Headphone apparatus
AssigneeKokoon Technology Limited
InventorsGuillaume PARRIN, Richard HALL, Timothy ANTOS
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Headphone apparatus including earpieces and a module including an audio signal source. The earpieces are each tethered to the module by elongate elastic connectors that each include a wire for carrying the electrical audio signals from the module to the earpiece. Each elongate elastic connector has a preformed geometry such that a first part of each elongate elastic connector provides an ear hook that, when worn, lies directly over the otobasion superius of the wearer, and a second part of each elongate elastic connector provides a tension spring that provides a tension on the ear hook when the apparatus is worn.
Claims9
A headphone apparatus comprising:
- earphones adapted to be fitted directly in the outer ears of a wearer;
- a module comprising an audio signal source;
- and separate elongate connectors extending between the module and the respective earphones to carry audio signals from the audio signal source to the earphones;
- wherein each elongate connector comprises a resiliently flexible electrical cable to carry the audio signals and, a portion of each elongate connector has a pre-formed shape to provide an ear hook, which when worn, extends directly over an ear of the wearer;
- and
- characterized in that a section of each elongate connector that provides a part of the ear hook that, when worn, lies directly over the otobasion superius of the wearer, has a flexibility that is substantially the same as the flexibility of the resiliently flexible electrical cable in directions normal to the longitudinal axis of the elongate connector;
- and
- wherein at least one of the resiliently flexible electrical cable elongate connectors includes a spring portion, which when the headphone apparatus is worn, lies in a position posterior to the ear of the wearer, the electrical cable within the spring portion having a pre-formed geometry to define a tension spring to apply a tension force to the ear hook.
The headphone apparatus according to claim wherein the electrical cable within the spring portion has a serpentine geometry.
The headphone apparatus according to claim wherein, when worn, the bends of the serpentine lie on a surface that corresponds with the surface of the head and/or neck of the wearer.
The headphone apparatus according to claim wherein at least one of the earphones comprises a body sensor oriented, when worn, such that a sensing aperture of the body sensor faces a cavum concha of the wearer's ear;
- the body sensor adapted to output signals indicative of the heart-rate of the wearer;
- the module adapted to receive the signals via the electrical cable.
A headphone apparatus comprising:
- earphones adapted to be fitted directly in the outer ears of a wearer;
- a module comprising an audio signal source;
- and
- separate elongate connectors extending between the module and the respective earphones to carry audio signals from the audio signal source to the earphones;
- wherein each elongate connector comprises a resiliently flexible electrical cable to carry the audio signals and, a portion of each elongate connector has a pre-formed shape to provide an ear hook, which when worn, extends directly over an ear of the wearer;
- and
- wherein a section of each elongate connector that provides a part of the ear hook that, when worn, lies directly over the otobasion superius of the wearer, has a flexibility that is substantially the same as the flexibility of the resiliently flexible electrical cable in directions normal to the longitudinal axis of the elongate connector;
- and
- wherein at least one of the resiliently flexible electrical cable elongate connectors includes a spring portion, which when the headphone apparatus is worn, lies in a position posterior to the ear of the wearer, the electrical cable within the spring portion having a pre-formed geometry to define a tension spring to continuously apply a tension force to the ear hook;
- and
- wherein the tension spring allows the effective length of the elongate connector between the earphone and the module to continuously vary to compensate for different ear-to-ear distances while keeping the resiliently flexible electrical cable under tension and against a wearer's body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.