IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,026,011
Granted Patent B2
US 11,026,011 · App. 16/882,020 · Granted Jun 1, 2021

Wireless earbud

Inventors: Arun D. Chawan (San Francisco, CA); Kurt Stiehl (Los Gatos, CA); Benjamin A. Cousins (Campbell, CA); Jonathan S. Aase (Rochester, MI); Yacine Azmi (San Mateo, CA); Paul Choiniere (Livermore, CA); Scott W. Slabaugh (Gilroy, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04R1/1016A45C11/00A45C11/24A45C13/005A45C13/02A45C13/1069B65D25/02B65D43/16H01R13/521H02J7/0029H02J7/0044H02J7/0047H02J7/025H02J7/027H02J50/10H04B1/3888H04B5/0037H04R1/02H04R1/1025H04R1/1041H04R1/1058H04R1/1075H04R1/2826H04R1/345H04R5/033H04R9/025H04R9/06A45C2011/001A45C2013/026F16B2001/0035H02J7/00034H04B1/385H04M1/6033H04R1/2857H04R2201/105H04R2420/07H04R2460/03H04R2460/09H04R2460/17
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,026,011
App. No.
16/882,020
Granted
Jun 1, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An earbud includes a housing that includes a driver assembly positioned within the housing forming a front volume in front of the driver and a back volume behind the driver. An acoustic insert is positioned behind the driver assembly and attached to an interior surface of the housing such that it forms a bass channel that is routed from the back volume to a vent in the housing.

Claims (47)

1. A portable listening device system comprising:

an earbud comprising:

an earbud housing having a speaker portion and a stem portion extending from the speaker portion;

a battery positioned within the earbud housing;

a speaker positioned within the speaker portion of the earbud housing and configured to direct sound into a user's ear; and

a wireless radio coupled to the battery and configured to be communicatively coupled to an electronic device via a wireless communications channel; and

a case for the earbud, the case comprising:

a case housing defining an interior space sized and shaped to receive the earbud;

a case battery positioned within the case housing; and

a logic circuit that initiates turning on the wireless radio.

2. The portable listening device system of claim 1 wherein the logic circuit initiates the turning on the wireless radio by transmitting a signal to the earbud.

3. The portable listening device system of claim 2 wherein the signal is transmitted to the earbud through an electrical connector that electrically couples the earbud to the case.

4. The portable listening device system of claim 1 wherein the case includes a lid and the logic circuit includes a lid position sensor that detects a position of the lid.

5. The portable listening device system of claim 4 wherein the logic circuit initiates the turning on the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from a closed position to an open position.

6. The portable listening device system of claim 4 wherein the logic circuit initiates turning off the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from an open position to a closed position.

7. The portable listening device system of claim 1 wherein the case includes a depressible button that when depressed initiates the wireless radio to enter a pairing mode in which the electronic device can be paired with the earbud.

8. A portable listening device system comprising:

an earbud comprising:

an earbud housing having a speaker portion and a stem portion extending from the speaker portion;

a battery positioned within the earbud housing;

a speaker positioned within the speaker portion of the earbud housing and configured to direct sound into a user's ear; and

a wireless radio coupled to the battery and configured to be paired to an electronic device via a wireless communications channel; and

a case for the earbud, the case comprising:

a case housing defining an interior space sized and shaped to receive the earbud;

a case battery positioned within the case housing; and

a logic circuit that, in response to a user interaction with the case, communicates one or more signals that cause the wireless radio to transition from a first power state to a second power state.

9. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the one or more signals includes a signal that is transmitted to the earbud through an electrical connector that electrically couples the earbud to the case.

10. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the first power state is an off state and the second power state is an on state.

11. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the case includes a lid and the logic circuit includes a lid position sensor that detects a position of the lid.

12. The portable listening device system of claim 11 wherein the logic circuit communicates the one or more signals that cause the wireless radio to enter the second power state in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from a closed position to an open position.

13. The portable listening device system of claim 11 wherein the logic circuit communicates the one or more signals that cause the wireless radio to transition to an off state in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from an open position to a closed position.

14. The portable listening device system of claim 8 wherein the case includes a depressible button that when depressed transmits an instruction that causes the wireless radio to enter a pairing mode.

15. A portable listening device system comprising:

a portable listening device comprising:

a device housing;

a battery positioned within the device housing;

a speaker positioned within the device housing and configured to generate sound; and

a wireless radio coupled to the battery and configured to be communicatively coupled to an electronic device via a wireless communications channel; and

a case for the portable listening device, the case comprising:

a case housing defining a cavity for storing the portable listening device;

a case battery positioned within the case; and

a processor that initiates turning on the wireless radio.

16. The portable listening device system of claim 15 wherein the processor initiates the turning on the wireless radio by transmitting a signal to the portable listening device.

17. The portable listening device system of claim 16 wherein the signal is transmitted through an electrical connector that electrically couples the portable listening device to the case.

18. The portable listening device system of claim 15 wherein the case includes a lid and the processor includes a lid position sensor that detects a position of the lid.

19. The portable listening device system of claim 18 wherein the processor initiates the turning on the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from a closed position to an open position.

20. The portable listening device system of claim 18 wherein the processor initiates turning off the wireless radio in response to the lid position sensor detecting the lid moving from an open position to a closed position.

Continuity (8)
Continuation 16430853 · Jun 4, 2019
Continuation 15273683 · Sep 22, 2016
Provisional Application 62235205 · Sep 30, 2015
Provisional Application 62235213 · Sep 30, 2015
Provisional Application 62235219 · Sep 30, 2015
Provisional Application 62235226 · Sep 30, 2015
Provisional Application 62384114 · Sep 6, 2016
Related Publication 20200288229A1 · Sep 10, 2020
Cited By (2)
US 1,146,885 US 12,689,411