Patent Publication Number: US-2005126847-A1

Title: Speaker grill

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to speakers and more particularly to grills connected to speaker boxes.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Automobiles are the source of pride for many people. Such persons desire to decorate their vehicles and draw attention to the various features. Several clever inventions have been patented convening decorative hub caps and speaker grills.  
      For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,529 discloses a non-rotatable wheel cover disc. U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,848 discloses another non-rotating display wheel cover. These hubcaps are designed to remain stationary when the remainder of the automobile tire is rotated such as when the vehicle is in motion. Corporate logos and the like may be disposed on the hubcap and will remain readable due to the non-rotation.  
      Several design patents have issued on stereo speaker grills. U.S. Pat. No. D473,215 (Dayton), U.S. Pat. No. D473,213 (Abdo), U.S. Pat. No. D282,657 (Caren), U.S. Pat. No. D473,214 (Dayan), are examples of these expressionistic inventions. These stereo speaker grills are all designed to remain in a fixed position and to not be rotatable.  
      Automobiles, however, have tires that rotate. Those who want to have their speaker grills visually coordinated with their expensive tire rims have no solution. Accordingly, what is needed is a rotatable speaker grill. Desirably, lighting may be mounted to the grill. The grill should resemble a wheel both in construction and in appearance. The rotatable portions of the grill should be designed so as to not make the sound from the speakers become choppy.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention fills a need of those who want to have their speaker grills visually coordinated with their expensive tire rims in the form of a rotatable speaker grill. Desirably, lighting may be mounted to the grill. The grill may resemble a wheel both in construction and in appearance. The rotatable portions of the grill can be designed so as to not make the sound from the speakers become choppy.  
      The present invention is a speaker and grill. The speaker, preferably a subwoofer, includes a speaker horn disposed within a speaker box. The grill may have a shaft having a central axis in-line with a central axis of the speaker horn. A selectively rotatable grill cover may be joined to the shaft. Optionally, the shaft may be joined to a motor, which may be selectively operated to rotate the shaft. A motor mount may join the motor to the speaker box. The motor mount and the grill cover may be decorated in any of a number of manners, but preferably is in a configuration that resembles an automobile tire with a hubcap.  
      Advantageously, the present invention provides decorating a speaker with a rotatable grill attracting visual attention to the source of sound.  
      As yet a further advantage, a grill for an automobile speaker can be coordinated structurally, functionally and aesthetically with the wheels and more particularly rotatable hubcaps on an automobile.  
      As still yet another advantage lighting may be mounted directly to a speaker, which may be movable while the grill is set in motion.  
      These and other advantages will become clear upon reading the description and reviewing the appended drawings. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a front view of an embodiment of the rim cover;  
       FIG. 5  is a front view of an alternate embodiment of the rim cover; and  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the rim with the motor shown in phatom. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      The present invention in its preferable form is a grill  10  mountable on a speaker  12  combination. The speaker  12  may have a speaker horn  16  disposed within a speaker box  14 . The speaker  12  is preferably a speaker in an automobile or other vehicle. The speaker  12  may be any type of speaker, but is most preferably of the type known as a sub-woofer. The components of the grill  10  and speaker  12  are discussed further below, including the rim  20 , rim cover  40 , motor  50 , and rotating cover  60 .  
      Rim  20  may have a front surface  22 , a back surface  24  and center rim  26  monolithically joined to each other as shown. The rim  20  may be joined to the speaker  12  through any known mechanism. The figures submitted herewith show the rim  20  joined with fasteners  23  through apertures  25  defined in the rim  20  to the speaker box  14 . The rim  20  may be any suitable size or shape sufficient to support and interact with the components described herein. In its preferred mode, the rim  20  resembles a rim of an automobile tire.  
      Rim  20  may include a motor support  28  having a central aperture frame  30  and spokes  32 . The spokes  32  join the central aperture frame  30  to the rim  20 , particularly the center rim  26 , such that a central axis of the central aperture frame  30  and rim  20  are coaxial. The central aperture frame  30  desirably defines fasteners apertures  34  and a central motor aperture  36 . The rim  20  is positioned to circumscribe the speaker horn  16 .  
      Rim cover  40  may optionally be present and is sized and adapted to secure about the rim  20 . Rim cover  40  may join to the rim cover in the following manners, frictional fit, adhesively, monolithically, e.g., integrally, or other manner known in the art. Rim cover  40  functionally may be used to hide fasteners  23  and apertures  25  from tampering and decoratively may be use to cause rim  20  to resemble an automobile tire. For instance, the rim cover  40  may resemble the tire portion of an automobile wheel.  
      Motor  50  may be joined to a shaft  52 . The motor  50  in its preferred form rotates the shaft  52  and the rotating cover, which may be joined to the shaft  52 . Motor  50  joins to the central aperture frame  30  perhaps in fastener cooperation with fastener apertures  34  and  54 . The shaft  52  may be disposed through the central motor aperture  36  and is intended to be coaxial with the central axis of the rim  20  and a central axis of the speaker horn  16 . The motor  50  selectively rotates the rotatable shaft  52  at a constant speed, variable speed, random speed, or a speed reflective of the tempo of the music coming from the speaker  12 . A power source  56  such as a battery joins to and powers the motor  50 . The power source  56  may selectively, intermittently or variably power the motor  50 .  
      A rotatable cover  60  may have spokes  64  and may have a motor aperture  62 . The rotatable cover  60  preferably joins to the rotatable shaft  52  and may therefore be rotated by operation of the motor  50  on the shaft  52 . Functionally, the cover  60  conceals and protects the motor  50  and shaft  52 . The cover  60  may also be decorative in the mode selected by the manufacturer. Desirably, the cover  60  resembles a rim cover of an automobile, perhaps the very same rim cover used on the particular car in which the present invention is mounted. Lighting  70  of various colors may be mounted about the rim  20  or rim cover  40  to augment the overall appearance.  
      While one may expect that rotating the cover  60  over a speaker will chop the sound, much like making sound through a fan, such choppiness may be eliminated. The surfaces of the rotating portions, e.g. motor  50 , shaft  52  and cover  60  should be made so as to not push air in the manner of a fan. Moreover, the speed of rotation should be held sufficiently slow on its fastest speed to further avoid the chopping effect.  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.