Wireless earbud

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11026011-B2
Application number	US-202016882020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

An earbud includes a housing that includes a driver assembly positioned within the housing forming a front volume in front of the driver and a back volume behind the driver. An acoustic insert is positioned behind the driver assembly and attached to an interior surface of the housing such that it forms a bass channel that is routed from the back volume to a vent in the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable listening device system comprising:
an earbud comprising:
an earbud housing having a speaker portion and a stem portion extending from the speaker portion;
a battery positioned within the earbud housing;
a speaker positioned within the speaker portion of the earbud housing and configured to direct sound into a user's ear; and
a wireless radio coupled to the battery and configured to be communicatively coupled to an electronic device via a wireless communications channel; and

a case for the earbud, the case comprising:
a case housing defining an interior space sized and shaped to receive the earbud;
a case battery positioned within the case housing; and
a logic circuit that initiates turning on the wireless radio.

2. The portable listening device system of claim 1 wherein the logic circuit initiates the turning on the wireless radio by transmitting a signal to the earbud.

3. The portable listening device system of claim 2 wherein the signal is transmitted to the earbud through an electrical connector that electrically couples the earbud to the case.

4. The portable listening device system of claim 1 wherein the case includes a lid and the logic circuit includes a lid position sensor that detects a position of the lid.

5. The portable listening device system of claim 4 wherein the logic circuit initiates the turning on the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from a closed position to an open position.

6. The portable listening device system of claim 4 wherein the logic circuit initiates turning off the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from an open position to a closed position.

7. The portable listening device system of claim 1 wherein the case includes a depressible button that when depressed initiates the wireless radio to enter a pairing mode in which the electronic device can be paired with the earbud.

8. A portable listening device system comprising:
an earbud comprising:
an earbud housing having a speaker portion and a stem portion extending from the speaker portion;
a battery positioned within the earbud housing;
a speaker positioned within the speaker portion of the earbud housing and configured to direct sound into a user's ear; and
a wireless radio coupled to the battery and configured to be paired to an electronic device via a wireless communications channel; and

a case for the earbud, the case comprising:
a case housing defining an interior space sized and shaped to receive the earbud;
a case battery positioned within the case housing; and
a logic circuit that, in response to a user interaction with the case, communicates one or more signals that cause the wireless radio to transition from a first power state to a second power state.

9. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the one or more signals includes a signal that is transmitted to the earbud through an electrical connector that electrically couples the earbud to the case.

10. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the first power state is an off state and the second power state is an on state.

11. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the case includes a lid and the logic circuit includes a lid position sensor that detects a position of the lid.

12. The portable listening device system of claim 11 wherein the logic circuit communicates the one or more signals that cause the wireless radio to enter the second power state in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from a closed position to an open position.

13. The portable listening device system of claim 11 wherein the logic circuit communicates the one or more signals that cause the wireless radio to transition to an off state in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from an open position to a closed position.

14. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the case includes a depressible button that when depressed transmits an instruction that causes the wireless radio to enter a pairing mode.

15. A portable listening device system comprising:
a portable listening device comprising:
a device housing;
a battery positioned within the device housing;
a speaker positioned within the device housing and configured to generate sound; and
a wireless radio coupled to the battery and configured to be communicatively coupled to an electronic device via a wireless communications channel; and

a case for the portable listening device, the case comprising:
a case housing defining a cavity for storing the portable listening device;
a case battery positioned within the case; and
a processor that initiates turning on the wireless radio.

16. The portable listening device system of claim 15 wherein the processor initiates the turning on the wireless radio by transmitting a signal to the portable listening device.

17. The portable listening device system of claim 16 wherein the signal is transmitted through an electrical connector that electrically couples the portable listening device to the case.

18. The portable listening device system of claim 15 wherein the case includes a lid and the processor includes a lid position sensor that detects a position of the lid.

19. The portable listening device system of claim 18 wherein the processor initiates the turning on the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from a closed position to an open position.

20. The portable listening device system of claim 18 wherein the processor initiates turning off the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from an open position to a closed position.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Chawan Arun D
• Stiehl Kurt
• Cousins Benjamin A
• Aase Jonathan S
• Azmi Yacine
• Choiniere Paul
• Slabaugh Scott W

Classifications

• H04R2201/105

  Manufacture of mono- or stereophonic headphone components · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/731

  specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries (H02J7/751 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H04R1/1025 Primary

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