Soundbar having single interchangeable mounting surface and multi-directional audio output

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10779083-B2
Application number	US-201716322184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2017
Priority date	Aug 1, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A sound bar is provided which includes a generally elongate rectangular structure, with one angled output face having a plurality of speakers disposed therein, to thereby provide enhanced audio output. The sound bar is beneficially provided with a single mounting surface configured and arranged such that the sound bar can be mounted on both a table/shelf (horizontal orientation) and a wall (vertical orientation) via the single mounting surface by rotating the sound bar 180°, wherein the audio output in both mounting orientations is a multi-directional 3D audio output that travels to and bounces off both the walls and the ceiling of a room in which the sound bar is located.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sound bar interchangeably mountable to a horizontal surface and to a vertical surface, the sound bar comprising:
an elongate housing having a front surface, a back surface, a bottom mounting surface configured to be interchangeably mountable in a first orientation to the horizontal surface and in a second orientation to the vertical surface, a top surface, and an output surface connecting between the front surface and top surface at an angle with respect to the bottom surface between 10° and 80°;
a plurality of speakers disposed in the output surface; and
an audio processor configured for receiving audio information, including information for one or more height channels, processing the received audio information, and providing a 3D audio output for the one or more height channels according to the first orientation or the second orientation,
wherein when the bottom mounting surface of the sound bar is disposed along the vertical surface or the horizontal surface, the output surface is angled towards both a forward direction and an upward direction so as to provide multi-directional 3D audio output from the plurality of speakers.

2. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein the angle is greater than about 20°.

3. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein the angle is greater than about 25°.

4. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein the angle is greater than about 30°.

5. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein the angle is greater than about 35°.

6. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein the angle is greater than about 40°.

7. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein the angle is about 45°.

8. The sound bar of claim 1 , further comprising at least a left channel, a right channel, and a height channel, and an orientation detecting device, wherein the orientation detection device is configured and arranged to detect if the orientation of the sound bar changes.

9. The sound bar of claim 8 , wherein the orientation detection device is configured and arranged to detect if the bottom mounting surface has changed from the first orientation to the second orientation and vice versa.

10. The sound bar of claim 8 , wherein if the orientation detection device detects that an orientation of the sound bar has changed, the left and the right channel and the height channel are reconfigured automatically as needed.

11. The sound bar of claim 8 , further comprising a user interface in connection with the sound bar, wherein if the orientation detection device detects that an orientation of the sound bar has changed, the sound bar sends a message to the user interface to guide a user through the steps of reconfiguring the left channel, the right channel, and the height channel as needed.

12. The sound bar of claim 1 , wherein each of the back surface, the front surface, the bottom mounting surface, the top surface, and the output surface have an elongate rectangular shape.

13. A sound bar interchangeably mountable to a horizontal surface or to a vertical surface, the sound bar comprising:
a multi-surface housing having a generally elongate shape, the multi-surface housing having a single mounting surface configured to be interchangeably mountable in a first orientation to the horizontal surface and in a second orientation to the vertical surface and an output surface disposed at an angle relative to the single mounting surface between 10° and 80°;
a plurality of speakers disposed in the output surface; and
an audio processor configured for receiving audio information, including information for one or more height channels, processing the received audio information, and providing a 3D audio output for the one or more height channels according to the first orientation or the second orientation,
wherein when the single mounting surface is disposed along the vertical surface or the horizontal surface, the output surface is positioned such that the plurality of speakers in the output surface deliver multi-directional 3D audio output.

14. A sound bar interchangeably mountable to a horizontal surface or to a vertical surface, the sound bar comprising:
a multi-surface housing having a generally elongate shape, the multi-surface housing having a single mounting surface configured to be interchangeably mountable in a first orientation to the horizontal surface and in a second orientation to the vertical surface and an output surface disposed at an angle relative to the single mounting surface between 10° and 80°;
a plurality of speakers disposed in the output surface; and
an audio processor configured for receiving audio information, including information for one or more height channels, processing the received audio information, and providing a 3D audio output for the one or more height channels according to the first orientation or the second orientation,
wherein when the sound bar is interchangeably mounted on a horizontal surface or on a vertical surface with the single mounting surface extending along the horizontal or vertical surface, the plurality of speakers in the output surface deliver multi-directional 3D audio output, and
wherein the sound bar is switchable from mounting in the first orientation and the second orientation by rotating the sound bar.

15. A sound bar for delivering a multi-directional audio output, the sound bar interchangeably mountable to a horizontal surface or to a vertical surface, the sound bar comprising:
a single mounting surface configured to be interchangeably mountable in a first orientation to the horizontal surface and in a second orientation to the vertical surface;
a single output surface having a plurality of speakers disposed therein; and
an audio processor configured for receiving audio information, including information for one or more height channels, processing the received audio information, and providing a 3D audio output for the one or more height channels according to the first orientation or the second orientation;
wherein output surface is disposed at an angle relative to the single mounting surface, the angle being greater than 10° and less than 80°,
wherein when the sound bar is mounted in the first orientation or the second orientation, multi-directional 3D audio output is provided.

16. The sound bar of claim 15 , wherein the angle ranges between about 10° and 80°.

17. The sound bar of claim 15 , wherein the angle ranges between about 30° and 60°.

18. The sound bar of claim 15 , wherein the angle is about 45°.

Assignees

• D & M Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Stead Brendon
• Schulz Achim

Classifications

• H04R29/002

  Loudspeaker arrays · CPC title

• H04R1/02

  Casings; Cabinets {; Supports therefor;} Mountings therein (H04R1/28 takes precedence {; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075}) · CPC title

• H04S3/008

  in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02) · CPC title

• H04S2420/01

  Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD] · CPC title

• H04R1/403

  loud-speakers · CPC title