Abstract:
A behind-the-head mounted personal audio set that allows a mono-aural personal audio device to be worn in either a wearer&#39;s left or right ear without the need to remove or detach individual components of the personal audio sent and mount is disclosed. In a disclosed embodiment, the personal audio device has two earphone portions and the mount allows the audio device to operate in either mono or stereo modes wherein one of the earphones may be moved away from a wearer&#39;s ear when needed, such as when driving. A boom microphone is preferably pivotally secured to one of the earphone portions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of, and claims priority from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/168,768, filed Jul. 7, 2008 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,940,924; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/357,933, filed Feb. 16, 2006, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,406,172, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/653,712, filed on Feb. 16, 2005, all of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a personal audio set with individually pivoting ear-phones to allow the audio set to be reversible and/or to operate either as a mono or stereo system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Personal audio-sets, commonly known as headphones, earphones, headsets, and the like, are gaining in popularity. The typical personal audio-set includes a frame containing an earphone that is usually positioned over or in a wearer&#39;s ear. In cases where the audio-set is a headset, a microphone is also typically positioned near the wear mouth. 
     One method for detachably securing a personal audio-set to a wearer includes securing the personal audio-set to a headband that encircles the rear portion of the wearer&#39;s head. These types of mounting structures are commonly known as “behind-the-head” mounts. 
     Known behind-the-head mounts have several drawbacks. For example, in cases where they are used with a mono-aural personal audio set or the like, they do not allow a wearer to easily reverse the orientation of the personal audio set such that it may be worn adjacent to either the wearer&#39;s left or right ears. This type of reversibility is a desirable characteristic in a personal audio set. 
     Known behind-the-head mounts for personal audio sets usually require the wearer to detach one or more pieces from the mounting structure and then reattach in a different orientation or location along the mount. In practice, such reversible behind-the-head mounts are difficult to use correctly and tend to wear prematurely due to repeated detaching and reattaching of the mount components. Moreover, individual pieces of the detachable structure are prone to being misplaced or lost, thereby limiting the use of the structure or in some cases rendering the structure useless. 
     Also, in cases where the personal audio set operates in stereo, ear phones usually cover both of the wearer&#39;s ears. Such covering of both ears is undesirable in some circumstances, such as when the wearer is driving. Moreover, covering both ears with a personal audio set may even violate local or state laws when driving. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, despite the available behind-the-head mounts for personal audio sets, there remains a need for a light weight, stylish, durable, and economical, mount that allows a mono-aural personal audio device to be worn in either a wear&#39;s left or right ear without the need to remove or detach individual components of the personal audio sent and mount. There also remains a need that allows a personal audio device having two earphones to operate in either mono or stereo modes wherein one of the phones may be moved away from a wearer&#39;s ear when needed, such as when driving. In addition to other benefits that will become apparent in the following disclosure, the present invention fulfills these needs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front, left, perspective view of a behind-the-head mounted personal audio set having individually pivoting headphones operably secured thereto and a boom microphone pivotally secured to one of the headphone assemblies showing a possible concealed position of the boom microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a right, perspective view of the of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1  showing a possible orientation of the boom microphone on the right side of the headset and a possible operational position of the boom microphone. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear, right, perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1  showing a possible orientation of the boom microphone on the right side of the headset with the boom microphone in the operational position. 
         FIG. 4  is a front, right perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1  in the configuration of  FIG. 2  showing a possible mounting on a wearer shown in hidden lines. 
         FIG. 5  is a front, right, perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 4  showing a possible position of one of the headphones so as to allow the personal audio set to operate in mono without covering one of the wearer&#39;s ears. 
         FIG. 6  is a right, perspective, partially exploded view of the behind-the head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a front, left, perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1 , showing a possible orientation with the boom microphone positioned on the wearer&#39;s right side. 
         FIG. 8  is a right side view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1 , in a second possible stereo configuration with the boom microphone positioned on the wearer&#39;s left side. 
         FIG. 9  is a right side view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1 , in a first possible mono configuration showing the earphone adjacent to the wearer&#39;s right ear pivoted so as to not cover the wearer&#39;s right ear. 
         FIG. 10  is a right side view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1  with the earphone adjacent to the wearer&#39;s right ear pivoted so as to not cover the wearer&#39;s right ear, and with the boom microphone pivoted into an operational position adjacent to the wearer&#39;s mouth. 
         FIG. 11  is a right side view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1  showing a possible orientation on a wearer&#39;s left ear. 
         FIG. 12  is a top, right, perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1 , showing a possible pivoted position of the boom microphone. 
         FIG. 13  is a front, right, perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  in an enlarged view of the boom microphone of  FIG. 3  showing the possible operational position of the boom microphone. 
         FIG. 15  is an left, perspective view of the behind-the-head personal audio set of  FIG. 1  showing the possible concealed position of the boom microphone of the left side. 
         FIG. 16  is a back, right, perspective view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 15  with the boom microphone positioned as shown in  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 17  us a top view of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1  with the boom microphone positioned on the left side and as shown in  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 18  is an enlarged top view of the left earphone of the behind-the-head mounted personal audio set of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 19  is an enlarged rear view of the left earphone of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  is a right, side view of the left earphone of  FIG. 18 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A behind-the-head mounted personal audio set  30  having two earphone portions  40   a ,  40   b , each independently pivotally secured to a behind-the-head headband  32 , is shown in  FIGS. 1-20 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the behind-the head mounted personal audio set  30  has a curved headband  32 , preferably occupying a common plane  34  as best shown in  FIG. 1 . As best shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5 , and  7 - 11 , the headband  32  is preferably sized to encircle and slightly grasp the rear contour of a wearer&#39;s head  36  substantially between the wearer&#39;s ears  38   a ,  38   b.    
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , the earphone portions  40   a ,  40   b  are preferably positioned on opposite ends of the headband  32  at individual pivots  47   a ,  47   b . Each pivot  47   a ,  47   b  operably secures an earphone-mounting portion  42  which as a substantially elongate pivot mounting portion  43  extending therefrom to operably engage the pivot, each earphone-mounting portion contains an earphone  39  therein. Preferably, the center  41  of each earphone  39  is positioned below the common plane  34  of the headband during stereo use of the personal audio set. 
     More preferably, the personal audio set  30  is a headset  30 ′ having a miniboom microphone  46  extending therefrom. The mini-boom microphone  46  is preferably pivotally secured to the headset-mounting portion  42  at a defined third pivot  48 . The length of the boom portion of the mini-boom microphone is preferably sized to define a concealed position  100  as best shown in  FIGS. 1 &amp; 15  when aligned with the substantially elongate pivot mounting portion  43 . The mini-boom microphone may be pivoted about the third pivot  48  to define an operational position  102  of the mini-boom microphone as best shown in  FIGS. 25 ,  7 ,  8 ,  12 - 14  and  16 - 20 . 
     By pivoting the earphone mounting portions  42  about their respective pivots and the mini-boom microphone about the third pivot  48 , the headset may be worn so that each earphone is positioned over one of the wearer&#39;s ears with the mini-boom microphone  46  positioned on either the wearer&#39;s left side as shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  8 , or a wearer&#39;s right side as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     In addition, should the user desire or require using the personal audio-set in mono mode, and not have one of the earphone portions  40   b  cover an ear, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the user can pivot one of the earphone mounting portions  42  about its respective pivot  47   b  so that that earphone portion rests away from the respective ear. For example, one possible mono configuration is shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  shows one earphone portion  40   a  positioned over the wearer&#39;s right ear with the earphone mounting portion  42  containing the boom microphone  46  pivoted to its engaged position ( FIG. 8 ) while the other earphone portion  40   b  is pivoted away from the wearer&#39;s left ear ( FIG. 9 ). It can be appreciated that the disclosed structure can also be pivoted about its three pivots to provide the same basic configurations while covering the right ear with an earphone and preventing the left ear from being covered with an earphone. 
     An alternative possible mono configuration is shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11  with one earphone portion  40   a  moved forward of the wearer&#39;s left ear with the boom microphone  46  extending there from towards the wearer&#39;s mouth as shown in  FIG. 10  and the opposite earphone portion  40   b  covering the wearer&#39;s right ear as shown in  FIG. 11 . It can be appreciated that the disclosed structure can also be pivoted about its three pivots to provide the same basic configurations while covering the left ear with an earphone and preventing the right ear from being covered with an earphone. 
     Preferably, the earphone portion  40   a  positioned nearest to the mini-boom microphone  46  is displaced from the wearer&#39;s ear during mono use as best shown in  FIG. 10 . However, the disclosed structure also allows a user to position the earphone furthest away from the mini-boom microphone away from the user&#39;s ear during mono use as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Preferably, the first and second pivots  47   a ,  47   b  are aligned along a defined three dimensional angle with respect to the headband  32  so as to optimize wearer comfort. This defined angle is shown as three two-dimensional angles in  FIGS. 18-20  and labeled “angle  1 ” ( FIG. 18 ), “angle  2 ” ( FIG. 19 ), and “angle  3 ” ( FIG. 20 ). Preferably, “angle  1 ”, which biases the position of the earphone portion of the audio set to fit the angle of a human ear when viewed from the top of the head is 12 degrees plus or minus 10 degrees. “Angle  2 ” ( FIG. 19 ), which is the angle between the intersection of the first pivot  47   a  and the second pivot  48 , is preferably 25 degrees plus or minus 20 degrees and “angle  3 ”, which is the angle between the common plane  34  of the headband  32  and the longitudinal centerline  45  of the headset mounting portion  42 , is preferably about 60 degrees plus or minus 30 degrees. More preferably, “angle  3 ” is about 63 degrees. 
     More preferably, the first and second pivots  47   a .  47   b  includes a detent mechanism  60  to allow proper alignment when the audio set  30  is positioned for wearing adjacent to either a wearer&#39;s left or right ears. Preferably, four detents are provided, one for the left ear position shown in  FIG. 4 , one for the right ear position shown in  FIG. 7 , one for the first desired mono position shown in  FIG. 10 , and one for the second desired mono position shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     One possible pivot structure for the first and second pivot  47   a ,  47   b  is shown in  FIG. 6 . The opposite ends  44  of the headband  32  each include a recess  62  defining a cam surface  64 . Recesses  66  are placed at defined positions along the cam surface  64  to define the detent positions. The headset mounting portion  42  includes a circular recess  68  sized to rotate about a circular protrusion  70  extending from the first end  44  of the headband  32 . Preferably, a resilient o-ring  47  is positioned between the circular recess  68  and the circular protrusion  70  to create frictional holding force. A detent spring  72  is positioned within the recess  62  and secured to the headset mounting portion  42  with a fastener  74 . Preferably the detent spring  72  is sized to engage the recesses  66  in the cam surface  64  thereby urging the headset mounting portion  42  to one of the defined detents. More preferably, a cover  76  covers the fastener  74  and detent spring  72 . 
     A possible pivot structure for the third pivot  48  is shown in  FIG. 6 . The headset mounting portion  42  includes a substantially circular opening  80  about which the mini-boom microphone is pivotally secured thereto. The headset mounting portion  42  preferably includes operating electronics therein. Preferably, an o-ring  86  is positioned within the circular opening  80  to hold a desired position of the mini-boom microphone. The personal audio set may be wired or wireless. 
     If desired, the electronics can contain suitable electronic control systems and control logic to deactivate the earphone not positioned adjacent to a wearer&#39;s ear during mono-use. This deactivation can be manually activated through a control button or the like positioned on the personal audio-set, or automatically detected by the control system based on predetermined criteria such as the position of the earphone mounting portions relative to the predetermined detents on the pivots. Alternatively, the control system can deactivate one earphone during use of the mini-boom microphone such as when a user is initially listening to music from one source, and then receives a phone call from another source. 
     Preferably, controls  125  in communication with the electronics, such as volume control, channel selection, on/off and the like are provided on an exterior surface of one of the earphone mounting portions. More preferably, these controls are positioned so as to allow them to be substantially at the same locations relative to the earphone mounting portion when that earphone mounting portion is worn on either the wearer&#39;s left or right ears. For example, the primary control is preferably a button positioned on the centerline of the earphone. 
     Having described and illustrated the principles of our invention with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles may be put, it should be recognized that the detailed embodiment is illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of our invention. Accordingly, we claim as our invention all such modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto.