Patent Publication Number: US-10791390-B2

Title: Flex-fit ear tip for headphones

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Aspects disclosed herein generally relate to a headphone apparatus including an earbud that plays back audio data for a user. These aspects and other will be discussed in more detail below. 
     BACKGROUND 
     U.S. Publication No. 2017/0339481 to Laberge discloses an earpiece system comprising an enhancer. The enhancer is configured to receive an earbud of a speaker and to fit in a user&#39;s ear. The enhancer includes a first portion having a first surface that defines a concave crus relief feature. The enhancer further includes a second portion extending from the first portion and forming a sound tunnel having an opening at an end opposite the first portion, and a flexible skirt positioned with the sound tunnel and projecting over the second portion to resiliently seal with the user&#39;s ear canal when inserted therein. 
     U.S. Publication No. 2015/0030194 to Burgett et al. provides, among other things, an earbud adapter or in-ear monitor that includes an ear interface that fits the human ear and further permits the wearer of these devices to adjust parameters of the fit. In additional aspects, the ear interface portion of these devices permits the user to adjust the transmission of ambient sound. The ear interface portion also allows the user to change ornamentation. 
     SUMMARY 
     In at least one embodiment, a headphone apparatus including an earbud is provided. The earbud includes a housing, a flexible skirt, and a flexible tip portion. The housing includes a loudspeaker positioned therein and at least a portion of the housing being arranged to be received in a user&#39;s concha. The flexible skirt is removably coupled to at least a portion of the housing to be at least partially received in an ear canal of the user. The flexible tip portion extends from the housing. The flexible tip portion is configured to be received in at least an antihelix of the user. The flexible tip portion includes an outer wall and a rib intersecting with the outer wall such that the outer wall applies a force against the rib in response to contact with an anti-helical fold of the user&#39;s ear. 
     In at least another embodiment, a headphone apparatus including an earbud is provided. The earbud includes a housing, a flexible skirt, and a flexible tip portion. The housing includes a loudspeaker positioned therein and at least a portion of the housing is arranged to be received in a user&#39;s concha. The flexible skirt is removably coupled to at least a portion of the housing to be at least partially received in an ear canal of the user. The flexible tip portion extends from the housing. The flexible tip potion is configured to be received in at least an antihelix of the user. The flexible tip portion includes an outer wall and a rib intersecting with the outer wall such that the outer wall applies a force against the rib in response to contact from an anti-helical fold of user&#39;s ear. 
     In at least another embodiment, a headphone apparatus including an earbud is provided. The earbud includes a housing, a flexible skirt, and a flexible tip portion. The housing includes a loudspeaker positioned therein and at least a portion of the housing is arranged to be received in a user&#39;s concha. The flexible skirt being is removably coupled to at least a portion of the housing to be at least partially received in an ear canal of the user. The flexible tip portion extends from the housing. The flexible tip potion is configured to be received in at least an antihelix of the user. The flexible tip portion includes an outer wall and a plurality of ribs being spaced apart from one another. The outer wall is configured to apply a force against the plurality of ribs in response to contact with in response to contact with a corresponding anatomical feature of the user&#39;s ear. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments of the present disclosure are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. However, other features of the various embodiments will become more apparent and will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a view of a headphone apparatus in accordance to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a detailed view of a flex tip portion of an earbud of the headphone apparatus in accordance to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a view of a left human ear and corresponding anatomical parts; 
         FIG. 4  depicts a rear view of the flex tip portion of the earbuds of the headphone apparatus in accordance to one embodiment; and 
         FIG. 5  depicts a side view of the earbuds of the headphone apparatus in accordance to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
     Aspects disclosed herein generally provide for a headphone apparatus that includes earbuds (or in-ear headphones) with each earbud being at least partially inserted into a corresponding ear canal of a user. Each earbud provides an audio signal into the ear canal of the user. The earbud generally includes an enhancer that is positioned over a main body section of a housing. The main body section may be formed of hard plastic. The enhancer may be formed of silicon and and provides comfort for the user when the earbud is inserted into the ear. For example, the enhancer may fit into a concha of the user&#39;s ear. In some cases, the enhancer may not fit properly into the concha of the ear for the user, particularly with respect to an upper portion of the concha. 
     The disclosed earbud includes a flex-fit ear tip portion (or “flex tip portion”) that is integrated with the enhancer. The ear tip portion is generally positioned within the upper portion of the concha and into an antihelix of the user&#39;s ear. The ear tip portion includes perforated vents (or compression openings) that are separated by ribs. The venting (or openings) on the flex tip portion is directional and angular for improved compression when the ear tip portion is inserted into the upper portion of the concha and into the antihelix of the user&#39;s ear. The shape of the vents is angled in a direction parallel to the flex tip portion itself, so that the flex-tip portion may compress freely and allow the flex tip portion (or wing) to adapt to the size of the user&#39;s antihelix. This adaption of the size of the flex tip portion may provide for a semi-custom fit for the user and may further alleviate pressure that would otherwise be felt in an underside of an anti-helix (or anti-helical fold) of the ear. This aspect generally provides some degree of pain if such an adaptation of the size of the flex tip portion was not permitted. In light of the foregoing, the headphone apparatus and associated earbuds provided herein may, among other things, provide a stable fit of the earbud into the user&#39;s ear during workouts performed by the user, relieve pain for earbuds that provide an ear tip portion that does not properly fit within the anti-helix, and/or create a recognizable visual cue of sport and comfort that may be associated with a particular brand of the headphone apparatus over time. These aspects and others will be discussed in more detail below. 
       FIG. 1  depicts a view of a headphone apparatus (or headphones)  100  in accordance to one embodiment. The headphone  100  generally includes earphones (or earbuds)  102   a - 102   b  (or “ 102 ”). The earbuds  102   a ,  102   b  generally include housings  104   a ,  104   b  (or “ 104 ”), respectively. The housing  104  may be constructed of plastic, steel, etc. A mobile device (not shown) or other media playback device (not shown) may transmit audio data to the apparatus  100  to playback audio data for the user. The earbuds  102   a  and  102   b  include transducers  106   a ,  106   b , respectively, to playback audio data for the user. In another example, the headphones  100  may include memory (not shown) positioned in at least one of the housings  104  to store the audio data and to playback the same for the user as opposed to the mobile device providing the audio data for the headphones  100 . It is recognized that the headphones  100  may not be used exclusively for audio playback. For example, the headphones  100  may also include a microphone (not shown) to receive an audio input from the user. The headphones  100  may in turn transmit the audio input to a mobile device, speaker phone (or bridge) for teleconferences, etc. or other suitable device used in connection with the transmission of audio data from the headphones  100 . 
     In addition, the headphones  100  may be used as bionic headphones. In this case, one or more microphones (not shown) positioned within the headphones  100  may capture ambient audio external to the headphones  100 . When a predetermined ambient audio signal is captured by the headphones  100 , the headphones  100  may mute the audio that is being played back or reduce the volume level of the audio that is being played back (i.e., auto adjust noise level down when ambient noises occur) to enable the user to hear the predetermined ambient audio signal. In this example, the headphones  100  may be considered to provide super-sonic hearing that enables the user to listen to ambient noise when listening to music under any number of usage profiles. 
     In one embodiment, a flexible coated wire  108  is attached to each end of the housings  104   a ,  104   b . The coated wire  108  generally includes electrical wiring to facilitate electrical communication between the electronics (not shown) positioned within each housing  104   a  and  104 B. A switch  110  is positioned between the housing  104   a  and  104   b  and is configured to adjust a volume level for the audio that is played back to the user via the headphones  100 . It is recognized that the switch  110  may provide other functionality such as pairing operations between the headphones  100  and the mobile device (not shown), power on/off, etc. A clip  118  may be positioned on the flexible coated wire  108  so that the user can attached the headphones  100  to clothing or other suitable device to prevent the headphones  100  from being lost or misplaced. 
     In another embodiment, the headphones  100  may not require the coated wire  108  and each corresponding earbud  102   a ,  102   b  may wireless receive audio data from an audio source and provide the same to the user. In this case, the switch  110  may be positioned directly on one or more the earbuds  102   a ,  102   b  to control functions of the headphones  100  (e.g., adjust volume, mute, answer phone call, etc.). A separate controller may not be required for the wireless based earbud implementation. 
     The earbuds  102   a ,  102   b  generally include a flexible skirt  122   a ,  122   b  (or “ 122 ”), respectively, and an enhancer  125   a ,  125   b  (or “ 125 ”), respectively. The enhancer  125  may be removably coupled to a main body section (not shown) of the housing  104 . The housing  104  includes a sound tunnel (not shown) that defines an audio channel for providing audio to the user from the transducer  106 . The flexible skirt  122  is removably coupled to the sound tunnel. The flexible skirt  122  may take on any number of shapes and sizes. The flexible skirt  122  is at least partially inserted into an ear canal of a user to provide the audio data. The enhancer  125  is generally positioned within the concha of a user&#39; ear to provide comfort for the user. The enhancer  125  may be formed of silicone or other suitable material. 
     Each enhancer  125   a ,  125   b  generally includes a flexible tip portion (or flex-tip portion)  126   a ,  126   b  (or “ 126 ”), respectively. The flex-tip portion  126  may be integrated with the enhancer  125  and may also be formed of silicone. The flex-tip portion  126  may be positioned within the cymba of the concha and the antihelix of the ear. The flex-tip portion  126  is generally configured to compress within a cymba of the concha and antihelix of the ear to alleviate pressure that would otherwise be felt in an underside of an anti-helical fold of the ear when the earbuds  102   a ,  102   b  are inserted into a corresponding ear canal of the use. These aspects will be discussed in more detail below. 
       FIG. 2  depicts a detailed view of the flex tip portion  126  of the enhancer  125  of the headphone apparatus  100  in accordance to one embodiment. The flex tip portion  126  may be arcuately shaped to fit within the antihelix of the ear. The flex tip portion  126  generally includes an interior wall  127  formed on an interior portion thereof and an outer wall  128  formed on an exterior portion thereof. The inner wall  127  is generally oriented or positioned closest to a front face of the user. The outer wall  128  is generally orientated or positioned closest to a back of the head of the user. The interior wall  127  and the outer wall  128  are integrated with one another at a top section  129  of the flex tip portion  126 . The flex tip portion  126  generally includes a plurality of flexible ribs  130   a - 130   b  that are spaced apart from one another. Each of the ribs  130   a  and  130   b  extend about an axis to intersect the outer wall  128  and the inner wall  127 . The ribs  130   a  and  130   b  may or may not be parallel with one another. The inner wall  127 , the outer wall  128 , and the ribs  130   a  and  130   b  are integrally formed with one another. Each of the ribs  130   a  and  130   b  extend about an axis to intersect with the inner wall  127  and the outer wall  128 . In addition, each rib  130   a  and  130   b  and corresponding sections of the inner wall  127  and the outer wall  128  define corresponding compression chambers (or compression openings)  132   a  and  132   b , respectively. An upper portion  140  of the enhancer  125 , the rib  130   b , a corresponding section of the inner wall  127 , and a corresponding section of the outer wall  128  define a compression opening  132   c . In general, upon insertion of the earbud  102  into the ear, an anti-helical fold of the ear may apply a force on the outer wall  128  thereby forcing the outer wall  128 , the inner wall  127 , the ribs  130   a ,  130   b  and the compression openings  132   a ,  132   b , and  132   c  to move in a generally horizontal direction to enable the flex tip portion  126  to compress into the concha and into the antihelix of the ear. This aspect generally enables the flex tip portion  126  to remain securely and comfortably positioned within the concha and the antihelix of the ear. 
       FIG. 3  generally illustrates anatomical features of the human ear  200  and is set forth to provide a reference to illustrate the manner in which the flex tip portion  126  is positioned within the ear  200  of the user. The ear  200  includes a concha  202  and a crus helix  204 . The concha  202  generally includes a cavum  206  and a cymba  208 . The crus helix  204  generally separates the cymba  208  from the cavum  206 . An ear canal  210  is positioned proximate to the cavum  206 . The ear  200  further includes an antihelix  212  and anti-helical fold  214 . The antihelix  212  at least partially surrounds the cavum  206  which is recessed into the ear  200 . As the earbud  102  is inserted the ear  200 , the flexible skirt  122  of the earbud  102  is generally positioned (or inserted) within the ear canal  210  and the enhancer  125  may be positioned within the cavum  206  of the concha  202 . The enhancer  125  may be at least partially positioned over the crus helix  204  and/or over a lower portion of the cymba  208 . The flex tip portion  126  may be positioned over (or within) the cymba  202  and at least partially within a boundary of the antihelix  212 . The flex tip portion  126  is generally configured to flex (or compress) under the anti-helical fold  214  of the ear  200 . 
     In reference back to  FIG. 2 , the flex tip portion  126  is generally configured to compress or flex generally along a first axis  250  (e.g., horizontal axis) as the anti-helical fold  214  applies a generally vertical (or generally downward) force  252  against one or more sections of the outer wall  128 . The outer wall  128  may apply a force against the plurality of ribs  130   a  and  130   b  in response to contact from the anti-helical fold  214 . Alternatively, the anti-helical fold  214  may compress the outer wall  128  in a generally downward manner which in turn causes the outer wall  128 , the inner wall  127 , the ribs  130   a - 130   b  to move along the first axis  250  to compress into the cymba  208  (i.e., the concha) and within the antihelix  214 . It is recognized that the anatomical features of the ear  200  vary from user to user and the amount of force as applied by anti-helical fold  214  will vary based on the user&#39;s corresponding ear anatomy. The movement of the flex tip portion  126  about the first axis  250  enables the flex tip portion  126  to securely attach to the user&#39;s ear  200  and prevents any pain and discomfort due to the force or compression applied from the antihelical fold  214 . The ribs  130   a - 130   b  may provide a counter force against the outer wall  128  to provide stability to ensure that the flex tip portion  126  remains securely attached to the concha  202  and to the antihelix  212  of the ear  200 . In addition, the compression openings  132   a - 132   c  enable adequate compression of the outer wall  128  in response to the force applied by the anti-helical fold  214  to prevent pain and discomfort for the user. 
       FIG. 4  depicts a rear view of the flex tip portions  126   a  and  126   b  for the corresponding earbuds  102   a  and  102   b , respectively, of the headphones  100 . Each compression opening  130   a ,  130   b , and  130   c  forms an angle α 1 , α 2 , and α 3  at a lower portion thereof that is generally less than 90 degrees. Such a formation enables the flex tip portion  126  (e.g., the outer wall  128 ) to compress at least partially along the first axis  250 . Likewise, each compression opening  130   a ,  130   b , and  130   c  forms an angle β 1 , angle β 2 , and angle β 3  at an opposite portion of the lower portion that is generally greater than 90 degrees to enable the flex tip portion  126  (e.g., the inner wall  127 ) to compress along the first axis  250 . In general, the overall length for any corresponding compression opening  132   a ,  132   b , and  132   c  may be, for example, within a range of 1.8 to 3.0 mm. The overall width of the outer wall  128  may be, for example, within a range of 2.0 to 3.3 mm and the overall width of the inner wall  127  may be, for example, within a range of 0.6 to 1.5 mm. An overall thickness for any one of the ribs  130   a  and  130   b  may be within a range of 0.8 to 1.5 mm. Such dimensions may enable the flex tip portion  126  to provide an adequate level of compression when positioned within the ear  200  and further enable the flex tip portion  126  to be securely attached to the ear  200  and provide comfort for the user. 
       FIG. 5  depicts a side view of the earbuds  102   a ,  102   b  of the headphones  100  in accordance to one embodiment. As shown, an overall thickness of the ribs  130   a ,  130   b  may be less than the overall thickness of the outer wall  128 . This aspect further aids in the compression of the outer wall  128  under the force applied by the from the antihelical fold  214 . In addition, the overall thickness of the ribs  130   a ,  130   b  may be greater than the overall thickness of the inner wall  127 . These aspects may also enable the flexible tip portion  126  to move or compress against the force applied from the antihelical fold  214  and may also enable the flexible tip portion  126  to remain securely attached to the ear  200  of the user. 
     While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.