POST-AURICLE COMMUNICATIONS HEADSET

This invention relates generally to communications headsets, and more particularly to self-supporting, monaural headsets containing a microphone and a receiver.

Communications headsets can be used in a diversity of applications, and are particularly effective for telephone operators, radio operators, aircraft personnel, and for other situations wherein it is desirable to support "hands free" access to communications systems. Accordingly, a wide variety of headsets have been known in the prior art.

Known communications headsets can be broadly characterized on the basis of several fundamental aspects of their design and function, including: whether they deliver monaural or binaural sound; whether they are right-handed, left- handed or neither; whether they employ an invasive ear tip or a non-invasive loudspeaker in establishing a receiver-to-ear acoustical coupling; how they are

physically supported on the user; their acoustical characteristics; and their ergonomic qualities.

Typically in the art, headsets which deliver binaural sound (i.e. ones which have acoustical transducers for both ears) may utilize some type of headband arrangement to secure receiver elements beside each ear. Although generally providing very stable support for the headset, headbands have the disadvantages that they increase the size and weight of the headset, and tend to be uncomfortable or obtrusive to the user.

Monaural headsets (having only a single receiver situated near one ear) may be either right-handed or left-handed, or may incorporate a single design adaptable to left or right ear use. Typical headsets may be quite compact, and therefore may not require the high stability of a headband. Uneven weight distribution can be a problem for monaural headsets, since the majority of the headset components are concentrated on one side of the head. Known self- supporting monaural headsets often rely on a dual point retention system using opposing leverage against the ear by an over-the-ear clip or hook.

Ergonomic considerations in the design of communications headsets include the comfort of the device, the ease of putting the headset on and subsequently adjusting it for use, the stability of retention, the restriction of user mobility resulting from the wearing of the headset, as well as the quality of sound delivered

by the device. Stability of the headset on the ear is believed to be one of the most critical ergonomic considerations. Acoustical qualities of communications headsets are often closely dependent on other aspects of the design. For example, the acoustical quality of the sound heard by a user is clearly affected by the nature of the receiver-to-ear seal. Invasive ear tips provide a good seal, but suffer from problems of comfort and hygiene. Non-invasive loudspeaker-type receivers, on the other hand, are more susceptible to acoustical degradation from background- level sound and attenuation of the acoustical wave passing through open space from the receiver to the auditory meatus.

Another acoustical problem results from the arrangement and size of components in a headset. Naturally, it is desirable to utilize microphones and receivers of the smallest possible size and least weight, making the resulting headset as light and compact as possible. Typically, however, smaller components deliver a weaker acoustical signal, and must accordingly be closely coupled to the auditory meatus of the user.

A general feature of the present invention is to provide a lightweight, self- supporting headset which can be comfortably and securely fitted to a wide range of users without undue individual attention. A further feature of the present invention is to provide a headset which is shaped and constructed to be worn comfortably and in firm and stable fashion around the ear of a wearer.

The foregoing and other features are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a headset having a microphone and a receiver carried by a headset enclosure having an arcuate ear hook. The headset enclosure is tri-laterally supported in a stable post-auricle position by impingement of the ear hook against a wearer's ear at first and second locating points behind the ear and impingement of the receiver against a third locating point in the ear concha.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a headset in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the headset shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating the axial rotation of the microphone voice tube.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the headset shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating the manner in which the headset fits onto a human ear.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the headset of Fig. 1 illustrating the vertical articulation of the voice tube.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the headset shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one implementation of the receiver enclosure of the headset shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another implementation of the receiver enclosure of the headset shown in Fig. 1.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. Headset 10 includes a headset enclosure 12 having an arcuate ear hook 13. A microphone housing 14 having a microphone is carried on a forward portion of enclosure 12. A microphone voice tube 16 extends from microphone housing 14 and terminates at its distal end with an audio filter cap 18. As shown in Fig. 2, voice tube 16 is axially rotatable to provide flexibility in positioning the distal end adjacent to a wearer's mouth. It is contemplated that a headset in accordance with the presently disclosed embodiment of the invention may also incorporate a microphone housing located at the end of voice tube 16 in place of audio filter cap 18. The location of the microphone housing is not believed to be critical to the understanding and practice of the present invention.

A wearer's voice is conducted through voice tube 16 to microphone 14. Voice signals are converted to electrical signals applied to conventional amplifier circuitry in electronics module 20 carried on headset enclosure 12. Alternatively, a boom microphone arrangement might be affixed to the headset enclosure in place of the microphone housing and voice tube arrangement shown.

Suspended from headset enclosure 12 and oriented forward of arcuate ear hook 13 is a receiver enclosure 22 including an earbud 24 adapted to be disposed generally in contact with the wearer's concha, in front of the auditory meatus, when headset 10 is worn in accordance with the presently disclosed embodiment of the invention.

A receive transducer (not shown in Figs. 1 and 2) is mounted within receiver enclosure 22 to convert received electrical signals into acoustic signals to be heard by the wearer. In one embodiment, a receive transducer is disposed within earbud portion 24 of receiver enclosure 22, whereas in an alternative embodiment the receive transducer is disposed within receiver enclosure 22 but generally not within earbud portion 24. These alternatives can perhaps be best appreciated with reference to the enlarged cross-sectional views in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 depicts an embodiment wherein a receive transducer 23 is disposed within earbud portion 24 of receiver enclosure 22. In this embodiment, acoustical signals are transmitted to the wearer's ear directly via acoustic port holes 25 in earbud 24. In the embodiment of Fig. 7, receive transducer 23 is disposed within receiver enclosure 22, but is not housed directly within earbud 24. In this embodiment, an acoustic guide 25 is necessary to convey acoustical signals from receive transducer 23 out of earbud 24 via acoustical port 25. The alternative embodiment of Fig. 7 is believed to offer advantages over the embodiment of Fig. 6, in that that greater flexibility in the configuration (e.g., size and shape) of earbud 24 is afforded when

receive transducer 23 is not disposed therein. However, either alternative is believed to be suitable for the purposes of practicing the present invention.

Receiver enclosure 22 is carried by headset enclosure 12 with a ball-and- socket type pivot connection 26. As indicated in Fig. 2, this mounting affords receiver enclosure 22 with universal movement provided by a ball-and-socket joint or a umversal joint. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention (depicted in Figs. 6 and 7, for example) telescoping adjustment features associated with voice tube 16 and receiver enclosure 22 may be provided in order to accommodate a variety of ear sizes. In particular, receiver enclosure 22 is coupled to headset enclosure 12 by means of an elongate support tube 29 over which receiver enclosure 22 can slide in the direction of arrows 33 in Figs. 4, 6 and 7

Receive transducer 23 is preferably a miniature loudspeaker-type transducer having wire connections to receiver circuitry in electronics module 20. An electrical cable 28 interconnects the electronics module 20 to a suitable plug connector 30.

As best observed in the plan view of Fig. 2, headset enclosure 12 of headset 10 is symmetrical about a central vertical plane. Enclosure 12 may comprise two mating parts which are affixed to one another as, for example, by pins, sonic bonding, or the like. It is contemplated that a variety of different assembly methods may employed for enclosure 12, allowing for the use of soft

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materials to fit and interface with the human ear for the purposes of enhanced comfort and fit.

When assembled, enclosure 12 is contoured to fit snugly but comfortably adjacent a user's head. The manner in which headset 10 is fitted onto a human ear is depicted in the side view of Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, headset enclosure 12 is tri-laterally supported in a stable position with ear hook 13 in a post-auricle position. The tri-lateral support of headset enclosure 12 is provided by impingement of the ear hook against a wearer's ear at first and second locating points, designated as PI and P2 in Fig. 3, behind the ear and by impingement of the receiver against a third locating point, designated as P3, in the ear concha. As shown in Fig. 1 is a depiction of the triangulation of the first, second and third locating points of the tri-lateral support for enclosure 12. The first point is always near or on the apex of the joint where the ear joins the head in its highest point on the head. The second point is any position behind the ear, where the headset earclip makes contact. The third point is always in the concha region.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the vertical articulation of the voice tube 16 is shown. Specifically, voice tube 16 is movable about a hinge mechanism 32 carried at the forward end of enclosure 12. The hinge connection is suitably implemented by a simple ball-and-socket arrangement, as is well known in the art. Alternatively, hinge mechanism 32 may comprise a hinge pin and sleeve carried in the mating halves of enclosure 12.

With the unique tri-lateral support system used in headset 10, user comfort is enhanced by virtue of a reduced size of the ear hook and less reliance on the mastoid structure to hold the headset tightly to the head. Further, the quality of sound at headset 10 is improved over other headsets because a good acoustic coupling is provided with the receiver positioned within the concha area of the ear. Accordingly, while the headset of the present invention is a lighter and smaller behind-the-ear headset, it has good position stability and consequently a comfortable fit and can carry more weight than a normal over-the-ear headset.

The foregoing description of the invention has been directed to an illustrative embodiment for purposes of explanation and illustration. It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in this art that many modifications and changes in the headset may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the microphone and receiver transducer may be of various types, including electret, dynamic, and magnetic. Also, the electronics may be mounted forward of the receiver between the voice tube and the ear hook. Also, the electronics might be placed in the ear hook, in the receiver housing, or located remotely in an separate package connected by a cord to the headset. Further, a voice tube design with the microphone housed in the upper area near the electronics is possible. Further, the shape and size of both the ear hook and the receiver enclosure could vary.

Furthermore, and as previously described with reference to Fig. 7, a receiver may be mounted in the portion of the receiver enclosure which is not in contact with the concha. As noted above, this receiver placement would allow greater flexibility in shaping the part of the receiver housing that rests in the concha. The receiver in such an embodiment of the invention would utilize a channel or tube 29 to conduct sound from the receiver to the portion of the receiver housing that rests in the concha. As a further alternative, a receiver (speaker disk) may be mounted in the ear hook with the sound conducted to the ear via a leg of the tri-lateral design. These and other variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is the applicant's intention that the following claims cover all equivalent modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the invention.