With Sound-asborbing Means Patents (Class 181/146)
  • Patent number: 11871194
    Abstract: One or more computer processors detect a contextual need for sound generation on a rollable display device, wherein the rollable display device comprises an array of micro-speakers mounted on one or more microfluidics panels and a plurality of embedded piezoelectric strips. The one or more computer processors identify one or more environmental parameters associated with an environment surrounding the rollable display device. The one or more computer processors determine a rolling profile associated with the rollable based on the detected contextual need and the one or more identified environmental parameters. The one or more computer processors roll the rollable display device based on the determined rolling profile utilizing the plurality of piezoelectric strips. The one or more computer processors adjust an output direction of each micro-speaker in the array of micro-speakers utilizing the respective microfluidics panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sarbajit K. Rakshit, Craig M. Trim, Martin G. Keen, John M. Ganci, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11800276
    Abstract: An audio device uses a multi-way speaker device, an ideal state being when the virtual sound source points of each unit group overlap and the spherical surface of the wavefront of the sound output from each speaker unit group overlaps one spherical surface. In order for the virtual sound source points of each unit group to be close to each other so that the wavefront of the sound output from each unit group is approximated to one spherical surface. A positioning a placement position of the speaker unit group having relatively small diameters rearward from a viewing position with respect to a placement position of the speaker unit group having relatively large diameters, and/or making the number of speaker units constituting the speaker unit group having relatively small diameters larger than the number of speaker units constituting the speaker unit group having relatively large diameters is adopted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Inventor: Setuo Aniya
  • Patent number: 11724629
    Abstract: Various implementations include vehicle headrest configurations and related audio systems. In some cases, a headrest includes: a main body having a front surface to support a back of a user's head and a pair of acoustic channels each formed in part by a side wall having a front edge that is offset from the front surface, the main body having a portion configured to receive first and second transducers, where a transducer mount in each of the pair of acoustic channels for mounting respective ones of the first and second transducers, wherein a dimension (Dimension C) is defined by a rotation angle of the transducer mount relative to a centerline of the vehicle headrest, wherein Dimension C is approximately ?20 degrees to approximately zero degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bradford Kyle Subat, Charles Terence Henry Oswald, Nicholas K. Lade
  • Patent number: 11647323
    Abstract: The present invention describes a loudspeaker comprising a housing and a plurality of sound transducers arranged inside said housing, where the housing has two sides arranged on either side of a x-y plane with a mutual distance between said sides measured along a z-axis orthogonal to the x-y plane, and a front facing side and a rear facing side, and a top and a bottom, wherein a. A first sound transducer is arranged inside a first cavity inside said loudspeaker housing, where said first cavity has a narrow first slit in the y-direction provided in the rear facing side, where said first slit has a width z1 in the z-direction, and a length y1 in the y-direction where the length y1 in the y-direction is larger than the width z1 in the z-direction; b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: BANG & OLUFSEN A/S
    Inventors: Jakob Dyreby, Jens Rahbek
  • Patent number: 11626094
    Abstract: A membrane-type acoustic absorber structure is provided for an acoustic panel. The absorber structure includes an acoustic substrate. A plurality of spaced apart unit cells are provided in the acoustic substrate and arranged in a periodic array. Each unit cell includes at least one perimeter boundary wall and a bottom wall portion. The perimeter boundary wall and bottom wall portion cooperate to define a chamber with an opening and a chamber cavity having a chamber volume. An elastic membrane is disposed at the chamber opening and configured for sealing the chamber cavity. At least one lossy porous medium is provided aligned with, and separated a distance from, the elastic membrane. A fluid/gas is provided in the chamber volume. In certain aspects, the unit cells may have identical dimensions, having the same resonance frequency. In other aspects, the unit cells may have different dimensions, providing a broadband absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Taehwa Lee, Hideo Iizuka
  • Patent number: 11501747
    Abstract: Aspects are disclosed of a filler for occupying a volume. The filler includes an expandable filler positioned in the volume so that it occupies a percentage of the volume. The expandable filler can permanently expand from a first dimension to a second dimension upon the application of an expansion trigger. The filler also includes an acoustic filler made up of a plurality of acoustically active beads positioned with the expandable filler in the volume so that the acoustic filler can adsorb gas flowing into the volume. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Andrey Gavryushin, Veronika Wagner, Juergen Sauer
  • Patent number: 11438681
    Abstract: A method for producing a plastic-coated loudspeaker housing comprises the putting together of a loudspeaker housing from a plurality of housing wall elements. The put-together loudspeaker housing is placed in a mold. This is followed by a surface coating of the put-together loudspeaker housing by introducing a liquid, curable plastic into the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Albrecht Mildenberger
  • Patent number: 10939196
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic apparatus comprising: an audio processor configured to process a sound signal; and a loudspeaker configured to output sound based on the sound signal, the loudspeaker comprising: a first driver; a second driver configured to output a frequency band higher than a frequency band output by the first driver; and a plate-shaped enclosure comprising a chamber accommodating the first driver and the second driver and a sound emission passage adjacent to the chamber, and the sound emission passage comprising: a first sound emission passage extending along an arrangement direction of the first driver and the second driver and having the first driver disposed therein; and a second sound emission passage extending along the arrangement direction of the first driver and the second driver inside the first sound emission passage and having the second driver disposed therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sungjoo Kim, Jongbae Kim, Sungha Son, Youngsang Lee
  • Patent number: 10893345
    Abstract: A speaker system is disclosed with user-selectable output modes including controlled directivity output modes (e.g. selectable monopole, dipole, or cardioid radiation patterns), that may be implemented with adjustable electronic delay of out-of-phase driver elements, and that provides for both even-orderharmonic distortion reduction and driver force cancellation in a compact assembly suitable for home or studio use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: LAMASSU LLC
    Inventor: Andrew Brandt Kwiram
  • Patent number: 10783867
    Abstract: Aspects are disclosed of a filler for occupying a volume. The filler includes an expandable filler positioned in the volume so that it occupies a percentage of the volume. The expandable filler can permanently expand from a first dimension to a second dimension upon the application of an expansion trigger. The filler also includes an acoustic filler made up of a plurality of acoustically active beads positioned with the expandable filler in the volume so that the acoustic filler can adsorb gas flowing into the volume. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Andrey Gavryushin, Veronika Wagner, Juergen Sauer
  • Patent number: 10595105
    Abstract: Certain embodiments include an injection-molded portable speaker apparatus including a portable speaker housing with an opening formed on the surface, a flexible inverted speaker surround including an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter, where the outer perimeter is coupled to an outer edge of the opening of the housing, and a diaphragm coupled to the inner perimeter of the flexible surround such that the diaphragm is suspended within the opening of the housing, where the flexible surround and diaphragm form a speaker passive, and where the speaker housing and the flexible surround form a continuous unitized body. The injection molding process for the continuous unitized body can be a two-shot process, where the first shot forms the speaker housing, and the second shot forms the flexible surround, which may further over-mold the diaphragm, such that the diaphragm is part of the continuous unitized body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Logitech Europe S.A.
    Inventor: Dominic Amae
  • Patent number: 10341763
    Abstract: A passive radiator assembly for a loudspeaker system comprising: a pair of passive radiators including a first and a second passive radiator; a frame having a first, a second and a third opening wherein the first and second opening are located on parallel sides of the frame, respectively, wherein the first and the second passive radiator are mounted into the first and second opening of the parallel sides of the frame, respectively, so as to oppose each other at a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Shengbo Li, An Duc Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10200784
    Abstract: A speaker box structure of an electronic device, includes: a left side speaker box having: a left side wall part; and a first opposed wall part which has a region where a distance in a lateral direction from the left side wall part to the first opposed wall part continuously varies; and a right side speaker box having: a right side wall part; and a second opposed wall part which is opposed to the first opposed wall part in an intermediate part in the lateral direction, and which has a region where a distance in the lateral direction from the right side wall part to the second opposed wall part continuously varies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Yu Yamazaki, Takuya Otsuka, Tsukasa Suenaga
  • Patent number: 10184258
    Abstract: A spectator hall at racetracks includes a roof with an inner ceiling decreasing in height from the racetrack, an opening directed to the racetrack, a back wall, a number of seats arranged with increasing height from the racetrack, at least one loud speaker at the ceiling near the opening, and an invisible front wall covering the opening. The invisible front wall is made from a stable material like glass or acrylic polymer, and is mounted stiffly e g by stiffening bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: QIRRASOUND TECHNOLOGIES EUROPE AB
    Inventor: Thomas Lagö
  • Patent number: 9693148
    Abstract: An acoustic hailing device includes an outer housing and a pair of compression drivers oriented in the outer housing adjacent one another. Each of the compression drivers includes two diaphragms oriented facewise relative to one another within each compression driver. One or more waveguide housings are coupled to the outer housing, the one or more waveguide housings forming a portion of a waveguide associated with each of the compression drivers. A pair of driver covers are each coupleable to one of the compression drivers, each of the driver covers forming another portion of the waveguide associated with each of the compression drivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: LRAD Corporation
    Inventor: Hernan Lopez
  • Patent number: 9681218
    Abstract: A loudspeaker system for a motor vehicle has at least one loudspeaker which is arranged outside the passenger space of the motor vehicle and is acoustically connected to the passenger space by at least one pipeline. At least one sound damping device is connected to the at least one pipeline which leads from the at least one loudspeaker to the passenger space, and/or to another pipeline which is connected to the at least one loudspeaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Adam Sulowski, Christian Rueckert
  • Patent number: 9561970
    Abstract: An audio device adapted for altering the structure of water is provided. The device includes a rigid, enclosed cabinet with speakers mounted to the cabinet. The speakers are positioned on opposing walls, facing each other, within the cavity of the cabinet and a watertight container is placed between the speakers. The exterior surface of the container rests directly against with the cone or the voice coil of the speakers, which are connected to an external sound system. Because the container is flush against the surface of the speakers, vibrations from the sound waves generated by the cone or the voice coil are transferred directly through the water. The sound waves alter the structure of the water from a liquid form to a liquid crystalline form, such that the liquid crystalline takes coherent geometric shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Inventor: Christopher Malcolm
  • Patent number: 8857559
    Abstract: A speaker cabinet includes an outer shell, at least one inner shell, and a core material. The outer shell includes high tensile strength material and includes at least one aperture. The at least one inner shell includes high tensile strength material and includes an aperture configured to accept an audio driver. Each of the at least one inner shell corresponds to one of the at least one aperture of the outer shell. The core material includes a vibration absorbing material. The aperture of each inner shell is positioned adjacent to the corresponding aperture of the outer shell. Each inner shell is held in position by the core material, and each inner shell does not make direct mechanical contact with the outer shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Inventor: Chris Reviel
  • Patent number: 8848960
    Abstract: A cone speaker that outputs audio by transmitting to a truncated cone, the movements of a voice coil driven when an audio current is transmitted through a voice coil placed inside a magnetic circuit formed in a space that surrounds a pole piece. Inside a space between the back surface of a center cap attached to a central portion of the cone and the apical surface of the pole piece that faces the center cap, a first filling material composed of a flexible porous body with a low porosity fills the periphery of the space and a second filling material composed of a flexible porous body with a higher porosity than the first filling material fills the central portion thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Genus Audio Corp.
    Inventor: Eiji Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8630435
    Abstract: Apparatus for compensating for pressure changes in an acoustic transducer system includes a skeleton member having a predetermined configuration and adsorbent material having a regular structure and being supported on the skeleton member. The apparatus may include a plurality of members, each of the plurality of members having a plurality of hollows formed therein, at least one main surface of each of the plurality of members substantially facing and spaced apart from a main surface of an adjacent one of the plurality of members, and the adsorbent material may be provided within each of the plurality of hollows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Tim John Mellow, Asta Maria Karkkainen, Andrew John Flewitt
  • Patent number: 8397860
    Abstract: A loudspeaker enclosure accommodates at least one speaker. Sound waves emanating from the rear of the speaker exit through a port in the enclosure. The interior of the enclosure contains at least one partition to lengthen the acoustic path from the rear of the speaker to the port and to cause alternating expansion and contraction of the sound waves emanating from the rear of the speaker. The partitions are arranged in relation to the speaker(s) so as to reduce sound wave reflections that would create non-linearities in the frequency response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Rogersound Labs, LLC
    Inventor: Howard Rodgers
  • Patent number: 8333261
    Abstract: A durable, high performance, compact subwoofer speaker cabinet having a first elongate speaker tube attached to at least a second elongate tube. The at least a second elongate tube is attached to the first elongate speaker tube using a flying bridge brace structure. The at least a second elongate tube being a sound port or another speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Inventor: Ryan L. Barnes
  • Patent number: 8256566
    Abstract: A loudspeaker enclosure accommodates at least one speaker. Sound waves emanating from the rear of the speaker exit through a port in the enclosure. The interior of the enclosure contains at least one partition to lengthen the acoustic path from the rear of the speaker to the port and to cause alternating expansion and contraction of the sound waves emanating from the rear of the speaker. The partitions are arranged in relation to the speaker(s) so as to reduce sound wave reflections that would create non-linearities in the frequency response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Rogersound Labs, LLC
    Inventor: Howard Rodgers
  • Patent number: 8201659
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recoilless speaker system capable of reducing adversely affecting vibration and generating an accurate and strong sound, and contributing to the realization of lighter weight, miniaturization and lower cost related to manufacturing, and also capable of being installed in a suspended state and generating sound even under zero gravity as long as air exists. The present invention includes a symmetrical and tubular resonance wall and a pair of or two or more pairs of vibration units symmetrically arranged on both left and right sides of the resonance wall, where the vibration units that form a pair are configured to vibrate synchronously with each other, the resonance wall is made from a flexible material so as to resonate to the vibration, a sound absorbing member is arranged in a tubular form along the inner wall of the resonance wall, and vibration suppressing materials are held at the sound absorbing member and/or the vibration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Inventors: Kazumichi Imai, Yasue Imai
  • Patent number: 8167083
    Abstract: A reconfigurable loudspeaker enclosure. A loudspeaker enclosure, includes a first section that includes a mounting location for an acoustic driver. The mounting location includes a first section mating surface and first section walls, a second section that includes an exit for an acoustic element from which acoustic energy can be radiated. The second section includes a second section mating surface and second section walls. The first section mating surface and the second section are rotatably coupled so that in a first configuration the first section walls and the second section walls are substantially continuous, and so that in a second configuration, the walls of the two sections are substantially non-continuous or perpendicular or both and so that in both the first configuration and the second configuration the two sections are coupled acoustically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Roman N. Litovsky, Chester Smith Williams
  • Patent number: 8139784
    Abstract: A compound loudspeaker comprises an acoustically radiating first diaphragm and an acoustically radiating second diaphragm. The first and second diaphragms are substantially coaxial and at least part of the second diaphragm is situated radially outwards of the first diaphragm. There is a gap situated between the first and second diaphragms, and a seal is provided in the gap, thereby preventing or hindering the passage of air through the gap. By providing the seal, the invention solves the problem of audible turbulent airflow through the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: GP Acoustics (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Jack Anthony Oclee-Brown
  • Patent number: 7325649
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel acoustical chamber for enclosed loudspeakers which help direct and control sound waves within the enclosure thereby enhancing sound output. The present invention utilizes a method of progressive damping which utilizes multiple layers of damping material or layers of material with variable density or damping characteristics within an enclosed chamber. The damping material is arranged such that the density of the material in the chamber decreases as the distance from the driver increases. The damping materials may also be configured such that the density of the material in the chamber increases as the transverse distance from the center of the chamber increases, that is, the density of the material along the outer surfaces of the chamber is denser than material which is transversely inward from the outer surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Farnsworth & Budge, LLC
    Inventor: Tierry R. Budge
  • Patent number: 7320520
    Abstract: A portable multimedia projection system includes a portable housing, a DVD player, a channel tuner, an image projection device, a controller and a remote control receiver. The image projection device externally projects images. The controller is electrically coupled to the channel tuner and the image projection device. The controller directs video signals from the channel tuner to the image projection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Lonnie G. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6658121
    Abstract: The invention relates to a headphone with one right housing and one left housing, which are associated with a user's ears. These housings are provided-with acoustic baffles in which there. are disposed dynamic sound transducers, each of which comprises a tweeter and a mid/woofer disposed coaxially therewith. To ensure that the localization of auditory events reproduced by this headphone can be controlled selectively, the acoustic baffle in each housing is provided with a first high damping portion which, relative to the center of the sound transducer, covers a region of more than 170 degrees and less than 340 degrees of the mid/woofer. The remaining region is a cutout for the tweeter and leaves uncovered a substantially V-shaped region with an apex angle of smaller than 170 degrees and larger than 20 degrees. There is also a second high damping portion, which is disposed in the region of the apex of the V-shaped region which leaves between 5% and 50% of the tweeter covered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Inventor: Florian Meinhard König
  • Patent number: 6571909
    Abstract: Described is a loudspeaker enclosure arrangement that reduces, by a large degree, internal acoustic reflections, enclosure vibrations, and diffraction off the surfaces and edges of the loudspeaker enclosure. The loudspeaker exterior surfaces and edges are covered with acoustic damping foam. The enclosure is shaped to dissipate sound waves within the enclosure, rather than allowing the sound waves to reflect off its walls. To achieve the objects set forth above, the design comprises a loudspeaker in which the exterior of the side walls are prevented from communicating interfering sound by the placement of exterior sound-damping foam blocks. The design also comprises a loudspeaker enclosure that has a triangular horizontal cross section. Internal sound waves diminish toward the distal point of the enclosure and are not reflected forwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Inventor: Jeffrey Olinger
  • Publication number: 20030029975
    Abstract: A surface mounted loudspeaker is provided which, in conjunction with a mating brace which fits in a recessed form in the rear of the speaker enclosure, is mountable to a single wall in a variety of orientations, in corners with various orientations, and to a substantially horizontal surface in a variety of orientations with little if any additional hardware. In all orientations, the speaker provides good aesthetics, with the bracket being substantially invisible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Applicant: Boston Acoustics, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey N. Cowan, James Petronio, Michael Chamness, Craig T. Haskell
  • Patent number: 6504938
    Abstract: An economical and compact dual-chamber loudspeaker includes a small driver received within a partition extending between, and in acoustical and pneumatic communication with, both a front and a back chamber, each of which has a relatively small volume. An elongated vent is in acoustical and pneumatic communication between the front and back chamber at a substantially planar opening in the partition. The drone cone is in acoustical and pneumatic communication between the front chamber and the outside environment at a substantially planar opening in the housing. The two openings are spaced apart and generally parallel to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the volume of the chambers is minimized by securing an elongated concentric vent around the vent extending between the front and back chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Logitech Europe S.A.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Anderson, Jason N. Linse, Raymond K. Weikel
  • Patent number: 6243477
    Abstract: An audio system has a cabinet with several partitions. The partitions divide the interior of the cabinet into compartments. These include an input compartment, an output compartment above the input compartment, an outer compartment to one side of the input and output compartments, and an intermediate compartment between the outer compartment and the input and output compartments. Two tweeters are mounted one above the other in the outer compartment as are two midrange speakers. The outputs of the midrange speakers open into the intermediate compartment while the outputs of the tweeters open to the atmosphere. A woofer or subwoofer is mounted on a partition which borders the input compartment, and the output of the woofer or subwoofer opens into the input compartment. The output compartment is provided with a port, and a pair of pipes connects the input compartment with the output compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Inventor: Aldo M. Ruiz
  • Patent number: 6073723
    Abstract: An acoustic damping material that includes at least one resilient sheet, wherein each of the sheets have a first side and a second side, and wherein at least two portions of the sides face each other to form a multi-layered structure, is provided. The resilient sheet may be made from any resilient polymer film, such as a polyolefin, and especially polyethylene. Also provided is an acoustic speaker system that has an exceptionally flat frequency response, especially at low audible frequencies. The system includes an enclosure, a speaker mounted to the enclosure, and acoustic damping material (according to this invention) inside the enclosure. An acoustic damping panel, which includes a frame and acoustic damping material fixed to the frame, is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Inventor: Anthony Gallo
  • Patent number: 6015025
    Abstract: Acoustical diffuser apparatus for supporting and enhancing the performance of speakers. A preferred apparatus includes a diffuser panel that has an outwardly facing non-planar diffuser surface and an opening corresponding to each speaker for receiving at least a portion of the corresponding speaker therein. The diffuser panel does not cover the sound emitting surface of at least one speaker. The diffuser panel may have acoustically transparent material affixed thereto. Methods for installing the diffuser panels into existing wall or ceiling structures without compromising the structural integrity of such structures are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2000
    Assignee: Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ralph D. McGrath, Harry A. Alter
  • Patent number: 5988314
    Abstract: A sound output system has a pair of right and left speakers and a pair of audio mirrors for respectively controlling directivities of sounds which are output from the pair of speakers. The shapes or arrangement of the pair of audio mirrors are adjusted such that a difference between arrival times of the sounds which are respectively output from the pair of speakers can be compensated by a sound pressure difference due to the Haas effect in a predetermined area. Alternative means are phase difference, dipole, and asymmetrical horn loading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirokazu Negishi
  • Patent number: 5909014
    Abstract: Shown, in the application, is a novel and extremely cost effective method to replace traditional and contemporary baffles and enclosures used for preventing the cancellation and consequent radiation of lower frequencies from loudspeakers. The space occupied for the added beam element to accomplish this task is smaller than the loudspeaker itself and adds little to the overall size of the loudspeaker system. With this simple element, baffle size, bidirectional, equaphase reproduction down to and including the fundamental loudspeaker resonance, is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Inventor: Clare Louis Mengel
  • Patent number: 5895896
    Abstract: An acoustic enclosure system includes a port chamber between two acoustic chamber assemblies. The port chamber is separated from each of the acoustic chamber assemblies by a wall. Each acoustic chamber assembly includes first and second chambers which are separated by a horizontal wall in which a loudspeaker is mounted. In one of the assemblies, the first chamber is disposed on top of the second chamber. In the other assembly, the first chamber is disposed below the second chamber. The second chambers each have a port that is open to the port chamber. The port chamber has a port that is open to the outside of the enclosure. Each of the first chambers contains a fluid chamber with a flexible bladder that is filled with fluid and maintained at a given distance from the corresponding loudspeaker. A flexible support is provided between each of the bladders and the horizontal wall so that the bladders are each substantially maintained a distance L from the respective horizontal walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Inventor: Noyal J. Alton, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5815589
    Abstract: A loudspeaker system having a multiple driver array arranged in a push-pull configuration is loaded into an acoustic transmission line ported to the outside of the loudspeaker enclosure. The transmission line is preferably tapered and is filled with acoustic damping material. The combination of the push-pull driver configuration loaded into an acoustic transmission line produces a high performance, spatially enhanced sound reproduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Inventors: Charles E. Wainwright, James N. Birks
  • Patent number: 5731555
    Abstract: A loudspeaker enclosure having a low reflection/low diffraction baffle for reducing acoustic reflections and diffraction. The baffle of the loudspeaker enclosure has a substantially entire front surface covered by a first layer of optimized acoustical foam for reducing acoustic reflections off of the front surface of the baffle and for reducing diffraction around the edges of the enclosure. A second layer of optimized acoustical foam is secured over the mounting flanges of the transducers, which are mounted to the baffle. The first and second foam layers are formed of a thin sheet casted, polyether urethane foam. A front surface of the first layer of foam is flush with a front surface of the second layer of foam. An interference fit is provided between the first and second layers of foam to prevent any gaps from being formed between the first and second layers. The first layer of foam is thicker than the second layer of foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel P. Anagnos
  • Patent number: 5731552
    Abstract: Interference between sound waves of different frequencies in a speaker system having a woofer and associated transmission tube are eliminated by securing a sound absorbing diaphragm to the output end of the tube to absorb sharp and high frequency sound waves while permitting low frequency sound waves to be transmitted through the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Inventor: Ye-Ming Tsao
  • Patent number: 5525767
    Abstract: A sound imaging system preferably including two enclosures each comprising a truncated conical base unit and a truncated conical upper unit supported above and spaced apart from of the base unit, and containing a bass driver and composite midrange and high frequency drivers. The bass driver is oriented horizontally at the top of the base unit, and the sound energy produced therefrom is reflected by a conically shaped acoustic lens or defector depending from within the interior of the upper unit directly above the bass driver, such that the sound energy is reflected downwardly along and between the spaced apart truncated conical walls of the upper unit and base unit and emanates radially therefrom in all directions. The composite midrange and high frequency drivers are supported at the top of the upper unit on a crown structure having a plurality of vertical legs defining a platform oriented approximately 20.degree. relative to horizontal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1996
    Inventor: Walter Fields
  • Patent number: 5514841
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reflex compression valve--divided chamber speaker cabinet which improves acoustic frequencies emanating from the speaker cabinet by specially designed and positioned ports located frontally and rearwardly within the speaker cabinet. The speaker cabinet greatly reduces reverb or lag caused by uncontrolled reflecting air within a standard baffle chamber resulting from the speaker cabinet design and electrical passive crossover network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Inventor: Donald C. Rochon
  • Patent number: 5388162
    Abstract: A speaker system designed to use wider resonant sound waves by two conventional speakers which are symmetrically and oppositely disposed to face one another along a co-axis on which both axes of the cone paper vibrator of the speakers are aligned. A sponge like sound wave absorbing material with cone-shaped recesses may be disposed in between the speaker and spherical speaker case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Inventor: Tong-Hoon Sohn
  • Patent number: 5324896
    Abstract: An audio loudspeaker system is provided which consists of an enclosure having a front wall, a rear wall with a plurality of circular openings, a pair of side wall, a top wall and a bottom wall. A plurality of loudspeaker components are supported on the front wall of the enclosure for radiating sound energy therethrough and having varying frequency ranges. A plurality of tubular ducts are supported in the circular openings in the rear wall and extend inwardly into the enclosure to exhibit a tuned acoustic frequency to the loudspeaker components having the lowest frequency ranges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1994
    Inventor: Joseph Magnani
  • Patent number: 5261006
    Abstract: A loudspeaker system includes a housing (1) having therein at least one loudspeaker (3) which divides the volume of the housing into two parts (V.sub.1, V.sub.2). The first volume (V.sub.1) is coupled, via an aperture in the housing (1), to an acoustic tube (5) which includes a damping element (6). The first volume part (V.sub.1) has a smaller volume than the second volume part (V.sub.2). The damping element is in the form of a Helmholtz resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Joris A. M. Nieuwendijk, Johannes W. T. Bax, Frans A. Westra
  • Patent number: 5229555
    Abstract: In the speaker system, an acoustic pipe for conducting a sound wave is arranged in front of a speaker for reproducing a middle and low frequency sound. The acoustic pipe has a rectangular open end portion. A speaker for reproducing a high frequency sound is disposed within the acoustic pipe coaxially with and in front of the speaker for reproducing the middle and low frequency. With this construction, attenuation of middle and high frequency components of sound signals which are produced from the middle and low frequency sound reproducing speaker is suppressed. Moreover, it is possible to conduct the high and middle frequency components and a high frequency component, which is reproduced by the high frequency sound reproducing speaker, as naturally composed sound signals to the open end portion of the acoustic pipe. The speaker system thus exhibits excellent characteristics in sound image localization and articulation of sound, thereby providing a high tone quality to the TV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Inoue, Kiyoshi Ohashi, Asahiko Okada, Hiroshi Koshiishi, Toshiharu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5067159
    Abstract: A speaker apparatus in which a speaker unit having a vibrating plate thereon is housed in a cabinet, an opening defined by the cabinet for radiating a sound generated at a front surface of the vibrating plate of the speaker unit is formed, and a shield plate over a predetermined part of the opening is provided for shielding the sound of a high frequency region in which peaks and/or dips are included due to the sound reflections in the cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1991
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Company, Limited, Clarion Company, Limited
    Inventors: Junichi Kasai, Wataru Yagihashi, Akira Yatsunami, Kazuyuki Kurano
  • Patent number: 4964482
    Abstract: An enclosure for a loudspeaker is molded from a rigid acoustically inert material such as a polymer concrete. Preferably, the enclosure has an inner shell of a semi-rigid acoustically absorbent material providing damping for the enclosure. The enclosure may be conveniently manufactured by using a two-piece mold wherein the inner mold piece is sacrificed and forms the inner shell of the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1990
    Inventor: John E. Meyer
  • Patent number: 4944019
    Abstract: A low sound region reproducing speaker system comprising a box, a partition separating the internal space of the box into two spatial portions, a pair of speakers attached to the partition wall, and an aperture formed in the side wall of the box through which one of the spatial portions communicates with the external space. Right and left stereophonic channel signals are respectively reproduced through the pair of speakers. Only the low sound region is emitted into the external space. The partition wall has therein a communication hole for communicating the two spatial portions therethrough with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1990
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
    Inventor: Hiroshi Watanabe