Patents Examined by Ryan C Robinson
  • Patent number: 7558395
    Abstract: A loudspeaker comprising a housing provided with a magnet unit that generates a magnetic field and a membrane which is mounted in a frame and which is provided with an electrical conductor arranged in a pattern on the membrane, which membrane is positioned in the magnetic field in such a manner that a force is exerted when current is fed through the conductor pattern on the membrane, which force is capable of setting the membrane in motion so as to produce sound, wherein the conductor pattern is provided on the membrane in at least two spaced-apart vibrating regions, wherein the loudspeaker is provided with at least two sound channels extending between the two vibrating regions and the outer side of the housing, and wherein the central axes of the two sound channels, which are located between the outer wall and the inner wall of each channel, incline towards each other over a particular distance from the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Alcons Audio B.V.
    Inventor: Philip Derek Eduard De Haan
  • Patent number: 7542579
    Abstract: An electrostatic type ultrasonic transducer of a push-pull system is constructed such that a through hole is arranged in the central portion of a fixing electrode of a circular shape. A sound wave reflecting plate is arranged on the rear face of the ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic wave radiated from the rear face of the ultrasonic transducer is reflected by the sound wave reflecting plate and is radiated to the front face of the ultrasonic transducer through the through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hirokazu Sekino, Kinya Matsuzawa
  • Patent number: 7519192
    Abstract: The present invention provides for various embodiments of a combined garment and earphones. The combined garment and earphones includes a garment having a series of elongate internal passageways. Partially enclosed within the series of elongate internal passageways is a conductive wire assembly. The conductive wire assembly includes a first length of wire leading to at least one earpiece having a transducer for emitting audio into a user's ear, and a second length of wire leading to a connector configured to be communicatively coupled to an audio device. Finally, a retractable dial is coupled to the garment, wherein a portion of the conductive wire assembly travels through the retractable dial. The retractable dial is configured to selectively retract at least a portion of the first end of the conductive wire assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Inventors: Logan Laycock, Landon Laycock, Larry R. Laycock
  • Patent number: 7508951
    Abstract: Hearing aid comprising two parts that can be joined together/taken apart. One part is provided with the electronics and preferably consists of a universal part. The other part comprises an accommodation for the battery and is matched to the wearer's auditory canal. Both parts are provided with a pull cord for removing from the ear and separating the parts from one another. These pull cords are preferably in contact with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Audilux Science B.V.
    Inventor: Lourens George Bordewijk
  • Patent number: 7492917
    Abstract: In a headphone, accidental winding and retracting is prevented from occurring without requiring complicated operations. The headphone includes housings incorporating an electro-acoustic transducer element, an input cord, one end of which is connected to the electro-acoustic transducer element. A take-up mechanism is incorporated in the housings and energized to wind and retract the input cord into the housings. A ratchet interacts with the take-up mechanism to prevent the winding and retracting of the input cord by the take-up mechanism. A cancellation mechanism prevents the winding and retracting of the input cord by the ratchet. An ear-hook having an ear-hook arm hooks the housing on the arm and is energized toward the housings, wherein when the ear-hook arm is away from the housings so the prevention of the winding and retracting of the input cord by the ratchet is not cancelled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Ito
  • Patent number: 7483542
    Abstract: In a condenser microphone unit connected to an output module section via a dedicated microphone cord, the generation of noise caused by strong electromagnetic waves sent from a cellular phone etc. is effectively prevented by a simple configuration. In the condenser microphone unit in which a microphone capsule 10 is supported, for example, exchangeably on a support enclosure 20 and a microphone cord 30 consisting of a two-core shield covering line for connecting the condenser microphone unit to the output module section is pulled into the support enclosure 20, a shield covering line exposure portion 33a, in which a shield covering line 33 is stripped off, is provided in a portion in which the microphone cord 30 is pulled into the support enclosure 20, and a fixing member 40 formed into a doughnut shape is fixed to the shield covering line exposure portion 33a by staking, by which the shield covering line 33 is connected to the support enclosure 20 via the fixing member 40.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
    Inventors: Hiroshi Akino, Shioto Okita, Noriko Matsui
  • Patent number: 7477753
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide systems, assemblies and methods for packaging hearing devices to protect them during shipping and storage. Many embodiments provide packaging systems that allow metal-air battery powered hearing aids to be stored for several months or longer with a live battery and then ready for use upon opening of the packaging. One embodiment provides a packaging system for a hearing aid comprising a packaging container and a hearing aid disposed in the container. The container comprises an air-impermeable material and has a removal cap that forms an air-impermeable seal with the container. The hearing aid can be positioned on a compliant support coupled to the interior surface of the cap. The support and container protect the hearing aid from shock and vibration as well as reducing the application of force to sensitive components. The container can also include one or more structures for ESD protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: InSound Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: James P. Buckley, Robert Schindler, Pat Contioso, John Sadler
  • Patent number: 7477755
    Abstract: A speaker system according to the present invention comprises a cabinet (10), a speaker unit (11), a first parting board (12), a drone cone (13), an adsorption member (14), a second parting board (15), a backboard (16), a variable mechanism (17), and a port (18). A sound pressure generated by the speaker unit (11) causes a pressure variation in a second chamber (R12) via the drone cone (13). The adsorption member (14) with an effect of physical adsorption is operable to suppress the pressure variation. Furthermore, by displacing the diaphragm (171), the variable mechanism (17) is operable to reduce a pressure variation of a direct current component, which is caused by variations in ambient temperature or atmospheric pressure of the speaker system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Saiki, Mitsukazu Kuze, Toshiyuki Matsumura, Sawako Kano
  • Patent number: 7471802
    Abstract: There is provided a boundary microphone especially suitable for outdoor applications, which has strong waterproof and high wind noise resistance. In a boundary microphone in which a microphone case 1 includes a flat base portion 10 the upper surface side of which is open, and a microphone cover 20 having a large number of openings, which is attached to the base portion 10 so as to cover the upper surface of the base portion 10, and a microphone unit 31 is housed in the microphone case 1, a pile 23 is flocked by electrostatic flocking over the whole surface of at least the outer surface of the microphone cover 20 including a connecting portion 20a between the microphone cover 20 and the base portion 10, and the pile 23 is subjected to water repellent processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
    Inventors: Hiroshi Akino, Satoshi Uchimura
  • Patent number: 7433487
    Abstract: A speaker includes a magnet, a yoke, and a coil. A surface of the magnet opposed to the yoke includes a first magnetized surface at one side in the moving direction of the coil and a second magnetized surface at the other side in the moving direction of the coil. The two magnetized surfaces have the same magnetic polarity. A central surface between the first magnetized surface and the second magnetized surface is not magnetized or is magnetized more weakly than the first magnetized surface and the second magnetized surface. The single magnet of this structure forms the same magnetic force distribution as two separate magnets so that the speaker provides a superior linearity of driving force of the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Naoki Shimamura
  • Patent number: 7426283
    Abstract: An outer-radial magnetic-flux applying unit of a speaker device includes an annular main unit and at least one piece of annular sub-unit stacked atop a free end of the main unit. A heat-dissipating member composed of a material having a good thermal conductivity encompasses the outer-radial magnetic-flux applying unit including the sub-unit and is thermally bonded with the outer-radial magnetic-flux applying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignees: Pioneer Corporation, Tohoku Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Teruaki Kaiya, Seiya Sato