Patent Abstract:
Small-scale audio speakers of various shapes are installed in parent devices. Inner casings, and the surrounding vibration-damping zone often required between such casings and the surrounding parent-device walls, are omitted from the assembly. During integration with the parent device, each un-encased speaker and its signal lines are sealed into a single-walled enclosure that incorporates a parent-device wall as at least one side. The entire interior of the single-walled enclosure becomes a back volume for the speaker. The single-walled enclosure may incorporate seals at the speaker&#39;s audio-output aperture, at the pass-through for the signal lines, and at the interface between the parent-device wall(s) and the added side(s) constituting the single-walled enclosure. Optional adhesive-free sealing options include sliding tabs held by a snap-lock latch.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Non-Prov. patent application Ser. No. 14/866,850 filed Sep. 26, 2015 which is entirely incorporated by reference herein. 
       FIELD 
       [0002]    Related fields include audio speakers, and more particularly miniature audio speakers built into a parent device such as a portable computer, telephone, earpiece, or hearing aid. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIGS. 1A-1D  illustrate a few examples of miniature speakers. 
           [0004]      FIGS. 2A-2E  illustrate various speakers with double-walled and single-walled enclosures. 
           [0005]      FIGS. 3A-3E  are perspective views of single-walled enclosures incorporating the parent-device wall. 
           [0006]      FIGS. 4A-4B  illustrate aspects of sealed signal lines. 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example of retrofitting uncased audio speakers in an existing chassis designed for cased speakers. 
           [0008]      FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate conventional glue-in speakers. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 7A-7H  illustrate examples of seals for the fronts of audio speakers that do not necessarily include adhesive. 
           [0010]      FIGS. 8A-8B  illustrate a top view and a cross-sectional view of a speaker with an integral, “flangeless” front seal. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 9A-9D  illustrate an attachment of a speaker to a speaker-aperture wall with overlapping-tab pairs. 
           [0012]      FIGS. 10A-G  illustrate more views and examples of sliding-tab sealing assemblies. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 11A-11D  are perspective views of examples of tabbed speaker parts and assemblies. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    Dynamic audio speakers may be described as a series of transducers. An electrical input signal is converted by an electromagnet to a varying magnetic field. Variations in the magnetic field cause mechanical motion in a voice coil. The motion of the voice coil vibrates a cone, creating standing waves in a diaphragm stretched across the front of the cone. The vibrating diaphragm interacts with the surrounding medium (usually air) to create an acoustic output. 
         [0015]    The back of the cone experiences mechanical perturbations 180° out of phase with those affecting the front. If the medium surrounding the cone is equally compressible in all directions, the front and back vibrations would tend to cancel each other out. Surrounding the back of the cone with a sealed cabinet, while leaving the air in front of the cone free to move, makes the air less compressible behind the speaker than in front of it. The less-compressible air inside the sealed cabinet (the “back volume”) acts like a restoring spring opposing back vibration. 
         [0016]    Additionally, if the cone were to be placed on a solid surface, the audible rattle or buzz resulting from the cone vibrating against the solid surface might compete with the sound resulting from the electrical input. To prevent this, cones may be mounted to a front wall or baffle to keep the back largely suspended and unable to vibrate against other solid surfaces. Preferably, the baffle is constructed to avoid resonance with the speaker. 
         [0017]    Low frequencies are particularly affected by the out-of-phase vibration of the back of the speaker. These are also the frequencies that may benefit the most from a larger speaker diameter. Design of a dynamic speaker often involves a trade-off between user-perceptible variables such as output frequency range, output level, size and weight, and power handling. 
         [0018]    Compared to sealed speakers where the back volume is ideally airtight, ported or vented speakers have openings, or ports in the back volume, Port parameters are selected to tune the speakers to particular frequencies. The port results in output from the back volume as well as the front. Near the selected frequency, the back output may exceed the front output: Leakage of air from the port weakens the restoring force of the back volume and reduces the diaphragm excursion, preventing the distortion associated with excessive excursion. Ported speakers are sensitive to dimensional errors and their transient responses are inferior to those of sealed speakers. They may be used in conjunction with sealed speakers to boost attenuated bass frequencies, or they may be adjusted to get the highest sound level out of small speaker for limited-frequency applications such as alarms and audible status signals. 
         [0019]    Premium sound quality at venues and in vehicles was historically associated with large, multi-cone speakers built into commensurately large cabinets. The back volume of a sealed or ported speaker functions as an acoustic resonant chamber. Airtight sealing improves the mechanical Q, factor, a dimensionless value associated with underdamping and the suppression of frequency spreading. A definition of mechanical Q based on a single damped mass-spring system is: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               Q 
               = 
               
                 
                   Mk 
                 
                 D 
               
             
             , 
           
         
       
     
         [0020]    where M is the mass, k is the spring constant, and D is the damping coefficient proportional to the damping force and inversely proportional to the velocity of the oscillating mass. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 1A -ID illustrate a few examples of miniature speakers. In  FIG. 1A , an example of a cut-away side view of a speaker omits the basket that may cover the back components, showing permanent magnet  101 , cut ends  102  of the voice coil, diaphragm  103 . 1 , and edge frame  104 . 1 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 1B  is a side cut-away view of an example of a cased speaker showing diaphragm  103 . 2 , edge frame  104 . 2 , and vents  106  that connect the air-space  105  just behind diaphragm  103 . 2  to the air-space  115  created by the casing  114  to create a single, unified back volume. 
         [0023]      FIG. 1C  is a back perspective view and  FIG. 1D  is a front perspective view of an example of miniature rectangular speaker. Visible are the frame  104 . 3 , a single front diaphragm  103 . 3 , and dual baskets  107 . 1  and  107 . 2 . Each basket  107 . 1  or  107 . 2  covers a permanent magnet and moving voice coil. Accordingly,  FIG. 1C  and  FIG. 1D  illustrate a monolithic speaker with dual voice coils. Some rectangular speakers may alternatively have single voice coils like their circular counterparts. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 2A-2E  illustrate various speakers with double-walled and single-walled enclosures. 
         [0025]    In  FIG. 2A , a conventional speaker is sealed in a case  201  with signal lines  203  coming out of case  201  to connect to a signal source (not shown). Case  201  may have a placement  204  on or in a parent-device wall  202 . Placement  204  may be a cavity, channel, or niche as illustrated. Alternatively, placement  204  may be a designated area on a planar surface of parent-device wall  202 , optionally with features that locate, orient, or fasten case  201 . Parent-device wall  202  may be structural, such as a chassis, or non-structural, such as a skin or cowling. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2B  is an illustration representing a sectional view of the double-walled speaker enclosure through section A-A in  FIG. 2A . Dotted outline  224  delineates the boundary of the placement. Speaker  206  has a back volume  205  determined by the interior dimensions of case  201 , which is sealed around speaker  206  and its emerging signal lines  203 . Case  201  may fit within the placement boundary  224 , leaving a surrounding empty space or gap  244  for vibration-damping material, represented in the illustration by springs  209 . For example, vibration damping  209  may include an elastomer sheet or distributed elastomer standoffs, an elastically deformable foam, or an adhesive such as RTV that remains elastically compliant after curing. Without vibration damping, case  201  and parent-device wall  202  might rattle or buzz at resonant frequencies. Holes  207  in parent-device wall  202  form a grill for the speaker. 
         [0027]    In this example, the size of speaker  206  and its back volume  205  is limited by requiring case  201  and vibration damping  209  inside placement boundary  224 . Even if the wall thickness of case  201  and the vibration-damping gap  244  are on the order of a few millimeters or several tenths of a millimeter, these thicknesses may become more and more significant as overall speaker size decreases. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2C  is an illustration representing a sectional view, comparable to  FIG. 2B , of an uncased audio speaker in a single-walled speaker enclosure. Parent-device wall  202  outside placement boundary  224  forms part of the single enclosure wall which allows the use of an uncased audio speaker  216  having a greater diameter than cased speaker  206  in  FIG. 2B . Similarly, the back volume  215 , sealed by speaker cover  211 , includes most of the space inside placement boundary  224 . This volume is significantly larger than back volume  205  in  FIG. 2B . 
         [0029]    In some embodiments, speaker  216  is sealed by speaker seal  251  to parent-device wall  202  near integrated grill  207 , and signal-line seal  255  seals around speaker signal lines  213  where they exit back volume  215 . In some embodiments, wall seal  253  may form an airtight seal between speaker cover  211  and parent-device wall  202 . If speaker  216  is to be ported, the port may be placed in one of the seals  251 ,  253 , or  255 ; in a part of the parent-device wall; or in speaker cover  211 . In some embodiments, one or more of the seals  251 ,  253 , and  255  is elastically resilient to tension, compression, or both. The seal material may be, e.g., an elastomer gasket or O-ring, or a polymer or epoxy applied in liquid form and allowed to cure. Because there is only one wall around the speaker, vibration damping may not be needed. 
         [0030]      FIG. 2D  is an example of a digital speaker in the speaker placement of a parent-device wall. Dual-coil rectangular digital speaker  216 . 1  is larger than the largest double-walled speaker, such as  206  in  FIG. 2B , that could fit in placement  204 . 1  of parent-device wall  202 . 1 . Digital-signal lines  213 . 1  connect speaker  216 . 1  to a signal source. Existing features such as locating/fastening feature  212 . 1  may be used to locate or attach a speaker cover (not shown in this view). 
         [0031]      FIG. 2E  is an example of an analog speaker in the speaker placement of a parent-device wall. Dual-coil rectangular analog speaker  216 . 2  is larger than the largest double-walled speaker, such as  206  in  FIG. 2B , that could fit in placement  204 . 2  of parent-device wall  202 . 2 . Analog-signal lines  213 . 2  connect speaker  216 . 2  to an analog signal source. Existing locating/fastening features such as  212 . 2  may be used to locate or attach a speaker cover (not shown in this view). 
         [0032]      FIGS. 3A-3E  are perspective views of single-walled enclosures incorporating the parent-device wall. 
         [0033]    In  FIG. 3A , speaker placement  304 . 1  in parent-device wall  302 . 1  is simply a grill  307 . 1  with a raised lip  312 . 1  as a locating or fastening feature. For example, raised lip  312 . 1  may include a groove around the outer or inner perimeter for an O-ring, a seat for a gasket, a groove around the top perimeter for adhesive, or a snap-locking latch. Miniature speaker  316  may have a complementary feature on its frame  314 . 1  configured to mate with a feature on raised lip  312 . 1 . 
         [0034]    In  FIG. 3B , speaker placement  304 . 2  in parent-device wall  302 . 2  is flat, but recessed. Locating/fastening features  312 . 2  may be for locating pins, fasteners, an injectable adhesive, or the like. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3C  is a multi-sided speaker cover for use when the parent-device wall contributes less than 5 sides of the single-walled enclosure. Speaker cover  311 . 1  includes grill  317 . 1 , and in various embodiments, the grill may be part of the speaker cover, part of the parent-device wall, both, or neither. Locating or fastening features  321 . 1  may be complementary to a feature pattern similar to  312 . 2  in  FIG. 3B . 
         [0036]      FIG. 3D  is another multi-sided speaker cover  311 . 2  including a grill  317 . 2 , structural ribbing  331 , and locating/fastening features  321 . 2 . 
         [0037]    In  FIG. 3E , placement  304 . 3  in parent-device wall  302 . 3  contributes three sides to the single-walled enclosure, leaving the other 3 sides to be provided by the speaker cover. In an N-sided single-walled enclosure, the parent-device wall may constitute between 1 and N−1 sides. For example, a 6-sided single-walled enclosure may use 1 to 5 surfaces of the parent-device wall, with the speaker making up the rest. Shared sides, where a side of the single-walled enclosure is partly parent-device wall and partly a section of speaker-cover wall that continues the same plane or contour, are also contemplated. 
         [0038]    For a sealed back volume, or one with precisely controlled porting, the speaker perimeter may not be the only place to use an airtight seal. Signal lines passing from the single-walled enclosure to a signal source outside the enclosure may need to be sealed where they exit the enclosure. 
         [0039]      FIGS. 4A-4B  illustrate aspects of sealed signal lines. 
         [0040]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of an exemplary bracket for sealing signal lines. Bracket  408  includes a notch  418  in one edge. 
         [0041]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of an exemplary bracket with signal lines sealed in. Signal lines  426  of speaker  416  are held in seal  457 , which is inserted in notch  418  of bracket  408 . Seal  457  may be an elastomer or other elastically compressible material. As illustrated, signal lines  426  terminate outside bracket  408  at signal connector  436 . Sufficient length of signal lines  426  may be reserved inside bracket  408  for frame  414  of speaker  416  to easily reach its placement on the parent-device wall or speaker cover (not shown in this view). 
         [0042]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example of retrofitting uncased audio speakers in an existing chassis designed for cased speakers. Existing chassis  502  has various ribs and placements for various components. Other parent-device walls may include vents, heat-sinks, latches, hinges, and other features. A complex custom parent-device wall may be expensive to retool when an interior component of the parent device is changed. However, speaker placements  504 . 1  and  504 . 2  designed for cased speakers readily accommodate uncased speakers  516 . 1  and  516 . 2  without needing modification. 
         [0043]    Speaker covers and seals to provide the remaining sides of a single-walled enclosure would be significantly smaller and simpler to have made than a customized chassis. On the other hand, a future version of chassis  502  could be designed with smaller placements  514 . 1  and  514 . 2  and accordingly sized speaker covers (not shown in this view) specifically tailored for uncased speakers, potentially simplifying the speaker placement and speaker cover (rectangular rather than L-shaped) and freeing up space for other interior components. 
         [0044]      FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate conventional glue-in speakers. 
         [0045]      FIG. 6A  is a top view of wall  602  near the speaker aperture. Adhesive  603  is applied around the perimeter of the speaker aperture in wall  602 . Adhesive  603  may be applied as a liquid or as a double-sided adhesive strip. 
         [0046]      FIG. 6B  is a view of the front face of speaker  606  that will be sealed to the speaker aperture. Adhesive  603  is applied around the perimeter of the front of speaker  606 . This is an alternative to the adhesive placement of  FIG. 6A  that might be used, for example, if the speaker aperture were difficult to reach or close to other components that might be harmed by stray drops of adhesive. 
         [0047]      FIG. 6C  is a top view of a speaker  606  pushed against aperture wall  602  through adhesive  603 . Speaker  606  is placed face-down over the aperture in wall  602  with the adhesive  603  dispersed between them. Apparent coverage gap  605 . 1  might be filled in under speaker  606  so that it does not actually affect the seal. On the other hand, the air gap may persist all the way through the line of adhesive  603 , in which case the speaker sound will be degraded. A visual inspection from this angle is inconclusive. There is both a risk of wasting more effort on a faulty speaker assembly and a risk of rejecting a speaker that would have been satisfactory. 
         [0048]      FIG. 6D  is a side view of the assembly from  FIG. 6C . Looking at the seal from the side, gap  605 . 2  is evident. This gap will probably leak air from the back volume out into the surrounding environment, reducing the mechanical Q of the speaker assembly and negatively affecting its sound. Depending on the design of the part that includes wall  602 , a side view like this may be challenging to obtain. 
         [0049]    Besides consistency and repeatability challenges, the use of adhesives may increase inventory overhead because of the need to use it before it expires. Some adhesives give off toxic fumes and vapors as they cure, requiring safety precautions. Finally, adhesive application and curing is often done as a batch process; this may slow down manufacturing if the rest of the processes are continuous processes. 
         [0050]      FIGS. 7A-7H  illustrate examples of seals for the fronts of audio speakers that do not necessarily include adhesive. 
         [0051]      FIG. 7A  represents a gasket  751 . 1  and  FIG. 7B  represents an O-ring  751 . 2 . When made of material that is mechanically resilient to compression, and compressed by surrounding structures, gasket  751 . 1  and O-ring  751 . 2  may serve as resilient layers providing the desired air-tight seal. 
         [0052]      FIGS. 7C-7E  represent examples of different configurations of O-rings or other resilient layers for use in speaker assemblies. 
         [0053]    In  FIG. 7C , resilient layer  751  seals the front rim of the frame of speaker  716 . 1 . Speaker aperture  762 , the parent device&#39;s output for speaker sound  730 , is surrounded by a shoulder  722  wide enough for resilient layer  751  to contact the frame edge without interfering with the diaphragm motion of speaker  716 . 1 . 
         [0054]    In  FIG. 7D , resilient layer  751  seals the side of the frame of speaker  716 . 2  to the inside wall of a counterbore in wall  712 . 2  surrounding speaker aperture  762 , the parent device&#39;s output for audio signals  730 . Optionally, the speaker frame rim, the counterbore, or both may have features, such as grooves, to hold resilient layer  751  in position. 
         [0055]    In  FIG. 7E , resilient layer  751  seals a flange  726  extending out around the front rim of the frame of speaker  716 . 3  to a raised ridge in wall  712 . 3  surrounding speaker aperture  762 , the parent device&#39;s output  1  for audio signals  730 . 
         [0056]      FIGS. 7F-7H  represent examples of different configurations of gaskets or other resilient layers in speaker assemblies. 
         [0057]    Resilient layer  751 . 1  or  751 . 2  in wall  712  may have an aperture  762  approximately matching the speaker aperture to expose the diaphragm or other front speaker surface, as in  FIGS. 7F and 7G . Resilient layer  751 . 1  in  FIG. 7F  may cover the entire shoulder around speaker aperture  762 . By contrast, resilient layer  751 . 2  in  FIG. 7G  may cover only part of the shoulder around speaker aperture  762 . Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 7H , resilient layer  751 . 3  may cover the aperture  762 , with the center region forming a grill, e.g., by perforations  751 . 3 . 
         [0058]      FIGS. 8A-8B  illustrate a top view and a cross-sectional view of a speaker with an integral, “flangeless” front seal. The front of the speaker includes an integrated resilient section on the front of the speaker near the rim of the frame, alleviating the need for a gasket, O-ring, or other extra part to make the front seal. When the speaker is assembled into an enclosure, part of the enclosure is intended to compress the integral seal, and the integral seal is intended to provide a restoring force that maintains a substantially air-tight seal and, optionally, may also cushion the speaker from external shock or vibration. 
         [0059]      FIG. 8A  is a top view of a speaker with an integral seal. Although the example relates to a round speaker, any other suitable shape may be substituted (e.g., rectangular). Frame  804  around the perimeter, integral seal  809 , and the outer lobe of diaphragm  803  are referenced. 
         [0060]      FIG. 8B  is a cross-section through A-A of  FIG. 8A . Frame  804  has a bead  814  around the rim  804  that may optionally be used as part of a snap-lock. Integral seal  809  extends beyond the level where rim  804  and a mating part in the speaker enclosure (not shown in this view) meet or overlap. Integral seal  809 , like the O-rings and gaskets it replaces, may be compressible and may exert a restoring force against the compression. 
         [0061]    As illustrated, integral seal  809  is an annular bump with a rounded cross-section, but any suitable shape may be used. Space  819  inside or under integral seal  809  may be hollow, filled with the same material as integral seal  809 , filled with the same material as diaphragm  803  (if diaphragm  803  is made of a different material than integral seal  809 ), or filled with any other suitable material to produce the desired gasket-like properties. Similarly, integral seal  809  may be made of the same material as frame  804 , or the same material as diaphragm  803  (if diaphragm  803  is made of a different material than frame  804 ), or any other suitable material to produce the desired gasket-like properties. Optionally, frame  804 , integral seal  809 , and diaphragm  803  may be fabricated as a single piece. 
         [0062]      FIGS. 9A-9D  illustrate an attachment of a speaker to a speaker-aperture wall with overlapping-tab pairs. The speaker has a first set of tabs, the speaker-aperture vicinity of the wall has a second set of tabs, and the attachment is based on sliding one set over or under the other until they at least partially overlap. Snap-fit, stiction, or any other suitable method may be used to keep the tabs in place, thus keeping the parts joined. A material that is elastically resilient to compression (e.g., certain elastomers) forms a seal between the parts and prevents rattling. For a sealed speaker, the resilient material may preferably be nonporous. For a ported speaker, the resilient material may be porous enough to pass the amount of air prescribed for the port. 
         [0063]      FIG. 9A  is an exploded cross-sectional view of wall  912  near, but not intersecting, the speaker aperture (see section A-A in  FIG. 10A ) showing a wall tab  922  raised above the top of wall  912  by wall tab standoff  932 ; speaker  916  (face-down in this view) and speaker tab  926 ; and resilient layer  951  between the two. In some embodiments, resilient layer  951  may be built onto the perimeter or front of speaker  916  at the time of speaker manufacture. 
         [0064]      FIG. 9B  is a top view of the speaker, resilient layer, and wall preliminary to assembly. Although a round-shaped speaker is illustrated, the sliding-tab approach may also be adapted for rectangular and other geometries. Wall  912  has wall tabs  922  raised above an aperture shoulder and spaced at intervals. The intervals between wall tabs  922  are large enough to accommodate speaker tabs  926  extending out from speaker  916 . Resilient layer  951  covers at least the part of the aperture shoulder that contacts the front perimeter of speaker  916 . 
         [0065]      FIG. 9C  is a cutaway side view of the assembly shown in  FIG. 9B . With the parts simply laid over one another and resilient layer  951  uncompressed, wall tab  922  does not appear to have sufficient clearance for speaker tab  926  extending from speaker  916 . 
         [0066]      FIG. 9D  is the same assembly with the tabs engaged. The speaker was moved (in the case of the illustrated round speaker, rotated) in direction  910  relative to wall  912 . To make room for speaker tab  926  under wall tab  922 , resilient layer  951  is compressed. The compression enables resilient layer  951  to provide (1) a tight seal to confine air in the back volume and (2) a restoring force to stabilize the joint. As illustrated, speaker tab  926  and wall tab  922  have a plane contact, held together by the restoring force of compressed resilient layer  951  and by stiction between the two contacting surfaces. Stiction can be enhanced by roughening the contacting surfaces to, e.g., an rms roughness of 0.05-0.3 mm. 
         [0067]    The restoring force from compressed resilient layer  951  pushes speaker  916  upward, Wall tab  922  exerts a downward counterforce on the underlying portion of speaker tab  926 . As a result, speaker tabs  926  may be subject to shear stress at the inner edge of the overlap where the downward counterforce ends, as well as compressive stress within the overlap zone. In some embodiments, speaker tabs  926  are as resistant to damage by shear and compression, at least within an order of magnitude, as the outer frame or basket of speaker  916 . 
         [0068]      FIGS. 10A-G  illustrate more views and examples of sliding-tab sealing assemblies. 
         [0069]      FIG. 10A  is a top view of sliding-tab seal parts for a circular audio speaker. Wall  1012 A includes wall tabs  1022 A. Between wall tabs  1022 A are cutouts to accommodate speaker tabs  1026 A, which extend out from speaker  1016 A. Between speaker  1016 A and wall  1012 A is resilient layer  1051 A. Resilient layer  1051 A and speaker  1016 A rest on a ring-shaped shoulder recessed into wall  1012 A and surrounding speaker aperture  1062 A by which the sound from the speaker exits the parent device. In this view, the hidden line defines the edge of speaker aperture  1062 A. To seal speaker  1016 A to wall  1012 A, speaker  1016 A is rotated in one of motion directions  1010 A to slide (and optionally lock) speaker tabs  1026 A under wall tabs  1022 A. Section A-A roughly corresponds to the views in  FIGS. 9A , C, and D: along a roughly tangential line that does not intersect speaker aperture  1062 A. Section B-B roughly corresponds to the view in  FIG. 10C : along a roughly radial line that does intersect speaker aperture  1062 A. 
         [0070]      FIG. 10B  is a top view of sliding-tab seal parts for a rectangular audio speaker. Wall  1012 B includes wall tabs  1022 B. Between wall tabs  1022 B are spaces to accommodate speaker tabs  1026 B, which extend out from speaker  1016 B. Between speaker  1016 B and wall  1012 B is resilient layer  1051 B. Resilient layer  1051 B and speaker  1016 B rest on a rectangular shoulder recessed into wall  1012 B and surrounding speaker aperture  1062 B by which the sound from the speaker exits the parent device. In this view, some of speaker aperture  1062 B is visible because speaker  1016 B has not yet been slid into place/To seal speaker  1016 B to wall  1012 B, speaker  1016 B is pushed or pulled in motion direction  1010 B to slide (and optionally lock) speaker tabs  1026 B under wall tabs  1022 B. 
         [0071]      FIGS. 10C-10E  are cross-sections through either A-A or B-B of  FIG. 10A , illustrating different snap-locking designs. The snap-lock added to the sliding tabs holds the tabs in place, allowing looser tolerances than a friction fit, and provides an audible or tactile “click,” which may be sensed by human or some robotic assemblers, when the tabs are overlapped and locked correctly. 
         [0072]    In  FIG. 10C , wall tab  1022 . 1  has an approximately conical bump  1042 . 1 . Speaker tab  1026 . 1  has a complementary recess  1046 . 1  into which conical bump  1042 . 1  clicks. The same cross-section also represents an embodiment in which 1042.1 is a V-shaped ridge extending in and out of the page and  1046 . 1  is a corresponding parallel groove. 
         [0073]    In  FIG. 10D , wall tab  1022 . 2  has a downward-extending latch  1042 . 2 . Speaker tab  1026 . 2  has a complementary upward-extending latch  1046 . 2  into which downward-extending latch  1042 . 2  clicks. 
         [0074]    In  FIG. 10E , wall tab  1022 . 3  has a spherical bump  1042 . 3 . As illustrated, spherical bump  1042 . 3  is spring-loaded, but the spring may be omitted if the resiliency of the resilient layer (not shown in this view) is high enough to make the spring unnecessary. Speaker tab  1026 . 3  has a complementary hole  1046 . 3  into which spherical bump  1042 . 3  clicks. 
         [0075]      FIG. 10F  is a sectional view through section B-B of  FIG. 10A  illustrating another way to arrange the wall tabs. In  FIGS. 9A-D , the leading edge of speaker tab  926  slides toward wall tab standoff  932  when the speaker is rotated or translated in the locking direction. In  FIG. 10F , the leading edge of speaker tab  926  slides past wall tab standoff  1032  when the speaker is rotated or translated in the locking direction. As illustrated, speaker  1016  is rotated relative to wall  1012  to slide speaker tab  1026  under wall tab  1022 . Speaker aperture  1062  and wall shoulder  1072  are visible in this view. 
         [0076]      FIG. 10G  is an illustration of an embodiment of the ball-and-hole latch of  FIG. 10E  through section A-A of  FIG. 10A . Top surface S of speaker tab  1026 . 4  may be tapered in one or more places that may become leading edge(s) for the sliding tabs, to make it smoother and easier to slide speaker tab  1026 . 4  under the latch portion of wall tab  1022 . 4 . Although the illustration shows a ball-and-hole latch, the technique may also be used with other latch designs. 
         [0077]      FIGS. 11A-11D  are perspective views of examples of tabbed speaker parts and assemblies. 
         [0078]      FIG. 11A  is a perspective view of a tabbed integrated front piece of a round speaker. The single piece includes diaphragm  1103 , speaker tab  1126 . 1 , and ridge  1136  that may be used to position the opening of a gasket or O-ring. 
         [0079]      FIG. 11B  is a perspective view of the back of a tabbed round speaker. Around the edges of basket  1107 . 1  are speaker cog teeth  1124 . Installation tool  1110  has complementary tool cog teeth  1120 . The tabbed speaker can be installed from the back, either manually or automatically, by meshing tool cog teeth  1120  with speaker cog teeth  1124 , pushing down to compress the gasket, O-ring, or other resilient layer (not shown in this view), and twisting to move speaker tabs  1126 . 2  under the corresponding wall tabs (not shown in this view). 
         [0080]    As illustrated, the speaker has the same number of cog teeth  1124  as speaker tab  1126 . 2 , and cog teeth  1124  are aligned to speaker tab  1126 . 2 . Neither of these is necessary for the general approach to function; the numbers may be different, and the alignment is arbitrary. 
         [0081]      FIG. 11C  is a perspective view of the back of a tabbed rectangular speaker. Speaker tabs  1126 . 3  extending out from frame  1114  have notches N for a clicking feedback when speaker tab  1126 . 3  are slid under the corresponding wall tabs (not shown in this view) to the desired position. Front tab F (for the explanation of this figure, “front” is temporarily redefined as “the direction in which the speaker slides into place”) is optional for some embodiments. 
         [0082]    Alternatively, the speaker could be positioned by a click-notch in front tab F, with the side tabs having a smooth top surface. That notch may be oriented in the same absolute direction as notches N, which would make it a lengthwise notch in tab F, compared to crosswise notches N in the side tabs. 
         [0083]    A tool analogous to tool  1110  in  FIG. 11B  could be used to install the speaker of  FIG. 11C  by meshing with the corner cutouts of baskets  1107 . 2  and  1107 . 3 , pushing down to compress the resilient layer (not shown in this view), and sliding the speaker in a straight line rather than rotating it. 
         [0084]      FIG. 11D  is a perspective view of the back of an installed rectangular speaker on a parent-device wall  1102 . The speaker in this example has a single basket  1107 . 4 . Clamp tabs  1122  extend from raised lip  1112  to grasp and hold the edges of frame  1114 . 
         [0085]    Materials for speaker covers, frames, and baskets include hard, rigid plastics and lightweight metals such as aluminum and magnesium. Materials for resilient layers include elastomers and other elastically compressible materials. 
         [0086]    The preceding Description and accompanying Drawings describe examples of embodiments in some detail to aid understanding. However, the scope of protection may also include equivalents, permutations, and combinations that are not explicitly described herein. Only the appended claims (along with those of parent, child, or divisional patents, if any) define the limits of the protected intellectual-property rights.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7