Having Protective Or Sheilding Feature Patents (Class 381/189)
  • Patent number: 11968509
    Abstract: A speaker having a support structure having a bracket, and a vibration structure having a bend ring. The bend ring comprises an arc portion and an outer brim connected to the bracket. The outer brim of the bend ring extends downwardly to abut and connect to an outer brim of the top of the bracket, and the outer brim of the bend ring does not exceed the outermost end of the arc portion in the radial direction. The effective vibration area of a speaker is increased by using the above structure, so that the sensitivity of the speaker is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Hong Wen, Jihui Zeng, Yuanzhen Niu, Zhenjin Zhu
  • Patent number: 11785399
    Abstract: A device comprising a first printed circuit board (PCB); a second printed circuit board (PCB); a first flex board coupled to the first PCB and the second PCB; a first integrated device coupled to the first PCB; a speaker configured to be coupled to the first integrated device; a microphone configured to be coupled to the first integrated device; a second integrated device coupled to the second PCB, wherein the second integrated device is configured to be coupled to the first integrated device through the second PCB, the first flex board and the first PCB; and a power source configured to provide power to the first integrated device and the second integrated device. The first PCB is located between the power source and the first integrated device. The second PCB is located between the power source and the second integrated device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Ravindra Shenoy, Rohit Sauhta, Elbert McLaren, Sidney Sitachitt, Donald William Kidwell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11785371
    Abstract: A microphone includes an outer wall member having a sound hole, a first mesh arranged inside the outer wall member and made of Dutch weave, and a spacer having a diameter corresponding to an inner diameter of the outer wall member. The first mesh is pressed to an inside the outer wall member while a first surface of which is in contact with the first mesh. A second mesh is in contact with a second surface of the spacer and has water repellency. A microphone unit is stored under the second mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: AUDIO-TECHNICA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Yoshino
  • Patent number: 11758320
    Abstract: A venturi expander is mounted on a speaker enclosure to receive the rearward-propagated sound waves and to extend the propagation path. The venturi expander's reflective sides direct the rearward sound to the sides or top or bottom of the speaker enclosure to produce a reflected sound surrounding the speaker enclosure and producing sound to the sides of the speaker substantially as projected from the front of the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Inventor: Ronald K. Taylor
  • Patent number: 11729938
    Abstract: A housing may comprise a first surface comprising one or more ventilation openings and a second surface comprising one or more ventilation openings. The one or more ventilation openings of the first surface may be located in a recessed groove of the first surface. The second surface may be substantially perpendicular to the first surface. The housing may enable air to flow through the one or more ventilation openings of the first surface and the one or more ventilation openings of the second surface to direct heat away from the one or more internal components of the housing. The arrangement of the one or more ventilation openings may enable one or more housings to be stacked on top of each other without impeding air flow through the one or more ventilation openings of the first surface and/or the one or more ventilation openings of the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Osman Cueto, Sean McGinnis, Michael Jou
  • Patent number: 11627423
    Abstract: A hearing device has a housing in which a receiver is arranged as an electrical component. An antenna arrangement is formed, which has a winding in the form of a coil, which is arranged around the receiver with the interposition of a shielding foil. The shielding foil has a section extending around the receiver and several lugs adjoining it, which project beyond the receiver, the lugs enclosing between them an interspace adjoining the receiver. The shielding foil has in particular two layers, namely a magnetic layer and an electrical shielding layer. By this arrangement an antenna arrangement with high sensitivity is formed and at the same time a shielded partial area is created in the inter-space in which further components can be arranged. Due to the design of the lugs, which are particularly flexible, they can be attached to an inner wall of a housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Peter Nikles
  • Patent number: 11600435
    Abstract: Coil bobbins for balanced armature receivers are disclosed. The balanced armature receiver bobbin includes a coil support member, at least two flanges, and a shoulder. The coil support member has an armature passage extending between a first end and a second end thereof. The flanges extending radially from the coil support member such that the first flange extends from the coil support member proximate the first end and the second flange extends from the coil support member proximate the second end. The shoulder extends from the first flange, with the first flange located between the shoulder and the coil support member. The shoulder has a plurality of conductive coil pads disposed on a bottom portion thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: KNOWLES ELECTRONICS, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Scheleski, Yahui Zhang, Matthew Manley
  • Patent number: 11589143
    Abstract: Provided is a speaker box, including a housing having a receiving space and a speaker unit received therein. The housing extends into the receiving space to form a support wall. The speaker unit is supported by and fixed to the support wall. The housing has a sound output hole. The speaker unit includes a frame, a vibration system and magnetic circuit unit fixed to the frame, and a front cover covering the frame. The front cover is supported by and fixed to the support wall. The front cover includes a main body portion located above the vibration system, a side edge portion and a fixed portion covering the frame. The fixed portion is supported by and fixed to the support wall. The front cover has a through hole running through both the main body portion and the side edge portion. The speaker box has excellent sound quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: AAC Microtech (Changzhou) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Huhu Yang, Xianjie Dong, Long Zhang, Xuefeng Zhang
  • Patent number: 11582544
    Abstract: The present invention provides a microphone assembly having shielding function for a motor vehicle, comprising: a microphone circuit board having a microphone, which is supplied by a differential audio bus such that the ground potential of the microphone is floating; a cover which is located outside the microphone circuit board; a foamy part which is located between the cover and the microphone circuit board; and a shielding film which is suitable for shielding the microphone against electrostatic discharge, wherein the shielding film is located between the cover and the foamy part and covers the outer surface of the foamy part, and wherein the shielding film is electrically conductive and grounded to a vehicle chassis ground potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventors: Stephane Schuler, Shuiqiang Yan
  • Patent number: 11575982
    Abstract: An audio speaker cover with a central region and a peripheral region. The central region has a surface that faces an observer and a speaker cover body below the surface. The audio speaker cover body defines a plurality of apertures with lands between the apertures. The apertures have cylindrical walls that meet the surface orthogonally. Precisely engineered apertures permit minimal sound transmission loss and allow a high aperture density without sacrificing the ability of intervening lands in the audio speaker cover to protect an underlying speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: OAKWOOD METAL FABRICATING CO.
    Inventors: Richard Francois Audi, Donald Scott Smith, Joel Matthew Cormier, Michael Anthony Rossi, Mark Steven Kunitz
  • Patent number: 11570546
    Abstract: An image capture device includes an audio depression formed into the housing with a drainage microphone mounted therein. A cover protects the drainage microphone disposed beneath the cover from an environment external to the image capture device. The cover and audio depression define a drainage channel extending from a channel entrance, through a channel volume, and out a channel exit. The surface area of the opening of the channel entrance is proportioned relative to the channel volume such that the ratio of the surface area to volume is greater than ten percent. This allows the cover to shift resonance outside of a desired frequency band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Erich Tisch, Kielan C. Crow, Adrian Santos
  • Patent number: 11405712
    Abstract: Provided is a sound output apparatus that is used by being worn in the vicinity of the ear of a listener and is capable of outputting sound over a wide frequency band. The sound output apparatus includes: a first sound generation unit configured to generate a low frequency band; a sound guiding unit with a hollow structure, having one end coupled to the first sound generation unit, and the other end as a sound emission unit including an open end; and a second sound generation unit that is disposed at a place closer to the sound emission unit than the first sound generation unit and generates a high frequency band. It is preferable that the sound guiding unit have a joint unit that takes in the sound from the second sound generation unit and a section from the joint unit to the sound emission unit have a low impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Shinmen, Go Igarashi, Kohei Asada
  • Patent number: 11343627
    Abstract: A hearing device has a housing in which a receiver is arranged as an electrical component. An antenna arrangement is formed, which has a winding in the form of a coil, which is arranged around the receiver with the interposition of a shielding foil. The shielding foil has a section extending around the receiver and several lugs adjoining it, which project beyond the receiver, the lugs enclosing between them an interspace adjoining the receiver. The shielding foil has in particular two layers, namely a magnetic layer and an electrical shielding layer. By this arrangement an antenna arrangement with high sensitivity is formed and at the same time a shielded partial area is created in the inter-space in which further components can be arranged. Due to the design of the lugs, which are particularly flexible, they can be attached to an inner wall of a housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Peter Nikles
  • Patent number: 11158318
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an AI voice interaction method, including: an earphone acquiring a user voice; a body receiving a digital voice signal sent by the earphone through a wireless communication, and sending the digital voice signal through mobile data or WiFi to a cloud server; the cloud server performing a voice recognition and semantic analysis on the digital voice signal; the body making a call or sending network data to the body according to the analysis result, to make the earphone perform a corresponding voice broadcast according to the network data. Accordingly, the present disclosure also provides an AI voice interaction device and system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Shenzhen Aukey Smart Information Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chao Deng
  • Patent number: 11146890
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for simultaneously operating a loudspeaker assembly in a loudspeaker function and in a microphone function. The loudspeaker assembly comprises a coil, which is movably mounted in the magnetic field of a magnet, and a diaphragm, which is mechanically coupled to the coil, wherein the magnet produces a magnetic flux density (B), the coil, has an effective length in the magnetic field, and the diaphragm has an area (A). In order to determine a first transfer function ZM, a first calibration state is set, in which an external sound pressure (p) on the diaphragm is equal to zero. In order to determine a second transfer function ZC, a second calibration state is set, in which movement of the diaphragm is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Florian Bock, Lars Hinrichsen
  • Patent number: 11122365
    Abstract: An acoustic protective cover assembly can include a retracted membrane material traversing across an acoustic pathway defined by an opening in a housing. The retracted membrane material can include a fibril structure characterized by serpentine fibrils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Zero, Zachary Lampert, Theresa Tonge
  • Patent number: 11051091
    Abstract: A cleanroom compatible elastomeric cover for an acoustic attachment, such as a diffuser or a director, to a Small Ceiling Speaker System. The present invention provides one elastomeric cover for the otherwise exposed axial acoustic port of a director or the exposed radial acoustic port of a diffuser. The cover further provides a cleanroom seal between the diffuser or the director and the ceiling tile. The diffuser and the director are each acoustic attachments to the enclosed speaker portion of the small ceiling speaker that is above the ceiling tile and supported on the ceiling tile support grid, rather than the tile itself. The portion of the small ceiling speaker that is below the ceiling tile includes a sectionally threaded acoustic channel shell and an acoustic attachment. The cover prevents contaminants from entering the cleanroom though the hole in the ceiling tile through which the acoustic channel shell extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Inventor: Johnathan Ivey
  • Patent number: 11032634
    Abstract: The present disclosure is drawn to an earpiece. The earpiece can include a speaker suitable for use within or adjacent to an ear canal of a user and a layered composite associated with the speaker. The layered composite can include an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer, a self-supporting substrate applied to a first side of the expanded PTFE layer, and a fabric substrate applied to a second side of the expanded PTFE layer. The expanded polytetrafluoroethylene layer can have a pore size having an average value from 0.1 micron to 0.5 micron. The self-supporting substrate can define a contour of the earpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Hui He, Hang Yan Yuen
  • Patent number: 11026020
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a memory, a housing, an acoustic module comprising a coil and an acoustic membrane configured to be movable based on a signal applied to the coil, the acoustic module being disposed in an internal space of the housing, an amplifier, and a processor. The memory may store instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to apply a first signal to the coil through the amplifier to move the acoustic membrane in a first direction by a first distance and applying a second signal to the coil through the amplifier to move the acoustic membrane in a second direction different from the first direction and/or to move the acoustic membrane by a second distance different from the first distance after applying the first signal to the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youngbae Park, Changshik Yoon, Hongki Kim, Junhui Lee, Dongheon Jang, Sohae Kim, Hyunjong Roh, Limsam Lim, Hochul Hwang
  • Patent number: 11012785
    Abstract: The present invention provides for an electroacoustic driver for use within an explosion proof loudspeaker or sounder and comprising a housing enclosing a coil of an electromagnet, the coil operatively coupled to an electromagnet core, a diaphragm located outside the housing for generating audible sound waves, a magnetic element located outside the housing and coupled to the diaphragm, wherein the electromagnet core extends through a wall of the housing from inside to outside of the housing to interact with the said magnetic element to cause movement of the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
    Inventor: David Andrew Coates
  • Patent number: 10932384
    Abstract: A cover window is provided. The cover window includes: a transparent base layer which comprises a speaker opening; a first print layer which is disposed on a surface of the transparent base layer; a protective member which is disposed on the first print layer; and a mesh structure which comprises a mesh pattern and a ground part connected to the mesh pattern, wherein the mesh pattern of the mesh structure is inserted into the speaker opening, the ground part of the mesh structure is disposed outside the speaker opening, and the protective member comprises a protective film part disposed between the first print layer and the ground part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Su Yee, Min Hyuk Im
  • Patent number: 10932061
    Abstract: The present invention provides a speaker, which includes a basket, a vibration system and a magnetic circuit system. The magnetic circuit system includes a magnetic frame, the magnetic frame and the basket define an accommodating space for accommodating the magnetic circuit system and the vibration system. The magnetic frame includes a magnetic frame bottom wall, a magnetic frame side wall extending from an outer side of the magnetic frame bottom wall towards the basket, and an extended portion extending from the magnetic frame side wall towards an outer side, the extended portion is provided with a plurality of protrusions formed by a semi-shearing process and protruding towards the basket, and an opening hole which is clamped and fixed with the protrusion is provided in a bottom wall of the basket. The speaker of the present disclosure has advantages of a stable structure size and suitability for accurate locating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: AAC Technologies Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuwen Wu, Wei Song
  • Patent number: 10917715
    Abstract: A loudspeaker including an acoustic radiator configured to emit front-side acoustic radiation from a front side and rear-side acoustic radiation from a rear side; a housing that directs the front-side acoustic radiation and the rear-side acoustic radiation; and a plurality of sound-emitting vents arranged in the housing. The plurality of sound-emitting vents includes a first sound-emitting vent arranged in a first end of the housing and a second sound-emitting vent in a second end of the housing. A first distance between the first and second sound-emitting vents defines a first effective length of a first loudspeaker dipole. The plurality of sound-emitting vents further includes third and fourth sound-emitting vents arranged in the housing. A second distance between the first sound-emitting vent and the third and fourth sound-emitting vents defines a second effective length of a second loudspeaker dipole. The second effective length is shorter than the first effective length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventor: Chester S. Williams
  • Patent number: 10897662
    Abstract: An assembly (1) for protecting an acoustic device comprises an expanded polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE) membrane (3) and first and second polymeric substrates (2, 4) disposed on opposing sides (5, 6) of the membrane (3). The first substrate (2) is transmissive for laser light of a predetermined wavelength, and the membrane (3) is joined to the first and second substrates (2, 4) by first and second laser weld joints (9, 10) on the first side (5) of the membrane (3) and the second side (6) of the membrane (3), respectively, that are created in a single laser transmission welding step through the first polymeric substrate (2) towards the second polymeric substrate (4). The first side (5) of the membrane (3) may be at least partially absorbent for the laser light and the second side (6) may be at least partially transmissive for the laser light. This may be achieved by a color gradient from black to white from the first side (5) to the second side (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignees: W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH, W. L. Gore & Associates (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Anton Killer, Joona Markus Riihimaeki, Xishou A. Li
  • Patent number: 10820123
    Abstract: A hearing assistance device including a housing component (12) including a transceiver (68) and processing circuitry arranged in a compact block structure (50), a small feed loop (40) mounted on the compact block structure (50) and electrically connected to the transceiver (68), and an antenna element (30, 80) contained within a housing component (12). The small feed loop (40) and the antenna element (30, 80) are provided as metallic band elements, and the band elements in an area of electromagnetic coupling are arranged in substantially parallel planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Widex A/S
    Inventors: Jan Hesselballe, Niels Christian Damgaard Jakobsen
  • Patent number: 10750290
    Abstract: A sound, light and electrical eye device for police use includes a built-in system, a dual-magnetic steel magnetic circuit and a wing-shaped basin flame made of cast aluminum. The built-in system formed by a photoelectric plate, an aluminum pad and a copper bar is mounted below a transparent dustproof cover of a moving-coil speaker and at an axial center of the magnetic circuit. The photoelectric plate is provided with a camera, a light shading ring and LED modules; and the photoelectric plate is disposed on a top surface of the aluminum pad. The dual-magnetic steel magnetic circuit is formed by a primary magnetic steel, a secondary magnetic steel, a magnetic post and a magnetic bowl, and a through hole is arranged at the center of the magnetic circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: SHANGHAI VALIANT LIGHTING AND AUDIO TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventor: Xiangkang Qiu
  • Patent number: 10735855
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a waterproof headphone assembly is provided. The assembly includes an earphone. The earphone includes a neck portion, a base portion, and a flexible skirt. The neck portion defines an attachment channel that extends about a first axis. The base portion defines an audio channel along with the neck portion. The audio channel extends along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis and enables a transmission of an audio signal from a transducer to a user. The flexible skirt is removably coupled to at least one outer recess of the attachment channel positioned on the neck portion. The attachment channel enables water collected from within the audio channel to be removed therefrom when the flexible skirt is removed from the at least one outer recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Isword Zhang, Cary Zou
  • Patent number: 10694281
    Abstract: Various implementations include loudspeakers. In some particular cases, a loudspeaker includes: a high frequency (HF) driver; a low frequency (LF) driver coaxially arranged with the HF driver; and a waveguide overlying a sound radiating surface of the LF driver, the waveguide having a hole pattern such that a sound radiation pattern of the LF driver matches a sound radiation pattern of the HF driver at a reference location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Greg Joseph Zastoupil, Joseph J. Kutil, III, Gabriel Lloyd Murray
  • Patent number: 10582303
    Abstract: A balanced armature receiver is disclosed that includes a housing and an armature assembly within the housing. The armature assembly includes a first armature portion and a second armature portion. The first armature portion and the second armature portion are operated such that the second armature portion is substantially unstable relative to the first armature portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: SONION NEDERLAND B.V.
    Inventors: Aart Zeger van Halteren, Paul Christiaan van Hal, Hamidreza Taghavi, Andreas Tiefenau, Wouter Bruins
  • Patent number: 10536761
    Abstract: A portable electronic device may have acoustic ports such as microphone and speaker ports. Acoustic devices such as microphones and speakers may be associated with the acoustic ports. An acoustic port may have an opening between an interior and exterior of the portable electronic device. The opening may be covered by a metal mesh. An acoustic fabric may be interposed between the metal mesh and the opening. The opening may be formed from a hole in a glass member having outer and inner chamfers. A microphone boot may be provided that forms front and rear radial seals with a housing of the device and a microphone unit respectively. The microphone boot may also form multiple face seals with the microphone unit. A speaker for the speaker port may be enclosed in a sealed speaker enclosure. The speaker enclosure may have a pressure-equalizing vent slit covered with an acoustic mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Mittleman, Richard P. Howarth, Chad Seguin
  • Patent number: 10491978
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes features to protect an audio transducer that receives or outputs sound from moisture. The apparatus may include a metal mesh layer having at least a first surface and a second surface. A first silica gel layer may be disposed on the first surface of the metal mesh layer. A second silica gel layer may be disposed on the second surface of the metal mesh layer. A first adhesive layer may be disposed between a first surface of a housing of the apparatus and the first silica gel layer. The adhesive layer may be used to affix the metal mesh layer, first silica gel layer, and second silica gel layer to the housing of the apparatus. The audio transducer may be spaced from the second silica gel layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventor: Wen Shian Lin
  • Patent number: 10477307
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a waterproof headphone assembly is provided. The assembly includes an earphone. The earphone includes a neck portion, a base portion, and a flexible skirt. The neck portion defines an attachment channel that extends about a first axis. The base portion defines an audio channel along with the neck portion. The audio channel extends along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis and enables a transmission of an audio signal from a transducer to a user. The flexible skirt is removably coupled to at least one outer recess of the attachment channel positioned on the neck portion. The attachment channel enables water collected from within the audio channel to be removed therefrom when the flexible skirt is removed from the at least one outer recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Isword Zhang, Cary Zou
  • Patent number: 10433079
    Abstract: Embodiments presented herein are generally directed to a protective sleeve for an external component of a hearing prosthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: David Harte, Taduesz Jurkiewicz, Slobodan Ilic, Hans Yoo
  • Patent number: 10390142
    Abstract: A loudspeaker arrangement may include a loudspeaker having first and second voice coils to provide motive force for a loudspeaker membrane, and an electric transformer having a primary coil connectable electrically to an electrical power unit, and a secondary coil connectable electrically to the first and second voice coils. The voice coils each may have two first winding ends connected to each other via a first electrical conducting path to form a parallel electrical circuit and two second winding ends connected to each other via a second electrical conducting path. The first electrical conducting path may be connected electrically to a first winding end of the secondary coil via a first electrical connecting path and via an additional first electrical connecting path, which may form a parallel circuit with the first electrical connecting path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: ECOM Instruments GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Schwarz
  • Patent number: 10341777
    Abstract: It is disclosed a speaker module, including a module housing, a speaker assembly and a heat-dissipating member. The module housing has an inner cavity, the inner cavity includes a front cavity and a rear cavity spaced apart from the front cavity, and the front cavity is communicated with an external space. The speaker assembly is mounted in the inner cavity, the speaker assembly includes a vibration diaphragm spacing the front cavity and the rear cavity apart. The heat-dissipating member has a heat-conducting section and a heat-dissipating section, the heat-conducting section is in contact with the speaker assembly, the heat-dissipating section stretches into the front cavity. The vibration of the vibration diaphragm allows air in the front cavity to flow to increase the heat-dissipating rate of the heat-dissipating section. The heat-dissipating section may have a heat-dissipating structure for increasing a heat-dissipating area, and the heat-dissipating structure may be a heat-dissipating fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: GOERTEK INC.
    Inventors: Qingbin Dong, Jie He, Wuchao Wang
  • Patent number: 10219088
    Abstract: Photoactive cleaning hearing assistance devices and methods of cleaning hearing assistance devices are described. Photoactive nanoparticles may be disposed on or in the hearing assistance devices. The photoactive nanoparticles provide a localized surface plasmon resonance effect when illuminated with light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Starkey Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Blaise Bergner, Sidney A. Higgins, Susan Marie Johansson
  • Patent number: 10206315
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising: at least one magnetic shielding plate located between a transducer and an exterior of the apparatus with at least one conduit configured to permit sound to pass through the cover, wherein the at least one magnetic shielding plate is configured to form a trap for particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Jani Samuli Kuivalainen, Thomas Benedict Slotte
  • Patent number: 10028042
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a speaker and a speaker box including the speaker. The speaker includes a frame including a side wall and defining a plurality of leaking holes through the side wall, a lower clamping plate covering the frame and sealedly connected with the frame, a plurality of first dust proof meshes and a plurality of second dust proof meshes; the first dust proof meshes and the second dust proof meshes correspond to the leaking holes; the side wall includes an external surface and an internal surface, the plurality of first dust proof meshes is on the external surface and completely covers the plurality of leaking holes, and the plurality of second-dust meshes is on the internal surface and completely covers the plurality of leaking holes. Under such structure, the speaker can work well together with the sound absorbing powder to form a virtual acoustic cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: AAC TECHNOLOGIES PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Huanbin Liao, Xin Jin
  • Patent number: 10021476
    Abstract: A customizable headphone having a removable and interchangeable housing includes an earphone having a transducer for reproducing sound a sound port, and a body portion. A first housing sized to accommodate the body portion is coupled to and partially encloses the body portion using a resilient releasable connection without obstructing the sound port when affixed to the body portion. Upon biasing the first housing to separate from the body portion, the first housing may be fully removed and replaced with a second housing with a different appearance and characteristics. The releasable connection may include a retaining ring coupled to the body portion in a channel to engage the interior of a housing in a pressure fit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Inventor: Timothy Val Kolton
  • Patent number: 10015618
    Abstract: Techniques of rendering sound for a listener involve producing, as the amplitude of each of the source driving signals, a sum of two terms: a first term based on a solution s† to the equation b=A·s, and a second term based on a projection of a specified vector ? onto the nullspace of A, ? not being a solution to the equation b=A·s. Along these lines, in one example, the first term is equivalent to a Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse, e.g., AH(AAH)?1·b. In general, any solution to the equation b=A·s is satisfactory. The specified vector that is projected onto the nullspace of A is defined to reduce the coherence of the net sound field. Advantageously, the resulting operator is both linear time-invariant and idempotent so that the sound field may be faithfully reproduce both inside the RSF and at a sufficient range outside the RSF to cover a human head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Willem Bastiaan Kleijn, Andrew Allen, Jan Skoglund, Sze Chie Lim
  • Patent number: 9980029
    Abstract: A receiver-in-canal (RIC) assembly for positioning in or at an ear canal of a user. The RIC assembly includes a housing having an opening between an exterior space outside the housing and an internal space inside the housing, and a cable connection located in the housing and facilitating connection of a cable to the RIC assembly. Furthermore, the RIC assembly includes a first diaphragm extending in a first plane in the housing, and a first motor electrically connected to the cable connection and operatively connected to the first diaphragm. The cable connection is located relative to the first diaphragm such that at least a part of it can be projected onto a movable part of the first diaphragm in a direction perpendicular to the first plane and where the cable connection means is located in continuation of the first motor in a plane parallel to the first plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Sonion Nederland B.V.
    Inventors: Ewian Vos, Konrad van den Berg, Mattijs Tjepkema, Gerardus Johannes Franciscus Theodorus van der Beek, Arno Willem Koenderink, Dennis Jacobus Mattheus Mocking
  • Patent number: 9930799
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device having a waterproof function. The electronic device includes a housing in which a coupling groove is formed, a cover including a hook detachably fit to the coupling groove, the cover configured to detachably couple to the housing by the hook, and a sealing band disposed on an inner side of the cover configured to contact at least a part of a surface of the housing which faces the cover when the cover is coupled to the housing, wherein the sealing band has a rib extending towards the housing, at least a part of the rib being bent in a specific direction. Other embodiments derived from the specification are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hee Cheul Moon, Min Sung Lee
  • Patent number: 9903839
    Abstract: Embodiments include subsea ultrasonic inspection systems employing electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) to inspect subsea objects, such as subsea tubular items, conduit, piping, pipelines, risers, vessels, structures, and so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Oceaneering International, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Adams, John Joseph Boyle
  • Patent number: 9900700
    Abstract: A digital acoustic device including: at least one suspended diaphragm facing a support and at least one actuator associated with the diaphragm, the associated actuator being configured to move the diaphragm away from and/or closer to the support; a stop mechanism configured to interrupt movement of the diaphragm further to activating the actuator when the diaphragm has a non-zero speed, the stop mechanism being sized to interrupt the movement of the diaphragm when the movement of the diaphragm is greater than or equal to 50% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm and lower than or equal to 95% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
    Inventors: Fabrice Casset, Remy Dejaeger, Stephane Fanget, David Henry, Quentin Leclere
  • Patent number: 9894433
    Abstract: A speaker driver assembly for use in a speaker system is provided. The speaker driver assembly includes at least one centrally located high frequency sound driver and at least one mid-range frequency sound driver located to either side of the high frequency sound driver. A waveguide wall in the front of the speaker driver assembly directs the high frequency sound waves outwards from a centrally located opening. The waveguide wall has a plurality of small apertures in front of each mid-range frequency driver that are angled outwardly to allow mid-range sound waves to pass through the apertures while minimizing diffraction of high frequency sound waves passing by the apertures in order to generate a coherent sound wave front.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: PK Event Services Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy Bridge
  • Patent number: 9852723
    Abstract: In one embodiment, acoustic devices are formed on a substrate which is then placed on a first HAF layer, a screen, and a second HAF layer. The layers of HAF each have apertures aligned with acoustic ports of the devices. The substrate is heated such that the first layer of HAF adheres to the substrate and the screen and the second layer of HAF adheres to the screen. The substrate is cut to separate the devices into modules. In other embodiments, a waterproof membrane covering the acoustic port of an acoustic module may be bonded to a screen to form a gap such that it moves under pressure until restrained by the screen. In still other embodiments, back volume covers for acoustic devices are formed by stacking and heating a first HAF layer, a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate layer, a second HAF layer, and a top layer on a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Colin M. Ely, Fletcher R. Rothkopf
  • Patent number: 9848255
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a plastic speaker grill is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a base member having a first side and an opposing second side and defining a thickness therebetween. The base member has a plurality of spaced blind holes wherein the first side is in communication with the plurality of blind holes and the second side defines a surface that is generally uniform and uninterrupted. The method further includes cutting the base member proximate the second side to remove a portion of the base member and define the speaker grill, and in response to cutting the base member, exposing the blind holes wherein the blind holes define apertures that extend completely through the speaker grill. A plastic speaker grill is provided having tightly-spaced and miniscule apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Jack Brown, Chad Mark Gibbon
  • Patent number: 9820040
    Abstract: A sound masking system according to the invention is disclosed in which one or more sound masking loudspeaker assemblies are coupled to one or more electronic sound masking signal generators. The loudspeaker assemblies in the system of the invention have a low directivity index and preferably emit an acoustic sound masking signal that has a sound masking spectrum specifically designed to provide superior sound masking in an open plan office. Each of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies is oriented to provide the acoustic sound masking signal in a direct path into the predetermined area in which masking sound is needed. In addition, the sound masking system of the invention can include a remote control function by which a user can select from a plurality of stored sets of information for providing from a recipient loudspeaker assembly an acoustic sound masking signal having a-selected sound masking spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Cambridge Sound Management, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas R. Horrall, John C. Heine
  • Patent number: 9756432
    Abstract: A container for storage of hearing aids. The container has storage tubes, one for each hearing aid of a pair of hearing aids, and a center piece to which the storage tube attach. Attachment of the storage tubes can be by threaded engagement. The container has a desiccant pack for drying the hear aids, an o-ring closure for waterproofness, and a padded inner wall for protection of hearings aids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Inventor: Calvin Huit
  • Patent number: 9510076
    Abstract: Disclosed is a waterproof earphone structure including a main body with a rear cavity and a front cavity for installing a waterproof module and a shielding module respectively, and a speaker body installed in the main body. The waterproof module includes first and second waterproof elements installed in the rear and front cavities of the main body respectively. This structure not just allows users to sense external sounds only, but also improves low-frequency noise interference and water-resistance. Since the first and second waterproof elements are formed with pores having a diameter smaller than 0.6 mm and arranged apart from one another, external low-frequency noises are suppressed. Further, the effect of surface tension prevents water from entering into waterproof devices or soaking the interior of the earphone. Users enjoy good sound quality since the sound is transmitted through the pores. In addition, the shielding module provides an anti-dust effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Kingstate Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Ting-Wei Lee, Chia-Yuan Tang, Cheng-Yang Lo