Earbuds with compliant member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10149041-B2
Application number	US-201715796639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 16, 2015
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

This application relates to earbuds configured with one or more biometric sensors. At least one of the biometric sensors is configured to be pressed up against a portion of the tragus for making biometric measurements. In some embodiments, the housing of the earbud can be symmetric so that the earbud can be worn interchangeably in either a left or a right ear of a user. In such an embodiment, the earbud can include a sensor and circuitry configured to determine and alter operation of the earbud in accordance to which ear the earbud is determined to be sitting in.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An earbud, comprising:
an earbud housing defining an opening;
a speaker disposed within the earbud housing and oriented so that audio emitted by the speaker exits the earbud housing through the opening; and
a compliant member coupled to the earbud housing and comprising:
a loop of flexible material,
a first reinforcing member extending along a length of a first portion of the loop;
a second reinforcing member extending along a length of a second portion of the loop, and
a third portion of the loop disposed between the first and second portions and free of reinforcing material such that the third portion of the loop is less rigid than the first and second portions of the loop.

2. The earbud as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first and second reinforcing members are the same length.

3. The earbud as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flexible material is an elastomeric material that is less rigid than the first and second reinforcing members.

4. The earbud as recited in claim 3 , wherein the first and second reinforcing members comprise spring steel.

5. The earbud as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flexible material at least partially encloses the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member.

6. The earbud as recited in claim 5 , wherein the first portion of the loop is positioned adjacent to the earbud housing and the second portion of the loop is positioned adjacent to the earbud housing.

7. The earbud as recited in claim 1 , wherein the compliant member is pivotally coupled to the earbud housing by a hinge.

8. An earbud, comprising:
an earbud housing defining an opening;
a speaker disposed within the earbud housing and oriented so that audio emitted by the speaker exits the earbud housing through the opening; and
a compliant member coupled to the earbud housing, the compliant member comprising:
a loop formed from a flexible material, the loop comprising a first portion at least partially enclosing a first interior volume, a second portion at least partially enclosing a second interior volume and a third portion disposed between the first and second portions;
a first reinforcing member disposed within the first interior volume and extending along a length of the first portion; and
a second reinforcing member disposed within the second interior volume and extending along a length of the second portion such that the third portion of the loop is less rigid than the first and second portions of the loop.

9. The earbud as recited in claim 8 , wherein the flexible material is elastomeric.

10. The earbud as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first and second reinforcing members are positioned on opposing ends of the loop.

11. The earbud as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first portion is adjacent to a first location on the earbud housing and the second portion is adjacent to a second location on the earbud housing offset from the first location.

12. The earbud as recited in claim 8 , wherein the compliant member is positioned on a first side of the earbud housing and the opening defined by the earbud housing is positioned on a second side of the earbud housing.

13. The earbud as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first portion of the loop is closer to the earbud housing than the third portion of the loop.

14. An earbud, comprising:
an earbud housing;
a speaker disposed within the earbud housing and oriented so that audio emitted by the speaker exits the earbud housing through an opening; and
a compliant member coupled to the earbud housing and comprising a loop of flexible material, and a reinforcing member extending along a length of a first portion of the loop, the first portion of the loop having a higher rigidity than a second portion of the loop.

15. The earbud as recited in claim 14 , wherein a first end of the complaint member protrudes from a first location on the earbud housing and a second end of the compliant member protrudes from a second location on the earbud housing.

16. The earbud as recited in claim 14 , wherein the reinforcing member is a first reinforcing member and the compliant member further comprises a second reinforcing member extending along a length of a third portion of the loop.

17. The earbud as recited in claim 16 , wherein the second portion of the loop is positioned between the first and third portions of the loop and the second portion of the loop is positioned farther from the earbud housing than both the first and third portions of the loop.

18. The earbud as recited in claim 16 , wherein the compliant member comprises a length of flexible material that encloses both the first and second reinforcing members.

19. The earbud as recited in claim 14 , wherein the compliant member is configured to keep the earbud housing secured within an ear of a user.

20. The earbud as recited in claim 14 , wherein the earbud housing comprises a protrusion, a distal end of the protrusion defining the opening.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Qian Phillip
• Siahaan Edward
• Wang Erik L
• Stringer Christopher J
• Rohrbach Matthew Dean
• Strongwater Daniel Max
• Leblanc Jason J

Classifications

• H04R1/1091 Primary

  Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083 · CPC title

• H04R2201/109

  Arrangements to adapt hands free headphones for use on both ears · CPC title

• A61B5/14557

  specially adapted to extracorporeal circuits · CPC title

• A61B5/02416 Primary

  using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation (A61B5/14552 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/01

  Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) · CPC title