Patents Examined by Walter F. Briney, III
  • Patent number: 11212621
    Abstract: An acoustic transducer comprises a transducer substrate defining an aperture therein. A diaphragm is disposed on the transducer substrate. The diaphragm comprises a diaphragm inner portion disposed over the aperture such that an outer edge of the diaphragm inner portion is located radially inwards of a rim of the aperture, the diaphragm inner portion having a first stress. A diaphragm outer portion extends radially from the outer edge of the diaphragm inner portion to at least the rim of the aperture, the diaphragm outer portion having a second stress different from the first stress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Knowles Electronics, LLC
    Inventors: Peter V. Loeppert, Sung Bok Lee
  • Patent number: 11212624
    Abstract: A MEMS-transducer comprises a membrane structure having a first main surface and a second main surface opposing the first main surface. A substrate structure holds the membrane structure, wherein the substrate structure overlaps with the first main surface of the membrane structure in a first edge region being adjacent to a first inner region of the first main surface. A gap is formed between the membrane structure and the substrate structure in the first edge region and extends from the first inner region into the first edge region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Klein, Karolina Gierl, Markus Meyer
  • Patent number: 11212625
    Abstract: A noise cancelling system is described for a in a patient implantable hearing implant system. An implantable microphone senses a sound signal present at the microphone that includes a sound source component from a sound source external to the patient, and a noise component from internal bone conduction. At least one implantable noise sensing element is located near the microphone to sense the noise component. A filter is controlled by an adaptive algorithm responsive to transform the noise component and outputs a transducer control signal. A bone conduction transducer receives the transducer control signal and generates a corresponding mechanical vibration signal to the skull bone. The adaptive algorithm controls the filter so that the mechanical vibration signal of the bone conduction transducer offsets the noise component sensed by the at least one noise sensing element so as to minimize the noise component sensed by the implantable microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH
    Inventor: Martin J. Kerber
  • Patent number: 11206501
    Abstract: A method operates a hearing instrument that is worn in or at the ear of a user. The method includes capturing a sound signal from an environment of the hearing instrument; analyzing the captured sound signal to recognize own-voice intervals, in which the user speaks, and foreign-voice intervals, in which at least one different speaker speaks; and determining, from the recognized own-voice intervals and foreign-voice intervals, at least one turn-taking feature. From the at least one turn-taking feature a measure of the sound perception by the user is derived. Predefined action for improving the sound perception is taken if the measure or the at least one turn-taking feature fulfill a predefined criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Maja Serman, Marko Lugger, Homayoun Kamkar-Parsi
  • Patent number: 11200876
    Abstract: A method performed by a head-mounted wearable audio output device is provided. The audio output device is worn on a head of a user and includes at least one sensor. The device detects a user activity based on motion of the user's body using the at least one sensor. The devices detects an orientation of the head of the user is one of upward or downward using the at least one sensor. The devices controls at least one of: a level of attenuation applied to external noise or audio output based on the detected user activity and the detected orientation of the head of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeremy Kemmerer, Juan Carlos Rodero Sales
  • Patent number: 11202141
    Abstract: Disclosed are a button sound-emitting apparatus and an electronic device. The button sound-emitting apparatus comprises a cap part, a exciter, and an elastic component; said elastic component is arranged at an edge of the cap part; said exciter is provided in the middle of the cap part; the elastic component is connected to a housing of the electronic device; the exciter is suspended in the housing; the elastic component is configured for providing an elastic restoring force; the exciter is configured to be used for providing a driving force. The button sound-emitting apparatus is simple in structure and eliminates the need to arrange a front acoustic cavity and a sound outlet hole, and ensures good sound performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Goertek, Inc.
    Inventors: Xinfeng Yang, Fenglei Zu
  • Patent number: 11190886
    Abstract: A hearing device comprises a device body carrying a hearing device processor for processing microphone signals to produce an output acoustic signal for delivery to a respective ear of a user. A battery compartment is provided for containing a battery to power the processor, the battery compartment bearing at least two magnets, or magnetic restraint elements. A battery cover bearing at least two magnets respectively configured to magnetically cooperate with the at least two battery compartment magnets in order to magnetically hold the battery cover against the battery compartment so as to define a battery cavity between the battery cover and the battery compartment. The magnets are positioned about the battery cavity so as to magnetically urge the battery cover to a preferred position relative to the battery compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventor: Yaniv Eliezer Kaufman
  • Patent number: 11166092
    Abstract: A head phone structure includes an earmuff casing and a speaker. The earmuff casing includes a first casing and a second casing. A first accommodating space and a first chamber are formed between the first casing and the second casing, and the first chamber is formed outside the first accommodating space. The speaker is disposed in the first accommodating space of the earmuff casing and at least includes a frame and a vibration system. A second chamber is defined and formed by the frame and the vibration system. An airflow is generated in the second chamber when the vibration system vibrates. The second chamber communicates with the first chamber of the earmuff casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Merry Electronics(Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chia-Chung Lin, Jyun-Neng Liao, Ming-Xue Cai
  • Patent number: 11166100
    Abstract: The invention relates to audio transducer technology, including audio tuning systems to be utilised in personal audio devices, such as headphone, earphones, mobile phones and the like. The audio tuning system optimises the frequency response of the personal audio device by using Diffuse Field curve characteristics. The audio transducers of the personal audio device incorporate low resonance designs, including low resonance transducer and diaphragm suspensions to further optimise the sound quality of the device. The invention also relates to an audio transducer diaphragm construction that includes a three-dimensional lattice which may be utilised in any audio transducer application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: WING ACOUSTICS LIMITED
    Inventors: David John Palmer, Michael Ian Palmer
  • Patent number: 11159869
    Abstract: Embodiments describe an eartip including an eartip body having an attachment end and an interfacing end opposite from the attachment end, and an attachment structure coupled to the inner eartip body at the attachment end. The eartip body can include: an inner eartip body having a sidewall extending between the interfacing end and the attachment end, the sidewall defining a channel and having a first thickness near the attachment end and a second thickness different from the first thickness at the interfacing end; and an outer eartip body sized and shaped to be inserted into an ear canal and extending from the interfacing end, the outer eartip body extending toward the attachment end of the eartip. The attachment structure including a sidewall extending around a periphery of the attachment structure and defining an opening extending through the sidewall that fluidly couples the channel to an ambient environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Scott C. Grinker, Esge Andersen, Ethan L. Huwe, Benjamin A. Cousins, Samuel G. Parker, Sean T. McIntosh, Jason C. Della Rosa, Craig M. Stanley, Edward Siahaan, Ethan W. Juhnke
  • Patent number: 11146886
    Abstract: The invention relates to a loudspeaker box (12) comprising a housing (20), a loudspeaker (22) arranged in the housing (20) for generating sound, and a sound-guide device (14), wherein the sound-guide device (14) is arranged in front of the loudspeaker (22) in a sound propagation direction (25), wherein the sound-guide device (14) is configured in such a way that the sound-guide device (14) guides the sound generated by the loudspeaker (22) to a front slot (30) arranged on a front side (27) of the sound-guide device (14) for the purposes of sound radiation. The invention also relates to a column loudspeaker box (10) comprising at least two loudspeaker boxes (12) arranged above one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Schlittmeier
  • Patent number: 11140490
    Abstract: The present application discloses a speaker having a vibrating system and a flexible circuit board. The vibrating system has a lower vibrating diaphragm with a first fastening portion, a second fastening portion, and a vibrating portion having a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion and a middle portion. A vertical distance between a tangent line along a vibrating direction at first end of the first connecting portion and another tangent line along the vibrating direction at the second end of the first connecting portion is a first distance; another vertical distance between a tangent line along the vibrating direction at third end and another tangent line along the vibrating direction at the fourth end is a second distance. The first distance is shorter than the second distance. The acoustic quality of speaker can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: AAC Technologies Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Ping Liang, Bin Zhao
  • Patent number: 11137803
    Abstract: A hinge system having at least three hinge joints, consisting each of a hinge element and an associated contact member. The contact surface of the hinge element of each hinge joint moves relative to the contact surface of the associated contact member to enable rotatable oscillation of the hinge joint about a common axis of rotation during operation. The contact surface of each contact member is convexly curved and the hinge joints comprise convex surfaces facing in different directions to enhance operation of the hinge system. Multiple convex surfaces are preferably formed on a relatively rigid component to reduce manufacturing complexity and improve operation. The hinge system is particularly suited for audio transducer applications, but may also be used in other applications, such as in other electromechanical devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: WING ACOUSTICS LIMITED
    Inventors: David John Palmer, Michael Ian Palmer, Christopher Marck Hardy
  • Patent number: 11133019
    Abstract: A signal processor for providing one or more processed audio signals on the basis of one or more input audio signals is configured to estimate coefficients of an autoregressive reverberation model using the input audio signals and the delayed noise-reduced reverberant signals obtained using a noise reduction. The signal processor is configured to provide noise-reduced reverberant signals using the input audio signals and the estimated coefficients of the autoregressive reverberation model. The signal processor is configured to derive noise-reduced and reverberation-reduced output signals using the noise-reduced reverberant signals and the estimated coefficients of the autoregressive reverberation model. A method and a computer program include a similar functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Sebastian Braun, Emanuel Habets
  • Patent number: 11134338
    Abstract: A speaker includes a vibrating body having an annular valley portion recessed rearward and a diffuser having an annular or arcuate base part, which is positioned so that an end of the base part on the side of the vibrating body is opposed to the valley portion. The base part is provided, at the end on the side of the vibrating body, with one or more recessed parts from which distance to the vibrating body is larger than a distance of the other portion of the end to the vibrating body, each of the recessed parts being formed in any one of a sine-wave shape, a triangular-wave shape and an arc shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: JVCKENWOOD CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Negishi, Kazuyuki Inagaki
  • Patent number: 11122351
    Abstract: An open audio device that includes an acoustic radiator that emits front-side acoustic radiation from its front side and emits rear-side acoustic radiation from its rear side, a front acoustic cavity that receives front-side acoustic radiation, a front transmission line that is acoustically coupled to the front acoustic cavity and comprises a first front sound-emitting opening, and a rear acoustic cavity that receives rear-side acoustic radiation and comprises at least a first rear sound-emitting opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventor: Ryan C. Struzik
  • Patent number: 11109147
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sound generating device, including a housing and a vibration system accommodated in the housing, the vibration system including a diaphragm and a driving unit for driving the diaphragm to vibrate and generate sound. The driving unit includes a piezoelectric driving unit and a moving iron driving unit coupled in parallel with the piezoelectric driving unit, the piezoelectric driving unit including a piezoelectric sheet, the moving iron driving unit including a coil and a magnetic steel. The piezoelectric driving unit and the moving iron driving unit jointly drive the diaphragm to vibrate and sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: AAC Technologies Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Bo Xiao, Ronglin Linghu, Xiaodong Liu
  • Patent number: 11109150
    Abstract: Aspects are disclosed of an acoustically active coating. The coating is a highly porous coating having a thickness and including between 2% and 30% by mass of a binder and between 70% and 98% by mass of a zeolite. The coating comprises an irregular matrix formed by a plurality of convex shapes connected by concave connectors and has a distribution of pore sizes. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Juergen Sauer, Veronika Wagner
  • Patent number: 11096002
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive at least one audio signal; obtain, associated with the at least one audio signal over at least one frequency band: at least one spatial audio energy ratio parameter; and at least one remainder energy ratio, wherein a sum of the at least one spatial audio energy ratio parameter and the at least one remainder energy ratio over the frequency band equal a determined value; and control a transmission/storage of the at least one spatial audio energy ratio, and the at least one remainder energy ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
    Inventors: Tapani Pihlajakuja, Arto Juhani Lehtiniemi, Antti Johannes Eronen, Lasse Juhani Laaksonen
  • Patent number: 11095969
    Abstract: Disclosed is an earphone including an internal duct. The earphone includes a housing, a cover coupled to the housing and including a nozzle, and a speaker unit disposed in the cover. Here, the housing and the cover include, in common, a first space portion disposed in front of the speaker unit and a second space portion disposed in the rear of the speaker unit and partitioned from the first space portion. The speaker unit includes a yoke, a magnet fixed to the yoke, a plate disposed on a top surface of the magnet, a voice coil, a diaphragm disposed above the plate and to which the voice coil is fixed, a frame disposed outside the magnet, a first grill coupled to the frame and disposed above the diaphragm, and a second grill coupled to the frame and disposed on a front surface of the diaphragm and outside the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: ALMUS Corp.
    Inventor: Byung Il Min