Patent Publication Number: US-6707922-B2

Title: Deformable loudspeaker

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a loudspeaker of substantially, or at least partially, flexible construction suitable for incorporation into a garment or other soft object. The invention further relates to a garment including one or more such speakers. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,700 (Olympus Optical Company Limited), a personal portable audio device is provided in a garment, such as, a vest or waistcoat, by placing components, such as, a tape recorder and a power source, in pockets in the garment and by providing a conventional speaker in each shoulder of the garment, between the surface cloth and a lining. However, no special constructions of any component are disclosed, and it would appear that conventional speakers are used, so that attachment to the garment may not be easy. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,364 (Giancarlo Giannini), a sound-generating garment is disclosed in which flexible switches are provided at the shoulders, elbows and knees, each arranged to provide a musical sound in response to movements of the wearer, but the musical sounds produced are naturally limited in range and complexity. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, an audio speaker comprises a diaphragm, connection means for connecting the diaphragm to a source of electrical signals, and a concave cover comprising a heat-molded textile material having a ceramic textile coating. With such a construction, which may be achieved through use of conventional garment fabrication techniques, the resulting speaker has a greater or lesser degree of flexibility such as to make it suitable for incorporation into a garment or other such uses where a solid and rigid construction would result in discomfort for a user. 
     The concave cover may be arranged to form a back cover or a front cover for the diaphragm. Preferably, the diaphragm and the concave cover are secured in a central aperture of a piece of conventional textile, for incorporation into a garment. 
     Also in accordance with the invention, there is provided a garment or fabric item comprising an audio speaker as described above. Such a garment or fabric item may comprise a plurality of concave areas on the outside surface, with each such concave area having a conductive area co-operable with a conductive switch on the rear of the audio speaker. 
     Alternatively, such a garment may include a hood portion and comprise a pair of the audio speakers within the hood at respective locations, such as to be over the users ears when the hood is worn, as an alternative to the user wearing headphones. With such a garment, the hood portion preferably includes a zipper portion through separation of which the respective speakers may be moved to positions on shoulder portions of the garment, thereby allowing the wearer of the garment to chose between listening to output of the speakers alone (hood up) or with others (hood down). 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows, in disassembled form, a first embodiment of a loudspeaker; 
     FIG. 2 shows a garment incorporating the speaker of the first embodiment; 
     FIG. 3 shows, in section, a second embodiment of a loudspeaker; and 
     FIG. 4 shows a garment incorporating several speakers of the second embodiment. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In FIG. 1, a loudspeaker comprises a speaker part A and a backing part B. In part A, a conventional audio speaker diaphragm  10  is attached to a central aperture  12  in a piece of conventional textile material  14  by stitching  16 . Connecting wires  18  supply electrical signals, in the form of audio signals, to the speaker diaphragm  10 . 
     Part B comprises a cup  20  formed of heat molded Neoprene (Trademark) textile with a ceramic textile acoustic coating. The cup  20  may be formed by techniques used in the textile industry to manufacture seamless brassiere cups, then coated with ceramic by known techniques. The cup has a central aperture  22  through which the wiring  18  (shown dotted) may pass when the speaker is assembled. Assembly is achieved by placing the cup  20  around the back of the diaphragm  10  and stretching the fabric  14  so that the speaker part A is recessed within the cup  20 . 
     In a variation, instead of stitching the loudspeaker to the fabric  14 , the loudspeaker can be directly fused to an aperture in an appropriate fabric. 
     Once assembled, the loudspeaker is of semi-flexible nature, and the fabric layer  14  can easily be sewn into a garment. FIG. 2 shows a sportswear garment  30  having a hood  32  to which the speaker is attached by the fabric  14 , with the diaphragm  10  directed towards the inside of the hood and the cup  20  towards the outside. An audio player  34  is positioned, for example, in an inside pocket of the garment and connected to the speaker by wires  18 . The wearer of such a garment can listen to music while walking outside without the inconvenience of headphones or an earpiece. By providing the hood with a zipper  36  to allow unzipping to form a goose neck style jacket, a companion walking alongside can share the music from the speaker. Alternatively, the wiring  18  can be connected to mobile telephone equipment or to a PDA. 
     In FIG. 3, a loudspeaker  40  comprises a conventional speaker  42  mounted in an acoustic textile ceramic molded cover  44  and attached to a piece of fabric  46 . In this embodiment, instead of the wiring  18  of FIG. 1, electrical connection to the loudspeaker  40  is provided by a conductive switch  48  protruding through the fabric  46  on the opposite side to the diaphragm of the speaker. The switch  48  may be made of conductive rubber or other suitable material. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates one application of the speaker of FIG. 3. A dress  50  is made of rubber such as Neoprene (Trademark), and is provided with three concave areas  52  each having a central conductive area  54  co-operable with the conductive switch  48 . The conductive areas may be made of conductive textile material. The conductive areas  54  are connected by wiring  56  on the inside of the dress to a power source and audio source  58 , also concealed on the inside of the dress. 
     By attaching a speaker to one or two or all three of the concave areas  52 , the dress may act as a walking sound device. Alternatively, the dress can be hung up in a selected position to act as a temporarily fixed sound device. If two or three speakers are connected, they may be arranged to output the same or different sounds. 
     Either the FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 embodiment of a flexible speaker may also be incorporated into any other object requiring flexibility, for example, into upholstered seating, or in other circumstances when a lightweight, robust speaker is required. 
     From reading the present disclosure, other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such modifications may involve other features which are already known in the design, manufacture and use of audio systems, components for garments and applications thereof and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.