Custom-molding in-ear headphone ear tips

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017311069-A1
Application number	US-201715492726-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ear tip for use with an earphone is filled with a UV-curable polymer or other material that hardens when energy is applied, fitted to a user's ear, and exposed to UV light or other appropriate energy, curing or otherwise hardening the material and forming a custom-fit ear tip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus comprising:
an earphone ear tip comprising:
an inner wall forming a hollow passage;
an outer wall joined to the inner wall at a first end and spaced apart from the inner wall along a length between the first end and a second end to define a volume,
the outer wall formed of a compliant material and shaped to fit into a portion of a typical human outer ear or ear canal;

an end wall closing an otherwise-open space between the inner wall and the outer wall at the second end, the end wall closing the volume; and
a compliant material located in the volume between the inner wall, outer wall, and end wall;
an earphone configured to mate with the ear tip, the earphone comprising:
a light source that when activated causes the compliant material to harden; and
a sensor positioned to detect light emitted by the light source and reflected by skin adjacent to the ear tip when the ear tip is located in an ear.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light source is directly coupled to the inner wall of the ear tip.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light source is coupled to the polymer by a fiber-optic cable.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the earphone further comprises audio electronics acoustically coupled to the hollow passage.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the earphone fits within the hollow passage.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outer wall is shaped to close the entrance to a user's ear canal without protruding into the ear canal.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light source emits ultra violet (UV) light.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the compliant material comprises UV-curable silicone.

9 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the outer wall comprises a material that blocks the transmission of UV light.

10 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the light source selectively emits a second wavelength of light other than UV, and the sensor detects light of the second wavelength.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a first LED that emits UV light and a second LED that emits light of the second wavelength.

12 . An apparatus comprising:
an earphone ear tip comprising:
an inner wall forming a hollow passage;
an outer wall joined to the inner wall at a first end and spaced apart from the inner wall along a length between the first end and a second end to define a volume,
the outer wall formed of a compliant material and shaped to fit into a portion of a typical human outer ear or ear canal;

an end wall closing an otherwise-open space between the inner wall and the outer wall at the second end, the end wall closing the volume; and
a variable-stiffness material located in the volume between the inner wall, outer wall, and end wall; and
a source of energy that can selectively and repeatably cause the variable-stiffness material to become soft or hard.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the variable-stiffness material comprises a photo-reactive material, and
the source of energy comprises a light source that emits light of a first wavelength that causes the photo-reactive material to harden, and emits light of a second wavelength that causes the photo-reactive material to become compliant

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , where the light source comprises a first LED that emits light of the first wavelength and a second LED that emits light of the second wavelength.

15 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the variable-stiffness material softens when current is applied and hardens when current is removed, and the source of energy comprises a source of current.

16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the current causes Joule heating of the variable-stiffness material.

17 . An apparatus comprising:
an earphone ear tip comprising: an inner wall forming a hollow passage; an outer wall joined to the inner wall at a first end and spaced apart from the inner wall by an increasing distance along a length between the first end and a second end to define a generally cone-shaped volume, the outer wall formed of a compliant material and shaped to fit into an entrance of a typical human ear canal; an end wall closing an otherwise-open space between the inner wall and the outer wall at the second end, the end wall closing the volume; and a variable-stiffness material located in the volume between the inner wall, outer wall, and end wall; and a first source of applied energy that when activated causes the compliant material to change between a compliant state and a stiff state.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the first source of applied energy causes the variable-stiffness material to become stiff; the apparatus further comprising a second source of applied energy that when activated causes the variable-stiffness material to return to its compliant state.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the variable-stiffness material comprises a photo-reactive material, and
the first source of energy comprises a light source that emits light of a first wavelength that causes the photo-reactive material to become stiff, and emits light of a second wavelength that causes the photo-reactive material to become compliant.

20 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
when the first source of applied energy is activated, the variable-stiffness material becomes compliant, and when the first source of applied energy is deactivated, the variable-stiffness material returns to a stiff state.

21 . An apparatus comprising:
an earphone ear tip comprising a positioning and retaining structure for positioning and retaining the earphone in the outer ear of a wearer;
the positioning and retaining structure comprising a variable-stiffness material; and
a source of energy that can selectively and repeatably cause the variable-stiffness material to become soft or hard.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the variable-stiffness material comprises a photo-reactive material, and
the source of energy comprises:
a light source that emits light of a first wavelength that causes the photo-reactive material to harden, and emits light of a second wavelength that causes the photo-reactive material to become compliant, and
a light-conductive pathway that conducts the light emitted by the source and releases it into the positioning and retaining structure along its length.

23 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the variable-stiffness material softens when current is applied and hardens when current is removed, and
the source of energy comprises: a source of current, and a conductor that routes the current along a length of the positioning and retaining structure.

24 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the current in the conductor causes Joule heating of the variable-stiffness material.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Prevoir Shawn J
• Pelkey Shaun Michael

Classifications

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• B29C2035/0827

  using UV radiation · CPC title

• B29L2031/3431

  Telephones, Earphones · CPC title

• H04R1/1058

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title

• B29C35/12

  Dielectric heating · CPC title