Wireless earbuds with electronic contacts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10003880-B2
Application number	US-201615273690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A wireless earbud includes a housing having a stem portion coupled to an ear portion. The stem portion has an electrical connector disposed on a distal end that includes first and second electrical contacts coupled to receive power for recharging a battery within the wireless earbuds.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless earbud comprising:
a housing having a stem portion aligned with a longitudinal axis, the stem portion including first and second ends;
a speaker assembly having a driver unit and a directional sound port proximate the first end and offset from the longitudinal axis, wherein the driver unit is aligned to emit sound from the directional sound port and comprises a magnet, a voice coil, and a diaphragm;
a rechargeable battery disposed in the housing; and
first and second external contacts, each external contact having a partially circular shape and positioned in an oppositional and symmetrical relationship with each other to form a substantially circular shape, wherein each external contact is exposed at an external surface at the second end of the stem portion and is electrically coupled to provide power to the rechargeable battery.

2. The wireless earbud of claim 1 wherein an outer perimeter of the first and second external contacts is flush with an exterior surface of the stem portion.

3. The wireless earbud of claim 2 wherein the first and the second external contacts have a dielectric material disposed between them.

4. The wireless earbud of claim 3 wherein the first and second external contacts each include an arcuate peripheral contact surface.

5. The wireless earbud of claim 1 wherein the second external contact is electrically coupled to a ground.

6. The wireless earbud of claim 1 further comprising data communication circuitry operatively coupled to the first external contact and configured to transmit data to and from the wireless earbud over the first external contact.

7. The wireless earbud of claim 1 wherein the first and the second external contacts form a circular shape having an acoustic aperture in a center of the circular shape for a microphone positioned at the second end of the stem portion of the earbud.

8. A wireless earbud comprising:
a housing having a stem portion aligned with a longitudinal axis, the stem portion including first and second ends;
a speaker assembly having a driver unit and a directional sound port proximate the first end and offset from the longitudinal axis, wherein the driver unit is aligned to emit sound from the directional sound port and comprises a magnet, a voice coil, and a diaphragm;
a first partially annular contact having a first pair of ends and disposed at an external surface at the second end of the stem portion;
a second partially annular contact having a second pair of ends and disposed at an external surface at the second end of the stem portion, the first and second partially annular contacts positioned in an oppositional relationship with each other such that the first pair of ends face the second pair of ends; and
a rechargeable battery disposed in the housing and electrically coupled to the first partially annular contact.

9. The wireless earbud of claim 8 wherein the first and second partially annular contacts each include an arcuate peripheral contact surface.

10. The wireless earbud of claim 9 wherein the second partially annular contact is electrically coupled to a ground.

11. The wireless earbud of claim 10 further comprising data communication circuitry operatively coupled to the first partially annular contact and configured to transmit data to and from the wireless earbud over the first partially annular contact.

12. The wireless earbud of claim 8 wherein the first and the second partially annular contacts form a ring-like shape having an acoustic aperture in a center of the ring-like shape for a microphone positioned at the second end of the stem portion of the earbud.

13. The wireless earbud of claim 8 wherein the first and the second partially annular contacts are terminated in a binary metal alloy plated layer at an outer surface of each contact, the binary metal alloy plated layer comprising rhodium and ruthenium.

14. The wireless earbud of claim 13 wherein a weight percentage of rhodium is at least 85 percent, with the remainder in ruthenium.

15. The wireless earbud of claim 13 wherein the binary metal alloy plated layer is between 0.65-1.0 microns thick.

16. The wireless earbud of claim 13 wherein each of the first and second partially annular contacts includes at least one intermediate layer disposed between a conductive base and the binary metal alloy plated layer.

17. A wireless earbud comprising:
a housing having a stem portion including first and second ends;
a speaker assembly having a driver unit and a directional sound port proximate the first end of the stem portion, wherein the driver unit is aligned to emit sound from the directional sound port and comprises a magnet, a voice coil, and a diaphragm;
a rechargeable battery disposed in the housing;
a first arcuate contact disposed at an external surface at the second end of the stem portion and electrically coupled to the rechargeable battery; and
a second arcuate contact disposed at an external surface at the second end of the stem portion, the first and second arcuate contacts spaced in an oppositional and symmetrical relationship with each other to form a substantially circular shape.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wagman Daniel C
• Cousins Benjamin A
• Kasar Darshan R
• Zörkendörfer Rico L
• Aase Jonathan S

Classifications

• H04R2201/105

  Manufacture of mono- or stereophonic headphone components · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/731

  specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries (H02J7/751 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A45C11/00 Primary

  Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00 (specially adapted for toiletry or cosmetic equipment A45D29/20, A45D44/18; travelling sewing kits A45F3/48) · CPC title

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title