More recent generations of earbud-style headphones are available with wireless interfaces, and therefore do not require a cord connecting the earbuds. While the elimination of the cord may enable new applications and may increase wearing comfort, the risk of losing the earbuds while wearing, transporting or storing the earbuds may also increase.
In general, in one aspect, one or more embodiments relate to headphones including an earbud. The earbud includes a knob-shaped body, an earbud tip extending from the knob-shaped body and configured to enter an ear canal of a listener, a harness strap interface disposed on the knob-shaped body and configured to removably accommodate a detachable harness strap.
In general, in one aspect, one or more embodiments relate to headphones including two earbuds. Each of the two earbuds include a knob-shaped body and a harness strap interface disposed on the knob-shaped body, and a detachable harness strap configured to removably attach at the harness strap interface of each of the two earbuds.
In general, in one aspect, one or more embodiments relate to a harness strap for earbud-style headphones. The harness strap includes a first retainer loop that is substantially circular and configured to be seated in a groove of a first earbud, a second retainer loop that is substantially circular and configured to be seated in a groove of a second earbud, and a harness strap body configured to connect the first retainer loop to the second retainer loop.
Other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
Specific embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency.
In the following detailed description of embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.
Throughout the application, ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third, etc.)
may be used as an adjective for an element (i.e., any noun in the application). The use of ordinal numbers is not to imply or create any particular ordering of the elements nor to limit any element to being only a single element unless expressly disclosed, such as by the use of the terms “before”, “after”, “single”, and other such terminology. Rather, the use of ordinal numbers is to distinguish between the elements. By way of an example, a first element is distinct from a second element, and the first element may encompass more than one element and succeed (or precede) the second element in an ordering of elements.
Further, although the description includes a discussion of various embodiments, the various disclosed embodiments may be combined in virtually any manner. All combinations are contemplated herein.
Earbuds-style headphones are a popular choice for listening to music, making phone calls, and other audio applications. Earbuds may provide a high-quality audio signal, may be comfortable to wear, and may be compact and easy to store. Increasingly, earbud-style headphones are available with wireless interfaces such as Bluetooth. The earbuds, therefore, do not use a cord to connect to an audio source. While the use of two separate earbuds with no mechanical link may have advantages, the risk of losing one or both earbuds while wearing, transporting or storing them may increase.
One or more embodiments are directed to an earbud and detachable harness design. In particular, the earbud includes a detachable harness interface located at a knob-shaped body of the earbud. A detachable harness may be connected to the earbud. The harness is detachable in that during standard use, a user may repetitively detach and reattach the earbud without damaging the earbuds or detachable harness strap.
The earbud has a knob-shaped body. The knob-shaped body (212) may be formed by a compact volume, characterized by a width and a length that are approximately equal (e.g., within 70% percent of each other). The width and length are parallel to the listener's ear when worn. The height of the knob shaped body is perpendicular to the listener's ear when worn and may be approximately equal to or less than the width and height. In other words, the body could be described a bulbous rather than elongated. The knob-shaped is symmetrical along at least two axes. The knob-shape does not, however, impose a particular surface geometry. For example, the knob-shaped body may be substantially spherical, cylindrical, cubic, pyramidal, etc., without departing from the invention. In one or more embodiments, the earbud does not include an elongated member extending from the earbud. Different geometries are illustrated in
In one or more embodiments, the earbud includes a harness strap interface disposed on the knob-shaped body and configured to removably accommodate a detachable harness strap. The harness strap interface is configured to hold the detachable harness strap in place when the detachable harness strap is connected without user assistance and release the detachable harness strap with some applied force. For example, the detachable harness strap interface may be a mechanical interface, a magnetic interface, or a combination thereof.
As illustrated in
The harness strap includes an earbud interface to connect the harness strap to the harness strap interface of the earbud. The earbud interface on the harness strap for connecting with the earbud and the harness strap may be made of the same or different materials. For example, a metal may be used for the earbud interface on the harness strap while a fabric material is used for the body of the harness strap.
Turning to
As shown in
The knob-shaped body (212) may house various components such as a speaker, a battery, an electronic circuit, a wireless receiver module, etc. The knob-shaped body may be manufactured from any material. A light-weight material such as plastic, an aluminum alloy, carbon-fiber, silicone, epoxy, a composite material, etc., may be used, for example. An earbud tip (214) may extend from the knob-shaped body (212). The earbud tip (214) may be shaped to fit into a listener's ear canal or to otherwise attach to the listener's outer ear.
In one embodiment, a groove (216) in the knob-shaped body (212) circumscribes the knob-shaped body (212) as illustrated in
The harness strap (280), in accordance with an embodiment, terminates in a retainer loop (286) forming an interface to the earbud (210). The retainer loop (286) may be substantially circular. To attach the harness strap (280) to the earbud (210), the retainer loop (286) may be slid over the knob-shaped body (212) to be seated in the groove (216). The retainer loop (286) may be manufactured from an elastic material such as silicone or rubber, allowing the retainer loop (286) to be stretched when attaching or removing the harness strap (280) from the earbud (210). The materials used for the retainer loop (286) and the harness strap (280) may be identical or different. Specifically, while the retainer loop (286) may be manufactured from an elastic material, the harness strap (280) may be manufactured from an elastic or non-elastic material. For example, the harness strap may be made from nylon or any other plastic or fabric material. While
The harness strap (280) may be a cord, a wire, a string, a band, etc., linking the two earbuds (210) of the headphones (200). The length of the harness strap (280) may be selected such that the harness strap (280) may comfortably extend across the back of a listener's neck. As previously noted, the length of the harness strap may be adjustable. The harness strap (280) may further be configurable to allow a user to customize materials and/or colors. For example, the retainer loops (286) for a pair of earbuds may be provided, and the user may then choose to pair the retainer loops with the desired harness strap.
Turning to
In the embodiment shown in
The harness strap (380), in accordance with an embodiment, terminates in a retainer clamp (386) providing an interface to the earbud (310). The retainer clamp (386) may be C-shaped to match the geometry of the semi-circular groove (316). At each end of the C-shape, the retainer clamp (386) may be equipped with a pin (388) extending perpendicularly from an inner surface of the retainer as illustrated in
The characteristics of the harness strap (380) may be as described with reference to
Turning to
In the embodiment shown in
The harness strap (480A), in accordance with an embodiment, terminates in a retainer clip (486A) forming an interface to the earbud (410A). In one embodiment, the retainer clip (486A) is magnetic. The retainer clip (486A) may include one or more magnets (488A) that may interact with the magnetic surface (416A) of the knob-shaped body (412A). Alternatively. the magnets may be placed on the knob-shaped body (412A) itself. The retainer clip (486A) may be manufactured from a metal or plastic. To attach the retainer clip (486A), the retainer clip may be aligned with the groove (418A). Magnetic forces by the magnet (488A), pulling the magnetic retainer clip (486A) toward the knob-shaped body (412A) may then establish the magnetic earbud-strap interface (414A). The characteristics of the harness strap (480A) may be as described with reference to
Turning to
The configuration illustrated in
Turning to
In the embodiment shown in
The harness strap (580), in accordance with an embodiment, terminates in a retainer clip (586) forming an interface to the earbud (510). In one embodiment, the retainer clip (586) is magnetic. The retainer clip (586) may include one or more magnets (588) that may interact with the magnetic surface (516) of the knob-shaped body (512). Alternatively, the magnets may be placed on the knob-shaped body (512) itself. The magnet (588) may provide a magnetic earbud-strap interface (514) when interacting with the magnetic surface (516). The retainer clip (586) may be manufactured from metal or plastic. The retainer clip (586) may be equipped with a cavity (588) that matches the geometry of the peg (518). To attach the retainer clip (586), the cavity (590) of the retainer clip (586) may be aligned with the peg (518). Magnetic forces by the magnet (588), pulling the retainer clip (586) toward the knob-shaped body (512) may then establish the magnetic earbud-strap interface (514). The characteristics of the harness strap (580) may be as described with reference to
Turning to
In one embodiment, the earbud (610) is further equipped with charging terminals (672) enabling the recharging of a built-in battery. When placed into a charging case (not shown), a magnetic force, generated by the magnet (674), may ensure a good electrical contact to the charging pins in the charging case.
Further, when not in use, the earbuds may be stored in the charging case with the harness strap attached to the earbuds. The charging case may have grooves for the harness strap. Thus, the charging case may be worn around the users neck when the earbuds are in the case and charging.
One skilled in the art will recognize that the design of earbuds and harness straps is not limited to the examples shown in
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope should be limited only by the attached claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/230,875, filed Dec. 21, 2018 and titled “Ear buds with Detachable Harness Strap,” which is herein incorporated by reference as though set forth in full.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200374614 A1 | Nov 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16230875 | Dec 2018 | US |
Child | 16988451 | US |