Abstract:
A carrying case for headphones includes first and second opposed shell shaped, molded plastic case members hinged along one side and connected on the opposite side by means of magnetic material. Overlapping peripheral walls of the case members and projecting tabs facilitate separation of the magnetically closed case.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     In a principal aspect the present invention relates to a carrying case for audio headphones.  
         [0002]     The use of headphones by audiophiles is a well known expedient. Headphones are used in many commercial and other environments. For example, headphones are used in recording studios, in retail outlets for sampling audio recorded products and for recreational listening. Headphones have been used by travelers and by persons who are walking, bicycling, or otherwise moving about with some type of audio playing device.  
         [0003]     Headphones come in various types and sizes. They may be as simple as earplugs which fit into the channels of the ear of the listener. Alternatively, more sophisticated headphones include ear covers with speakers that fit over the ears and are connected by a bridging section that fits over the top of the head of the user. Headphones are often used in work environments.  
         [0004]     A version of headphones incorporates circuitry designed to eliminate background noise and enhance the listening experience. The growth of the use of headphones thus has prompted the development of carrying cases for such headphones. A carrying case is desirable to protect a headphone when it is not in use and to protect the wires and other component parts of a headphone not in use. Thus, there has developed a need for improved carrying cases for headphones which are compact, yet rugged and serviceable.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Briefly, the present invention comprises a carrying case for headphones which includes a lower molded polymeric shell and an upper molded polymeric shell hinged to the lower shell so that the shells may be folded about the hinge to enclose a headphone storage space between the shells. Within that space, a headphone, along with lead wires and a bridging section, may be placed safely and conveniently. Each shell preferably includes an upstanding, generally straight wall section of a peripheral, outer wall surrounding a recess. The straight wall is joined to generally arcuate side walls and an arcuate front wall. The front wall includes a land with a magnetic material recessed in the land. The case members or the shells are substantially mirror images of one another, however, the upper or top case member or shell preferably includes a peripheral wall which overlaps the lower wall, at least in part. The lands which include the recessed magnetic material are aligned and provide a means for maintaining the case in a closed position. Outwardly projecting tabs in the arcuate front wall may be engaged manually and twisted or torqued to open the closed case by overcoming the force of the magnetic material which holds the case members or shells in a closed position. The interior of the case is designed to receive a set of headphones and to slightly compress those headphones in order to retain them snuggly in a safe condition within the case. Additionally, the interior of one of the case members includes at least one molded socket retaining pocket for a lead wire pin connector. Headphones typically include a lead wire with a single pin connector to connect the headphone with an audio output source. However, various types of audio outputs are available and thus it is appropriate to store a pin connection adapter within the carrying case. The carrying case shell members or case members are typically made from a molded plastic or polymeric material and thus are generally rigid. Preferably, at least one of the outer surfaces of the carrying case is planar or generally flat.  
         [0006]     Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved carrying case for a headphone.  
         [0007]     Another object of the invention is to provide a carrying case for a headphone which is rugged, economical, easily adaptable to store various types and sizes of headphones, and which is easy to use.  
         [0008]     Another object of the invention is to provide a carrying case for headphones which is lightweight and which includes an interior fabricated to avoid abrading or damaging a headphone which is stored within the case.  
         [0009]     Another object of the invention is to provide a headphone with a hinge connection that enables a bottom and top shell shaped case member to be opened and which further includes a magnetic material closure mechanism wherein the magnetic material is maintained flush with a peripheral wall associated with each of the upper and lower case members so that the peripheral edges of the case member will not catch or damage any of the component parts of the headphone.  
         [0010]     These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0011]     In the detailed description which follows, reference will be made to the drawing comprised of the following figures:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an embodiment of the carrying case of the invention in the closed or storage position;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  depicting the carrying case in the open position;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the carrying case of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the carrying case depicted in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation of the carrying case of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross sectional view of a side section of the carrying case of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a front elevation of the carrying case of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a side cross sectional view of the carrying case depicted in  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the carrying case of  FIG. 1  as depicted from the underside or lower side thereof;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is an isometric cross sectional view of a side of the carrying case of  FIG. 9 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  as viewed from the underside of the embodiment;  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is a side elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  depicting the vertical height of the case in the closed condition;  
         [0024]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation of a typical headphone indicating the vertical height thereof and indicating the feature of compressibility thereof when placed within a case as depicted in  FIG. 12 ; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 14  is a plan view of the headphone of  FIG. 13 .  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     The figures depict an embodiment of the carrying case of the invention. In the embodiment depicted, the carrying case includes a first or lower shell  20  and a second or upper shell  22 . The shells  20  and  22  are generally mirror images of one another, but do have variations in detail. Thus, referring to  FIG. 2 , the first or lower shell  20  includes a peripheral wall  24  surrounding a molded recess or interior  26 . The wall  24  includes a hinge section  28  which is a generally straight line section  26  adapted to cooperate with one or more hinge members  30 . Typically, each hinge member  30  is an over center acting hinge which maintains the case in a closed condition such as depicted in  FIG. 1  or an open condition as depicted in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0027]     The peripheral wall  24  further includes a generally arcuate front wall section  32 , a first side wall section  34  and an opposite, second side wall section  36 . The side wall sections  34  and  36  are generally arcuate and extend from the generally straight line, hinge wall section  28  to connect with the generally arcuate front wall section  32 . The top surface  38  of wall  24  is flat. A flat, coplanar land  40  is positioned at the midpoint of the front wall section  32 . The land  40  includes magnetic material  42  such as magnets embedded therein flush with the level of the surface  38  forming the wall  24 .  
         [0028]     The second or upper shell or case member  22  includes a congruent, peripheral wall  50  with a flat surface  52  and an expanded land  54  with recessed magnetic material  56 . The peripheral wall  50  of the upper or second shell or case member  22  includes a straight wall section  66  which is attached by the hinge  30  to the straight wall section  28  of the lower case member  20  and opposed arcuate wall sections.  
         [0029]     An internal recess section  60  of second shell  22  in combination with the recess section  26  of first shell  20  defines an interior compartment into which headphones, such as headphones  80  in  FIG. 13 , can be fitted when the case is in the closed condition as depicted in  FIG. 12 . The interior of the upper case member  22  further includes a molded pocket  64  in recess section  60  adapted to receive a pin connector. That is, typically headphones, such as headphones  80  in  FIG. 13 , will include a lead wire  82  with a single pin connector  84  at the end of the lead wire  82 . The pin connector  84  is designed to fit within a socket of an audio source device. However, many audio source devices require a double pin connector. Thus, the molded section  64  depicted in  FIG. 2  can retain a double pin connector adapter which can engage with the single pin connector  84  depicted in  FIG. 13  and thereby enable use of the lead wire  82  with a two pin connection. In other words, the case includes features which enable storage of ancillary elements and fixtures associated with a headphone set.  
         [0030]     The lower case member  20  and the upper case member  22  are not the exact physical duplications. For example, as depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 11  the lower or first case member  20  include a flat bottom surface  21 . The upper case member  22  has a bulbous forward end  23  adapted to receive headphones and, more particularly, the ear covers  88  as depicted in  FIG. 13 . That is, ear covers  88  typically include a molded plastic housing  90  and a peripheral, elastomeric compressible section  92 . As depicted in  FIG. 14  the headphones also typically include the bridging section  81  connecting first and second cover sections  83  and  85 . Each of the cover sections  83  and  85  include compressible material  92 . The compressible material  92  is fitted into the case substantially in a manner aligning the ear protectors or covers with the patterns as depicted in  FIG. 4 ; namely, the patterns  33  and  35 . The bridging section then fits around a molded retention element  37 . The compressibility of the material  92  enables the dimension of the headphones as depicted in  FIG. 13  to be compressed and fitted within the closed case as depicted in  FIG. 12 . Thus, the headphones are held snuggly within the case by virtue of utilizing the compressibility associated with the compressible material  92 . Of course, since the lands  38  and  52  are generally flush, the headphones are protected.  
         [0031]     As a desirable feature of the construction, however, the surface  52  associated with the second or upper case member  22  overlaps or extends over the edge, at least in part, of the surface  38  associated with the lower case or first case member  20 . This feature extends around the side walls and arcuate front wall as depicted in  FIGS. 6, 8  and  10 . Such overlapping provides an additional means for the user of the case to grip the upper case member  22  and move it in opposition to the magnetic force holding the case members  20  and  22  together for access to the interior thereof.  
         [0032]     Another feature of the invention, however, is the inclusion of projecting tabs such as tab  74  for the upper case member  22  and tab  76  for the lower case member  20 . The tabs  74 ,  76  are offset with respect to the center of the arcuate front wall of the respective case members  20  and  22 . By applying a twisting motion manually to the tabs  74 ,  76  the case members  20  and  22  may be separated by overcoming a magnetic force holding those case members  20 ,  22  together.  
         [0033]     Various figures illustrate the case construction. Referring to  FIG. 8 , the upper case  22  includes a polymeric molded outer layer  77  and an interior cushion layer  79 . Similarly, lower case  20  includes a polymeric layer which is a hard shell polymeric material  73  and an interior cushion layer  75 . This provides another means for functionally protecting headphones retained within the case.  
         [0034]     Various alternative constructions are within the scope of the invention. The invention is to be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.