Wireless earphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10567861-B2
Application number	US-201816125178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2018
Priority date	Apr 21, 2014
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

A housing has a bud portion abutting an elongated stem portion. The bud portion is to fit within an ear. The bud portion has a primary sound outlet at its far end that is to be inserted into an outer ear canal, and abuts the stem portion at its near end. A speaker driver is inside the bud portion. Electronic circuitry inside the housing includes a wireless communications interface to receive audio content over-the-air and in response provides an audio signal to the speaker driver. A rechargeable battery as a power source for the electronic circuitry is located inside a cavity of the stem portion. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless earphone comprising:
a housing having a first portion abutting a proximal end of a second portion, wherein the first portion is sized and dimensioned to fit within an ear, the first portion a) having a first end comprising a sound outlet and b) a second end abutting the second portion;
a speaker driver positioned inside the housing;
electronic circuitry positioned inside the housing that includes a wireless communications interface to receive audio content over-the-air and in response provides an audio signal to the speaker driver;
a rechargeable power source positioned inside a cavity of the second portion;
a first microphone positioned inside the cavity of the second portion, and closer to a distal end of the second portion than the rechargeable power source, the distal end being distal to the proximal end of the second portion; and
a second microphone positioned inside the housing.

2. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the first portion comprises a flexible tip at the first end, and the flexible tip is dimensioned to be inserted into the ear.

3. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the speaker driver is positioned inside a cavity of the first portion and the rechargeable power source is positioned between the speaker driver and the microphone.

4. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable power source is a rechargeable battery.

5. The earphone of claim 1 wherein a front face of the first portion extends between the first end and the second end of the first portion, and is positioned just behind and in contact with a tragus of the ear, and a rear face of the first portion also extends between the first end and the second end of the first portion.

6. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the first portion comprises a center axis through the sound outlet, and the second portion comprises a longitudinal axis that is orthogonal to the center axis.

7. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the second microphone is positioned in a cavity of the first portion.

8. The earphone of claim 7 further comprising a third microphone, wherein the third microphone is positioned inside the housing, between the first microphone and the second microphone.

9. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the cavity in the second portion is open to a cavity in the first portion and a plurality of wires pass from the cavity in the second portion to the cavity in the first portion to supply power to the electronic circuitry.

10. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the earphone further comprises a connector positioned in the second portion, wherein the connector is coupled to a) the rechargeable power source, for charging the power source from an external power source, and b) the electronic circuitry, for data communications with an external device.

11. The earphone of claim 10 wherein the connector comprises a pair of conductive terminals that are exposed at an external surface of the second portion to conduct electrical power from the external power source to charge the rechargeable power source that is inside the second portion.

12. The earphone of claim 11 wherein the microphone is positioned within the second portion, longitudinally between the pair of conductive terminals and the rechargeable power source.

13. The earphone of claim 1 wherein the rechargeable power source is a lithium-based rechargeable battery.

14. The earphone of claim 1 wherein a longitudinal axis of the second portion is vertical, while a center axis of the primary sound outlet is horizontal.

15. A wireless earphone comprising:
a housing having a first portion abutting a second portion, wherein the first portion is sized and dimensioned to fit within an ear, the first portion a) having a sound outlet at its far end that is to be inserted into the ear and b) a near end abutting the second portion;
a speaker driver positioned inside the housing;
electronic circuitry positioned inside the housing, the electronic circuitry comprising a wireless communications interface to receive audio content over-the-air and, in response, provide an audio signal to the speaker driver;
a rechargeable power source positioned inside the housing;
a connecting member extends from, and is permanently coupled to, the housing; and
a sensor positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the electronic circuitry, the sensor comprising one of a wideband accelerometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a touch sensor, or combinations thereof.

16. The earphone of claim 15 wherein the connecting member comprises a cord dimensioned to tether the earphone to another earphone.

17. The earphone of claim 15 wherein the connecting member comprises an ear hook dimensioned to attach the earphone to the user's ear.

18. The earphone of claim 15 wherein the speaker driver is positioned within a cavity that is inside the first portion, the rechargeable power source is positioned within a cavity that is inside the second portion, and a microphone is positioned within the cavity inside the second portion, the microphone is positioned closer to a far end of the second portion than the rechargeable power source.

19. The earphone of claim 15 further comprising a microphone positioned within a cavity of the housing that is inside the second portion.

20. The earphone of claim 15 further comprising a flexible tip coupled to the first portion.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Rich Zachary C
• Stiehl Kurt R
• Chawan Arun D
• Howes Michael B
• Aase Jonathan S
• Andersen Esge B
• Azmi Yacine
• Minoo Jahan C
• Shaw David J
• Kumar Aarti
• Prats Augustin
• Watson Robert D
• Paquier Baptiste P
• Berny Axel D
• Cook Benjamin W
• Guterman Jerzy S
• Cousins Benjamin Adair

Classifications

• H04R2201/107

  Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication · CPC title

• H04R1/1025

  Accumulators specially adapted for earpieces; Arrangements specially adapted for charging thereof · CPC title

• H04R1/1075

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R1/105

  Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks (for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335) · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title