Headphone eartips with internal support components for outer eartip bodies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10595113-B2
Application number	US-201816148552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2018
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

Headphone eartips with internal support components and methods for making the same are provided. Different support components may provide specific amounts and types of additional rigidity at specific portions of an exterior surface of an outer eartip body that may be expected to interface with specific portions of an ear canal geometry when an eartip subassembly is positioned within the ear canal, such that the eartip subassembly may conform to the various shapes of the ear canal while maintaining an acoustic seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An eartip that is operative to be at least partially positioned within an ear canal, the eartip comprising:
an outer eartip body defining an outer eartip space and operative to deform when the eartip is at least partially positioned within the ear canal;
an inner eartip body coupled to the outer eartip body and defining an inner eartip space at least partially within the outer eartip space; and
an internal support subsystem comprising a support body extending between a first support body end and a second support body end, wherein:
the first support body end is coupled to an entire radial perimeter of one of the inner eartip body or the outer eartip body;
the second support body end faces an interface surface portion of the other one of the inner eartip body or the outer eartip body; and
the second support body end is operative to be pressed against the interface surface portion when the outer eartip body deforms.

2. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein the second support body end is distanced from the interface surface portion when the eartip is in an undeformed configuration.

3. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein the second support body end is operative to create a seal with the interface surface portion when the outer eartip body deforms.

4. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein the second support body end contacts the interface surface portion when the eartip is in an undeformed configuration.

5. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein the inner eartip space is operative to pass sound from a sound emitting component into the ear canal when the eartip is at least partially positioned within the ear canal.

6. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein:
the first support body end is coupled to the inner eartip body; and
the outer eartip body comprises the interface surface portion.

7. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein:
the first support body end is coupled to the outer eartip body; and
the inner eartip body comprises the interface surface portion.

8. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein:
the internal support subsystem further comprises another support body extending between another first support body end and another second support body end;
the first support body end is coupled to a first portion of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body; and
the other first support body end is coupled to a second portion of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body.

9. The eartip of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are separated by a third portion of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body that extends about a portion of the inner eartip space.

10. The eartip of claim 8 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are separated by a third portion of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body that extends along a length of the inner eartip space between a first end of the inner eartip space and a second end of the inner eartip space.

11. The eartip of claim 8 , wherein:
the first portion and the second portion are separated by a third portion of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body; and
a distance between the first portion and a front end of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body is greater than a distance between the second portion and the front end of the one of the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body.

12. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein:
the support body defines at least a portion of a fluid enclosure space; and
a shape of the fluid enclosure space is operative to deform when the outer eartip body deforms.

13. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein the support body defines at least a portion of each one of a plurality of fluid enclosure spaces.

14. The eartip of claim 13 , wherein the shape of each one of at least two fluid enclosure spaces of the plurality of fluid enclosure spaces is operative to deform when the outer eartip body deforms.

15. The eartip of claim 1 , wherein:
the inner eartip body comprises:
an inner eartip front end with an inner eartip front opening through the inner eartip front end;
an inner eartip back end with an inner eartip back opening through the inner eartip back end;
an inner eartip interior surface extending between the inner eartip front opening and the inner eartip back opening for defining the inner eartip space; and
an inner eartip exterior surface extending about the inner eartip interior surface between the inner eartip front end and the inner eartip back end;

the outer eartip body comprises:
an outer eartip front end with an outer eartip front opening through the outer eartip front end, wherein the outer eartip front end is coupled to the inner eartip front end for at least partially aligning the inner eartip front opening and the outer eartip front opening;
an outer eartip back end with an outer eartip back opening through the outer eartip back end;
an outer eartip interior surface extending between the outer eartip front opening and the outer eartip back opening for defining an outer eartip space; and
an outer eartip exterior surface extending about the outer eartip interior surface between the outer eartip front end and the outer eartip back end;

the first support body end is coupled to one of the inner eartip exterior surface or the outer eartip interior surface; and
the second support body end faces the interface surface portion of the other one of the inner eartip exterior surface or the outer eartip interior surface.

16. The eartip of claim 15 , wherein the outer eartip interior surface at the outer eartip back end comprises the interface surface portion.

17. The eartip of claim 15 , wherein the support body is operative to close at least a portion of the outer eartip back opening when the outer eartip body deforms.

18. An eartip that is operative to be at least partially positioned within an ear canal, the eartip comprising:
an outer eartip body defining an outer eartip space and operative to deform when the eartip is at least partially positioned within the ear canal;
an inner eartip body coupled to the outer eartip body and defining an inner eartip space at least partially within the outer eartip space; and
an internal support subsystem comprising a support body, wherein:
the support body is coupled to an entire radial perimeter of the inner eartip body;
the support body defines at least a portion of a fluid enclosure space;
the support body is operative to be pressed against an interface surface portion of the outer eartip body when the outer eartip body deforms; and
the shape of the fluid enclosure space is operative to deform when the outer eartip body deforms.

19. The eartip of claim 18 , wherein the support body is adhered to the inner eartip body.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Huwe Ethan L
• Boozer Brad G
• Wang Erik L
• Qian Phillip

Classifications

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R1/1058

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title

• H04R2201/10

  Details of earpieces, attachments therefor, earphones or monophonic headphones covered by H04R1/10 but not provided for in any of its subgroups · CPC title

• H04R1/1041 Primary

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title