Abstract:
A wireless portable audio speaker having a configurable reversibly attachable strap is disclosed. The strap is configured to be attached to multiple channels on the speaker housing via a rod to easily and quickly facilitate different strap configuration that can enhance the user experience and provide additional versatility to the speaker.

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/275,623, filed on Jan. 6, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Field 
         [0003]    This patent application generally relates to wireless speakers, and more specifically to such wireless speakers that include configurable hand or mounting straps. 
         [0004]    Background Information 
         [0005]    These days portable wireless speakers are being used in increasingly varied environments, from protected indoor environments such as in the office, kitchen, and bedroom to more rugged environments such as camping, hiking, climbing, travel, leisure, beach, boating, canoeing, fishing, surfing, paddle boarding, off-road driving. Indeed, it is not uncommon for such speakers to be used in the shower one day and taken on a camping trip the next day. The applicants here, in an effort to continue to enhance the overall user experience, have recognized a need to support the versatility of use for such speakers through new and innovative configurable hand and mounting straps as described herein. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The subject matter of this disclosure is generally directed to portable battery powered wireless speakers that include configurable hand or mounting straps that can be positioned by the user in different locations on the speaker housing. The aspects and embodiments set forth in the claims, described in the drawings and written description provided or otherwise disclosed herein may be combined to form claims for a device, apparatus, system, methods of manufacture and/or use in any way disclosed herein without limitation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    These and other features, aspects and advantages, as to its structure, operation, and manufacture are described below with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. Though components in the figures are often illustrated to scale, emphasis of these drawings instead should be placed upon illustrating the principles of the various inventive aspects disclosed herein. Moreover, all illustrations are intended to convey concepts, where relative sizes, shapes and other detailed attributes may be illustrated schematically rather than literally or precisely. 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front top side perspective view of a representative wireless portable battery powered stereo speaker with a looped strap attached on both ends to the top side of the speaker in a first configuration position for handling or mounting. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 2A-2F  are front, rear, left, right, top and bottom views of the speaker illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the speaker illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2F  with one end of the strap being disconnected from the top side of the speaker. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of the speaker illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  with one end of the strap being disconnected from the top side of the speaker and being positioned for connection to the bottom side of the speaker. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the speaker illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4  with one end of the strap being connected to the opposing bottom side of the speaker to form a second configuration position for handling or mounting. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0013]    As illustrated in foregoing drawings in  FIGS. 1-5 , the speaker  100  includes front, rear, left, right, top, bottom sides  110 ,  120 ,  130 ,  140 ,  150 ,  170 , respectively, and is comprised of an internal relatively rigid plastic or metal housing or enclosure  190  that houses the speaker electronics, rechargeable battery, wireless (e.g., BLUETOOTH or Bluetooth Low Energy) module and various interfaces. The speaker includes a strap  200  that has a first end  210  and a second end  220  that are connected to or connectable to the housing  190 . The second end  220  is configured to be removable and reconnected to the housing  190  at multiple locations. The first end  210  is configured to be either permanently attached to the housing  190  or configured like the second end  220  to be removable and reconnected to the housing  190  at multiple locations. 
         [0014]    In the illustrated implementation, the front side  110  of the speaker  100  includes a perforated panel or grill  112  behind which the speaker components reside. The grill  112  may be made of metal, such as aluminum or plastic or fabric or other suitable material. The rear side  120  of the speaker  100  may include one or more feet or stand pads  122  that can provide a support surface and additional impact resistance to the speaker  100  when the rear side  120  is positioned to lie on a support surface so that the front side  110  facing up. The stand pads  122  may also be included in other regions of the speaker including the left, right, bottom and top sides to allow the speaker to stand when any of those sides are being supported by a support surface. The left side  130  of the speaker  100  includes multiple control buttons, such as power button  132  and volume buttons  134 ,  136 , which facilitate the operation of the speaker. 
         [0015]    The top side  150  of the speaker includes a first attachment connection  152  that can fixedly attach the first end  210  of the strap  200  to the top of the speaker housing  190 . The first attachment connection  152  may, for example, include a slot or aperture  205  that extends through the housing  190 , with the strap  200  being threaded through the aperture  205  in housing  190  and secured mechanically thereto at the first end  210 , for example, by an anchor component that is sized larger than the aperture  205 . Securing the first end  210  of the strap  200  to the housing at the first attachment connection  152  may also be accomplished by use of adhesive or other mechanical means such as rivets, screws, or clips that attached the first end  210  to the housing  190  at the first attachment connection  152 . In this implementation, the first end  210  of the strap  200  would be permanently fixedly attached to the housing  190  at the first attachment connection  152  location. In another embodiment, the first end  210  of the strap  200  is detachable from the first attachment connection  152  location. 
         [0016]    The second end  220  of the strap  200  is fixedly attachable and detachable to the housing  190  at multiple attachment connection  153  locations. In the illustrated implementation, the multiple locations are positioned on opposing top and bottom sides  150 ,  170  of the housing  190 . It should be understood, however, that the attachment connections may be elsewhere positioned or be greater in number to allow for greater flexibility and versatility. Thus for example the connections  153  may be provide at the left and right sides or in the middle of the back surface of the speaker housing. Also the position of the first attachment connection  152  may be configured to be located in corresponding location or proximity to the location of the connections  153 . 
         [0017]    The second attachment connection  253  is comprised of a rod  230  having a front end  232  and a rear end  234 , the rod  230  being permanently attached at the second end  220  of the strap  200  at its mid-section and dimensioned and configured to be received within an open ended  161  and open sided  162  channel  160  that is formed into the housing  190  at the attachment connection  253  locations. 
         [0018]    In operation, the front end  232  of the rod  230  is slid through the open end  161  of the channel  160  so that the strap  200  extending from the rod  230  slides through the open side  162  of the channel  160 . The width and thickness of the strap  200  are configured to and dimensioned to correspond with the length and width of the open side  162  of the channel  160 . The opposing end  163  of the channel  160  is not open but rather is closed to provide a hard stop when the rod  230  is inserted into the channel  160 . The user can detach the strap  200  from the receiving channel  160 , by sliding the rod  230  outward from the open end  161  of the channel and reconnect the strap at another location on the speaker that has the requisite channel  160  connection. 
         [0019]    To better secure the rod  230  in a fixed position within the channel  160 , the internal side of the receiving channel  160  can be provided with one or more bumps or protrusions (not shown) that can assist in securing or locking the inserted rod  230  within the channel  160  in fixed position. The protrusion may be received within a corresponding recess in the rod  230  to further lock the rod in place or may be configured to facilitate retention of the rod  230  within the channel  160  via friction. Other types of locking mechanism may be employed to secure the rod  230  in the receiving channel  160 . For example, the receiving channel  160  may have a spring loaded protrusion or detent and the rod  230  may have corresponding recess  236  or protrusions near the configured to the spring loaded elements in the channel  160 , or vice versa. 
         [0020]    The rod  230  and channel  160  connections provide a quick and easy attachment and detachment mechanism of strap  200  to the speaker housing  190  so that various handling or mounting configurations may be provided to fit the user&#39;s needs. 
         [0021]    Thus, for example, when the strap  200  is connected at both ends  210  and  220  to the top of the speaker housing  190  (as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2A-2F ), the strap  200  forms a loop that can be readily attached to a shower head or hung on a tree branch, a tent post, a backpack, a bicycle, a motorcycle, inside or outside of a vehicle, or other places as desired. When the strap  200  is connected to opposing sides of the speaker  100  (as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ), the strap  200  may be used to hold the speaker on the palm of the user&#39;s hand (with the strap  200  extending across the back of the user&#39;s hand) or may be suitable for strapping the speaker on a flat surface or plank or other objects. 
         [0022]    The strap  200  is preferably made of synthetic materials, such as nylon. The opposing sides of the strap  200  may be differently constructed or may be identical to one another. For example, the inner side of the strap may include a layer of cushioning material or padding to provide comfort to the user when held in the user&#39;s hand. The strap  200  may also be configured or constructed to be adjustable in length or elastic so that it can stretch or mechanically adjusted using tension or friction clips to different lengths to facilitate attachment to different objects more readily. It should also be understood that multiple straps  200  may be provided with the speaker  100  and that those straps  200  may be of different lengths and constructions but yet employ the same rod and channel connection mechanisms on either end as previously described above. 
         [0023]    The housing  190  may be constructed of molded plastic or polymer and the receiving channels  160  may be molded into the housing. Similarly, the straps  200  may be constructed of molded materials such as plastic and the rods  230  or anchors one or more ends may be molded or co-molded with the strap  200 . 
         [0024]    While the disclosure has been described in connection with specific examples and various embodiments, it should be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and adaptations of the invention described herein are possible without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter. Thus, it is to be clearly understood that this application is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention claimed below. The description is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptation of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention, and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known and customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains.