Patent Application
20140146978
The present disclosure generally relates to an earphone article, and more to a combination earphone article with jewelry attachment means which can provide cold weather protection of the ears as well as improved acoustic sound functionality.
Headsets and earphones are used to play audio such as music or voice via a device which can be fitted to the head or inserted into the ear canal. Conventional headsets and earphones may hold speakers to a user's outer ears and may be connected via a wire or wirelessly to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, computer, CD player, MP3 player or other media player or listening device.
There are numerous types of earphones depending on the listening situation and needs of the individual user, including circumaural, supra-aural, earbud style and in-ear or canal phones. Different shapes and sizes of the earphones may be provided for fitting over and into the ears. Regardless of style, because earphones rest on the outside of the ear, they are typically easily visible to others when worn.
Wearing jewelry such as earrings is commonplace. However, many people do not wish to pierce their ears, or suffer from irritation or infection of existing pierced earlobes. Further, many types of earrings may be heavy to wear and present a risk of injury to the user's earlobes.
It would be desirable to provide an earphone device which can combine audio functionality with aesthetic appeal in a safe and flexible manner.
Accordingly, an earphone article with attachment means for jewelry is provided.
In one embodiment, an earphone article is provided comprising an earbud body including at least one neck portion and at least one attachment means disposed in the at least one neck portion.
In another embodiment, an earphone article is provided comprising an earbud body including a speaker and at least one neck portion; at least one attachment means disposed in each of the at least one neck portion; and a jewelry piece affixed to the at least one attachment means.
In yet another embodiment, an earphone article is provided comprising an earbud body including a speaker and at least one neck portion; at least one aperture disposed in each of the at least one neck portion; and a jewelry piece affixed to the at least one aperture.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described or become apparent from the following detailed description, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the specific description accompanied by the following drawings, in which:
Like reference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the figures.
It is to be understood that the figures are not drawn to scale. Further, the relation between objects in a figure may not be to scale, and may in fact have a reverse relationship as to size. The figures are intended to bring understanding and clarity to the structure of each object shown, and thus, some features may be exaggerated in order to illustrate a specific feature of a structure.
The exemplary embodiments of the earphone article with attachment means and related methods of use disclosed are discussed in terms of wearable accessories, to provide aesthetic appeal to the user's ears in an attachment mode as well as acoustic functionality.
It is envisioned that the earphone article and method may be employed with additional devices, features and/or methods for providing additional functionality such as, volume control, sound quality and effects, and the like. Furthermore, the earphone article may be connected to a signal source via a wire and/or wirelessly.
The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the disclosure taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, methods or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed disclosure. Also, as used in the specification and including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It is also understood that all spatial references, such as, for example, horizontal, vertical, top, upper, lower, bottom, left and right, are for illustrative purposes only and can be varied within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the references “upper” and “lower” are relative and used only in the context to the other, and are not necessarily “superior” and “inferior”.
The following discussion includes a description of an earphone article with attachment means and related methods of using same in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Alternate embodiments are also disclosed. Reference will now be made in detail to certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. While the application will be described in conjunction with the illustrated embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the application to those embodiments. On the contrary, the application is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be included within the application as defined by the appended claims.
The headings below are not meant to limit the disclosure in any way; embodiments under any one heading may be used in conjunction with embodiments under any other heading.
Turning now to
A pair of earphone articles 100 with attachment means is depicted in
The earbud body 101 is preferably configured to be inserted within a user's ear canal to project sound into the ear canal. While a substantially tubular shape of the earbud body 101 is shown, it is contemplated that the earbud body 101 may be provided in any configuration or shape and/or be customized in a mold to facilitate and improve a secure and comfortable fit within the user's ear canal.
The earbud body 101 preferably houses a speaker 601 and electrical components (not shown) which, e.g., in a wired embodiment, as shown in
Optionally, the earbud body 101 may comprise a housing only, with no speaker or audio functionality.
The components of an earphone article 100 may be fabricated from any substantially rigid and/or flexible materials, including metals, synthetic polymers, polymeric materials, plastics, rubber, carbon fiber, wood and/or their composites and combinations thereof, depending on the properties desired. Various components of the earphone article with attachment means 100 may have material composites, including the above materials, to achieve various desired characteristics such as strength, rigidity, resiliency, elasticity and/or durability. In various embodiments, the components of the earphone article 100 may each be monolithically formed and integrally connected.
The earbud body 101 may include one or more attachment means 103 which, in an exemplary embodiment, may be positioned at or substantially near a distal end of the neck portion 107. The attachment means 103 may comprise, e.g., at least one aperture or hole formed to pass through the neck portion 107, e.g., to pass through the neck portion 107 entirely from front to back. The aperture 103 may comprise any shape and/or diameter. While a single aperture 103 and a single neck portion 107 are shown herein in
To illustrate,
Each earphone article is shown with an attached jewelry piece 105, e.g., in the form of an earring. The jewelry piece 105 may comprise a drop earring having a hook inserted into the aperture 103. Accordingly, once attached, the earring is effectively attached to the earbud body 101. The depiction of an earring presented herein is for exemplary purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. The jewelry piece may comprise any type of jewelry or article in any alternate shape, design or configuration. For example, jewelry may comprise a stud earring having a post inserted through and affixed to the attachment means 103.
Each earbud body 101 with attached jewelry 105 may be inserted into the ear to provide audio functionality together with a decorative and aesthetic fashionable effect, namely the appearance that the user is wearing earrings. Advantageously, the jewelry is easily interchangeable and the user can essentially ‘wear’ earrings having hooks or posts without requiring piercings in their earlobes. Further, a user can adorn their ears with jewelry, even heavy pieces of jewelry, without concern for potential injury to the earlobe in the event the earring is snagged or pulled accidentally. Indeed, if the jewelry is caught and pulled, the earbud 101 will simply be caused to fall out of the ear, preventing injury to the user.
Moreover, a user who may have pierced earlobes but is suffering an irritation or infection of the pierced areas, can still adorn give the appearance of adorning their ears with jewelry without aggravating the infected lobes. Particularly, costume jewelry having posts or hooks not coated with or made of precious metals such as gold or silver, often cause irritation to many users with sensitive earlobes.
An earphone article according to the present principles advantageously enables users to safely and comfortably enjoy the appearance of wearing any type of earring, regardless of weight or material, while also optionally enjoying audio features of earphones.
Alternate embodiments of the earphone article 100 may be contemplated, such as those shown in
In one exemplary embodiment as shown in
In another exemplary embodiment as shown in
In yet another exemplary embodiment as shown in
It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplification of the various embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
