewing aperture which extends through the front panel; a plurality of sidewalls extending around a perimeter of the back panel and configured to couple the perimeter of the back panel to a perimeter portion of the front panel; a dividing layer between the front panel and the back panel, such that the front panel and the dividing layer together define a first housing configured to receive and restrain a mobile computing device, and the dividing layer and the back panel together define a second housing; and a wireless earbud charging contact disposed within the second housing and configured to contact and charge the wireless earbud when the wireless earbud is positioned in the case.

Claims

1. A case for storing a mobile computing device and a wireless earbud, the case comprising:

a back panel;

a front panel defining a viewing aperture which extends through the front panel;

a plurality of sidewalls extending from the back panel and configured to couple the back panel to the front panel, wherein one or more of the back panel, the front panel, and a subset of the plurality of sidewalls is configured to receive the wireless earbud;

a dividing layer between the front panel and the back panel, wherein the front panel and the dividing layer together define a first housing configured to receive and restrain the mobile computing device, and the dividing layer and the back panel together define a second housing, wherein a thickness of the case at a region configured to restrain the mobile computing device is less than a thickness of the wireless earbud; and

a wireless earbud charging contact disposed within the second housing between the dividing layer and the back panel, wherein the wireless earbud charging contact is configured to contact and charge the wireless earbud when the wireless earbud is positioned in the case.

2. The case of claim 1, further comprising a rechargeable battery disposed in the second housing, wherein the wireless earbud charging contact is positioned adjacent to the rechargeable battery.

3. The case of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of sidewalls defines an earbud cavity configured to receive the wireless earbud.

4. The case of claim 3, wherein the earbud cavity intersects each of a lengthwise axis of:

the first housing, the dividing layer, and the second housing.

5. The case of claim 3, wherein a plane extending through a center of the earbud cavity is parallel to both a plane of the front panel and a plane of the back panel.

6. The case of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the wireless earbud equals a thickness of one of:

a body of the wireless earbud, a distance from a tip portion of the wireless earbud to a first end of the wireless earbud opposite the tip portion, a distance from a fin portion of the wireless earbud to a second end of the wireless earbud opposite the fin portion, and a combined thickness thereof.

7. The case of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the front panel is parallel to the back panel and a second portion of the front panel includes a bevel to accommodate the wireless earbud, wherein the second portion is thicker than the first portion.

8. The case of claim 7, wherein the back panel, the second portion of the front panel, and the subset of the plurality of sidewalls define an earbud cavity configured to receive the wireless earbud.

9. A case for storing a mobile computing device and wireless earbuds, the case comprising:

a back panel;

a front panel defining a viewing aperture which extends through the front panel;

a plurality of sidewalls extending from the back panel and configured to couple the back panel to the front panel, wherein one or more of the back panel, the front panel, and a subset of the plurality of sidewalls is configured to receive a first wireless earbud and a second wireless earbud;

an earbud cavity defined by one or more of the back panel, the front panel, and the subset of the plurality of sidewalls, wherein the earbud cavity is configured to receive at least the first wireless earbud;

a dividing layer between the front panel and the back panel, wherein the front panel and the dividing layer together define a first housing for receiving and restraining the mobile computing device, and the dividing layer and the back panel together define a second housing; and

an earbud locking mechanism comprising a stop positioned within the earbud cavity, wherein the stop is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein, in the locked position, the stop contacts a grooved surface on at least the first wireless earbud to restrict movement of at least the first wireless earbud, and wherein, in the unlocked position, at least the first wireless earbud is removable from the earbud cavity.

10. The case of claim 9, wherein the subset of the plurality of sidewalls defines an earbud cavity in a top portion of the case.

11. The case of claim 10, wherein the earbud cavity shares a lengthwise plane with each of the first housing, the dividing layer, and the second housing.

12. The case of claim 10, wherein the earbud locking mechanism further comprises a displaceable spring configured to effect movement of the stop.

13. The case of claim 9, wherein the second housing is configured to receive an electrical component, wherein the electrical component includes one or more of:

a rechargeable battery, a printed circuit board, an earbud charging contact, and an antenna.

14. The case of Claim 9, wherein a thickness of a bottom portion of the case is less than a thickness of the first wireless earbud, the bottom portion comprising a connector configured to electrically couple the case to the mobile computing device.

15. The case of claim 9, wherein the stop comprises a moveable stop configured to contact the first wireless earbud and a stationary stop configured to contact the second wireless earbud.

16. The case of claim 9, wherein the stop comprises a first moveable stop configured to contact the first wireless earbud and a second moveable stop configured to contact the second wireless earbud.

17. The case of claim 9, further comprising the first and second wireless earbuds, wherein the first and second wireless earbuds are removable from the case or insertable into the case sequentially.

18. The case of claim 9, further comprising the first and second wireless earbuds, wherein a front portion and a back portion of each wireless earbud is exposed when held by the case so that the first and second wireless earbuds are removable from the case when the stop is displaced.

19. A case for storing a mobile computing device and wireless earbuds, the case comprising:

a back panel;

a front panel defining a viewing aperture which extends through the front panel;

a plurality of sidewalls extending from the back panel and configured to couple the back panel to the front panel, wherein a subset of the plurality of sidewalls defines an earbud cavity configured to receive a first wireless earbud and a second wireless earbud;

a dividing layer between the front panel and the back panel,

wherein the front panel and the dividing layer together define a first housing for receiving and restraining the mobile computing device, and the dividing layer and the back panel together define a second housing,

wherein a combined thickness of the first housing and the second housing is less than a thickness of the first wireless earbud; and

an earbud locking mechanism comprising a stop positioned within the earbud cavity, wherein the stop is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein, in the locked position, the stop contacts a grooved surface on at least the first wireless earbud to restrict movement of at least the first wireless earbud, and wherein, in the unlocked position, at least the first wireless earbud is removable from the earbud cavity.

20. The case of claim 19, wherein the earbud cavity is positioned in a top portion of the case opposite a bottom portion.

21. The case of claim 20, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are transitionable between a coupled state and a decoupled state, wherein, in the coupled state, the mobile computing device is restrained in the case.

22. The case of claim 19, wherein dimensions of the case do not exceed a thickness of 19 mm, a width of 75 mm, and a length of 170 mm.

23. The case of claim 19, wherein the back panel is planar.

24. The case of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the first and second wireless earbuds extends into the second housing when the first and second wireless earbuds are positioned in the earbud cavity.

25. The case of claim 19, wherein a front surface portion and a back surface portion of each of the first and second wireless earbuds are exposed for removal of the first and second wireless earbuds from the earbud cavity by a user using a pinching method.

26. The case of claim 19, wherein the earbud cavity is configured to charge one or more of the first wireless earbud and the second wireless earbud when the first and second wireless earbuds are positioned in the earbud cavity.

27. A case for storing a mobile computing device and a wireless earbud, the case comprising:

a back panel;

a front panel defining a viewing aperture which extends through the front panel;

a plurality of sidewalls extending from the back panel and configured to couple the back panel to the front panel,

wherein a subset of the plurality of sidewalls defines a top edge of the case, and

wherein the top edge is configured to receive the wireless earbud;

a dividing layer between the front panel and the back panel,

wherein the front panel and the dividing layer together define a first housing for receiving and restraining the mobile computing device, and the dividing layer and the back panel together define a second housing, and

wherein a thickness of the case is less than a combined thickness of the mobile computing device and the wireless earbud; and

a wireless earbud charging contact disposed within the second housing between the dividing layer and the back panel, wherein the wireless earbud charging contact is configured to contact and charge the wireless earbud when the wireless earbud is positioned in the case.

28. The case of claim 27, wherein the thickness of the case equals a thickness of a region of the case configured to restrain the mobile computing device positioned in the case.

29. The case of claim 27, wherein the front panel and back panel are transitionable between a coupled state and a decoupled state, wherein the mobile computing device is restrained in the case in the coupled state.

30. The case of claim 27, wherein the thickness of the case equals a maximum thickness of the case at a region between the front panel and the back panel.