Patent Application
20180041827
The present invention relates generally to headphones and, more particularly, to a headphone housing assembly into which speakers may be easily inserted and removed.
Headphones are popularly used to listen to music on the go. A wide variety of headphones are on the market, and they allow a user to listen to an audio source privately without broadcasting it to others. Typically, headphones are made up of two earpieces that fit over a user's ears, connected by a headband that holds the headphones in place. The earpieces are typically padded, and fitted with speakers and a transducer. The speakers are connected by speaker wire, which is generally built into the headband. The headband, speakers, and wires are typically built as one fixed piece. Most headphones connect to an audio source such as a smartphone with a cable inserted into an audio jack. Other headphones communicate with the audio source wirelessly via Bluetooth® technology.
Ear buds are another device for privately listening to an audio source. Ear buds fit into a user's ears, and are held in place in the ear rather than with a headband. However, headphones are known to be superior to ear buds in terms of audio quality and comfort.
It is desirable to listen to music while engaging in active pursuits, which may necessitate wearing a hat, helmet, or other headgear. This can be problematic in conjunction with headphones because of the bulky nature of traditional headphones. Most hats and helmets will not fit properly on top of headphones. To solve this problem, there are products that provide speakers built into a hat or helmet. But, a good set of speakers can be costly. Thus, it is preferable to have one set of speakers that can be used with a variety of headgear.
To that end, products are available that provide modular speakers that can be inserted into hats, helmets, loudspeakers, and so forth. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 9,925,806 to Krissman et al. is herein incorporated by reference. The headphone assembly of the '806 patent includes two earpieces coupled by a flexible connecting wire, and is mountable within separate headwear such as protective helmets, ski caps, earmuffs, headbands, and so forth.
Another shortfall of the headphones currently available is that the speakers cannot be replaced easily. Generally, replacing the speakers in a set of headphones requires hiring a professional. This often makes it more cost-effective to buy a whole new set of headphones, which is wasteful. A user may seek to replace the speakers in their headphones if they degrade, if speaker technology improves, or if the user wishes to upgrade to more powerful speakers.
The present invention solves these needs and others, by providing a headphone housing assembly that removably houses a pair of speakers. The headphone assembly snaps open and closed, allowing speakers and wiring to be inserted or removed with ease.
Briefly, and in general terms, by example and not limitation, the invention provides a headphone assembly for receiving a removable earpiece assembly (i.e., removable speakers). The headphone assembly is suited to receive a removable earpiece assembly comprising two earpieces connected by a flexible wire (i.e., speaker wire). The headphone assembly comprises a headband assembly and two substantially annular ear cups disposed at the ends of the headband assembly. The headband assembly is sized to extend over the head of a user, and comprises an inner headband and an outer headband, which fit together in a removable manner so that the wire of the earpiece assembly can be inserted and removed into the headband assembly. Each ear cup has an annular opening configured to hold an earpiece in a removable manner. Thus, the earpiece assembly can be inserted or removed into the headphone assembly so that the earpieces are housed in the ear cups and the wire is enclosed within the headband assembly.
In a detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment in accordance with the invention, the headband assembly comprises an outer headband, an inner headband, and a frame. The inner and outer headbands are removable to allow speaker wire to be threaded through the frame.
In another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment in accordance with the invention, a hinge assembly is provided to clip the ear cups to the headband assembly. The hinge assembly clips open to allow the headband pieces to be disassembled. When the headband assembly is reassembled, the hinge assembly clips shut, holding the headphone assembly together in one piece.
More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment in accordance with the invention, the headband further comprises a head pad and ear pads attached to the inner surface of each ear cup. The pads are made of a soft material for a comfortable fit.
In another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment in accordance with the invention, the interior wall of each of the ear cups is composed of a plurality of planar segments, defining a polygonal opening. The polygonal opening is sized and shaped so that a speaker fits in the center of each ear cup in a snap-fit arrangement. The ear cups are fitted with teeth that hold the speakers in place, and attachment members to facilitate attachment of the ear cups to the headband assembly.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a headphone assembly that removably houses a removable earpiece assembly.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which:
With reference now to the drawings, and particularly
Referring now to
Other configurations are also possible, but the key aspect of the headband assembly 20 is that it can accommodate the insertion of speaker wire, keeping it out of the way. For example, in another embodiment, the headband assembly includes an inner headband and an outer headband which fit together to house the wire without the need for a frame. The headband could also be a single piece configured to hold a flexible wire in place. In any case, when the invention is used, as preferred, with two Bluetooth®-enabled speakers connected by a flexible wire, the invention provides headphones with no loose wiring, which is ideal for the active user.
The outer headband 21 is flexible, so as to be removably attachable over the inner headband 22 and frame 24. The outer headband 21 is preferably made of silicone, which is flexible and durable. The pliable nature of silicone allows the outer headband to easily be fitted onto the inner headband and frame. The outer headband may, however, be made of any material desired, such as plastic or metal. The headband assembly may further provide a head pad 26 for a more comfortable fit. The head pad 26 is composed of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or similar material.
Each ear cup 30 includes an interior wall 33 forming the opening and having teeth 35 disposed thereabout. In the exemplary embodiment, the interior wall 33 comprises a plurality of planar segments 39 (shown in
Referring now to
To insert a removable earpiece assembly 50 into the headphone housing assembly 10, a user unclips the hinge assembly 40, then removes the outer headband 21 and inner headband 22 from the frame 24. As shown in
The headphone housing assembly 10 is suited to accommodate two speakers 52, 54 connected by a speaker wire 56, such as CHIPS®—Universal Bluetooth Wireless Helmet Audio, manufactured by Outdoor Tech.
Referring now to
Next, the inner headband 22 is clipped on to the frame 24 with the clips 28. The outer headband 21 is then slipped over the inner headband 22, frame 24, and wire 56. Finally, the ear cup hinges 42 snap down, securing the headband assembly 20 together.
To remove the earpiece assembly 50, the process is accomplished in reverse—the hinge assemblies 40 are snapped open, and the outer headband 21 and inner headband 22 are detached from the frame 24. The earpieces 52, 54 may then be removed from the ear cups 30.
Although the invention has been disclosed in detail with reference only to the exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other embodiments can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the claims set forth below.
