Patent Application
20150163581
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of audio devices and, more particularly, to a headset including a cord connector or connection port arranged on a non-movable portion of a headband.
Conventional headsets include an audio cord which extends from the headset for connection to an audio source in a manner which is inconveniently arranged. In a first exemplary conventional arrangement, as shown in
In another conventional arrangement shown in
In certain instances, the attachment of a single audio cable is removable, most commonly by replacing the rubber strain relief by an audio jack, and the permanent audio cable by a double-ended cable, with a male audio plug on both ends. This allows the user to switch cable lengths, or choose a cable with an integrated microphone.
However, the above-described arrangements are inconvenient and inappropriate for a headset wherein the connection juncture between the cord and the housing is movable, such as a headset capable of converting between a speaker configuration and a headset configuration by twisting each speaker housing around an axle by up to 180 degrees. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/815,538, filed on Mar. 8, 2013, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/053,799, filed on Oct. 15, 2013, the entirety of both are hereby incorporated by reference herein, disclose a headset including an amplifier within at least one speaker housing which is activated by twisting or turning the speaker housing into a particular position.
In such multi-mode headsets, a cord attached to the bottom edge of the left speaker is forced to rotate in tandem with the speaker housing (such wide degrees of rotation are less common in conventional headsets). This motion causes the cord to twist or tangle. It also permits a tug on the cord to twist the speaker enclosure out of position.
Furthermore, for conventional arrangements wherein the cord is hardwired in a fixed position and extends from one of the speaker housings (e.g. a left speaker enclosure, as shown in
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure. These drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure relates to a headset including a connection port arranged on a non-moving portion of a headband portion. In an implementation, the headset is a convertible headset capable of converting from a wearable headset to a speaker. In an implementation, the headset includes an amplifier within at least one speaker housing which is activated by twisting or turning the speaker housing into a particular position (e.g., the extendable headset may be placed in “speaker mode” by twisting the headphone enclosures away from the ears to convert the headset into an externally-directed amplified speaker). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/815,538, filed on Mar. 8, 2013, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/053,799, filed on Oct. 15, 2013, the entirety of both are hereby incorporated by reference herein, disclose an exemplary convertible headset, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
In an implementation, the headset includes a connection port configured to connect with an audio cord for connection with an audio source cord or cable (e.g., audio cord 204 in
In an exemplary implementation, shown in
According to implementations of the present disclosure, jack 203 is a component adapted to couple with the plug 204 and includes at least a portion configured to fit within the sleeve 205 portion of the speaker housing 201. In an implementation, the plug 204 rotates inside jack 203, thus preventing tangling of the associated cord upon movement of the speaker, such as speaker rotation. In an implementation, the plug 204 rotates with jack 203 inside of opening 205 to avoid tangling of the associated cord upon movement of the speaker. In an implementation, the electrical coupling or contacts may be maintained during rotation by any suitable mechanism, such as, for example, via spring fingers arranged inside jack 203 acting as slip rings, by twisting a cable between jack 203 and a component within the speaker housing (e.g., an amplifier), or by one or more slip rings arranged on the outside of jack 203. According to implementations of the present disclosure, jack 203 may be contained within headband 202, in the axle, in the speaker housing 201, or any combination thereof.
According to another implementation, the audio cord 302 without a jack may be employed which is fixed to the position occupied by jack 306, such that one or more wires of the audio cord 302 connect to one or more internal electrical connections comprised within the speaker housing 301 such that the wires of the audio cord 302 do not rotate with the movement or rotation of the speaker housing 301 (e.g., the directional arrow illustrating an exemplary movement of the speaker housing 301 in
Advantageously, a headset including a connection port or jack arranged on a non-movable or fixed portion of a headband provides a great convenience to the user. In an implementation, the headset may be configured to include a connection jack on both ends of the headband, neither of which are attached to the rotatable speaker housings. In an implementation, the one or more connection jacks are located in a center of each rotary joint, as shown, for example, in
In an embodiment, the audio plug (e.g., audio plug 204 in
In addition to embodiments wherein the audio device is configured for dual mode operation(e.g., a device configured to transition from a first headset configuration (wearable by a user) to a second speaker configuration), the audio device may also be configured to include a speaker portion which is movable while operating in a single mode. In this regard, any audio device having a movable speaker housing portion may include a jack (e.g., jack 203 of
As used herein, the terms “example” and/or “exemplary” are utilized to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as an “example” and/or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/914,001, filed on Dec. 10, 2013. U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/914,001 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61914001 | Dec 2013 | US |
