Audio speakers with integrated sealing and assembly features for “caseless” installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843850-B2
Application number	US-201514866850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2015
Priority date	Sep 26, 2015
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Small-scale audio speakers of various shapes are installed in parent devices. Inner casings, and the surrounding vibration-damping zone often required between such casings and the surrounding parent-device walls, are omitted from the assembly. During integration with the parent device, each un-encased speaker and its signal lines are sealed into a single-walled enclosure that incorporates a parent-device wall as at least one side. The entire interior of the single-walled enclosure becomes a back volume for the speaker. The single-walled enclosure may incorporate seals at the speaker's audio-output aperture, at the pass-through for the signal lines, and at the interface between the parent-device wall(s) and the added side(s) constituting the single-walled enclosure. Optional adhesive-free sealing options include sliding tabs held by a snap-lock latch.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device, comprising:
an audio speaker, wherein the audio speaker comprises:
a diaphragm covering an audio output surface;
a frame around a perimeter of the diaphragm; and
a basket attached to a side of the frame opposite the diaphragm; and
wherein the basket comprises cutouts or cog teeth engageable by a tool to be simultaneously pushed toward the output surface and rotated or translated in a plane parallel to the output surface;
a plurality of speaker tabs extending at normal incidence away from an outer surface of the frame;
wherein the speaker tabs are as resistant to damage by compression or shear as the frame, at least within an order of magnitude.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein a number of the speaker tabs is at least three.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the frame is circular and the speaker tabs extend in a radial direction.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the frame is rectangular and the speaker tabs extend outwardly from two opposing sides.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the frame is rectangular and the speaker tabs extend outwardly from three sides.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of at least one of the speaker tabs tapers toward an edge.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of at least one of the speaker tabs has an rms roughness between 0.05 and 0.3 mm.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of at least one of the speaker tabs comprises a recess, a hole, or a latch part.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a notch on a top surface of at least one of the speaker tabs; wherein a longest dimension of the notch is perpendicular to a direction in which the speaker may be rotated or translated.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Worrell Devon
• Rittenhouse David A

Classifications

• H04R2201/021

  Transducers or their casings adapted for mounting in or to a wall or ceiling · CPC title

• H04R1/025

  Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture · CPC title

• H04R2400/11

  Aspects regarding the frame of loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R31/006 Primary

  Interconnection of transducer parts (of diaphragm and outer suspension by moulding H04R31/003) · CPC title

• H04R1/023

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title