Patent Application
20080144877
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a supporting element for an audio device wearable on an ear such as an earpiece and headset for use in telecommunications, telephony, and/or multimedia applications. More specifically, an antihelix stabilizer with easy donning action for an audio device such as an ear set to provide support and stability when the audio device is worn on the ear is disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
Headsets are used in numerous audio applications and are particularly effective for telephone operators, radio operators, aircraft personnel, and for other individuals for whom it is desirable to have hands-free operation of communication and/or other audio systems. Accordingly, a wide variety of conventional headsets are available.
One type of a headset is a monaural headset. Monaural headsets are headsets that have only a single audio receiver for placement near one ear. Such headsets may be very compact and are often implemented with an earloop or earhook that is configured to fit around the ear to secure the receiver in place. Another example of a monaural headset is an earpiece containing a speaker and optionally a microphone. Such an earpiece is often wireless. The earpiece can be smaller, lighter, more comfortable, and more discrete.
However, most audio products intended to be worn on the ear tend to be unstable when worn and can be cumbersome and uncomfortable to use. In addition, many are difficult to don because of unintuitive design.
An antihelix stabilizer with easy donning action for an audio device such as an ear set to provide support and stability when the audio device is worn on the ear is disclosed. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device, or a method. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
The ear set may include a housing, an ear bud extending from the housing and configured to be at least partially positionable in the concha of the user's ear, and a stabilizer extending from the housing. The stabilizer may be resiliently compressible toward the ear bud upon application of force thereon. When the ear set is donned, the stabilizer is at least partially positioned in a concha of the ear to exert pressure on an antihelix and/or concha wall of the user's ear which, in cooperation with the ear bud, facilitates in stabilizing the ear set in the ear. The antihelix stabilizer may be configured in any suitable shape such as a flexible loop, tab, and/or spiral and/or may include an arm extending from the housing and terminating in a flange that extends generally away from the ear bud.
The extension arm may be approximately U-shaped, C-shaped, or L-shaped and extend between the housing and the flange generally in a direction of the ear bud. An ear bud post may be disposed between the ear set housing and the ear bud and may optionally facilitate in positioning the ear bud relative to the housing. The stabilizer extends from the housing generally in a direction of the ear bud post, i.e., toward the ear when donned. The stabilizer may define at least one rib and/or indentation on a surface thereof to facilitate compression of the stabilizer. In addition, the housing may include control and/or signals such as LED's disposed thereon.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be presented in more detail in the following detailed description and the accompanying figures which illustrate by way of example principles of the invention.
The present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements.
An antihelix stabilizer with easy donning action for an audio device such as an ear set to provide support and stability when the audio device is worn on the ear is disclosed. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. Descriptions of specific embodiments and applications are provided only as examples and various modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is to be accorded the widest scope encompassing numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. For purpose of clarity, details relating to technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
When the ear set 100 is donned on the user's ear, the ear set 100 is retained by the user's ear and more specifically by the antihelix stabilizer 120 and the concha of the ear 200 and allows for hands free use of the communication or audio system. The ear set 100 may further be retained in part by the ear canal if, for example, the ear bud 102 is configured to be at least partially positioned in the ear canal. Because the ear set 100 is supported by the user's ear 200, the size and arrangement of the ear set 100 results in a smaller and thus more discrete and more unobtrusive device.
Prior to describing the antihelix stabilizer 120 of the ear set 100 in more detail, a brief overview of the anatomical structure of the human ear is presented with reference to
Typically, the pinna 202 has a prominent curved rim or helix 206 and another curved prominence or antihelix 208 generally parallel with and in front of the helix 206. The scapha 210 is a narrow-curved depression between the helix 206 and the antihelix 208. The antihelix 208 describes a curve around a deep, capacious cavity, the concha 214. The concha 214 is partially divided into two parts by the commencement of the helix in which the upper part of the concha 214 is the cymba 214a while the lower part is the cavum 214b. In front of the concha 214 and projecting backward over the ear canal 204 is a small pointed eminence or the tragus 216. Opposite and separated from the tragus 216 by the intertragic notch 218 is a small tubercle or the antitragus 220. Below the antitragus 220 is the lobule 222. The ear canal 204 extends from a bottom of the concha 214 to the ear drum of the middle ear (not shown).
Referring again to
The antihelix stabilizer 120 with easy donning action serves as a supporting element to the wearable audio device or ear set 100. To don, the user presses the antihelix stabilizer 120 inward or downward in a direction 122a, i.e., toward the ear bud 102, while holding the ear set 100. The user may then place the ear bud 102 at least partially into the concha and optionally partially into the ear canal, and positions the stabilizer 120 in the concha of the user's ear 200. Upon release of the stabilizer 120 in the concha of the user's ear, the stabilizer 120 returns or expands in a direction 122b away from the ear bud 102.
The antihelix stabilizer 120 is preferably integral with the housing of the ear set 100 to prevent the stabilizer 120 from being separated from the housing 110 and becoming misplaced or lost. The antihelix stabilizer 120 may be configured in any suitable configuration such as a flexible tab, flexible loop, spiral, and the like. In the example shown in
Although the housing 110 is generally shown to be a rounded rectilinear shape, the housing 110 may be in any other suitable configuration. The housing 110 may be made from any suitable material such as plastic, metal, rubber, gel-like material, and the like. The ear bud 102 may preferably be made of a compressible material for comfort such as rubber, a gel-like material, and the like to allow compression for insertion into and frictional engagement with the internal walls of the user's concha and/or ear canal. Alternatively, the ear bud 102 may be made of a non-compressible material such as plastic and the like. The antihelix stabilizer 120 or portions thereof may be made of a resiliently pliable material such as rubber, a gel-like material, a sound absorbing or sound proofing material, and/or include a sound insulating material such as foam. Alternatively, the antihelix stabilizer 120 or portions thereof may be made of a rigid material such as plastic and be provided with a flexing mechanism such as a spring hinge or the like. The range of motion of the antihelix stabilizer 120 and the distance between the stabilizer 120 and the ear bud 102 may be configured so that the ear set 100 is suitable for use by most if not all potential users of the ear set 100. Alternatively, ear sets with varying sizes or ranges of motion of the antihelix stabilizer 120 may be provided for users with different sized ears.
An alternative ear set 150 employing an antihelix stabilizer 170 configured with a flexing or flexible loop 176 is shown in the perspective and side views, respectively, of
While the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described and illustrated herein, it will be appreciated that they are merely illustrative and that modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention is intended to be defined only in terms of the following claims as may be amended, with each claim being expressly incorporated into this Description of Specific Embodiments as an embodiment of the invention.
