Abstract:
A communications headset is disclosed which includes a lightweight ear support and a transducer assembly. The transducer assembly is connected to the ear support by a resilient clip.

Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/712,867, filed Nov. 15, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention.  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to headsets and, more particularly, to a headset and method of manufacturing headsets that utilize a single transceiver form-factor design with a number of different housing styles.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art.  
           [0005]    A headset is a device that, when worn by a user, positions a speaker next to the user&#39;s ear and a microphone next to the user&#39;s mouth. The headset, which allows hands-free operation, is commonly worn by telephone operators and is increasingly being worn by personal computer users for telephony over the internet, gaming, and speech recognition. In addition, more and more cell phone users are utilizing headsets.  
           [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view that illustrates a prior-art headset  100 . As shown in FIG. 1, headset  100  has an elongated support member  110 , a speaker  112  which is connected to one end of support member  110 , and a microphone  114  which is connected to the opposite end of support member  110 .  
           [0007]    Further, headset  100  has a positioning member  116  that is connected to support member  110 . Positioning member  116 , which is designed to be worn over the ear, has a first section that is connected to member  110 , a second angled section that is connected to the first section, and an arcuate-shaped third section that is connected to the second section.  
           [0008]    In addition to the ear-type headset shown in FIG. 1, headsets are also commonly available that use a headband to hold the support member, and thereby the speaker and microphone, in place. With a headband support member, the speaker is placed over one ear with the headband extending over and contacting the head with a padded end that the rests above the opposite ear.  
           [0009]    Another common type of headset, sometimes referred to as soap-on-a-rope, utilizes a speaker which is placed in or next to the ear, and a microphone which is located somewhere on the wire that connects the speaker to a telephone or computer. Although this soap-on-a-rope type headset is very compact and easy to transport, the location of the microphone, which is often clipped to the user&#39;s clothing, is susceptible to excessive background noise.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention provides a method of manufacturing headsets that utilizes a single transceiver form-factor design with a number of housing styles. By utilizing a single transceiver form-factor with a number of housing styles, development costs, manufacturing costs, and time to market are reduced while at the same time providing a wider variety of choices to the consumer. In addition, after buying the first headset, the consumer can purchase additional housings without purchasing additional transceivers as the transceiver from the first headset can be used in whatever housing the consumer desires to wear.  
           [0011]    The method of the present invention includes the step of forming a plurality of substantially identical transceivers. Each transceiver has a body, a speaker transducer connected to the body that outputs sound in response to a sound signal, and a microphone transducer connected to the body that outputs an electrical speech signal in response to input sound. The method also includes the step of forming a number of housings with different housing styles. The method further includes the step of attaching the substantially identical transceivers to the housings so that transceivers are attached to different housing styles. This, in turn, allows different headsets to be built with different outer shapes, all using the same transceiver design.  
           [0012]    The method of the present invention may also include the steps of displaying the housing styles to a user population, and receiving an order from a user. The order identifies a style of housing selected by the user.  
           [0013]    The method of the present invention produces a collection of headsets that include a number of first and second housings. The first and second housings each have an inner cavity. The collection of headsets also includes a number of substantially-identical transceivers. The transceivers are positioned within the inner cavity of each first housing and the inner cavity of each second housing.  
           [0014]    A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings that set forth an illustrative embodiment in which the principles of the invention are utilized. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a prior-art headset  100 .  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method  200  for manufacturing headsets in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a transceiver  300  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 4A and 4B are opposing perspective views of a transceiver  400  illustrating a first example of a form factor in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 5A and 5B are opposing perspective views of a transceiver  500  illustrating a second example of a form factor in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views of a housing  600  illustrating a first example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a housing  700  illustrating a second example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views of a housing  800  illustrating a third example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a housing  900  illustrating a fourth example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a housing  1000  illustrating a fifth example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a first retaining structure  1100  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a second retaining structure  1200  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating a third retaining structure  1300  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a headset  1400  illustrating the use of retaining structure (clip)  1300  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a method  1500  for manufacturing headsets in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0030]    [0030]FIG. 2 shows a flow chart that illustrates a method  200  for manufacturing headsets in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, method  200  includes step  210  where a number of transceivers with an identical form factor are produced. (Transceivers that are intended to have the same form factor but have slight variations due to manufacturing tolerances are considered to be identical.)  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 shows a block diagram that illustrates a transceiver  300  in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, transceiver  300  includes a speaker transducer  310  that outputs sound in response to a received sound signal SS 1 , and a microphone transducer  312  that outputs an electrical speech signal SS 2  in response to received (input) sound.  
         [0032]    In addition, as shown by dashed lines L 1  and L 2 , transceiver  300  can optionally include a signal-processing circuit  314  that is connected to the speaker and microphone transducers  310  and  312 . Signal-processing circuit  314  can perform all or a portion of the signal processing that is required to interface transducers  310  and  312  with a communication device (not shown), such as a telephone or a computer. Signal processing circuit  314  can also perform other functions such as filtering, limiting, and echo canceling.  
         [0033]    Further, as shown by dashed lines L 3  and L 4 , transceiver  300  can optionally include a wireless transmission and reception circuit  316  that is connected to signal processing circuit  314 . Wireless transmission and reception circuit  316  transmits processed or partially processed signals from signal processing circuit  314  to the communication device, and transmits compatible signals from the communication device to signal processing circuit  314 , without the use of a connecting wire. In addition, as shown by dashed lines L 5  and L 6 , speaker transducer  310  and microphone transducer  312  can optionally be connected directly to wireless transmission and reception circuit  316 .  
         [0034]    As noted above, the transceivers are produced to have a single form factor. Although the transceivers are produced to have a single form factor, the form factor can have any shape, such as an elongated shape, a circular shape, a square shape, or a flat laminated shape such as the shape of a shark&#39;s fin.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIGS. 4A and 4B show opposing perspective views of a transceiver  400  that illustrates a first example of a form factor in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, transceiver  400  has an elongate body  410  with a first end and a second end. In addition, transceiver  400  also has a member  412 , which accommodates a speaker transducer, that is connected to the first end of the elongate body, and a projection  414 , which accommodates a microphone transducer, that is connected to the second end of elongate body  410 .  
         [0036]    Elongate body  410  of transceiver  400  can be flexible or rigid such that a position of the speaker transducer with respect to the microphone transducer is changeable or fixed, respectively. In addition, when the transceiver does not have a wireless transmission and reception circuit, an external wire  416  is connected to transceiver  400  to provide a connection to the communication device (not shown).  
         [0037]    [0037]FIGS. 5A and 5B show opposing perspective views of a transceiver  500  that illustrates a second example of a form factor in accordance with the present invention. Transceiver  500  is similar to transceiver  400  and, as a result, utilizes the same reference numerals to designate the structures that are common to both transceivers.  
         [0038]    As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, transceiver  500  differs from transceiver  400  in that transceiver  500  has a projection  514  that accommodates a microphone transducer. Unlike projection  414  that extends from the side of transceiver  400 , projection  514  extends from the end of transceiver  500  along the longitudinal axis of transceiver  500 .  
         [0039]    In addition to the above, rather than using a number of transceivers with a single form factor, a number of receivers with the same form factor can alternately be used.  
         [0040]    Returning to FIG. 2, method  200  also includes step  212  where a number of housings with different styles are produced. (Steps  210  and  212  can be performed in any order, or at the same time.) Although the housing styles are different, each housing is designed to operate with the transducer of the present invention.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIGS. 6A and 6B show opposing perspective views of a housing  600  that illustrates a first example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, housing  600  is a two-piece structure with a first half  610  that has an inner side  612  and a second half  614  that has an inner side  616 .  
         [0042]    When first and second halves  610  and  614  are connected together, housing  600  has an elongate body with a first end and a second end. In addition, inner sides  612  and  616  define an inner cavity  618  that has a number of openings  620  at the first end and an opening  622  at the second end.  
         [0043]    Inner cavity  618  receives a transceiver, such as transceiver  400  or  500 , while openings  620  allow sound from the speaker transducer to pass out to the external world. Opening  622 , in turn, directs sounds to the microphone transducer of the transceiver. Further, any of a number of structures, such as ear piece  624 , can be connected to housing.  600  to position housing  600  next to the ear of a user.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a housing  700  that illustrates a second example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, housing  700  is also a two-piece structure with a first half  710  that has an inner side  712  and an outer side  714 , and a second half  716  that has an inner side  718 .  
         [0045]    When first and second halves  710  and  716  are connected together, housing  700  has an elongate body with a first end and a second end that is shorter than the elongate body of housing  600 . In addition, inner sides  712  and  718  define an inner cavity  720  that has a number of openings  722  at the first end and an opening  724  in outer side  714  at the second end of first half  710 .  
         [0046]    Inner cavity  720  receives a transceiver, such as transceiver  400  or  500 , while openings  722  allow sound from the speaker transducer to pass out to the external world. Opening  724 , in turn, directs sounds to the microphone transducer of the transceiver. Further, any of a number of structures, such as ear piece  726 , can be connected to housing  700  to position housing  700  next to the ear of a user.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIGS. 8A and 8B show opposing perspective views of a housing  800  that illustrates a third example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, housing  800  is a two-piece structure with a first half  810  that has an inner side  812  and a second half  814  that has an inner side  816 .  
         [0048]    When first and second halves  810  and  814  are connected together, housing  800  has a circular body. In addition, inner sides  812  and  816  define an inner cavity  818  that has a number of openings  820  at the center of the body and an opening  822  in the side wall.  
         [0049]    Inner cavity  818  receives a transceiver, such as transceiver  400  or  500 , while openings  820  allow sound from the speaker transducer to pass out to the external world. Opening  822 , in turn, directs sounds to the microphone transducer of the transceiver. In addition, housing  800  optionally includes a hollow sound conducting tube  824  that is connected to opening  822  to direct sounds to the microphone transducer. Optionally, sound conducting tube  824  can be directly connected to the transceiver. Further, any of a number of structures, such as head band  826 , can be used to position housing  800  next to the ear of a user.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a housing  900  that illustrates a fourth example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, housing  900  has a flexible, multi-layer laminate body  910 . In addition, housing  900  has a cutout  912 , an inner cavity  914 , a first opening  916 , and a number of second openings  918 . Cutout  912  allows housing  900  to be hung from the ear of a user, while inner cavity  914  receives a transceiver, such as transceiver  400  or  500 . Further, first opening  916  exposes the microphone transducer of the transceiver to external sounds, while second openings  918  expose the speaker transducer to the external world.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a housing  1000  that illustrates a fifth example of a housing style in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, housing  1000  has a flexible, single-layer laminate body  1010  with a cutout  1012  that allows housing  1000  to be hung from the ear of a user.  
         [0052]    Although five examples of housing styles have been discussed, the housings of the present invention are not limited to these five styles and may have, as noted above, any style. In addition, the housings can be partially or completely formed from a material that can be cut with a pair of scissors so that the user can cut the outer sides of the housing into whatever shape is desired. The material of the housings can include, for example, foamed plastic, thin films, fabrics, or rubber. When the material is penetratable, no sound holes are needed in the housings. Further, in addition to housings  900  and  1000 , housings  600 ,  700 , and  800  can also have a cut out that allows these housings to hang from the ear of a user.  
         [0053]    Returning to FIG. 2, method  200  also includes step  214  where the transceivers are attached to the housings having the different housing styles. A number of different retaining structures can be used to attach the transceivers to the housings. FIG. 11 shows a perspective view that illustrates a first retaining structure  1100  in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0054]    As shown in FIG. 11, first retaining structure  1100  includes a number of side walls  1110  that are connected to the inner side  1112  of a housing, such as inner side  612 ,  712 , or  812 . (Side walls  1110  need not be connected together as shown in FIG. 11.) Side walls  1110  have a height H such that when the housing is assembled, the side walls  1110  contact or nearly contact the opposing inner side of the housing. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, side walls  1110  are integrally formed with the housings. (Partial in register side walls can optionally be formed on the inner sides of both halves of a housing.)  
         [0055]    In this example, a transceiver is attached to the housing by inserting the transceiver into a region  1114  defined by side walls  1110 . After this, the first and second halves of the housing, such as halves  610 / 614 ,  710 / 716 , or  810 / 814 , are connected together such that the inner sides of the housings along with side walls  1110  keep the transceiver in place.  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 12 shows a perspective view that illustrates a second retaining structure  1200  in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, second retaining structure  1200  includes an end wall  1210 , three side walls  1212  and a partial side wall  1214 . Extending away from partial side wall  1214  in the same plane as partial side wall  1214  is a flexible member  1216  with a retaining clasp  1218 . Further, a microphone opening  1220  and a number of speaker openings  1222  are formed in the side walls. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, retaining structure  1200  is integrally formed with the housings such that at least one of the walls is in common with the inner side of a housing.  
         [0057]    In this example, a transceiver is attached to the housing by pushing flexible member  1216  away from the opposing side wall, sliding the transceiver into retaining structure  1200 , and then releasing flexible member  1216 . When flexible member  1216  is released, it returns to its original position. In its original position, retaining clasp  1218  of flexible member  1216  retains the transceiver within structure  1200 .  
         [0058]    The advantage of retaining structure  1200  is that the transceivers can be easily inserted; either during the manufacturing process or by the user themselves. In addition, retaining structure  1200  gives the user the ability to switch a single transceiver among a number of housing styles. For example, a user may have a number of housing styles and a single transceiver. The user then has the ability to place the transceiver in the preferred housing, switch styles by switching housings whenever the mood occurs or buy new a housing.  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 13 shows a side view that illustrates a third retaining structure  1300  in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, retaining structure  1300  is a clip with first and second legs  1310  and  1312  that are connected together via a U-shaped section  1314 . Structure  1300 , which utilizes a deformable material, is formed so that first leg  1310  contacts and exerts a force against second leg  1312 .  
         [0060]    In this example, a transceiver is attached to the housing by connecting retaining structure (clip)  1300  to a transceiver, such as transceiver  400  or  500 . After this, legs  1310  and  1312  are spaced apart and the housing is inserted between legs  1310  and  1312 . Once the housing has been inserted, the legs are released. The legs, in turn, try to return to their original position, thereby clamping the housing between the legs. Structure  1300  offers many of the same advantages as structure  1200  in that a user can switch the transceiver among a number of different housing styles.  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 14, shows a perspective view of a headset  1400  that illustrates the use of retaining structure (clip)  1300  in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14, headset  1400  includes retaining structure  1300 , transceiver  500  which is attached to structure  1300 , and housing  1000  which is clamped by structure  1300 .  
         [0062]    Alternately, rather than using retaining structures  1100 ,  1200 , or  1300 , the transceivers can be permanently affixed to the housings. The transceivers can be permanently affixed using glue or other well-known adhesives. In addition, the clip can be part of the transceiver (or receiver if only a receiver is used), or part of the housing.  
         [0063]    Thus, method  200  forms a plurality of housing styles with different shapes that each utilize the same transceiver form factor. By utilizing a single transceiver form-factor with a number of housing styles, development costs, manufacturing costs, and time to market are reduced while at the same time providing a wider variety of choices to the consumer.  
         [0064]    In addition to providing the user with a wider variety of housing styles, the present invention also allows the end user to view the available styles, and order the desired style. As shown by dashed line  2 A in FIG. 2, method  200  can include step  216  where a number of housings with different housing styles are displayed to a user population. The housing styles can be displayed to the user population, for example, by utilizing a web page, a catalog, or in a traditional retail setting. In addition, method  200  includes step  218  where orders are received from the users.  
         [0065]    The orders, in turn, identify the housing styles (and quantity) selected by the users. The orders can be received, for example, by using an interactive web page, a paper form, or in person at a retail store. Once the order is received, delivery is arranged. In a retail setting, stock on hand is sold.  
         [0066]    In accordance with the present invention, rather than displaying the housings to the user population after the headsets have been assembled, some of the manufacturing steps can be delayed until after orders are received for the headsets.  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 15 shows a flow chart that illustrates a method  1500  for manufacturing headsets in accordance with the present invention. Method  1500  is similar to method  200  and, as a result, utilizes the same reference numerals to designate the steps that are common to both methods.  
         [0068]    As shown in FIG. 15, method  1500  is the same as method  200  up through step  212  (the formation of the housing styles), and diverges from method  200  at the next step, step  1514 , where the number of housing styles are displayed to a user population. As in method  200 , the housing styles can be displayed to the user population by utilizing a web page, a catalog, or a retail setting. In addition, method  1500  includes step  1516  where orders are received from the users. The orders, in turn, identify the housing styles (and quantity) selected by the users. The orders can be received, for example, by using an interactive web page, a paper form, or in person at a retail shop.  
         [0069]    Next, method  1500  moves to step  1520  where method  1500  determines if assembly is to be performed by the user. If assembly is to be performed by the user, method  1500  moves to step  1522  where the user is provided with either a selected housing (if only a housing was purchased) or both a selected housing and a transceiver (if both a housing and a transceiver were purchased). If the user receives both the selected housing and a transceiver, the user assembles the headset by attaching the transceiver to the housing.  
         [0070]    If assembly is not to be performed by the user, method  1500  moves to step  1524  where transceivers are attached to the housings based on the orders received during a previous time period. For example, every two weeks transceivers could be attached to the ordered housings to form completed headsets to satisfy the orders received during the previous two weeks. By attaching transceivers on an as-ordered basis, the costs to assemble the headsets can be more related to the headsets that are being sold. By allowing the user to finish the final assembly, the costs to assemble the headsets can be largely eliminated.  
         [0071]    In addition to selecting a housing style, the user can also select or provide an example of an ornamentation to be formed on the selected housing. The ornamentation can include, for example, a logo, a trademark, a picture, or any design. Alternately, self-printable labels can be included with each housing sold so that the user can design their own ornamentation. Payment for the order can be received either prior to accepting the order, or following shipment of the order.  
         [0072]    In addition, sample headsets can be displayed to the user population with some or none of the headset components being manufactured until some time after orders for the headsets have been received. For example, every two weeks headsets could be manufactured to satisfy the orders received during the previous two weeks.  
         [0073]    It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiment of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. Thus, it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.