Microphone wind shroud

• US 4,600,077 A
• Filed: 01/25/1985
• Issued: 07/15/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lightwave Audio Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Leslie C. Drever
• Inventors: Drever, Leslie C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Application Number:
  US06/695,168
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 181/158, 181/242, 179/121 R, 179/179, 179/180, 179/184
• US Class Current: 181/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/086 Protective screens, e.g. all weather or wind screens

Abstract

A microphone wind shroud having a integral mounting means for being slidably mounted to an omnidirectional or unidirectional microphone, such as those integrally mounted on video cameras. A semi-rigid grid-like external shell shrouds the microphone head. The shell is lined with a multilayer laminate fabric material. The shell and laminate allow desired audio frequencies to pass and reach the microphone head while attenuating undesired wind noises caused by microphone movement or environmental wind conditions.

Claims

1. A microphone wind shroud comprising:

a resilient annular body member having cutout portions therethrough and being opened at a first and second end;

a wind noise attenuation medium of laminate material including a first layer of napped nylon, a second layer of open-cell polyurethane foam, and a third layer of woven nylon securedly maintained immediately over said cutout portions;

a hollow head member having cutout portions therethrough and having an opening at the first end thereof, said head member being fixedly secured to said body member about the periphery of the respective first ends thereof forming a unitary shroud section opened at one end for being placed over the transducing end of a microphone;

said cutout portions of said body member and said head member comprising a flexible plastic grid of polypropylene plastic;

an annular mount section having a first end fixedly secured to said open end of said shroud section, and a second end;

a resilient cylindrical foam insert aligned along the longitudinal axis of said second end, and a foam retaining means between the outer periphery of said foam insert and the inner periphery of said annular mount section for retaining said foam insert in place such that said microphone wind shroud is slidably securable to a microphone by sliding said microphone through said foam insert;

whereby said wind shroud is securely maintained on said microphone by the gripping force of said compressive foam insert;

and whereby wind noise is attenuated by said wind shroud but desired audio frequencies pass freely therethrough.

2. The microphone wind shroud as claimed in claim 1 wherein said annular body member comprises a substantially cylindrical annulus.

3. The microphone wind shroud as claimed in claim 1 wherein said annular mount member comprises a substantially cylindrical annulus near said first end thereof, and tapers to a reduced diameter to the terminous of said second end thereof, and wherein said annular mount member further includes a circumferential edge along the first end thereof which is matably and adhesively secured to the second end of said body member.

4. The microphone wind shroud as claimed in claim 1 wherein said foam insert comprises a foam rubber insert having an inner diameter smaller that the outer diameter of said microphone at the area of connection such that said foam rubber insert maintains a secure an tight interference fit with the neck of said microphone and such that said insert is maintained in compression thereon.

5. The microphone wind shroud as claimed in claim 1 wherein said foam retaining means comprises open-cell plastic foam filled between the outer circumference of said foam insert an the inner circumference of said annular mount section such that a lightweight shock absorbent connection is provided between said microphone and said wind shroud.

6. The microphone wind shroud as claimed in claim 1 wherein said head member is fixedly secured to said body member using a polyethylene laminate to bind the periphery of the respective first ends such that a contiguous linear profile at the joined area is obtained.

7. A microphone wind shroud comprising:

a substantially cylindrical resilient annular body member opened at a first end and a second end thereof;

a hemisherical hollow head member having an opening at a first end thereof, said head member being fixedly secured to said body member about the periphery of the respective first ends thereof thereby forming a unitary shroud section opened at one end for being placed over the transducing end of a microphone, said annular body member and said annular head member being fabricated from a flexible plastic grid of polypropylene plastic material to allow the free passage of audio frequencies therethrough;

a wind noise attenuation meduim secured immediately over said cutout portions including a first layer of napped nylon, a second layer of open-celled polyurethane foam and a third layer of woven nylon, said layers being laminated together and adhesively secured to the inner periphery of said annular body member and said annular head member;

an annular mount member including a substantially cylindrical annulus near the first end thereof and a tapered section reduced in diameter to the terminous of the second end thereof, said annular mount member being fixedly secured to the second end of said annular body member, and further including a circumferential channel along the first end thereof for being matably and adhesively secured to the circumferential edge of the second end of said body member;

a resilient cylindrical foam rubber insert having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of a microphone at the area of engagement between said microphone and said microphone wind shroud such that said foam rubber insert is maintained in compression thereon provide a secure intereference fit between the neck of said microphone and said insert;

an open-cell plastic foam retaining means filling the gap between the outer circumference of said foam insert and the inner circumference of said annular mount section;

whereby said shock mount allows for the mechanical deflection of said microphone wind shroud when mounted on said microphone without causing damage thereto, and wherein said annular mount section provides for absorbtion of mechanical shock to the microphone and motor noise caused by video camera mechanisms;

an annular channel about the periphery of said annular mount section on the first end thereof for engaging the lip of the second end of said cylindrical body section and adhesively adhered thereto;

whereby unwanted sound frequencies caused by the movement of air with respect to the wind shroud are attenuated such that only desired audio frequency sound reaches the microphone transducer.