Adapter for an earphone
An adapter, which can be releasably connected to an earphone and assists in the fastening of the earphone to a human ear, without impairing the sound output of the earphone. In order to fasten the adapter to the earphone, a shell-type part of the adapter encompasses a volume region of the earphone, the shell-type part being in planar contact with the earphone under pressure, the compressive force being caused predominantly by elastic bending deformation of the shell-type part as a result of the contact with the earphone.
1. An adapter to be detachably connected to an earphone, and serving to assist with fixing of the earphone to a human ear wherein the adapter has a support extension, when used as intended, extends between a vicinity of the earphone and a region of a concave side of an auricle, the region is spaced apart from an external auditory canal of the human ear, and/or the adapter has surface regions, when used as intended, abut against the human ear, a material has a higher coefficient of friction with respect to human skin than a surface material of the earphone, wherein
the adapter has a shell which, in a mounted state, regionally embraces a surface of the earphone and thus holds the adapter in a form-fitting manner against any relative movement with respect to the earphone, wherein
adapter and earphone abut against one another under mutual pressure at multiple contact-surface regions, wherein a pressure force is a consequence of elastic deformation of the adapter due to the abutment against the earphone, wherein
no part of the adapter projects into a volume region outside the earphone from which connecting lines to a sound-emission surface of the earphone that extend in the air and rectilinearly and meet the sound-emission surface at a right angle are conceivable,
wherein:
the shell of the adapter has at least two holding extensions and a connecting region which connects said holding extensions, wherein the holding extensions protrude from the connecting region in a manner of peninsulas and abut areally against the earphone, wherein
the holding extensions and connecting region of the shell clasp the volume region of the earphone from different sides, and in a process are preloaded, predominantly by bending stress, elastically away from a center of the clasped volume region in relation to an orientation in an elastically relaxed state, wherein,
during attachment and detachment of the adapter, the holding extensions, due to the abutment against the volume region to be clasped of the adapter, are temporarily bent elastically with greater intensity in a direction away from the center of the clasped volume region.
2. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the holding extensions abut directly against the earphone with more than 20% of a surface of the holding extensions facing toward the earphone.
3. The adapter as claimed in claim 2 , wherein surfaces of contact between the holding extensions and the earphone are convexly domed.
4. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein part shell and the support extension comprise of mutually different materials wherein the material of the support extension has a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the shell.
5. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shell has an outer side surface layer, a material of the outer side surface layer has a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the shell situated therebelow.
6. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shell has an outer side surface layer, the outer side surface layer has a coefficient of friction with respect to the human skin is higher than the material of the shell situated therebelow.
7. The adapter as claimed claim 1 , wherein the shell at least regionally has a surface of contact with the earphone a surface coating whose material has a lower modulus of elasticity and/or, with respect to the surface of the earphone, a higher coefficient of friction than the material of the shell, which is covered by said surface coating.
8. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adapter has the support extension, wherein the support extension and an outer coating of the shell comprise of a mutually identical material, and wherein the support extension and the outer coating of the shell are produced in a joint manufacturing process.
9. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the holding extensions is longer than it is wide.
10. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a permanent magnet is attached to the shell like part shell of the adapter.
11. The adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adapter has the support extension which is detachably connectable to the shell, wherein, in a connected state, a connecting extension of waisted form of the support extension projects through an opening in the shell and a lateral surface of the opening abuts against a waisted region of the connecting extension.
12. A combination of the earphone and the adapter as claimed in claim 1 detachably connected thereto.