Speaker and shower

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10003873-B2
Application number	US-201514606831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Sep 6, 2011
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A speaker and assemblies with a speaker. An assembly may include a speaker including a speaker housing, and speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output; a sensor operable to sense an orientation of the speaker housing; and control components operable to determine the orientation of the speaker housing, and control the speaker components based on the orientation of the speaker housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising:
a support;
a speaker removably supported for movement on the support, the speaker including
a speaker housing, and
speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output;

a sensor operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker during movement of the speaker on the support; and
control components operable to determine the direction of movement of the speaker relative to the support, and
control the speaker components based on the direction of movement of the speaker relative to the support.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is supported in the speaker housing.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the sensor includes an accelerometer.

4. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the sensor is a first sensor element of a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly also including a second sensor element external to the speaker housing.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the second sensor element is supported on the support.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the support includes a shower device.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the shower device includes a shower device housing defining a receptacle, and wherein the speaker is supportable in the receptacle.

8. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the sensor assembly senses the relative orientation of the first sensor element and the second sensor element.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the control components are operable to determine the direction of movement of the speaker housing by determining a relative orientation of the first sensor element and the second sensor element, the control components being operable to control the speaker components based on the relative orientation of the first sensor element and the second sensor element.

10. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein one of the first sensor element and the second sensor element includes a Hall effect sensor element, and wherein the other of the first sensor element and the second sensor element includes a magnet.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the other of the first sensor element and the second sensor element includes a plurality of magnets spaced apart on an associated one of the speaker housing and the support.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the control components are at least partially supported in the speaker housing.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a power source supported in the speaker housing and operable to power the speaker components.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the speaker components are operable to produce an audio output at a volume, and wherein the control components are operable to control the speaker components to control the volume of the audio output based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the speaker components are operable to selectively and alternatively output one of a first audio track and a second audio track, and wherein the control components are operable to control one of a first audio track and a second audio track to be output by the speaker components based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the speaker is movable on the support between a first position and a second position, a first direction of movement being defined by a direction in which the speaker is moved from the first position to the second position, and a second direction of movement being defined as opposite the first direction of movement, wherein the control of the speaker components occurs during movement when the speaker is between the first position and the second position.

17. An assembly comprising:
a support;
a speaker movably supported on the support and including
a speaker housing, and
speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output;

a sensor operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement of the speaker housing relative to the support; and
control components operable to determine the direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement relative to the support, and
control a volume of the audio output during movement based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing, wherein movement of the speaker housing in a first direction relative to the support generates a volume-increasing control signal and movement of the speaker housing in a second direction relative to the support generates a volume-decreasing control signal.

18. The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first direction includes one of clockwise or counter-clockwise, and the second direction includes the other of clockwise or counter-clockwise.

19. An assembly comprising:
a support;
a speaker movably supported on the support and including
a speaker housing, and
speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output;

a sensor operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement of the speaker housing relative to the support; and
control components operable to determine the direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement relative to the support, and
control an audio track of the audio output during movement based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing, wherein movement of the speaker housing in a first direction relative to the support generates a track-advancing control signal and movement of the speaker housing in a second direction relative to the support generates a track-retreating control signal.

20. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein the first direction includes one of clockwise or counter-clockwise, and the second direction includes the other of clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Hanna Kenneth Scott
• Soetaert Michael James
• Ruh Keith Scott
• Kuru William Clement
• De Swarte Gregory

Classifications

• H04R2430/01

  Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems · CPC title

• H04R2201/029

  Manufacturing aspects of enclosures transducers · CPC title

• H04R2201/021

  Transducers or their casings adapted for mounting in or to a wall or ceiling · CPC title

• H04R1/028 Primary

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04R1/021

  incorporating only one transducer · CPC title