IP Library Granted Patent US 11,503,399
Granted Patent B2
US 11,503,399 · App. 17/242,182 · Granted Nov 15, 2022

Replaceable mesh in portable electronic devices

Inventors: Mei Zhang (Cupertino, CA); Benjamin A. Cousins (Campbell, CA); Mohammad Soroush Ghahri Sarabi (Menlo Park, CA); Phillip Qian (Tokyo, JP); Sean T. McIntosh (Cupertino, CA); Michael B. Minerbi (San Francisco, CA); Lee M. Panecki (Los Gatos, CA)
Assignee: APPLE INC.
H04R1/1075H04R1/1016H04R2201/10H04R2420/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,503,399
App. No.
17/242,182
Granted
Nov 15, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A wireless earphone comprising a housing that defines an interior cavity having an inner surface and an outer surface; an opening extending through the housing from the inner surface to the outer surface; and a mesh assembly disposed over the opening and comprising a permanent assembly coupled to the housing and a replaceable assembly removably coupled to the permanent assembly and comprising a mesh.

Claims (17)

1. A wireless earphone comprising:

a housing that defines an interior cavity having an inner surface and an outer surface;

an opening extending through the housing from the inner surface to the outer surface; and

a mesh assembly disposed over the opening and comprising a permanent assembly coupled to the housing and a replaceable assembly removably coupled to the permanent assembly and comprising a mesh;

wherein the replaceable assembly is removably coupled to the permanent assembly by a wire form attachment.

2. The wireless earphone set forth in claim 1 wherein the mesh comprises an acoustic mesh and an outer cosmetic mesh.

3. A wireless earbud comprising:

a housing that defines an interior cavity having an inner surface and an outer surface;

an acoustic opening extending through the housing from the inner surface to the outer surface;

an audio driver disposed within the interior cavity and aligned to emit sound through the acoustic opening; and

a mesh assembly disposed over the acoustic opening, the mesh assembly comprising a permanent assembly affixed to the housing and a replaceable assembly removably coupled to the permanent assembly, the replaceable assembly comprising a mesh that includes an acoustic mesh and an outer cosmetic mesh;

wherein the mesh further comprises an annular frame having a central opening aligned with the acoustic opening and wherein the acoustic mesh is disposed between the annular frame and the cosmetic mesh.

4. The wireless earbud set forth in claim 3 wherein the permanent assembly comprises first and second springs, each spring including a finger at its distal end and wherein the replaceable assembly includes first and second opening formed through a sidewall of the annular frame where a finger of each spring is aligned with and protrudes through a respective one of the first or second openings when the replaceable assembly is coupled to the permanent assembly.

5. The wireless earbud set forth in claim 3 wherein the replaceable assembly comprises first and second springs, each spring including a tab at its distal end and wherein the permanent assembly includes first and second openings formed through the annular frame where a tab of each spring is aligned with and protrudes through a respective one of the first or second openings when the replaceable assembly is coupled to the permanent assembly.

6. The wireless earbud set forth in claim 5 wherein the first and second springs are wire form springs positioned in a mirrored relationship with each other.

7. The wireless earbud set forth in claim 6 wherein each wire form spring comprises first and second end segments at opposing ends of the spring and a central u-shaped section between the first and second end segments.

8. The wireless earbud set forth in claim 7 wherein the tab portion of each wire form spring is coupled to the central u-shaped section and extends into a cutout region of the annular frame.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 30, 2021
From: MCINTOSH, SEAN T.; GHAHRI SARABI, MOHAMMAD SOROUSH; ZHANG, MEI; COUSINS, BENJAMIN A.; QIAN, PHILLIP; MINERBI, MICHAEL B.; PANECKI, LEE M.
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 056101/0487 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63083467 · Sep 25, 2020
Related Publication 20220103930A1 · Mar 31, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 1,146,885