Patent Publication Number: US-8971562-B2

Title: Wireless headphone with parietal feature

Description:
SUMMARY 
     Various embodiments are generally directed to an audio reproducing headphone that is capable of optimized retention on a user&#39;s head. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a headphone can have at least one wireless audio reproducing element attached to a headband with the headband having parietal and temporal features. The temporal feature may contact a user&#39;s temporal bone and the parietal feature may have a curvilinear extension from the temporal feature that contacts a predetermined portion of a user&#39;s parietal bone. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  respectively display front and back perspective view of an example wireless headphone configured in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  respectively show side perspective views of an example wireless headphone as constructed and operated in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  respectively illustrate different perspective views of a portion of an example wireless headphone. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  respectively provide side and front views of a portion of an example wireless headphone constructed in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  displays a perspective view of a portion of an example wireless headphone constructed in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  is a block representation of a portion of an example wireless headphone configured and operated in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  provides a side profile view of a portion of an example wireless headphone as constructed in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a side profile view of a portion of an example wireless headphone as constructed in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 9  displays a flowchart of an example wireless headphone operation routine conducted in accordance with various embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With the proliferation of electronics that have decreased the form factors, increased processing capabilities, and reduced power consumption, such electronics can be integrated into mobile devices. The integration of audio storage and reproduction, especially with music files such as .MP3 files, into mobile devices has strained the capabilities of some hardware, such as audio headphones. That is, the ability to engage stored audio files from nearly anywhere has strained the capability of audio reproducing hardware to maintain placement during activities associated with mobility. 
     The dislocation of audio reproducing hardware during user movement can degrade audio quality and reduce the mobility potential of the audio storage device. For instance, a speaker may be jostled and dislocated from close proximity to a user&#39;s ear while the user is engaged in continuous or sporadic movement like various stretching, running, and jumping activities corresponding to an athlete warming up prior to a sporting event. Hence, there is a continued demand for audio reproduction hardware that can maintain position on a user&#39;s head while undergoing rigorous activities. 
     Accordingly, a mobile electronics device may be constructed with at least one wireless audio reproducing element attached to a headband that has parietal and temporal features with the temporal feature contacting a user&#39;s temporal bone and the parietal feature having a curvilinear extension from the temporal feature that contacts a predetermined portion of a user&#39;s parietal bone. Tuning the parietal feature for shape and size can provide at least three concurrent points of contact on strategic areas of a user&#39;s head, such as, but not limited to, the temporal bone about a user&#39;s ears and the parietal bone of the user&#39;s skull. 
     The simultaneous lateral and vertical contact from the parietal and temporal features can allow for enhanced control of the headphone during movement, which contrasts headband contact with the frontal bone of the skull or extension of the headband around the back of the user&#39;s neck. Such optimized headphone control may be attributable at least in part to the shape of parietal bone compared to the frontal bone of the skull and the concurrent lateral and vertical pressure exerted on the skull by the headband compared to the headband simply resting on the user&#39;s ears. 
     Turning to the drawings,  FIGS. 1A and 1B  respectively display different perspectives of an example headphone  100  capable of receiving wireless signals in accordance with some embodiments. Each headphone  100  has first and second ear cups  102  and  104  that can house one or more audio and computer components, such as processors, memory, controls, amplifiers, and speakers. Each ear cup  102  and  104  is connected by a continuous headband  106  that can be configured in an unlimited number of orientations and shapes that allow concurrent contact with the parietal and temporal bones of a user&#39;s skull to provide optimized headphone  100  control with discomfort to the user. 
     One, or both, ear cups  102  and  104  can be constructed with a housing  108  and skin contact pads  110  that may be configured in a variety of different shapes and sizes to fit around and within some or all of a user&#39;s ear. For example, the first ear cup  102  can be designed to substantially surround a user&#39;s ear on the user&#39;s temporal bone with both the skin contact pad  110  and housing  108 , which can reduce and eliminate the penetration of external noise into the ear cup  102  while being worn. In other embodiments, both ear cups  102  and  104  can be designed to be approximately the same size as a user&#39;s ear to allow the ear cups  102  and  104  to rest atop and within each ear without wholly surrounding the outside of each ear. 
     The headband  106  may be configured, as shown, to continually extend between and connect the ear cups  102  and  104  with a parietal feature  112  disposed between temporal features  114 . While the tuned construction of the headband  106  and features  112  and  114  are not limited to the design of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , some embodiments form the headband  106  of a metal like steel, aluminum, and metal alloys that can retain a predetermined shape and provide spring force onto the user&#39;s head when worn. Such spring force may be focused to predetermined locations of the temporal and parietal bones of the user through headband cushions  116  that are formed of a different material than the headband  106 , such a rubber. 
     The size, shape, location, and material of the headband cushions  116  can be tuned to provide comfort for the user while ensuring consistent pressure and position of the headband  106  throughout sporadic and continuous user movement. That is, the headband cushions  116  can be formed to localize the spring force of the headband  106  shape to maintain the position of the headband cushions  116  regardless of a user&#39;s movement, like somersaults, inverted flips, lateral acceleration, and bouncing, as well as the user&#39;s skull characteristics, such as moisture relating to sweat, hair, hair product, headwear, and head shape. 
       FIG. 1B  generally shows the internal ear cavity of the first ear cup  102 . As shown, the skin contact pad  110  defines an ear aperture  117  that can be constructed to accommodate some or all of a user&#39;s ear. That is, the aperture  117  can be configured to be aligned with a portion of the ear, such as the ear canal, or to be aligned with the entire ear including the lobe and helix. In some embodiments, the aperture  117  have an extension  118  of the headband  106  and may be partially or completely filled with at least one audio speaker, which can have enhanced musical acoustics due to the skin contact pad  110  preventing external noise from contaminating the speaker&#39;s output. Various embodiments further can be configured to passively cancel noise external to the ear cups  102  and  104  by emitting a noise-cancelling signal or encapsulating the user&#39;s ear so that no external noise can reasonably be heard. 
     While two ear cups  102  and  104  are shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , various embodiments may have less than two ear cups. For example, the second ear cup  104  may be omitted from the headphone  100  and replaced with a retention feature, like an adjustable spring or additional cushion, that holds the headphone  100  in place without covering the ear or reproducing audio signals. Such configuration may be prevalent when a user needs to hear external sounds and engage in conversation not corresponding to the audio signal being reproduced in the first ear cup  102 , such as for an air traffic controller, pilot, and sports coach. 
     The example headphone  100  may further have at least one audio input and transmission means, like a microphone, that can transform the headphone  100  into a 2-way communication device. A microphone can be located in any position either internal or external to the ear cups  102  and  104  and may be retractable to allow selected use without damage to the microphone. The addition of a microphone can allow the headphone  100  to be a cellular and radio transmission device that can act as a stand-alone transmitter and receiver or serve as a secured or unsecured peripheral of an external cellular or radio device. The ability to recognize a user&#39;s voice via the microphone can further allow the headphone  100  to connect to an external device, such as through a secured Bluetooth connection, and serve as a controller of the external device through voice recognized commands. As a non-limiting example, the microphone can allow the headphone  100  to be used for voice dictation that translates to textual input via connection to an external computer. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  respectively provide perspective side views of an example wireless headphone  120  positioned on a user&#39;s head in accordance with various embodiments. The opposite side views of  FIGS. 2A and 2B  display ear cups  122  connected by a headband  124 . Each ear cup  122  is designed to fit substantially on the temporal bone of the user to at least partially encapsulate the user&#39;s ear. The headband  124  has a temporal feature  128  that continuously extends from a location offset from the ear cup&#39;s  122  longitudinal axis  130  towards the coronal suture of the user&#39;s head. 
     While the temporal feature  128  could continuously extend between ear cups  122  on opposite sides of the user&#39;s head, a tuned headband  124  configuration can contact the user&#39;s parietal bone  132  with a parietal feature  134  and acts in concert with the temporal features  128  to provide three concurrent points of contact with the user&#39;s skull. While continuous contact can be made by each headband feature  128  and  134 , positioning tuned headband cushions  136  discontinuously along the headband  124  can focus contact to a predetermined number of skull positions, such as one location on each temporal bone  126  and two separate locations on the parietal bone  132 . As such, the number and configuration of the various headband cushions  136  can contribute to maximized headphone comfort and maximum headphone retention during rigorous user movement. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , the temporal feature  128  transitions to a parietal feature  134  that arcs to the rear of the user&#39;s head to fully contact the parietal bone  132  of the skull, which corresponds to more uniform slope and secure contact between the headband  124  and skull. The parietal feature  134  further allows the longitudinal axis  130  of the ear cup  122  to be aligned along the longitudinal axis of the ear, which is conducive to enhanced listening, while simultaneously contacting the parietal  132  and temporal  126  bones of the skull, which optimizes headphone retention. 
       FIG. 2A  further provides a variety of measurements that show how the headphone  120  fits to a user&#39;s head. The position of the parietal feature  134  is to be a predetermined distance  138  from the back of the user&#39;s neck, such as a distance that is greater than the distance from the parietal feature  136  to the user&#39;s chin. The parietal feature  136  may further be positioned by a predetermined first linear distance  140  from the eye socket of the user, as displayed by segmented plane  142 . The first linear distance  140  may be configured to be greater than a second linear distance  144  as measured from the temporal feature  128  to the eye socket plane  142 . As shown, the parietal feature  134  can be tuned to contact a portion of the user&#39;s parietal bone aligned with the longitudinal axis  130  of the ear cup  122 . Such measurements can be modified and tuned to best fit any given user, but can serve as an example of how to engage the parietal feature  134  with the designated portion of the skull to provide maximum stability during movement. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  respectively illustrate different perspective views of a headband portion  160  of an example wireless headphone.  FIG. 3A  shows how the headband portion  160  transitions from the temporal feature  162  to the parietal feature  164  via a continuously curvilinear shape. Although not limited to a particular angular configuration, the temporal  162  and parietal  164  features can be collectively constructed so that the parietal feature  164  is angled with respect to the temporal feature  162  by 90° or more. That is, the headband portion  160  can be tuned to fit a variety of head shapes and sizes through the angled relationship between the features  162  and  164 , which in various embodiments is orthogonal or obtuse with respect to each other, as displayed by angle □ 1 , which can allow a predetermined amount of spring force to be exerted where the headband  166  connects to the ear cups. 
     The headband portion  160  may further be constructed with coupling features  168  on opposite ends of the headband  166  that allow for a secure connection with ear cups and efficient replacement. Such replacement may correspond with an ability to switch headbands  166  with ear cups to provide different amounts of spring force, headband materials, headband shapes, headband colors, and parietal feature configurations that can cater to a wide variety of head shapes and user preferences. 
     The coupling features  168  can be individually or collectively shaped and sized in an unlimited variety of configurations, but are tuned to have dual retention rings  170  separated to securely engage a mount. Such mounting and the consequential position of the respective ear cups may be facilitated through the tuned relationship of the coupling  168  and temporal  162  features. For instance, the coupling feature  168  can form a right angle with the temporal feature  162  along an axis perpendicular to the parietal feature  164  to provide lateral spring tension for the ear cups towards a user&#39;s skull. The lateral spring tension can further be tuned by manipulating the distance  172  between transition portions  174  of the headband  166  that are disposed between the temporal  162  and parietal  164  features, as shown in  FIG. 3B . 
     With the variety of features that can be tuned to optimize the comfort, performance, and appearance of the headband  166 , precise amounts of spring tension can be exerted along the temporal  162  and parietal  164  features so that the headband  166  maintains an initial position on a user&#39;s head regardless of activity and movement. The tuning capabilities of a headphone are not limited to the headband  166 ; however, as the ear cups may also be customized to provide optimized performance and appearance.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  respectively display different perspective views of an ear cup  180  capable of being used with the headband  166  of  FIGS. 3A and 3B  as a headphone. 
       FIG. 4A  provides a view of an ear cup assembly of a rigid outer housing  182  and a flexible skin seal  184 . The rigid outer housing  182  can be configured as an unlimited variety of shapes, colors, logos, and materials that provide shock, vibration, moisture, and trauma protection for internal electronics like speakers, control circuitry, and batteries. With knowledge that contact between the rigid outer housing  182  and a user could be uncomfortable, the flexible skin seal  184  can be constructed of rubberized and plastic compounds that can more comfortably contact a user&#39;s head while increasing external noise suppression and audio performance. In some embodiments, the skin seal  184  is configured with a tapered, circumferential edge  186  that can reduce sharp edge contact between the user and the rigid outer housing  182  when the ear cup  180  is worn. 
     The flexible skin seal  184  may further be constructed to provide a flange  188  for possible addition of a soft ear cushion  190 , as generally illustrated in  FIG. 4B . The soft ear cushion  190  can be formed of antibacterial, antimicrobial material that may or may not wick moisture while providing a soft skin contact surface to optimize a user&#39;s interaction with the ear cup  180 . The addition of the soft ear cushion  190  may also allow additional graphical considerations for the ear cup and headphone as different materials like leather and colors like fluorescent hues can be utilized to personalize the look of the ear cup. Regardless whether the soft ear cushion  190  is utilized, the ear cup  180  can be configured to provide a plethora of different performance and visual combinations that can enhance a user&#39;s audio and social experience. 
       FIG. 5  shows an internal portion  200  of an example ear cup that illustrates how the rigid outer housing  182  of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  can be tuned to accommodate vastly different head sizes and shapes while providing sophisticated mobile electronics. The internal portion  200  can be constructed, as displayed, with a headband mount  202  which can be configured to secure a coupling feature of a headband through friction, tension, and springs without limitation. The headband mount  202  may be accompanied by one or more articulation mounts  204  that allow electronics, such as a circuit board, to be secured within the cavity  206  defined by the outer housing and skin seal  208 . Various embodiments further configure one or more of the articulation mounts  204  to be adjustable to modify the camber and tilt of the ear cup with respect to orthogonal planes, which can customize the comfort and audio performance for a user. 
     While the variety of structural configurations of  FIGS. 1-5  can be tuned to provide comfort and appearance, an example wireless headphone is not limited strictly to tuned physical dimensions as electrical components can be selected, tuned, and optimized to provide a customized headphone capable of diverse operations.  FIG. 6  is a block representation of an example wireless headphone  220  configured in accordance with some embodiments to have a local headphone control circuitry  222  that includes at least one computer processor. It should be noted that the headphone control circuitry  222  may be connected to one or more peripheral components, such as a cloud data storage network, accessed via network protocol contained within the control circuitry  222 . 
     In the non-limiting embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the headphone control circuitry  222  is connected either wirelessly or via a wired electric lead to a number of different components each capable of providing unique and redundant electronic capabilities. As shown, a Universal Serial Bus (USB)  224  can be connected to allow the control circuitry  222  to connect to an external power source and computing device. The USB  224  can be used to upload, download, and update files and software resident in volatile and non-volatile memory  226  resident in the headphone  220 . For example, the USB  224  connection may download music management software  228  to the memory  226  that allows audio files to be wirelessly downloaded over cellular  230  and radio  232  transmission means in response to voice commands recognized by a microphone  234 . 
     The music management software  228 , regardless of how it was downloaded to the headphone  220 , may subsequently play audio files by manipulating power from at least one battery  236  to an amplifier  238  and a speaker  240  to reproduce audio signals recognizable by the user. Such audio reproduction may correspond with the playing of music, engaging in a cellular or radio conversation, and entering verbal commands through the microphone, that may be aided by a display  242  that can be seen external to the headphone  220  and projected to be viewed by a user while the headphone  220  is being worn. 
     The headphone control circuitry  222  may employ a power management scheme  244  and circuitry that can maximize performance and endurance of the headphone  220  by adjusting the active status of various software and hardware components. For instance, the power management scheme  244  may sense inactivity in the cellular transmitter  230  or that the headphone  220  is not being worn from proximity and temperature sensors  246  to engage in minimizing power delivery to some or all of the control circuitry  222 . The addition of various different types of sensors  246  can complement a GPS  248  element to allow the headphone  220  to track and store physical data pertaining to a user, such as distance traveled, calories burned, balance, and geo-positional locations visited, which may be downloaded or utilized by software to provide advertising, user knowledge, and situational statistics. 
     The control circuitry  222  may further provide wired and wireless controls  250  that can correspond to internal and external software programs.  FIG. 7  displays a block representation of an example ear cup  260  having tactile controls  262  that may be used exclusively or concurrently with voice controls received via the microphone  234 . The external housing of the ear cup shown in  FIG. 7  may also provide a memory port  264  that allows external data storage, such as solid state and rotating memory drives, to be physically connected to the control circuitry of the headphone. 
     A battery compartment  266  may be accessible via a door, as shown, or sealed as part of the headphone control circuitry and can be rechargeable via wired or wireless charging means. The ear cup  260  can be configured with a microphone  268  that supplements a voice recognition microphone and measures ambient noise so that noise cancellation and audio adjustment can be passively conducted with the control circuitry to optimize a user&#39;s audio experience. For example, using a headphone as a cellular or music reproduction device in a loud environment like a restaurant or sports stadium can be passively handled by the production of noise-cancelling tones or the increase in audio volume that is passively conducted by the headphone control circuitry so that the user is not burdened with optimizing audio performance. 
       FIG. 8  also provides a block representation of an example ear cup  280  capable of being used exclusively and in conjunction with the ear cup  260  of  FIG. 7 . The ear cup  280  of  FIG. 8  has a display  282  that may be LED, OLED, and LCD without limitation to visually provide feedback to a user regarding any variety of system, software, sensed, and environmental data. As a non-limiting example, the display may be used to show battery life as well as play a video and track ambient air temperature along with the user&#39;s body temperature. The ability to utilize the display  282  can increase the functionality of the headphone by providing uses, such as internet browsing and video playback, which can be undertaken without the ear cup  280  contacting the user&#39;s head. 
     The wired connectivity of the ear cup  280  can also be tuned to be as simple or diverse as desired. The inclusion of different types of USB ports  284  and  286  illustrates the unlimited variety of connection possibilities by having both wireless and wired data and power inputs. The ability to connect to external devices via wired and wireless means may allow for tactile and voice control of local and external electronic devices to engage in a multitude of different activities. The diverse connectivity of a headphone configured in accordance with various embodiments can consequently consolidate several separate devices, such as music players, cellular phones, and GPS tracking sensors, into a single device that engages the user&#39;s head in a manner that ensures stability and performance regardless of the user&#39;s activity. 
     With such diverse operational configurations in mind,  FIG. 9  generally displays an example wireless headphone operation routine  300  carried out in accordance with some embodiments. Initially, routine  300  fits ear cups about the user&#39;s ear in step  302  and subsequently positions the headband in contact with the temporal and parietal bones of the user&#39;s skull in step  304 . Such headband contact may be done with a number of cushions that engage predetermined portions of the user&#39;s skull. 
     Next, step  306  provides user input to the control circuitry of the headphone to indicate a function, such as music playback, cellular transmission, dictation, and data access, with tactile or voice commands. Decision  308  evaluates if a different function is to be concurrently conducted or to replace the function of step  306 . For example, music playback may be conducted in concert with GPS and sensor data logging or music playback may be replaced by cellular transmission such as voicemail access. While decision  308  may be active for an extended period of time and returned to many subsequent times, step  310  may also be active in monitoring headphone circuitry for inactivity. 
     A detection of system or sub-system inactivity in step  310  can advance routine  300  to step  312  where a controller powers down the inactive portions of the headphone, which may be the entire headphone depending on the type and duration of inactivity. Step  312  may, in some embodiments, temporarily power down some or all of the headphone n a “sleep” mode while operational data is maintained in a local cache to allow immediate response without the loading of boot data. 
     Through the various steps of routine  300 , a user can securely fit the headphone to the temporal and parietal bones that allows nearly limitless range of movement without the ear cups or headband dislocating from their initially engage skull locations. It should be noted that the routine  300  is not limited to the steps and decision shown in  FIG. 9  as the various aspects can be rearranged, edited, and omitted, without limitation. Also, steps and decisions can be added to the routine  300 , as desired. For example, a step of orienting each headband cushion so that the largest surface area possible contacts the user&#39;s skull may be conducted prior to step  304 . 
     The various aspects and embodiments of this disclose allow functionality to an active person in a wireless over-the-ear headphone that provides self-sufficient audio player function. Audio function can be in the form of a media player capable of reproducing locally or remotely stored audio files such as MPEG-3 (“MP3”) files. In addition, the headphone can be utilized as a telephone that includes a microphone to which outgoing and incoming calls can be fielded. Similarly, music (mp3), voicemail messages received on the user&#39;s telephone could be uploaded into the headphone for later off-line playback via the local solid-state and rotating data storage. 
     The same connection that is used to charge the headphone also could be used to load the media player, or to download any recording made using the recording function. Thus, a USB connection can provide power charging and wired connection to an external computer. Such a USB connection could be used for uploading and downloading content files which, in addition to could be any other type of audio file—i.e., podcast, music, etc. Alternatively, a connection may be provided for a cable that could connect to any suitable port, including, but not limited to, a USB port, on a computer for uploading and downloading content. 
     The headphone may utilize a wireless connection for uploading and downloading content. In addition, the audio reproduction capabilities provided by internal processing, amplification, and speaker means allows audio playback totally within the headphone, without any active connection-wired or wireless to a remote host device. This eliminates dependency on the host device for playback data and reduces power consumption of both the headphone and the host device, which is important if the host device is itself a portable device such as a telephone which may prohibit an athletic person from performing tasks. 
     Wireless headphones may have a small form factor. Accordingly, not much room is available for a user interface for the media player portion of the integrated headphone. As such, a minimal user interface may be provided but not limited to, allowing the user to select controls to change volume or start and stop playback of stored content, as well as control of the Bluetooth pairing and integrative features with other wireless devices. For example, small “start,” “stop,” and “record” buttons may be provided. Corresponding visual indicators, such as light-emitting diodes, might also be provided as an indication of the current operating mode. The playback mode may be a fixed sequential mode, or another mode such as a random playback mode, or successive presses of the “start” button may cycle through different playback modes. 
     The inclusion of multiple microphones in the headphone may be configured to respond to voice commands, which could allow more complex commands, including commands to play particular content. In addition, the microphone could be used to detect the ambient noise level, and to adjust playback volume accordingly or reduce volume of speakers. Hence, a wireless headphone may be constructed with at least a speaker and a wireless receiver that receives wireless audio signals from an external device for playback through the speaker via a digital analog converter (DAC), memory for storing media files, and media circuitry including playback circuitry for playing back those media files through the speaker 
     A person of ordinary skill would recognize from the present disclosure that a headphone with a parietal feature allows for enhanced stability during movement due in part to the creation of multiple points of contact with the user&#39;s skull, temporal and parietal, that are conducive to rigorous activity. In contrast, a headphone without a parietal feature may be prone to becoming dislodged from a user during activity. 
     It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and configurations of various embodiments of the present disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of various embodiments, this detailed description is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of structure and arrangements of parts within the principles of the present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. For example, the particular elements may vary depending on the particular application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology.