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US 2014/0213319 A1Published application
System for control and operation of electronic devices
OwnerPeter Gibbonsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method to permit control and operation of an electronic device while participating in another activity, including a variety of sports and recreational activities. A fabric helmet liner, one or more speakers, a microphone, a breakaway connector, and a slap switch are provided and configured to enhance the ability of users to answer or end telephone calls or start, stop, or resume audio output t the speakers while a user is in motion or wearing gloves that would render the use of conventional call answer buttons difficult or impossible.
Claims20
An apparatus to control a portable electronic device while participating in another activity, said apparatus comprising:
- A. a fabric head covering;
- B. a flexible wire harness electrically and mechanically interconnecting:
- i) a microphone,
- ii) one or more speaker(s),
- iii) a breakaway connector having two cable terminations with essentially planar contact surfaces, each termination further comprising more than one electrical connection and one or more magnets,
- iv) a wire clip,
- v) a mechanical control switch assembly, and
- vi) one or more plug(s) mechanically and electrically connected to a portable electronic device;
- wherein the apparatus is configured to:
- a) permit removable attachment of the microphone to or within the fabric head covering and resting against the throat of a user,
- b) permit removable attachment of the one or more speaker(s) to or within the fabric head covering,
- c) achieve magnetic coupling between the essentially planar contact surfaces of the two cable terminations to provide detachable mechanical and electrical connectivity between separable segments of the flexible wire harness,
- d) operatively provide audio output from the portable electronic device to the one or more speaker(s) via the flexible wire harness,
- e) operatively provide audio input to the portable electronic device from the microphone via the flexible wire harness,
- f) activate a first function of the portable electronic device via the flexible wire harness upon a first imprecise actuation of the mechanical control switch assembly at a regular or irregular position or angle by the user, and
- g) activate a second function of the portable electronic device via the flexible wire harness upon a second imprecise actuation of the mechanical control switch assembly at a regular or irregular position or angle by the user.
13 more elements
A method of controlling a portable electronic device while participating in another activity, the method comprising:
- A. providing a portable electronic device;
- B. providing i) a fabric head covering, ii) one or more speaker(s), and a microphone resting against the throat of a user, all removably attached to or disposed within the fabric head covering, and iii) a first magnetic cable termination, whereby said microphone, said one or more speaker(s), and said first magnetic cable termination are electrically and mechanically interconnected via a first portion of a flexible wire harness;
- C. providing a second magnetic cable termination, a wire clip, a mechanical control switch assembly, and one or more plug(s) mechanically and electrically connected to the portable electronic device, whereby said second magnetic cable termination, said wire clip, said mechanical control switch assembly, and said one or more plug(s) are electrically and mechanically interconnected via a second portion of the flexible wire harness;
- D. mechanically and electrically connecting the first portion of the flexible wire harness to the second portion of the flexible wire harness by magnetically coupling essentially planar contact surfaces of the first magnetic cable termination and the second magnetic cable termination at an acute angle to the orientation of the wiring harness;
- E. performing a first actuation of the mechanical control switch assembly by imposing an imprecise force to the surface of the mechanical control switch assembly at a regular or irregular position or angle, thereby causing at least one of a multiple of normally-open contact switches disposed within the mechanical control switch assembly to close, thereby providing electrical continuity across the mechanical control switch assembly, and thereby activating a first function of the portable electronic device;
- and
- F. performing a second actuation of the mechanical control switch assembly by imposing an imprecise force to the surface of the mechanical control switch assembly at a regular or irregular position or angle, thereby causing at least one of a multiple of normally-open contact switches disposed within the mechanical control switch assembly to close, thereby providing electrical continuity across the mechanical control switch assembly, and thereby activating a second function of the portable electronic device.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.