Abstract:
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a battery charging jobsite audio unit that is particularly useful at construction and other jobsites are disclosed which provides important desirable features and functionality comprise a housing, at least one charger for charging a removable battery pack, an audio unit that includes a speaker system for providing substantially 360° sound, as well as subwoofer, a cord and plug for connecting the unit to a source of AC power, and circuitry for selectively applying power to the audio unit and the charger. The preferred and alternative embodiments also preferably have a unique protective frame structure that is connected to the housing of the unit.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention generally relates to portable audio equipment that is particularly useful at construction and other jobsites. 
         [0002]    Many construction and other workers frequently have to work at jobsites that are remotely located. Workers often bring radios and other audio equipment to the jobsite because they prefer to work in an environment where they can listen to music, sports, talk shows and the like. Many workers merely bring portable radios that can also be plugged into an AC source, or ones that are configured to be powered by batteries or an AC source. If the radios are relatively small or are powered by small batteries, the sound quality produced may be relatively poor and have a less than full, desirable frequency range. Such smaller radios may have stereo speakers, that are typically located a short distance apart from one another on opposite sides of a control panel that effectively direct sound in a single direction. Because the work that is going on at many jobsites produces an ambient noise environment that is often high if not extremely noisy, the workers may want to turn up the volume of the radio to a level that will deplete the battery power in a short time. 
         [0003]    Cordless power tools are frequently used at jobsites, whether convenient sources of power are readily available or not. These battery operated tools provide a portability and convenience advantages over corded tools, but the battery packs that power them become depleted and need to be recharged. While some workers bring a sufficient number of battery packs to last a complete day, there is generally at least temporary electrical service provided which may enable battery packs to be recharged on the jobsite. 
         [0004]    It is well known that construction sites present a tough environment for such audio equipment which is prone to being damaged. These and other considerations demonstrate that a need exists for improved jobsite equipment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Embodiments of the present invention comprise a battery charging jobsite audio unit that is particularly useful at construction and other jobsites are disclosed which provides important desirable features and functionality comprise a housing, at least one charger for charging a removable battery pack, an audio unit that includes a speaker system for providing substantially 360° sound, as well as subwoofer, a cord and plug for connecting the unit to a source of AC power, and circuitry for selectively applying power to the audio unit and the charger. The preferred and alternative embodiments also preferably have a unique protective frame structure that is connected to the housing of the unit. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention taken from an elevated front right perspective; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  taken from a lower front left perspective; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a front plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a rear plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  and shown with portions broken away to reveal inner detail; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a right side plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  is a left plan view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  is an electrical schematic diagram of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    A preferred embodiment of the battery charging jobsite audio unit is shown in the drawings and is indicated generally at  10 , which has a housing, indicated generally at  12 , that includes a front face or wall  14 , a left side face or wall  16 , a right side face or wall  18 , a rear wall  20 , a top surface  22 , and a bottom surface  24 . The housing  12  is preferably made of a tough plastic or other molded material, and may be comprised of a few or several parts that structurally fit together in a rugged strong unit. For example, the front and back walls  14  and  20  may be generally flat unitary pieces which are connected together to one or more molded or otherwise formed front, top, bottom and rear walls that may be formed as one, two, or more components that are connected together. 
         [0016]    The preferred embodiment has an audio unit, indicated generally at  26 , which is located in the front face  14  of the unit. As best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the audio unit  26  preferably comprises an audio unit that includes an AM/FM radio and a CD/DVD player. The audio unit  26  also has the capability of including or connecting additional sources such as a MP3 player, a USB thumb drive or USB connection to an external MP3 player or a memory card such as a SD memory card or a compact flash card. Moreover, embodiments of the audio unit  26  have the ability to be connected to a remote set of speakers via a wireless transmission such as Bluetooth or 900 megahertz-2.4 gigahertz communication links. A Bluetooth transmission system may also be used to transmit audio from external devices to the audio unit.  26 . 
         [0017]    The audio unit  26  has a on/off and volume control knob  28 , a radio tuning knob  30 , a number of pushbuttons  32  located between the knobs  28  and  30  as well as below them. The pushbuttons are for controlling operations of the various types of sources as described above and operational capability and status is shown on a preferably LCD display screen  34  that is located on an angled face portion  36 . The audio unit  26  is integrated into the housing and wired so that other audio sources can be plugged into one or more receptacles such as is shown at  38  in the left face  16 . In this regard, the receptacles  38  may be configured to provide a docking structure for receiving a satellite radio, an IPOD housing, Bluetooth modules, MP3 players, and the like. While two of such receptacles are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that additional or fewer receptacles can be provided. 
         [0018]    The rear face  20  (see  FIG. 4 ) has a compartment  40  which is covered by a hinged door  42  having a handle  44 . The compartment  40  is thereby protected and is a preferred location for USB ports or other ports  46  for receiving the USB thumb drives or memory cards, for example. The unit  10  has an integrated CD/DVD player and the tray  48  is preferably located in the horizontal shelf  50 . 
         [0019]    The audio unit  26  has an internal amplifier to provide high volume playback from any of the above-described sources and does so through four speakers that are located at the four corners at the top of the housing  12 . More particularly, speakers  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58  are located respectively at the left front, left rear, right front and right rear corners of the housing, mounted to the housing at an angle so as to direct the sound outwardly and upwardly from the unit. Since the unit  10  will often be placed on the ground or floor, the sound can be directed in an omni-directional or full 360° range outwardly and upwardly of the unit. 
         [0020]    The angle of the speakers is preferably in the range of 30°-45° relative to vertical and preferably at the lower end of that range. The speakers are diagrammatically shown in  FIG. 9  but are located underneath the angled face at the top of each of the corners, which preferably comprises a speaker grill. The actual physical appearance of speakers  52 - 58  are not shown in  FIGS. 1-8 , but they are identified with the speaker reference numbers at their location for the sake of convenience, it being understood that the speakers are mounted in the housing immediately beneath the grill. 
         [0021]    As is best shown in the top view of  FIG. 6 , the speakers are preferably configured to provide stereo playback and to this end, the speakers  52  and  58  are preferably “left” speakers and speakers  54  and  56  are preferably “right” speakers. This has been found to be the most effective way in which to provide stereo playback throughout the area the sound is broadcast. 
         [0022]    Because it is desired to provide high quality playback from the audio sources, a subwoofer  60  is provided and is located in the bottom face  24  as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  5  and  9 . As was the case for the other speakers, the actual subwoofer is not shown in  FIG. 5  but is covered by a speaker grill. All of the speakers  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  are preferably waterproof speakers because of the likelihood that the unit will at least occasionally be exposed to the elements. 
         [0023]    As is shown in  FIG. 3 , the unit  10  is constructed so that the bottom surface  24  is spaced from the ground or supporting surface  62  which enables the subwoofer generated low frequency sound to permeate the area. While not shown, it is preferred that the unit  10  have a remote control capability and to that end, the top of the unit has a cover  64  that is removable to reveal a chamber in which a remote control device  65  (see  FIG. 9 ) can be stored. 
         [0024]    The unit can be connected or plugged into a source of AC power using a cord  70  having a 3-prong plug  72  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 . The unit has a cord wrap structure comprising four outwardly extending flanges  74  that are arranged in a square around which the cord can be wrapped for storage. The flanges each have a base portion  76  for mounting to the sidewall  18  and are connected thereto by screws  78  or the like. It should also be understood that the flanges  74  may be integrally formed in the sidewall  18  if desired. A fuse  80  for the circuitry to be described is accessible on the side wall  18  and a DC receptacle or socket  82  is provided on the top of side wall  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The socket  82  is preferably protected from the elements by a removable flexible plug that is preferably made of rubber or like material which can be inserted into the receptacle opening. A representative connector  83  is shown in  FIG. 9  which can be used to connect any of the previously described audio sources that can be played through the unit, which is therefore connected to the audio unit  26 . Any of the previously described sources will be similarly connected to the audio unit  26  using appropriate connectors or docking unit. 
         [0025]    The unit preferably has battery charging capability for charging both Ni-Cad battery packs and Li-Ion battery packs. This may be performed by a single charger  84  that is configured to do such charging, or two separate chargers  84  and  84   a  (see  FIG. 9 ) for charging a battery pack  87  and  87   a . The battery chargers are located in the housing  12  and are accessible through the door  42  shown in  FIG. 4 . The preferred embodiment has a pair of receptacles  94  and  94   a  in the compartment  40  configured to receive one of two types of battery packs  87  or  87   a . Because the compartment  40  is only large enough to receive a single battery pack inserted into the compartment  40  in position to be charged at a time, the receptacles  94  and  94   a  can be relatively close together. In this regard, the receptacle  94  may be configured to receive a Ni-Cad battery pack  87 , while the receptacle  94   a  is configured to receive a Li-Ion battery pack  87   a . The configuration of the connectors of each type of battery pack are physically different. 
         [0026]    A pair of duplex AC outlets  100  are also located on the right side wall  16  as shown in  FIG. 7 . The outlets  100  are protected by covers  102  (only one of which is shown) that are hinged at the top of the outlet pair. While they may be standard duplex receptacles, it is preferred that they be ground fault circuit interrupters to provide an extra measure of safety for the users, particularly given the fact that the unit may be subjected to harsh weather conditions. As is standard for ground fault circuit interrupters, a reset button  104  and test button  106  are provided. Due to the nature of the product, the entire unit may have GFCI protection on the main power cord  72 . 
         [0027]    As is apparent from the drawings, the unit has a frame structure, indicated generally at  120 , which is shown in all of the drawings. The frame structure  120  is larger than the housing  12  in every direction and thereby provides a protective structure for the housing itself, as well as the components that are present on each of the front and side faces of the housing. The frame structure has a number of elongated rods  122  that are preferably made of hollow aluminum and have an elongated cross-sectional configuration with curved opposite end portions that merge with flat side portions. The rods  122  are of various lengths as is apparent from the drawings and all are mounted in connector fittings that are configured to receive and interconnect the rods  122 . The connector fittings include lower front fittings  124  and  126 , lower rear fittings  128  and  130 , upper front fittings  132  and  134  and upper rear fittings  136  and  138 . Each of the fittings interconnect with either two or three rods  122  so that a strong stable frame structure results. The fittings are preferably made from polypropylene or other durable plastic material. The upper fittings  132 ,  134 ,  136  and  138  also have a configuration for receiving a formed handle, indicated generally at  140  which is preferably made of polypropylene or other strong plastic or plastic-like material or aluminum. 
         [0028]    The housing  12  is supported in the frame structure  120  by four shock absorbing bumper mounts  142  that are preferably made of rubber. The mounts  142  have spaced ends  144  that are configured with openings so that the vertical rods  122  can be inserted into them, and the other end of the mounts  142  are then connected to the housing with appropriate fasteners, such as bolts, screws or the like. 
         [0029]    With regard to the electrical schematic of the unit embodying the present invention and referring to  FIG. 9 , the audio unit  26  is shown being connected to the cord  70  via fuse  80  and lines  146  and  148 . A ground  150  also extends from the outlets  100  to the plug  72 . Lines  146  and  148  also extend to the outlets  100  as well as to the chargers  84  and  84   a , with the charger  84  having output lines  152  and  154  that extend to contacts in the receptacle  94  (see  FIG. 4 ) into which a stem portion of a removable battery pack  87  can be inserted. Lines  146  and  148  also extend to the charger  84   a , with the charger  84   a  having output lines  152   a  and  154   a  that extend to contacts in the receptacle  94   a  (see  FIG. 4 ) into which a stem portion of a removable battery pack  87  can be inserted. Rather than a stem portion, the battery packs  87  and  87   a  may have a slide pack configuration. Lines  146 ,  148 ,  146   a  and  148   a  of the respective chargers  84  and  84   a  also extend to a relay  156  that is controlled by a relay coil  158  which senses whether current is flowing in the lines  146  and  148 . The relay  156  is a normally closed relay which is opened when the plug  72  is connected to a source of AC power which means that the audio unit is being driven by the AC power source. When the relay is open circuited, the batteries  87  and  87   a  are completely electrically isolated from the audio unit, i.e., both positive and negative terminals are open circuited. It should be understood that the audio unit  26  may actually run on DC voltage and that the audio unit  26  may have an internal voltage converter as part of its construction. 
         [0030]    A converter  160  may be provided to power the DC outlet  82 . When the plug  72  is connected to an AC power source, the charger  84  is operational to charge the removable battery if it is placed in the receptacle  94  and the outlets  100  are available to supply power to other tools, lights or the like, as is the DC outlet  82  that is connected to the output of the converter  154 . 
         [0031]    If the plug  72  is removed from AC power, the relay  156  will be close circuited so that the removable battery will be connected to the audio unit  26  and can power the audio unit. It should be understood that the charger  84  is incapable of powering the audio unit when the relay is open circuited as shown in the drawing and is incapable of powering the audio unit  26  when AC power is not applied to the circuit inasmuch as the charger  84  does not have a resident battery or other power source other than AC power through the lines  146  and  148 . 
         [0032]    While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it should be understood that other modifications, substitutions and alternatives are apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such modifications, substitutions and alternatives can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
         [0033]    Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.