107490~
SUMMARY OF TIIE INVENTION
A suitable reversible microphone for use in association with this invention may be that described in the copending Canadian application ofRoanwell Corporation, Serial No. 253,391 filed 26 May, 1976, entitled "Reversible Anti Noise Microphone".
A headset according to the invention employs a yoke adapted to fit over the top of the wearer's head and having pad means at each end of the yoke for engaging the sides of the wearer's head at areas spaced above the ears.
One of the pad means has an aperture extending horizontally through it from front to back. A beam is insertable in either end of this aperture, and when so inserted is adjustable to project from the aperture by varying amounts. A leaf spring within the aperture holds the beam frictionally against the opposite side of the aperture and maintains the adjustment.
The outer projecting end of the beam is provided with two opposed coupling elements. The coupling element on one side of the beam cooperates with a mating element on a transducer housing so as to support that housing on the beam. The other coupling element cooperates with a mating element at one of end of an ear tube whose opposite end is fitted with an earpiece for insertion into the wearer's ear. The transducer housing is provided adjacent its lower end with an articulated joint.
In certain embodiments, a microphone is carried at the;: end of a conduit, and the opposite end of the conduit is connected to the articulated joint. One such embodiment includes wires from the microphone extending through:the conduit and the joint to electrical circuit elements within the housing. In that embodiment, the joint includes rotation 107490~
limiting means to prevent twisting of the wires. In another such embodiment, the joint is freely rotatable and a rotatable connector is provided for the conductors of the microphone circuit.
In another embodiment, a voice transducer is located in the housing and connected through an acoustic tube in-cluding an articulated joint to an end of the tube adjacent the wearer's mouth.
The headset may be mounted on the wearer's head with the one pad means that carries the beam either on the right or left side of the head. The beam should be inserted in that pad means so that it projects forwardly therefrom, with the microphone or voice tube adjacent the wearer's mouth and the earpiece adjacent the wearer's ear for ready insertion therein.
DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a headset embodying the invention.
Fig. 2 is a right side elevational view of the headset of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is an exploded fragmentary, perspective view showing how the beam in the headset of Fig. 1 is assembled when the earphone is to be used at the wearer's left ear.
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 6, showing how the headset is assembled when the earphone is ~0';'4904 to be used at the wearer's right ear.
Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale, partly in elevation and partly in section, on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view on a still larger scale, partly in section, on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2, and partly in elevation, and with certain parts removed.
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9~
Fig. 11 is a front elevational view, similar to a portion of Fig. 1, illustrating another embodiment.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTI_ FIGS. 1-10 A headset according to the invention includes a yoke 1, best seen in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, adapted to fit over a wearer's head and two pad means 2 and 3 at the opposite ends of the yoke. The pad means 2 comprises a resilient pad 4 of sponge rubber or the like fixed to a plate 5 which is pivoted at 6 to a casing 7 attached by any suitable means to an end of the yoke 1.
The pad means 3 comprises a resilient pad 8 (Figs. 1, 4, 6 and 7) of sponge rubber or the like fixed to a plate 10.
The plate 10 is attached to a casing 11 which is connected by any suitable means to the other end of the yoke 1.
The casing 11 is provided with an aperture lla (Figs.
2-5) extending from front to rear of the casing, and defined by a channel closed at its open side by a block 12 (Figs. 4 &
5), which may be bonded in place on the casing 11. Before bonding the block 12 to the casing 11, an elongated leaf spring 13 having bent over ends 13d is inserted in the channel with its ends in apertures 12a in the block, so that after the block 12 is bonded in place, the leaf spring 13 is captured in the aperture lla.
The leaf spring 13 is of a generally sinuous contour so that it engages the inner surface of the block 12 at two spaced localities, as shown at 13a in Fig. 5, and the middle of the spring engages the opposite side of the aperture lla at 13b. The outer side of the aperture lla is provided with a narrow channel llb. The ends of the channel llb are closed by the ends of the casing 11.
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A beam 14 has one end 14a slidable into the aperture lla from either end thereof. The beam 14 carries a projection 15 on its outer surEace. Projection 15 rides in the channel llb. When the beam 14 is in place in the casing 11, it is frictionally held by the spxing 13, near the middle of the aperture lla. The projection 15 prevents movement of the beam out of the aperture beyond a range of operating positions in which it is engaged by the middle of the spring 13.
The outer end of the beam 14 has an offset 14b, and beyond the offset carries a double acoustic coupling element 16, best seen in Fig. 8. The double coupling element 16 is adapted to engage a cooperating ear tube coupler 17, and also to engage a cooperating coupling element 20a on a transducer housing 20. The double coupling element 16 has a boss 16a which cooperates with a recess 17a formed on the ear tube coupler 17. The double coupling element 16 also has a recess 16b which cooperates with the projecting coupling element 20a. An O-ring 18 is captured within a channel 16c formed in the double coupling element 16 and is effective to hold the projecting coupling element 20a in the recess 16b after the two are pushed together.
The ear tube coupler 17 is connected to an ear tube 21 having at its end an earpiece 22 (see Fig. 1) adapted to be inserted into the ear canal of the wearer. The earpiece 22, tube 21, coupler 17, double coupling element 16 and projecting coupling element 20a are provided with connecting internal passages which define an acoustic path from a transducer 19 in the transducer housing 20 to the ear of the wearer.
1074~309t If the headset is of the "listen only" type, there is only the transducer 19 in the housing 20. If the headset is to be adapted for two-way communication, then a micro-phone 23 (Fig. 1), which may be of the reversible type shown in the copending application of Lech Poradowski, Serial No. 253,391 filed 26 May 1976 or any other suitable microphone may be fixed on the end of a conduit 24. The other end of the conduit 24 is attached to a ball 25 of an articulated joint 25, 26 (Fig. 9) having a socket 26 integral with or attached to the transducer housing 20. Electrical conductors 27 covered by insulating sheaths 27a lead from the microphone 23 through communicating apertures in the ball 25 and socket 26 to suitable terminals 30 or other electrical apparatus in the housing 20. A
cable 31 connects the terminals in the housing 20 to suitable external circuitry. The articulated joint 25, 26 permits rotation of the conduit 24 at least 180 about the vertical axis of the socket 26, as viewed in Fig. 9, so that the microphone may be used on either the left or right side of the wearer's head. Furthermore, the ball and socket is constructed to permit tilting of the conduit at least 15 about any axis in the plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the socket 26.
When the headset is in use on the left-hand side of the wearer's head, the beam is assembled on the casing 11 in the manner shown in Fig. 6, so that the transducer housing 20 is located forwardly of the wearer's ear. The flexible ear tube 21 may be formed as required to bring the earpiece 22 into alignment with the wearer's ear. The microphone 23 may be adjusted by sliding the beam 14 in or out and by moving the ~i; 7 ~0749(~4 parts of the articulated joint 25, 26 to bring the micro-phone close to the left corner of the wearer's mouth.
If it is desired to wear the headset with the earpiece 22 in the right ear of the wearer, then the beam 14 is assembled on the casing 11 as illustrated in Fig. 7. In order to change the headset from the configuration shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7, it is necessary to remove the beam 14 from the casing 11, rotate that beam end-for-end (180) in a horizontal plane and to move the end of the beam 14 opposite the coupling 16 to a position adjacent the opposite end of the aperture in the casing 11.
That motion results in the offset 14b projecting outwardly away from the wearer's head. It also results in the location of the projection 15 on the inner side of the beam 14, where it cannot cooperate with channel llb and the closed ends of that channel. The beam 14 must then be rotated 180~ about its own longitudinal axis so as to move the offset 14b to the position illustrated in Fig. 7, thereby moving the coupling element 16 closer to the wearer's head than the other end of the beam 14, and restoring the projection 15 to the outer side of the beam 14. If the casing 20 was dependent from the beam 14 when the change of configuration was started, it will be extending upwardly from the beam 14 when the last-mentioned rotation is completed, and the same face of the microphone 23 will still be nearest the wearer's head.
The coupling between the transducer housing and the beam allows the transducer housing to be rotated so that it depends from the beam on either side of the wearer's head.
In order to restore the casing 20 to a position dependent ~', ~07~9~
from beam 14, such as shown in Fig. 1, it must be rotated 180 about the coupling element 16. This will bring the opposite face of the mlcrophone 23 nearest the wearer's head. The conduit may now be rotated on the articulated joint to bring the microphone 23 into position adjacent the right-hand corner of the wearer's mouth. Since the microphone may receive sound through either of its two major faces, it does not matter which of those two faces is nearest the wearer's mouth.
The offset 14b tFig. 5) is effective to bring the double coupling element 16 and hence the transducer housing 20, the ear insert 22 and the microphone 23 closer to the wearer's head than the slidable end 14a of the beam.
The ball 25 of the articulated joint is provided with a projection 32, which moves in a recess 26a formed in the socket 26. The ends of the recess 26~1imit the rotation of the ball to an angle less than 360, and preferably somewhat greater than 180. This limitation of angular movement prevents the wires 27 from getting excessively twisted due to successive readjustments of the microphone position.
FIG. 11 In this embodiment, the microphone 23 and tube 24 of Fig. 1 are replaced by an acoustic tube 33 connected through - 8a -~07ii9V~
a telescope coupling 34 and another acoustic tube 35 to an articulated joint 36. In this embodiment, the microphone is located in the housing 20, and the sound is conveyed through the acoustic path 33, 34, 35, 36 to t~e microphone.
It is, of course, possible -to adapt either of the headsets illustrated for use as a microphone only headset, by omitting the ear tube and the earphone transducer 19.
Alternatively, either headset may be adapted for use as an earphone only headset by omitting the microphone 23 and tube 24 in that embodiment of Fig. 1 or by omitting the acoustic tube 33, 35 and the microphone in the embodiment of Fig. 11.
Although the headsets illustrated employ a single earphone, it should be readily apparent that they can be adapted to use dual earphones by duplicating the pad means
3 and the associated earphone parts on both ends of the yoke 1.
Such a dual earphone headset is reversible as to the left or right-hand location of the microphone, in the same manner as -the single earphone headsets illustrated.