PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11128943-B2
Application Number: US-201916564804-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Earphones

Abstract:
An earpiece is described that includes a driver housing that encloses an audio driver. The driver housing is oriented so that a first end of the driver housing can be supported by a concha bowl of a user&#39;s ear and a second end opposite the first end can tilt outside of the user&#39;s ear so that the ear need not accommodate an entirety of the driver housing. The driver housing is held in place by an ear clip that engages an exterior portion of the user&#39;s ear and attaches to the driver housing by way of a bridge element that can enclose other electronic components such as a battery, antenna, processor and the like.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An earpiece, comprising:
 a driver housing having a first portion and a second portion; 
 an ear clip; and 
 a bridge element having a first end coupled to the ear clip and positioned above a second end when the earpiece is worn by a user, the second end coupled to the driver housing such that an upper portion of the driver housing tilts toward the bridge element and a lower portion of the driver housing tilts away from the bridge element, the driver housing tilted with respect to the bridge element such that when the earpiece is worn by the user the lower portion of the driver housing rests in a concha bowl of the ear of the user and is positioned further in the ear of the user than the upper portion and the upper portion protrudes at least partially out of the ear. 
 
     
     
       2. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the ear clip is configured to wrap around and engage an upper portion of the ear of the user. 
     
     
       3. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the driver housing is angled from the lower portion to the upper portion at an angle of between 10 and 30 degrees relative to a side of the user&#39;s head. 
     
     
       4. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of user input controls positioned upon the bridge element. 
     
     
       5. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a neck portion between the driver housing and the bridge element, the neck portion having a substantially smaller diameter than the driver housing. 
     
     
       6. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the driver housing comprises a nozzle that protrudes from the driver housing and toward an ear canal of a user at an angle of between 40 and 60 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the driver housing. 
     
     
       7. The earpiece as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising an earpiece tip engaging a distal end of the nozzle, the earpiece tip defining a first acoustic channel that is more than twice as long as a second acoustic channel defined by the nozzle. 
     
     
       8. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a battery disposed within an interior volume defined by the bridge element. 
     
     
       9. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second end of the bridge element is angled between 30 and 60 degrees above the first end of the bridge element. 
     
     
       10. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first end of the bridge element defines a microphone opening and the bridge element comprises a microphone positioned in the first end and oriented to receive audio waves through the microphone opening. 
     
     
       11. The earpiece as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the earpiece further comprises a sensor configured to measure a distance between the driver housing and one or more interior surfaces of the ear. 
     
     
       12. The earpiece as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the driver housing defines a sensor opening and the sensor is oriented to detect the distance through the sensor opening. 
     
     
       13. The earpiece as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor. 
     
     
       14. An earpiece, comprising:
 a bridge element having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end positioned above the second first end when the earpiece is worn in an ear of a user; 
 an ear clip coupled to the first end of the bridge element; and 
 a driver housing coupled to the second end of the bridge element at an angle such that an upper portion of the driver housing tilts toward the bridge element and a lower portion of the driver housing tilts away from the bridge element, the driver housing tilted with respect to the bridge element such that when the earpiece is worn in the ear of the user the lower portion of the driver housing is positioned further in the ear of the user than the upper portion. 
 
     
     
       15. The earpiece as recited in  claim 14 , wherein a central portion of the driver housing disposed between the upper and lower portions of the driver housing is coupled to the bridge element by a neck portion that has a smaller diameter than the driver housing. 
     
     
       16. The earpiece as recited in  claim 15 , further comprising a nozzle protruding from the driver housing at an angle of between 40 and 60 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the driver housing. 
     
     
       17. The earpiece as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising an audio driver disposed within the driver housing. 
     
     
       18. The earpiece as recited in  claim 17 , wherein a front of the audio driver is oriented to emit audio waves out of a first audio port defined by the driver housing and the driver housing further defines a second audio port configured to allow airflow between a back of the audio driver and the surrounding environment. 
     
     
       19. The earpiece as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the bridge element encloses a battery and at least a portion of an antenna.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/823,557, filed Mar. 25, 2019, the disclosures of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This disclosure generally relates to features related to a wired or wireless earpiece. In particular, an earpiece configuration that maximizes the size of an audio driver housing for a given ear size is disclosed. 
     BACKGROUND 
     While wearable headphone devices have been in circulation for many years, achieving a good balance between sound output quality and a secure/comfortable fit can be challenging. For example, while a design that relies upon an earpiece tip engaging a user&#39;s ear canal to stay in place might provide good audio playback quality and passive noise cancellation, the design can also become uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time due to discomfort associated with the user&#39;s ear canal being responsible for supporting the earpiece. Similarly, while a design using a hook, ear clip or other retention device can keep the wearable headphone device securely in place, the hook or ear clip could cause a portion of the headphone designed to engage the ear to be misaligned. For the aforementioned reasons, a design that balances good sound output quality with a secure and comfortable fit is desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     This disclosure describes various earpiece configurations well suited for producing high quality audio and fitting a broad range of users. 
     An earpiece is disclosed and includes the following: a driver housing having a first portion and a second portion; an ear clip; and a bridge element having a first end coupled to the driver housing and a second end coupled to the ear clip, the driver housing being tilted with respect to the bridge such that when the earpiece is being worn, the first portion rests in a concha bowl of an ear and the second portion tilts away and protrudes at least partially out of the ear. 
     An earpiece is disclosed and includes the following: a bridge element having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; an ear clip coupled to the first end of the bridge element; and a driver housing coupled to the second end of the bridge element at an angle such that a first portion of the driver housing tilts toward the bridge element and a second portion of the driver housing tilts away from the bridge element. 
     Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the described embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  shows an exemplary electronic device suitable for use with the described embodiments; 
         FIG. 1B  shows an earpiece positioned within an ear of a user; 
         FIG. 2  shows a partial cross-sectional rear view of a driver housing supported by a concha bowl of an ear of a user; 
         FIG. 3  shows a user facing side of an earpiece; 
         FIG. 4  shows an upward facing surface of a driver housing and how a nozzle can be angled inward toward a user&#39;s ear canal to align the nozzle with the ear canal of the user of an earpiece; 
         FIG. 5  shows a top view of a driver housing and how a forward end of the driver housing can be tilted slightly outward by an angle that follows a contour of a user&#39;s concha bowl; 
         FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional side view of an earpiece tip attached to nozzle of an earpiece; and 
         FIG. 7  shows a schematic diagram of an interior of an earpiece along with interior components disposed therein. 
     
    
    
     As a general rule, and unless it is evident to the contrary from the description, where elements in different figures use identical reference numbers, the elements are generally either identical or at least similar in function or purpose. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Representative applications of methods and apparatus according to the present application are described in this section. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible, such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting. 
     In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordance with the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the described embodiments, it is understood that these examples are not limiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the described embodiments. 
     An apparatus well suited to securing an earpiece within a user&#39;s ear is a key design feature for earpieces intended for use during exercise or other active goings-on. However, when securing mechanisms makes the earpieces uncomfortable to wear, the user will not get the maximum amount of utility from the earpieces since it will be harder to wear the earpieces for extended amounts of time, thereby negatively impacting the user experience. For example, a securing mechanism that presses the earpiece against sensitive portions of the ear can cause significant pain to a user making extended use of the earpiece unmanageable at best. 
     One solution to this proper fit issue is to optimize a design of the earpiece so that an overall shape of the earpiece conforms to as many internal features of a user&#39;s ear as possible. While no two ears are exactly the same, the earpiece can be designed to conform with features shared by a majority of the population. Equipping the earpiece with an ear clip reduces the need for a driver housing of the earpiece to rely solely upon the ear canal for stabilizing it and keeping it in place within the ear. Consequently, the stabilization provided by the ear clip allows the driver housing of the earpiece to be tilted away from the user&#39;s ear in a first direction so that the driver housing is positioned partially outside of a region of the ear between the concha bowl and crus helix. Because a portion of the driver housing can be positioned outside of the region, the driver housing can be larger and/or fit a larger population of users. Other refinements in the geometry of the driver housing include tilting the driver housing slightly away from the ear of the user in a second direction and slightly upward in a third direction. A nozzle of the driver housing can then be angled toward the ear canal of the user. 
     An earpiece tip of the earpiece that fits over the nozzle can be formed from conformal material and define a first acoustic pathway that is substantially longer than a second acoustic pathway defined by the nozzle. This configuration can result in further improvements in the fit and comfort of the earpiece as the earpiece tip conforms with the ear canal, thereby minimizing the application of uncomfortable forces upon the ear canal of the user. This conformal earpiece tip configuration is possible since the earpiece is supported both by a securing mechanism that engages an exterior of the user&#39;s ear and interaction between the driver housing and concha bowl. For at least these reasons, the earpiece tip need only provide a nominal amount of retaining force for the earpiece. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1A-7 ; however, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
       FIG. 1A  shows a portable media device  100  suitable for use with a variety of accessory devices. Portable media device  100  can include touch sensitive display  102  configured to provide a touch sensitive user interface for controlling portable media device  100  and in some embodiments any accessories to which portable media device  100  is electrically or wirelessly coupled. In some embodiments, portable media device  100  can include additional controls such as, for example, push button  104 . Portable media device  100  can also include multiple hard-wired input/output (I/O) ports that include digital I/O port  106  and analog I/O port  108 . An accessory device can take the form of an audio device that includes two separate earpieces  110 . Each of earpieces  110  can include wireless receivers or transceivers capable of establishing a wireless link  111  to establish a two way communication pathway with portable media device  100 . Earpieces  110  are shown including earpiece tips for establishing a sealed or substantially sealed acoustic pathway configured to deliver audio waves to the ear canal of a user. Alternatively, an accessory device can also be compatible with portable media device  100  and take the form of a wired audio device that includes earpieces  140 . Earpieces  140  can be electrically coupled to each other and to a connector plug  142  by a number of wires. In some embodiments, the wires of earpieces  140  only electrically couple each other together, relying upon a wireless transceiver to communicate with portable media device  100 . In embodiments where connector plug  142  is an analog plug, sensors within either one of earpieces  140  can receive power through analog I/O port  108  while transmitting data by way of a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth, Wifi, or the like. In embodiments where connector plug  142  interacts with digital I/O port  106 , sensor data and audio data can be freely passed through the wires during use of portable media device  100  and earpieces  140 . Earpieces  140  are shown with earpiece tips removed to show details of acoustic nozzles of earpieces  140 . 
       FIG. 1B  shows a view of one of earpieces  110  positioned to generate audio waves and direct those audio waves into an ear  150  of a user. Earpiece  110  includes a bridge element  112  that takes the form of a housing component that encloses electrical components such as a battery, a wireless communication module, a processor/controller, a printed circuit board and the like within a first interior volume. A first end of bridge element  112  is coupled to a driver housing  114  and a second end of bridge element  112  opposite the first end is coupled to ear clip  116 . In some embodiments, one or more of the electrical components within the first interior volume can be electrically coupled to an audio driver assembly enclosed by driver housing  114  within a second interior volume. The audio driver assembly can include components such as a permanent magnet, an electrically conductive coil, a diaphragm and other components generally associated with audio driver assemblies. In some embodiments, a flexible circuit can extend through an interior channel extending between the first interior volume defined by bridge element  112  and the second interior volume defined by driver housing  114 . The flexible circuit can be configured to electrically couple the audio driver assembly to electrical components such as the printed circuit board within bridge element  112 . In addition to enclosing electrical components that help support operation of the audio driver assembly within driver housing  114 , bridge element can also include a number of user interface controls. For example, bridge element  112  includes user interface controls  118  and  110 . In some embodiments user interface control  118  can take the form of a push button while in other embodiments user interface control  118  can take the form of a two position, three position, or multi-position slider switch. In some embodiments, ear clip  116  can take the form of a flexible clip configured to be supported within a channel defined by a pinna  152  of ear  150  and a side of a user&#39;s head. Ear clip  116  can optionally include other electrical components such as flexible battery cells that provide energy to earpiece  110  and/or one or more antenna elements that improve wireless performance of earpiece  110 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a partial cross-sectional rear view of driver housing  114  supported by a concha bowl  202  of an ear  150  of a user. Ear clip  116  is disposed within a channel  204  and engages a portion of ear  150  proximate pinna  152  of ear  150  and a side of a user&#39;s head.  FIG. 2  also shows how driver housing  114  can be tilted at an angle  206  away from a vertical axis  207  so that an upper portion of driver housing  114  protrudes at least slightly out of ear  150 . An angle  206  at which driver housing  114  is tilted can be between 10 and 30 degrees to reduce an effective height of driver housing  114  within the ear, thereby allowing for a larger driver housing and/or for a user with a smaller than average distance between concha bowl  202  and crus helix  208  to comfortably use earpiece  110 . A driver housing design that remains clear of crus helix  208  can be quite important since crus helix  208  tends to be sensitive to any substantial amount of pressure. Consequently, engagement of crus helix  208  by driver housing  114  can cause the earpiece to be quite uncomfortable. By tilting the orientation of driver housing  114  in this way, the audio driver assembly within driver housing  114  can be substantially larger than it would otherwise be for a configuration in which driver housing  114  had a purely vertical orientation. Clearly were driver housing  114  oriented vertically driver housing  114  would be uncomfortable or completely unwearable as it would press into crux helix  208 . 
       FIG. 2  also shows additional features of earpiece  110 . In particular, a microphone opening  209  can be positioned proximate user interface control  118 . In some embodiments, microphone opening  209  along with a corresponding microphone disposed within bridge element  112  can be configured to provide audio wave monitoring for facilitating the use of earpiece  110  for a phone call or for voice recording. Microphone opening  209  can also be configured to assist in an active noise cancelling system. Earpiece  110  can include a neck region  210  positioned at an interface between driver housing  114  and bridge element  112 . Neck region  210  is tapered so that portions of earpiece  110  can avoid contact with a tragus and anti-tragus of ear  150  when earpiece  110  is worn within ear  150 . A length of neck region  210  is sized to help position the bridge element and ear clip in the correct position based on the location of the driver enclosure within the concha. Earpiece  110  can also include a sensor window  212 . In some embodiments, an infrared transmitter and receiver can be configured to transmit and receive infrared waves through sensor window  212  to measure a distance between driver housing  114  and one or more interior surfaces of ear  150 . In this way, the distance measurement can be used to help determine whether or not earpiece  110  is currently being worn by a user. It should be noted that other types of optical sensors can be positioned behind sensor window  212 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a user facing side of earpiece  110 . In particular a size and shape of driver housing  114  is depicted. Driver housing  114  includes a horizontally aligned sensor window  212  through which an optical sensor can determine a proximity of driver housing  114  to a user&#39;s ear. Driver housing  114  also includes a nozzle  302  through which audio waves propagate to a user of earpiece  110 . Nozzle  302  is tilted slightly upward by an angle  304  of between 1 and 10 degrees. In some embodiments, this angle can be between 3 and 5 degrees. This slight upward tilt to nozzle  302  helps to align nozzle  302  more precisely with a user&#39;s ear canal, thereby helping earpiece fit a broader range of users.  FIG. 3  also shows how bridge element  112  is oriented diagonally upward by an angle  306  from a horizontal axis  307  of between 30 and 60 degrees to attach to ear clip  116 . In some embodiments, angling bridge element  112  upward by angle  306  in this manner can help avoid contact between bridge element  112  and a lower portion of a user&#39;s ear. 
       FIG. 4  shows an upward facing surface of driver housing  114  and how nozzle  302  can be angled inward toward a user&#39;s ear canal by an angle  402  of between 40 and 60 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis  404  of driver housing  114  to more precisely align nozzle  302  with the ear canal of the user of earpiece  110 .  FIG. 4  also shows an acoustic port  406  positioned along an exterior of driver housing  114 . Acoustic port  406  can be configured to expand an effective size of a back volume of air for an audio driver positioned within driver housing  114 . Nozzle  302  is shown including a ridge  304  that helps keep an earpiece tip (not depicted) affixed to nozzle  302 .  FIG. 4  also depicts previously described user interface controls  118  and  110 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a top view of driver housing  114  and how a longitudinal axis  502  of driver housing  114  can be tilted slightly outward by an angle  504  from a horizontal axis  506  to follow a contour of a user&#39;s concha bowl. Angle  502  can be an angle of between 1 and 5 degrees.  FIG. 5  also shows how an earpiece tip  508  can be affixed to nozzle  302 . Earpiece tip  508  can be formed from conformal material such as silicone or rubber and helps establish a closed acoustic pathway between a distal end of nozzle  302  and an ear canal of a user. Because driver housing is held securely in place by an ear clip and internal features of a user&#39;s ear such as the concha bowl, earpiece tip  508  need not be responsible for retaining earpiece  110  in place. For this reason, earpiece tip  508  can be formed from particularly flexible materials well suited to provide a comfortable fit within the ear canal and conform to any irregularities positioned proximate to or within a user&#39;s ear canal. 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional side view of earpiece tip  508  attached to nozzle of an earpiece. In some embodiments, a length of a channel  602  defined by earpiece tip  508  can be substantially longer than a length of nozzle  302 . In some embodiments and as depicted, a channel  602  defined by earpiece tip  508  can be two or three times as long as a channel  604  defined by nozzle  302 . By reducing a length of the nozzle with respect to the earpiece tip an overall comfort of the earpiece tip within a user&#39;s ear can be improved since nozzle  302  need not enter the ear canal of the user as configured. This reduction in the length of nozzle  302  is possible since earpiece  110  does not rely solely upon the engagement of the ear canal by nozzle  302  and earpiece tip  508  to stabilize earpiece  110  within the user&#39;s ear. Similarly, an outer diameter of nozzle  302  can be substantially reduced as the outer diameter need not be wide enough to create a robust interference fit with the ear canal of a user. For example, an outer diameter  606  of nozzle  302  can be between 4 mm and 7 mm and an inner diameter  608  of nozzle  302  can be between 2 mm and 5 mm. In some exemplary embodiments, a length of nozzle  302  can have a length  610  of between 3 and 6 mm. It should be noted that a distal end of nozzle  302  can include a lip configured to support a mesh cover  614  configured to prevent the passage of foreign particles into channel  604  of nozzle  302 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a schematic diagram of an interior of earpiece  700  along with interior components disposed therein. The schematic view indicates how a geometry of earpiece  700  can differ in some respects from the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . In some embodiments, earpiece  700  can include bridge element  702  and driver housing  704 , which cooperatively form a device housing of earpiece  700 . Driver housing  704  can have a size and/or shape that allows it to be easily inserted within the ear of an end user. The device housing defines an interior volume within which numerous electrical components can be distributed. In particular, a sensor  706  can be situated within or at least supported by driver housing  704 . As depicted, sensor  706  can be arranged within and close an opening in driver housing  704 . In this way, sensor  706  can have an exterior facing sensing surface capable of interacting with and measuring external stimuli. In some embodiments, sensor  706  can take the form of a proximity sensor. In other embodiments, sensor  706  can be a biometric sensor. Driver housing  704  can also include nozzle  708  with an opening  710  at a distal end of nozzle  708  that provides a channel through which audio signals generated by audio driver  712  can be transmitted out and into the ear canal of a user of earpiece  700 , as indicated by the arrow. 
     In some embodiments, sensor  706  can take the form of a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor. A PPG sensor utilizes a pulse oximeter to illuminate a patch of skin and measure changes in light absorption of the skin. The pulse oximeter can include one or more light emitting devices and one or more light collecting devices. In some embodiments, the light emitting device can take the form of a light emitting diode (LED) and the light collecting device can take the form of a photodiode for measuring the changes in light absorption. The changes in light absorption can be caused by the profusion of blood within the skin during each cardiac cycle. Because the profusion of blood into the skin can be affected by multiple other physiological systems this type of biometric monitoring system can provide many types of biometric information. By capturing wave forms associated with the cycling profusion of blood to the skin, multiple biometric parameters can be collected including, for example, heart rate, blood volume and respiratory rate. By using LEDs that emit different wavelengths of light additional data can be gathered such as, for example, VO 2  max (i.e., the maximal rate of oxygen absorption by the body). By arranging sensor  706  in the depicted position with respect to driver housing  704 , sensor  706  can be placed in close proximity to a user&#39;s ear, thereby allowing sensor readings made by a pulse oximeter. In some embodiments, sensor  706  can take the form of a core temperature sensor. Other embodiments of sensor  706  include embodiments in which sensor  706  takes the form of an electrode. When the earbud is a wired earbud electrically coupled to another earbud with an electrode, the electrodes can cooperatively measure a number of different biometric parameters. In some embodiments, the electrodes can be configured to measure the galvanic skin response (GSR) of a user. A GSR can be useful in determining an amount of stress being experienced by the user at any given moment in time. In some embodiments, the electrodes can be used to measure more detailed parameters of the heart rate by when the electrodes are configured as an electrocardiogram (EKG) sensor or an impedance cardiography (ICG) sensor. 
     Sensor  706  can be in electrical communication with at least controller  714 , which is responsible for controlling various aspects of earpiece  700 . For example, controller  714  can gather biometric sensor data recorded by sensor  706  and pass that data along to input/ouput (I/O) interface  710 . I/O interface  716  can be configured to transmit the sensor data to another device such as, for example, portable media device  100  by way of wireless link  717  where I/O interface  716  takes the form of a wireless transceiver. Alternatively, I/O interface  716  can take the form of a wired connector similar to the configuration depicted with earpieces  140 . In addition to providing a conduit for transmitting sensor data provided by sensor  706 , I/O interface  716  can also be used to receive audio content that can be processed by controller  714  and sent on to audio driver  712 . Audio driver  712  can include a diaphragm, driver magnet and electrically conductive coil for inducing the diaphragm to generate audio waves. I/O interface  716  can also receive control signals from a device similar to portable media device  100  for accomplishing tasks such as adjusting a volume output of audio driver  712  or modifying a sensitivity, priority or duty cycle of sensor  706 . When I/O interface  716  takes the form of a wireless transceiver, I/O interface  716  can include an antenna configured to transmit and receive signals through an antenna window or an opening defined by bridge element  702 . This can be particularly important when bridge element  702  is formed of radio opaque material. In some embodiments, I/O interface  716  can also represent one or more exterior controls (e.g. buttons and/or switches) for performing tasks such as pairing earpiece  700  with another device or adjusting various settings of earpiece  700  such as volume or the like. 
     Earpiece  700  can also include a memory  718 , which can be configured to carry out any number of tasks. For example, memory  718  can be configured to store media content when a user of earpiece  700  wants to use earpiece  700  independent from any other device. In such a use case, memory  718  can be loaded with one or more media files for independent playback. When earpiece  700  is being used with another device, memory  718  can also be used to buffer media data received from the other device. In the independent use case described above, memory  718  can also be used to store sensor data recorded by sensor  706 . The sensor data can then be sent to a device along the lines of portable media device  100  once the two devices are in communication. 
     With the exception of when I/O interface  716  is a wired interface that can provide power to earpiece  700  from another device or power source, battery  720  is generally used for powering operations of earpiece  700 . Battery  720  can provide the energy needed to perform any of a number of tasks including: maintain a wireless link  717 , powering controller  714 , driving audio driver  712 , powering sensor  702  and powering any other sensors disposed within earpiece  700  such as an accelerometer for tracking movement of the user. Other examples of sensors incorporated within earpiece  700  can include microphones, orientation sensors, proximity sensors or any other sensor suitable for improving the user experience of earpiece  700 . In some embodiments, one or more of the sensors can be used in combination with sensor  702  to improve accuracy or calibrate various results. It should be noted that other exemplary sensors are not required in all of the embodiments described herein. 
     Earpiece  700  can also include a compliant ear clip  722  coupled with an exterior surface of bridge element  702 . Compliant ear clip  722  can be configured to engage an upper portion of the ear of a user. As there can be large variations in the size and shape of the ears of any particular user, the compliant member allows earpiece  700  to conform to a number of different ear shapes and sizes. Furthermore, in some configurations compliant ear clip  722  can be removable so that various different ear clip sizes and shapes can be used to further customize the overall size of earbud  200  to the ear of any user. Compliant ear clip  722  can be made from any of a number of different types of materials including, for example, flexible polymeric materials, thin metallic clips and the like. 
     The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The described embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling the manufacturing or assembly operations described herein. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data, which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, HDDs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190909
Publication Date: 20210921
Grant Date: 20210921
Priority Date: 20190325
Inventors: HATFIELD, DUSTIN A.
WHANG, Eugene A.
BOYD, ROBERT A.
LE, DUY P.
TSAI, Yi-Fang D.
FEATHERS, David J.
AOYAGI, SHOTA
CORBIN, SEAN S.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04R1/105", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1041", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1075", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1041", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/105", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2201/109", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2460/01", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1016", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2420/07", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/105", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2420/07", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1041", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1075", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/105", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1016", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 72605320