Expandable speaker assemblies for portable media devices
AssigneeZipbuds, LLC
InventorsErik Groset, Robin Michael Defay
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Speaker assemblies for portable media players are disclosed herein. Speaker assemblies can include means for contracting and expanding the speakers to facilitate viewing and listening to a PMP in multiple orientations. Preferred means for contracting and expanding the speaker casings are operably coupled with means for rotating the PMP, such that when the PMP is in a wide viewable configuration, the speakers are expanded.
Claims13
A speaker assembly comprising:
- a housing configured to utilize a power source;
- and
- one or more casings on which corresponding one or more speakers are implemented, the one or more casings configured to perform one of expansion and contraction based on an orientation of a portable media player, the one or more speakers retaining an orientation in space while the orientation of the speakers with respect to the portable media player changes based on a change in the orientation of the portable media player, the speaker assembly being releasably attached and operably coupled to the portable media player such that an audio signal can be transmitted from the portable media player to the one or more speakers.
A speaker assembly comprising:
- a cradle that is expanded or contracted based on an orientation of the cradle, the orientation of the cradle being in accordance with an orientation of a portable device that is capable of being physically-supported by the cradle;
- a plurality of casings that expand or contract based on the orientation of the cradle, each casing including one or more speakers;
- and
- a shaft that is perpendicular to the cradle, such that the shaft is perpendicular to a display screen of the portable device when the portable device is being physically-supported by the cradle, the shaft being connected to the plurality of casings, the shaft rotating by a different amount when the cradle is rotated such that the different rotation of the shaft enables the speakers to retain an orientation in space while the orientation of the speakers with respect to the orientation of the cradle is changed.
A method for configuring an orientation of a plurality of speakers in accordance with an orientation of a portable device, the method comprising:
- detecting, based on a rotation of a cradle, a change in an orientation of the cradle that physically-supports the portable device, the change in the orientation of the cradle being in accordance with a change in the orientation of the portable device;
- rotating, based on changing the orientation of the cradle, a shaft connected to a plurality of casings that each include one or more speakers, the rotation of the shaft being different than the rotation of the cradle;
- and
- performing, based on the different rotation of the shaft, one of expansion and contraction of a plurality of casings that each include one or more speakers, the performing of one of the expansion and the contraction enabling the speakers to retain the orientation in space while the orientation of the portable device with respect to the orientation of the cradle is changed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.