Patents Assigned to Polk Audio, LLC
  • Patent number: 11974111
    Abstract: A loudspeaker transducer diaphragm or cone (e.g., 201, 301 or 401) is configured with arcuate protrusions that project distally from the main forward or distal surface 230 to provide stiffening and a break-up of resonant vibration modes when the loudspeaker is in use. The protrusions (e.g., 210, 310 or 410) are convex on one surface 230 and concave on the opposite surface 234, so their average thickness is similar to the frustoconical areas of the cone, i.e. they are shell-like in nature rather than solid mounds or walls. The protrusions 210 are generally curved as they run radially from the inner opening 204 to the outer peripheral edge to encourage modal break-up (suppressing strong vibrational modes, e.g., as in region 155).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Sean O'Brien, Stuart W. Lumsden
  • Patent number: 11937066
    Abstract: A multi-driver multi-channel single enclosure Height-Channel (e.g., ATMOS® or DTS-X®) enabled soundbar loudspeaker system 260 uses a novel signal processing system, driver mounting configuration (310L, 310R) and method to provide a high fidelity home theater listening experience, in a manner which relies on a new method for cancellation of unwanted direct (not ceiling-bounced) radiation of the Height-Channel (or virtual height envelopment) channel's sound 213DS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Brad Starobin, Scott Orth, Stuart W. Lumsden
  • Patent number: 11937061
    Abstract: A forced ventilation woofer or electromechanical transducer (e.g., 200 or 300) includes a motor structure and voice coil winding support structure or former (203 or 303) configured with a vented annular spacer (e.g., 250) and vented distal pole tip member (e.g., 255) having aligned radial channels aimed to transport heat away from a voice coil (202 or 302) during the transducer's reciprocating movement while providing an extended, linear dynamic range and continuous cooling for the voice coil. A dual magnetic gap embodiment has an inside annular spacer member (e.g., 355A) and a co-planar outside annular spacer member (e.g., 350-O), each made of a thermally conductive steel alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Sean O'Brien
  • Patent number: 11889258
    Abstract: A loudspeaker driver or tweeter (e.g., 100, 200 or 300) having a voice coil connected with a loudspeaker diaphragm (e.g., 106, 206 or 306), having a substantially circular diaphragm portion which is connected with or rests upon a voice coil attachment segment (e.g., 104, 204, 304). The diaphragm also includes a first central elliptical (non-circular-shaped) inner roll portion (e.g., 112, 212, 312) defining a central recessed area and a second, outer elliptical (non-circular-shaped) roll portion (e.g., 108, 208, 308) so the central portion and the outer roll portion that have substantially elliptical edge circumferences with substantially circular central peripheral edges to define diaphragm segments with a varying radial Chord lengths having non-uniform diameter dimensions (inside diameter to outside diameter) and when in use, the excursion of the diaphragm is controlled such that any breakup modes are minimized and the associated resonances are minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Sean O'Brien, Sr.
  • Publication number: 20230199394
    Abstract: A forced ventilation woofer or electromechanical transducer (e.g., 200 or 300) includes a motor structure and voice coil winding support structure or former (203 or 303) configured with a vented annular spacer (e.g., 250) and vented distal pole tip member (e.g., 255) having aligned radial channels aimed to transport heat away from a voice coil (202 or 302) during the transducer's reciprocating movement while providing an extended, linear dynamic range and continuous cooling for the voice coil. A dual magnetic gap embodiment has an inside annular spacer member (e.g., 355A) and a co-planar outside annular spacer member (e.g., 350-O), each made of a thermally conductive steel alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Sean O'Brien
  • Patent number: 11611830
    Abstract: An electromechanical transducer (e.g., 200 or 300) includes a motor structure and voice coil winding support structure or former (203 or 303) configured with a vented annular spacer (e.g., 250) and vented distal pole tip member (e.g., 255) having aligned radial channels aimed to transport heat away from a voice coil (202 or 302) during the transducer's reciprocating movement while providing an extended, linear dynamic range and continuous cooling for the voice coil. A dual magnetic gap embodiment has an inside annular spacer member (e.g., 355A) and a co-planar outside annular spacer member (e.g., 350-O), each made of a thermally conductive steel alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Sean O'Brien
  • Publication number: 20220210544
    Abstract: A loudspeaker system (700 or 800) and method for tuning ported loudspeakers and reducing unwanted acoustic resonances provides reduced port noise, eliminates undesired port resonances and improves the accuracy and fidelity of reproduced sound in a loudspeaker system of relatively high efficiency with an enclosure including an Eigen Tone Filter structure (“ETF”) comprising a pipe or set of pipes 720, 820 placed inside a loudspeaker vent to absorb the “open pipe” acoustic resonance of the vent. The open-pipe resonance is unwanted and interferes with the midrange performance of the loudspeaker, when in use, if not corrected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Scott ORTH, Jens-Peter B AXELSSON
  • Publication number: 20220159397
    Abstract: A multi-driver multi-channel single enclosure Height-Channel (e.g., ATMOS® or DTS-X®) enabled soundbar loudspeaker system 260 uses a novel signal processing system, driver mounting configuration (310L, 310R) and method to provide a high fidelity home theater listening experience, in a manner which relies on a new method for cancellation of unwanted direct (not ceiling-bounced) radiation of the Height-Channel (or virtual height envelopment) channel's sound 213DS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Brad STAROBIN, Scott ORTH, Stuart W. LUMSDEN
  • Publication number: 20220150618
    Abstract: A loudspeaker driver or tweeter (e.g., 100, 200 or 300) having a voice coil connected with a loudspeaker diaphragm (e.g., 106, 206 or 306), having a substantially circular diaphragm portion which is connected with or rests upon a voice coil attachment segment (e.g., 104, 204, 304). The diaphragm also includes a first central elliptical (non-circular-shaped) inner roll portion (e.g., 112, 212, 312) defining a central recessed area and a second, outer elliptical (non-circular-shaped) roll portion (e.g., 108, 208, 308) so the central portion and the outer roll portion that have substantially elliptical edge circumferences with substantially circular central peripheral edges to define diaphragm segments with a varying radial Chord lengths having non-uniform diameter dimensions (inside diameter to outside diameter) and when in use, the excursion of the diaphragm is controlled such that any breakup modes are minimized and the associated resonances are minimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Sean O'BRIEN, Sr
  • Publication number: 20210409866
    Abstract: A loudspeaker system (200) includes an overhead sound image generating (e.g., ATMOS™) elevation sound projecting loudspeaker transducer or array (210) for reproducing an elevation signal and a second cancellation loudspeaker or transducer array (250) for generating and projecting a direct signal cancellation. The cancellation speaker or array (250) is driven with a filtered, polarity reversed version of the elevation signal to cancel undesired direct sound (160) from elevation speaker (210) which would otherwise diminish the quality of elevation signal reproduction for a listener L.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Scott ORTH
  • Publication number: 20210352410
    Abstract: An electromechanical transducer (e.g., 200 or 300) includes a motor structure and voice coil winding support structure or former (203 or 303) configured with a vented annular spacer (e.g., 250) and vented distal pole tip member (e.g., 255) having aligned radial channels aimed to transport heat away from a voice coil (202 or 302) during the transducer's reciprocating movement while providing an extended, linear dynamic range and continuous cooling for the voice coil. A dual magnetic gap embodiment has an inside annular spacer member (e.g., 355A) and a co-planar outside annular spacer member (e.g., 350-O), each made of a thermally conductive steel alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventor: Sean O'Brien
  • Patent number: 10327064
    Abstract: A single enclosure multi-channel loudspeaker product 100 uses a novel signal processing system and method to achieve a surprisingly effective psycho-acoustically expanded image breadth by inter-aural crosstalk cancellation, in a manner which relies on a new method for cancellation of apparent sources of inter-aural crosstalk. In the commonly owned Polk® SDA™ (prior art) method, the optimal distance between stereo pair main and effect (SDA) loudspeakers was required to be substantially equal to the ear-to-ear width of a typical user's head. Compact SDA speaker system 100 employs digital signal processing generating selected time delays to acoustically simulate the optimal placement of an effects transducer relative to its main transducer for a physically compact configuration having each side's “main” transducer (e.g., 108LMS) spaced at less than 5.5 inches from the side's corresponding SDA (or effects) transducer (e.g., 108LSS), and this permits the system enclosure to be surprisingly compact, (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: POLK AUDIO, LLC
    Inventor: Bradley M. Starobin
  • Patent number: 10327086
    Abstract: An enhanced Stereo Dimensional Array loudspeaker system 250 preferably including a mirror image pair of loudspeaker enclosures 280L, 280R configurable by a user or installer as a left-channel loudspeaker and a right channel loudspeaker each having a driver array aiming configuration with first and second angled baffle facets carrying main and effects drivers on separate facets and a Head Shadow filter signal processing system and method for driving the main and effects drivers to achieve a psycho-acoustically expanded image breadth by Head Shadow filter compensated inter-aural crosstalk cancellation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: POLK AUDIO, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Orth, Stuart W. Lumsden
  • Publication number: 20180317034
    Abstract: An enhanced Stereo Dimensional Array (“SDA”) loudspeaker system 250 preferably including a mirror image pair of loudspeaker enclosures 280L, 280R configurable by a user or installer as a left-channel SDA loudspeaker and a right channel SDA loudspeaker uses a novel driver array aiming configuration and an enhanced Head Shadow filter SDA signal processing system and method to achieve a surprisingly effective psycho-acoustically expanded image breadth by inter-aural crosstalk cancellation. The signal processing system and method provide an enhanced method for cancellation of apparent sources of inter-aural crosstalk, as compared to the commonly owned Polk SDA™ (prior art) method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: POLK AUDIO, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Orth, Stuart W. Lumsden
  • Patent number: 9131311
    Abstract: A canal phone incorporates a transducer within an isolation sound chamber for reproducing sound from an audio source, and a sound-transmission passageway, or ambient sound port, for allowing ambient sounds to enter the isolation sound chamber. The passageway has inner and outer apertures, one oriented towards the ambient noise environment outside of the listener's ear and the other oriented toward the isolated chamber formed by the space between a loudspeaker diaphragm within the canal phone and the tympanum of the listener's ear. The canal phone has a port blocking switch mechanism that selectively opens or closes the aperture of the passageway that is open to the ambient noise. This switch mechanism may also electrically disconnect the transducer and seal either the outer or the inner end of the passageway in different embodiments of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Stuart W. Lumsden, Ken Chae, Scott Orth, David Fitzpatrick
  • Publication number: 20150049894
    Abstract: A low profile speaker system that can be inconspicuously mounted to the back of a flat panel display and provides an acoustical arrangements to create a full home theater surround sound experience while maintaining a compact enclosure footprint. The speaker system can be supported using a stand; the stand integral to the speaker system support architecture and supporting both the speaker system and flat panel television.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Michael DiTullo, Mark Werle, Stuart Lumsden, Mark Suskind
  • Patent number: D868736
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Polk Audio, LLC
    Inventors: Michael DiTullo, Cameron Nielsen