Communications devices with receiver earpieces and methods therefor

• US 20040001589A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mueller, Karl F., Yeager, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,068,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/433.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets

Abstract

A communications receiver earpiece, for example in a cellular handset, including a sound-generating device (210) located on an inner portion of a housing, a sound port (130) extending through the housing from the inner portion thereof and emerging from an outer portion of the housing. A sound-port cover (140) is disposed over the sound port (130) on the outer portion of the housing. A portion 144 of the sound-port cover extending outwardly of the sound port where the sound port emerges from the out portion of the housing.

Claims

1. A communications handset, comprising:

a housing;

a sound-generating device disposed within the housing;

a housing sound port disposed through the housing between an inner portion of the housing and an outer portion of the housing;

a housing sound-port cover coupled to the outer portion of the housing and spaced apart from the outer portion of the housing where the housing sound port emerges,

the housing sound-port cover located over the housing sound port, a portion of the housing sound-port cover extending outwardly of the housing sound port.

2. The communications handset of claim 1, a cover sound port disposed between the outer portion of the housing and the portion of the housing sound-port cover extending outwardly of the housing sound port, the cover sound port emerging from an open side of the housing sound-port cover.

3. The communications handset of claim 1, a space between the housing sound-port cover and the outer portion of the housing where the housing sound port is located, a cover sound port extending outwardly from the space between the housing sound-port cover and the outer portion of the housing.

4. The communications handset of claim 3, the cover sound port extending in substantially all directions radially outwardly from the space between the housing sound port cover and the outer portion of the housing.

5. The communications handset of claim 1, a receiver earpiece portion disposed on the outer portion of the housing, the housing sound port located within the earpiece portion.

6. The communications handset of claim 5, the earpiece portion is a high acoustic impedance earpiece.

7. The communications handset of claim 5, the earpiece portion is a low acoustic impedance earpiece.

8. The communications handset of claim 1 is a mobile wireless communications handset, a processor having an audio output coupled to the sound-generating device, a transceiver coupled to the processor, a keypad coupled to the processor and a display coupled to the processor.

9. The communications handset of claim 1, the housing sound port extending from a space between the inner portion of the housing and the sound-generating device to the outer portion of the housing, the housing sound-port cover extending outwardly of all portions of the housing sound port.

10. The communications handset of claim 1, the housing sound-port cover including a top portion and substantially open side portions.

11. A communications receiver earpiece, comprising:

a housing having inner and outer portions;

a sound-generating device located on the inner portion of the housing;

a sound port extending through the housing from the inner portion of the housing to the outer portion thereof, the sound port emerging from the outer portion of the housing,

a sound-port cover disposed over the sound port on the outer portion of the housing, the sound port cover spaced apart from and coupled to the outer portion of the housing,

a portion of the sound port cover extending outwardly of the sound port where the sound port emerges from the out portion of the housing.

12. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 11, the sound-port cover including a top portion, side portions of the sound-port cover are substantially open.

13. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 11, the sound port interconnecting an inner space on the inner portion of the housing with an outer space on the outer portion of the housing, the outer space on the outer portion of the housing disposed between the outer portion of the housing and sound-port cover.

14. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 11, the sound-port cover has a generally convex surface.

15. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 11, the earpiece portion is a high acoustic impedance earpiece.

16. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 11, the earpiece portion is a low acoustic impedance earpiece.

17. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 11, the sound-port cover extending substantially radially outwardly of all portions of the sound port.

18. The communications receiver earpiece of claim 17, the sound port is not more than a single sound port.

19. A method in a communications receiver earpiece, comprising:

generating an audio sound on a first side of a receiver housing;

propagating the audio sound from the first side of the receiver housing through a sound port to a receiver earpiece on a second side of the receiver housing opposite the first side thereof;

deflecting a portion of the audio sound on the second side of the receiver housing with a sound port cover disposed over the sound port and spaced apart from the second side of the housing, the sound port cover extending outwardly of where the sound port emerges from the second side of the housing.

20. The method of claim 19, deflecting audio sound by directing the audio sound substantially radially through openings between the sound port cover and the second side of the receiver housing.

21. The method of claim 19, providing a tactile cue for locating the earpiece with the sound port cover by protruding the sound port cover relative to a portion of the second side of the receiver housing.