Headphone eartips with internal support components for outer eartip bodies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10979795-B2
Application number	US-202016983736-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

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 comprising:
an inner eartip wall defining a sound channel extending through the eartip from an inner eartip front end to an inner eartip back end opposite the inner eartip front end, the inner eartip wall having an inner eartip wall interior surface and an inner eartip wall exterior surface;
an outer eartip wall integral with and extending away from the inner eartip front end to an outer eartip wall distal end that extends fully around a portion of the inner eartip wall, wherein the outer eartip wall is operative to be at least partially positioned within an ear canal and comprises an outer eartip wall interior surface facing the inner eartip wall exterior surface and an outer eartip wall exterior surface opposite from the outer eartip wall interior surface; and
an internal support wall extending between the inner eartip wall and the outer eartip wall, wherein the internal support wall includes first and second opposing ends, the first end coupled to an entire radial perimeter of the inner eartip wall exterior surface and the second end operative to be pressed against and following a portion of a contour of the outer eartip wall interior surface forming an air volume between the inner eartip wall and the outer eartip wall defined by a portion of the inner eartip wall, a portion of the outer eartip wall and the internal support wall;
wherein an aperture is formed through a wall defining the air volume to enable air to enter and exit the air volume as the air volume changes shape.

2. The eartip set forth in claim 1 wherein the second end of the internal support wall is operative to be pressed against an entire perimeter of the outer eartip wall interior surface.

3. The eartip set forth in claim 1 wherein the second end of the internal support wall forms a seal with an interface surface portion of the outer eartip wall when the outer eartip wall deforms upon insertion in an ear canal.

4. The eartip set forth in claim 1 wherein the aperture is formed through the internal support wall.

5. The eartip set forth in claim 1 further comprising a valve within the aperture that selectively enables air to exit the air volume.

6. The eartip set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer eartip wall has a constant thickness from the inner eartip front end to the outer eartip wall distal end.

7. The eartip set forth in claim 1 wherein the sound channel defined by the inner eartip wall has an elliptical cross-section.

8. An eartip comprising:
an inner eartip wall defining a sound channel extending through the eartip from an inner eartip front end to an inner eartip back end opposite the inner eartip front end, the inner eartip wall having an inner eartip wall interior surface and an inner eartip wall exterior surface;
an outer eartip wall integral with and extending away from the inner eartip front end to an outer eartip wall distal end extending fully around a portion of the inner eartip wall, wherein the outer eartip wall is operative to be at least partially positioned within an ear canal and comprises an outer eartip wall interior surface facing the inner eartip wall exterior surface and an outer eartip wall exterior surface opposite from the outer eartip wall interior surface; and
an internal support wall extending between the inner eartip wall and the outer eartip wall, wherein the internal support wall includes first and second opposing ends, the first end coupled to an entire radial perimeter of the inner eartip wall exterior surface and the second end coupled to the outer eartip wall interior surface forming an air volume between the inner eartip wall and the outer eartip wall defined by a portion of the inner eartip wall, a portion of the outer eartip wall and the internal support wall;
wherein an aperture is formed through a wall defining the air volume enabling fluid to enter and exit the air volume as the air volume changes shape.

9. The eartip set forth in claim 8 wherein the aperture is formed through the internal support wall.

10. The eartip set forth in claim 8 further comprising a valve within the aperture that selectively enables air to exit the air volume.

11. The eartip set forth in claim 8 wherein the outer eartip wall has a constant thickness from the inner eartip front end to the outer eartip wall distal end.

12. The eartip set forth in claim 8 wherein the sound channel defined by the inner eartip wall has an elliptical cross-section.

13. A deformable eartip that can be removably coupled to an earbud, the deformable eartip comprising:
an inner eartip body having a first opening at a front end, a second opening at a back end opposite the front end and an interior wall defining a cylindrical sound channel extending through deformable eartip from the first opening to the second opening;
an outer eartip body integral with the inner eartip body and having a generally parabolic shaped exterior wall with an axis of symmetry extending along a length of the sound channel, wherein the exterior wall extends from the front end of the inner eartip body towards the back end of the inner eartip body to a distal end of the outer eartip body that is spaced apart from and surrounds a portion of the inner eartip body and wherein the outer eartip body is operative to deform when the eartip is at least partially positioned within an ear canal;
an internal support wall extending between the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body forming an enclosed air volume between the inner eartip body and the outer eartip body defined by a portion of the interior wall, a portion of the exterior wall and the internal support wall;
wherein an aperture is formed through one of the walls defining the enclosed air volume enabling air to enter and exit the air volume as the air volume changes shape.

14. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 13 wherein the internal support wall includes first and second opposing ends, the first end coupled to an entire radial exterior perimeter of the interior wall and the second end is operative to be pressed against and extending towards the distal end of the exterior wall to form the enclosed air volume.

15. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 14 wherein the second end of the internal support wall forms a seal with an interface surface portion of the outer eartip body when the outer eartip body deforms upon insertion in the ear canal.

16. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 13 wherein the internal support wall includes first and second opposing ends, the first end coupled to an entire radial perimeter of the interior wall and the second end is coupled to the exterior wall to form the enclosed air volume.

17. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 13 wherein the aperture is formed through the internal support wall.

18. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 13 further comprising a valve within the aperture that selectively enables air to exit the air volume.

19. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 13 wherein the exterior wall has a constant thickness from the inner eartip front end to the outer eartip body distal end.

20. The deformable eartip set forth in claim 13 wherein the interior wall has a constant thickness along its length.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R1/1058

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title