HEADSET ASSEMBLY INCLUDING REPLACEABLE BATTERY

Abstract: A headset assembly includes an electronics housing and a replaceable battery. The battery includes a recessed region for limiting contact between the battery housing and the electrical contacts of the electronics housing. The contacts of the battery include raised regions for concentrating the electrical contact regions between the battery and the electronics housing, and to further clean the electrical contacts of the electronics housing during slideable insertion of the battery into the electronics housing.

Description: HEADSET ASSEMBLY INCLUDING REPLACEABLE BATTERY Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to headset assemblies with replaceable power supplies or batteries. Background of the Invention Headset assemblies are frequently used in a wide variety of applications and across a broad range of industries. For example, in the fast food industry, one or more employees at drive-through fast food restaurants typically wear a headset assembly to receive orders from patrons in the drive-through lane. Similarly, in the banking industry, tellers at banks having drive-through lanes may wear headset assemblies to communicate with customers. In the retail industry, headsets are commonly used by stockroom and other employees to communicate with one another within a large area, such as a department store or a warehouse. A typical headset assembly includes a headband and an electronics housing. The electronics housing is typically attached to one end of the headband and usually includes an earphone speaker, a microphone boom, and the electronic circuitry necessary to operate the earphone and microphone. A removable power supply or battery may be used to power the headset assembly. Once the charge is depleted in the battery, the battery is removed and recharged. That battery is later reused, or a second charged battery is used to provide for continuous usage of the headset assembly. Providing good electrical contact between the mating contacts is desired for maximum performance and battery life. Because the battery is frequently removed, preventing contaminants from interfering with the electrical contact between the mating contacts of the battery and the electronics housing is a concern. Summary of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery and a headset assembly having an electronics housing for use with the battery. The electronics housing includes a battery slot for slideably receiving the battery. The slot is provided with two electrical contacts disposed therein. The battery includes two contacts positioned for making contact with the electrical contacts of the electronics housing when the battery is slideably received in the slot. The battery housing includes at least one recess on a base of the housing for limiting the contact between the base and at least a portion of the electrical contacts of the electronics housing when the battery is slideably inserted into or removed from the slot. Preferably, the recess is configured as two slots in the base, one aligned for each electrical contact to limit physical contact. The contacts of the battery preferably include a raised region having a width transverse to the direction of sliding of the battery. The width of the raised region is smaller than a width of the electrical contacts of the electronics housing. A leading edge of the raised region is engageable with the electrical contacts of the electronics housing to clean the electrical contacts of the electronics housing during slideable insertion of the battery in the slot. The width of each of the raised regions is preferably generally equal in width to the width of a respective slot forming the recess on the housing of the battery. The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment. The figures and the detailed description which follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary headset assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figures 2A and 2B are front cross sectional views of the headset assembly of Figure 1 ; Figures 3-5 are front plan views of the exemplary headset assembly of Figure 1 shown at different width settings; Figure 6 is a front plan view of an exemplary clip member coupled to an electronic housing in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figures 7A-7D are views of an exemplary adapter in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 is a front plan view of the exemplary headset assembly of Figure 1 ; Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the headset assembly of Figure 1; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the electronics housing showing the battery removed from the battery slot; Figure 11 is a front view of a portion of the electronics housing showing the battery removed from the battery slot; Figure 12 is a bottom perspective view of the battery; Figure 13 is a bottom view of the battery of Figure 12; Figure 13A is an enlarged area of a portion of the base of the battery; and Figure 14 is an end view of the battery of Figure 12. While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Description of the Drawings The present invention generally relates to headset assemblies with removable batteries. An appreciation of various aspects and features of the invention will be gained through a discussion of an exemplary embodiment. While the exemplary embodiment illustrates a headset assembly which incorporates a number of features, the present invention is not so limited. Headset assemblies including any one or combination of the features are intended to be covered by the present invention. Figures 1 and 2A-2B are perspective and cross-sectional views of an exemplary headset assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The headset assembly 100 includes a headband 110 and an electronics housing 120. The electronics housing 120 generally encloses headset electronics, such as a circuit board, battery, etc. Mounted on the housing may, for example, be an earphone speaker 128, a microphone boom 126, and a touchpad 124 for operating the headset electronics. As should be appreciated, the earphone speaker 128 and microphone boom 126 are typically pivotally mounted to the housing 120 to facilitate comfortable positioning. Inwardly facing pads 130 formed, for example, from a polyethylene foam, may be mounted on the headset assembly 100. As will be discussed more fully below, a removable battery 900 is provided on the housing 120 as well. As noted above, the exemplary headset assembly 100 illustrates a number of features which enhance the convenience and comfort for a user. The exemplary headband 1 10 advantageously allows a user to adjust the unstressed width of the headband. The headband 110 generally includes two headpieces 112 and 1 14, pivotally connected to one another, and a mechanism for limiting the pivotal movement of the headpieces so that the unstressed width of the headband 1 10 may be adjusted. At least one of the headpieces is relatively flexible so as to provide tension against the head of a user and thereby hold the headset in place. In the illustrated embodiment, the two headpieces 1 12 and 1 14 include a relatively flexible headpiece 114 and a relatively rigid support headpiece 112. The support headpiece 112 generally provides a supporting structure against which the flexible headpiece 114 may bend so as to provide the desired head tension to keep the headset in place. The headpieces 1 12 and 1 14 may be made of a number of different materials. For example, the flexible headpiece 114 may be formed from a flexible plastic while the support headpiece 1 12 may be formed from a relatively more rigid plastic material. One suitable plastic is Nylon, for example. The flexible headpiece 114 is pivotally coupled to the support headpiece 1 12 near the end of the support headpiece 112 using a pin 117. However the invention is not so limited. The pivotally connection may be formed in other manners. For example, the two headpieces 112 and 1 14 may be integrally formed with a relatively thin portion forming an integral hinge between the two headpieces. In the exemplary embodiment, the mechanism for limiting the pivotal movement of the flexible headpiece 1 14 with respect to the support headpiece 112 includes a tab 162 slideably mounted on a portion 164 of the support headpiece 112, as best shown in Figure 2B. In general, as the tab 162 is moved outwardly and inwardly, the unstressed width of the headband increases and decreases, respectively. In this manner, the unstressed width of the headband 110 may be appropriately adjusted to comfortably fit a user's head. As best shown in Figures 2 A and 2B, the tab 162 includes a surface 166 which engages the flexible headpiece 114 to both limit the pivotal movement of the flexible headpiece 114 as well as provide a structure against which the flexible headpiece 114 may flex or bend to provide head tension. The flexible headpiece 114 can be pivotally moved until it contacts the surface 166 at which point further movement of the flexible headpiece 114 results in the creation of a tensile force from the headpiece 114. As best illustrated in Figure 2B, the exemplary tab 162 includes an upper portion 165 and a lower portion 167, mounted to the extended portion 164 of the support headpiece 1 12 using a pin 169. The tab 162 includes a set of groves 168a which mate with a set of groves 168b on a surface of the headpiece portion 164 for setting the position of the tab 162 (and the width of the headband 100). A leaf spring 169 may be provided to bias the grove sets 168a and 168b against one another. The leaf spring bias generally allows the tab to be readily repositioned yet prevents the tab from slipping on the headpiece portion 164 when pressure from the flexible headpiece is applied. It should be appreciated that the tab 162 is provided by way of example only. A wide variety of other structures and mechanisms may be used to limit the pivotal movement of the flexible headpiece 1 14. For example, a mechanism having a surface which is moved in a different plane than that of tab surface 166 may be used. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to three or any other fixed number of unstressed widths. As illustrated in Figures 3-5, in the exemplary embodiment, the tab 162 is configured to allow pivotal movement of the flexible headpiece 114 to three different widths. More particularly, Figure 3 illustrates the tab 162 at an inner most position, which allows the flexible headpiece to pivotally move outward to an unstressed width W|. This provides the narrowest headband unstressed width and would be suitable for users having smaller head sizes. Figure 4 shows the tab 162 at an intermediate position, which allows the flexible headpiece 1 14 to pivotally move to an unstressed width W 2 . This provides an intermediate headband unstressed width and would be suitable for slightly larger head sizes. Finally, Figure 5 depicts tab 162 at an outermost position, which allows the flexible headpiece to be pivotally moved to an unstressed width W . This provides the widest headband unstressed width W 3 for accommodating larger head sizes. The three unstressed widths W], W 2 , and W 3 for the flexible headpiece 114 may be suitable selected to cover the broadest range of head sizes. In operation, a user slides the tab 162 to a position which provides a desired unstressed headband width. Typically the unstressed width is slightly narrower than the user's head. The user then spreads the headband beyond its unstressed width by flexing the flexible headpiece 114 and slips the headband over his/her head. The tension provided by the stressed headband holds the headset in place. The unstressed width of the above-described headband can advantageously be adjusted for various head sizes. Conventional headbands, as noted above, have only one unstressed width. With these conventional headbands, smaller heads are subject to less tension than larger heads. This often results in excessive tension on larger heads causing discomfort and too little tension on smaller heads making the headset prone to movement. The above headband alleviates these problems and allows users with different sized heads to receive more comparable head tension. As best illustrated in Figures 2A and 6-7, the illustrated headset assembly 100 further provides an electronics housing which may be readily removed from the headband 110 and, for example, attached to a hat of a user. The hat may, for example, be a baseball cap, a visor, and so forth. In the illustrated embodiment, an exemplary clip member 140, is provided to facilitate the interchangeability of the electronics housing 120 between a hat and a headband. While, the invention is not so limited, the clip member 140 may, for example, be made of a substantially rigid plastic material, such as Nylon. The exemplary clip member 140 includes an upper portion 141 for attaching the clip member to the headband and hat, and a lower portion 148 to which the electronics housing 120 may be coupled. The clip member upper portion 141 includes two arms 142 and 144 which form a slot 146 therebetween. To attach the clip member 140 with the headband 1 10, a portion 1 18 of the support headpiece 1 12 is slideably received by the slot 146 of the clip member 140. The two arms 142 and 144 may be biased against one another with sufficient force to allow the clip member 140 to be slideably moved with respect to the support headpiece 1 12 while retaining the clip member 140 at a desired position with respect to the support headpiece 112 under normal conditions. The clip member arms may be formed separately or from one integral molding. As best shown in Figure 2A, the received portion 118 of the support headpiece 112 may be recessed with respect to an outer surface 119 of the support headpiece 112. The recess may be sufficiently deep to allow the outer surfaces 143 and 149 of the clip member arms 142 and 144 to be relatively flush with the outer surface 1 19 of the support headpiece 1 12. To secure the clip member 140 to the headband 110, the support headpiece 112 may include a tab which engages an opening in the clip member 140. The tab may be depressed for removing the clip member 140 from the headband 110. In an alternate embodiment, a depressable button may be provided on the clip member to secure the clip member 140 to the headband 110. The button may be depressed as the clip member 140 is slid downwardly against the headband to allow the clip member to be removed from the headband 1 10. The clip member upper portion 141 may also be used to attach the electronics housing to a hat. For example, the clip member 140 may attach to a hat by slideably receiving a hat between the clip member arms 142 and 144. In an alternate embodiment, best illustrated in Figures 7A-7D, an adapter 700 is provided to attach the clip member 140 to a hat. The exemplary adapter 700 generally includes two legs 702 and 704, which are typically biased toward one another. The leg 704 includes an upper flange 706 having a slot 710 (as best shown in Figure 7B) and a lower flange 708. To attach the adapter 700 to the clip member 140, the slot 710 receives clip member arm 142. The adapter 700 is slid down the arm 142 until the lower flange 708 clips beneath the pad 130. A hat is attached to the adapter by sliding it between the adapter arms 702 and 704. The cap adapter 700 may, for example, be formed from a stainless steel. The above described clip member advantageously allows the electronics housing to be interchangeably connected to a headband and a hat. The exemplary clip member is illustrative only. The present invention is not so limited. For example, a clip member having only one leg which is received by a slot formed by the headband may be used to facilitate interchanging of an electronics housing. In this embodiment, a hat adapter could be employed to attach the clip member to a hat. As illustrated in Figure 8, the exemplary headset assembly 100 further includes an electronics housing 120 which may be pivoted away from a user's ear. Generally the electronic housing 120 is pivotally coupled to the headband 110 using a hinge 110. The hinge 180 may, for example, include a variable friction pivot pin having a friction suitably selected to sufficiently hold electronic package 120 away from the user's ear while still allowing the electronics package 120 to be readily pivoted. This allows for the electronic package 120 to be positioned against the user's ear during periods of use and swung away from the user's ear during periods of nonuse or as desired to increase the comfort of the user. In the exemplary embodiment, the electronics housing 120 is pivotally coupled with the headband 1 10 via the clip member 140. In particular, the electronics housing 120 is pivotally coupled with the clip member 140, for example, at the clip member extending portion 148. The clip member 140 is in turn attached to the headband 110, as discussed above. This allows the electronics housing 120 to be swung away from the user's ear when it is attached to a hat as well as a headband. As best illustrated in Figures 2 and 9, the exemplary electronics housing 120 further includes a battery 900. A portion of the battery 900 may lie outside of the electronics housing when attached, as best shown in Figure 2. For example, a portion of the battery 900 may occupy the space between the speaker 128 and the electronics housing 120. By attaching the battery 900 to the electronics housing 120, the need for wiring between one end of the headset 100 and the electronics housing 120 is eliminated. In addition, the housing 120 may be detached from the headband 1 10 and used for communication. By disposing the battery 900 between the housing 120 and the speaker 128, otherwise unoccupied space is used and the width of the housing 120 may be reduced while still providing sufficient power for the electronics in the housing 120. The battery 900 may be attached to the electronics housing 120 in a number of different manners. In the exemplary embodiment, the battery 900 is slideably received by a slot 902 in the electronics housing 120, as best illustrated in Figure 9. For securing the battery 900 in the slot 902, the received portion of the battery 900 and the slot 902 may have shapes or structural features which mate together to retain the battery 900. For example, the slot 902 may include flanges 904, on each side of the slot 902, which mate with corresponding recesses 906 on the battery 900. In the exemplary embodiment, a portion of a lower region of the battery 900 extends beyond an upper region of the battery 900 to form the battery recesses 906. A latch 908 may further be provided to secure the battery 900 in the axial direction of the slot 902. The latch 908 may, for example, be a spring loaded latch which is disposed upward while the battery 900 is inserted and which moves downward to engage a notch 910 in the battery 900 when the battery is fully inserted. To remove the battery 900, the latch 908 may be biased upwardly. During sliding attachment or detachment of the battery 900 with the electronics housing 120, any protruding electrical contacts may slideably engage the opposite housing structure, thereby possibly generating contaminants which could stick to the electrical contacts and prevent good electrical contact. Because the battery 900 is frequently replaced, it is an important consideration to allow for proper electrical contact between the battery 900 and the electronics housing 120. Poor contact can reduce the battery life and cause malfunctions of the internal circuitry. As will be described below, the battery 900 is provided with structure which helps limit the amount of sliding contact between a housing 920 of the battery 900, typically made of plastic, and the electrical contacts 922 of the electronics housing 120. As shown in Figure 11, the electrical contacts 922 extend into slot 902. The electrical contacts 922 are flexible leaf spring structures which are biased outward to the positions shown in FIGS. 10 and 1 1. The contacts 922 move inward into the electronics housing 120 upon insertion of the battery 900 into the slot 902. The battery 900 includes two electrical contacts 924 for making electrical contact with the electrical contacts 922 of the electronics housing 120. A base 926 of the battery housing 920 includes a recessed region 928 which limits the amount of sliding contact between the battery housing 920 and the protruding electrical contacts 922 during sliding attachment and detachment of the battery 900. In the preferred embodiment, the recessed region 928 includes two longitudinal slots 930 which do not contact the electrical contacts 922 over a central width 932 of the contacts 922. Specifically, the slots 930 leave a contact-limited or contact-free zone 932 adjacent a central portion of each of the electrical contacts 922. The electrical contacts 922 are shown as including a width Wj larger than a width W 2 of the slots 930 which creates the central contact-limited zone 932 of each contact 922. To further enhance electrical contact between the electrical contacts 922, 924, the electrical contacts 924 of the battery 900 are provided with a raised central region 934 for concentrating the electrical contact between the electrical contacts 924 of the battery 900 and the electrical contacts 922 of the electronics housing 120. The raised regions 934 include a raised front end 936 which further provides a scraping or cleaning action on the electrical contacts 922 to help scrape off any contaminants that may have been deposited on the electrical contacts 922. The electrical contacts 924 have a general overall width W , with a narrower width W 4 for the raised regions 934. The raised regions 934 are generally equal in width to the width W 2 of the slots 930 and the width of the contact-limited zones 932. The housing 920 of the battery 900 generally includes a peripheral lip or edge 940 which may contact the electrical contacts 922 during attachment or detachment of the battery 900. However, the impact is believed to be negligible as far as depositing any significant contaminants onto the electrical contacts 922. Further, the scraping action of the raised regions 934 may assist in removing any such contaminants that may be deposited. Figure 14 illustrates the preferred slots 930. Figure 14 further illustrates alternative slots 944 for recessed region 928 which seek to avoid all contact between the base 926 and the electrical contacts 922 across their widths W|, except from possibly contact with the peripheral edge 940. It is to be appreciated that the peripheral edge 940 of housing 920 is optional. Recessed region 928 could also be formed as one large recess, rather than two separate slots. The present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as fairly set out in the attached claims. Various modifications as well as numerous equivalent structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art to which the present invention is directed upon review of the present specification. The claims are intended to cover such modifications and structures.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A battery for a headset intercom including an electronics housing including two electrical contacts positioned in a battery slot, the battery slot including at least one longitudinal guide, each contact biased outward and having a width Wj, the battery comprising: a battery housing including a base, the base including an end for being slideably received in the slot, the battery housing including a mating guide for mating with the longitudinal guide of the electronics housing; two electrical contacts exposed on the base; at least one recess on the base between the end and the two electrical contacts for preventing contact with the base and a contact-limited zone on the electrical contacts of the electronics housing. 2. The battery of claim 1, wherein the recess is configured as two longitudinally extending slots each having a width W 2 , each width W 2 smaller than width W|. 3. The battery of claim 2, wherein the two electrical contacts of the battery housing each include a longitudinally extending raised portion. 4. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the two electrical contacts of the battery housing each include a longitudinally extending raised portion. 5. An electronics housing for a headset assembly, comprising: (a) an electronics housing including headset electronics and two electrical contacts; (b) a speaker mounted on the electronics housing, the speaker and electronics housing defining a space therebetween; (c) a battery for powering the electronics housing, the battery being at least partially disposed within the space between the speaker and electronics housing, the electronics housing including an open-sided slot for slidably receiving and securing the battery to the electronics housing, the slot being disposed proximate the speaker, wherein the slot includes at least one flange and the battery includes at least one recess, the at least one flange mating with the at least one recess to secure the battery to the electronics housing; (d) a latch for retaining the battery to the electronics housing; (e) wherein the battery further includes: (1) a battery housing including a base, the base including an end for being slideably received in the slot; (2) two electrical contacts exposed on the base; (3) at least one recess on the base between the end and the two electrical contacts for preventing contact with the base and a contact-limited zone on the electrical contacts of the electronics housing. 6. The electronics housing of claim 5, wherein the recess is configured as two longitudinally extending slots each having a width W relative to the direction of sliding smaller than a width Wi of the electrical contacts of the electronics housing. 7. The electronics housing of claim 6, wherein the two electrical contacts of the battery housing each include a longitudinally extending raised portion. 8. The electronics housing of claim 5, wherein the two electrical contacts of the battery housing each include a longitudinally extending raised portion. 9. A battery for an electronics housing of a headset assembly, the battery comprising: a lower portion and an upper portion; wherein the lower portion is configured to mate with a slot of the electronics housing so that the battery may be securely attached, wherein the lower portion extends beyond the upper portion thereby forming a recess, the recess being configured to mate with a flange of the electronics housing; wherein the lower portion includes two electrical contacts positioned to engage two protruding spring biased electrical contacts within the slot of the electronics housing, wherein the spring biased electrical contacts have a width Wj ; wherein the lower portion includes a base surface extending from one end to the electrical contacts, the base including two longitudinal slots extending from adjacent to the end to the electrical contacts and each having a width W 2 smaller than width Wi; wherein the electrical contacts each include a longitudinally extending raised portion, each raised portion aligned with one of the longitudinal slots; wherein the longitudinal slots engage the spring biased electrical contacts when the battery is slideably received in the slot of the electronics housing, and further wherein the longitudinal slots limit contact with the base surface and a contact-limited zone on each spring biased electrical contact.

Inventors: HALL RONALD W, TAYLOR HARRY B, HALL, RONALD, W., TAYLOR, HARRY, B.
Applicants: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES CO, 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H01M2
IPC codes: H01M2, H04M1, H04R1