CROSS-REFERENCEThe reversible microphone employed in this invention may be that described in the copending application of Lech Poradowski, Ser. No. 592,632, filed July 3, 1975.[...]..Iadd., now U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,355, granted Feb. 22, 1977. .Iaddend.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA 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 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 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 including 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.
DRAWINGSFIG. 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 theline 3--3 of FIG. 2, on an enlarged scale.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on theline 4--4 of FIG. 2, on an enlarged scale.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on theline 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 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 theline 8--8 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view on a still larger scale, partly in section, on theline 8--8 of FIG. 2, and partly in elevation, and with certain parts removed.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view on theline 10--10 of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a front elevational view, similar to a portion of FIG. 1, illustrating another embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGS. 1-10A headset according to the invention includes ayoke 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 aresilient pad 4 of sponge rubber or the like fixed to aplate 5 which is pivoted at 6 to a casing 7 attached by any suitable means to an end of theyoke 1.
The pad means 3 comprises a resilient pad 8 (FIGS. 1, 4, 6 and 7) of sponge rubber or the like fixed to aplate 10. Theplate 10 is attached to acasing 11 which is connected by any suitable means to the other end of theyoke 1.
Thecasing 11 is provided with anaperture 11a (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 and 5), which may be bonded in place on thecasing 11. Before bonding theblock 12 to thecasing 11, anelongated leaf spring 13 having bent over ends 13d is inserted in the channel with its ends inapertures 12a in the block, so that after theblock 12 is bonded in place, theleaf spring 13 is captured in theaperture 11a.
Theleaf spring 13 is of a generally sinuous contour so that it engages the inner surface of theblock 12 at two spaced localities, as shown at 13a in FIG. 5, and the middle of the spring engages the opposite side of theaperture 11a at 13b. The outer side of theaperture 11a is provided with a narrow channel 11b. The ends of the channel 11b are closed by the ends of thecasing 11.
Abeam 14 has one end 14a slidable into theaperture 11a from either end thereof. Thebeam 14 carries aprojection 15 on its outer surface.Projection 15 rides in the channel 11b. When thebeam 14 is in place in thecasing 11, it is frictionally held by thespring 13, near the middle of theaperture 11a. Theprojection 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 thespring 13.
The outer end of thebeam 14 has an offset 14b, and beyond the offset carries a doubleacoustic coupling element 16, best seen in FIG. 8. Thedouble coupling element 16 is adapted to engage a cooperatingear tube coupler 17, and also to engage a cooperatingcoupling element 20a on atransducer housing 20. Thedouble coupling element 16 has a boss 16a which cooperates with a recess 17a formed on theear tube coupler 17. Thedouble coupling element 16 also has a recess 16b which cooperates with the projectingcoupling element 20a. An O-ring 18 is captured within achannel 16c formed in thedouble coupling element 16 and is effective to hold the projectingcoupling element 20a in the recess 16b after the two are pushed together.
Theear tube coupler 17 is connected to anear tube 21 having at its end an earpiece 22 (see FIG. 1) adapted to be inserted into the ear canal of the wearer. Theearpiece 22,tube 21,coupler 17,double coupling element 16, and projectingcoupling element 20a are provided with connecting internal passages which define an acoustic path from atransducer 19 in thetransducer housing 20 to the ear of the wearer.
If the headset is of the "listen only" type, there is only thetransducer 19 in thehousing 20. If the headset is to be adapted for two-way communication, then a microphone 23 (FIG. 1), which may be of the reversible type shown in the copending application of Lech Poradowski, Ser. No. 592,632, filed July 3, 1975, or any other suitable microphone may be fixed on the end of aconduit 24. The other end of theconduit 24 is attached to aball 25 of an articulatedjoint 25, 26 (FIG. 9) having asocket 26 integral with or attached to thetransducer housing 20.Electrical conductors 27 covered by insulatingsheaths 27a lead from themicrophone 23 through communicating apertures in theball 25 andsocket 26 tosuitable terminals 30 or other electrical apparatus in thehousing 20. A cable 31 connects the terminals in thehousing 20 to suitable external circuitry. The ball andsocket joint 25, 26 permits rotation of theconduit 24 at least 180° about the vertical axis of thesocket 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 thesocket 26.
When the headset is in use on the left-hand side of the wearer's head, the beam is assembled on thecasing 11 in the manner shown in FIG. 6, so that thetransducer housing 20 is located forwardly of the wearer's ear. Theflexible ear tube 21 may be formed as required to bring theearpiece 22 into alignment with the wearer's ear. Themicrophone 23 may be adjusted by sliding thebeam 14 in or out and by moving the parts of the articulated joint 25, 26 to bring the microphone close to the left corner of the wearer's mouth.
If it is desired to wear the headset with theearpiece 22 in the right ear of the wearer, then thebeam 14 is assembled on thecasing 11 as illustrated in FIG. 7. .Iadd.In order to change the headset from the configuration shown in FIG. 6 to that shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary to remove thebeam 14 from thecasing 11, rotate that beam end-for-end (180°) in a horizontal plane and to move the end of thebeam 14 opposite thecoupling 16 to a position adjacent the opposite end of the aperture in thecasing 11. That motion results in the offset 14b projecting outwardly away from the wearer's head. It also results in the location of theprojection 15 on the inner side of thebeam 14, where it cannot cooperate with channel 11b and the closed ends of that channel. Thebeam 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 thecoupling element 16 closer to the wearer's head than the other end of thebeam 14, and restoring theprojection 15 to the outer side of thebeam 14. If thecasing 20 was dependent from thebeam 14 when the change of configuration was started, it will be extending upwardly from thebeam 14 when the last-mentioned rotation is completed, and the same face of themicrophone 23 will still be nearest the wearer's head. .Iaddend.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. .Iadd.In order to restore thecasing 20 to a position dependent frombeam 14, such as shown in FIG. 1, it must be rotated 180° about thecoupling element 16. This will bring the opposite face of themicrophone 23 nearest the wearer's head. .Iaddend.Theconduit 24 may now be rotated on the articulated joint to bring themicrophone 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 (FIG. 5) is effective to bring thedouble coupling element 16 and hence thetransducer housing 20, theear insert 22 and themicrophone 23 closer to the wearer's head than the slidable end 14a of the beam.
Theball 25 of the articulated joint is provided with aprojection 32, which moves in a recess 26a formed in thesocket 26. The ends of the recess .[.26.]. .Iadd.26a .Iaddend.limit the rotation of the ball to an angle less than 360°, and preferably somewhat greater than 180°. This limitation of angular movement prevents thewires 27 from getting excessively twisted due to successive readjustments of the microphone position.
FIG. 11In this embodiment, themicrophone 23 andtube 24 of FIG. 1 are replaced by anacoustic tube 33 connected through atelescope coupling 34 and anotheracoustic tube 35 to an articulated joint 36. In this embodiment, the microphone is located in thehousing 20, and the sound is conveyed through theacoustic path 33, 34, 35, 36 to the microphone.
It is, or course, possible to adapt either of the headsets illustrated for use as a microphone only headset, by omitting the ear tube and theearphone transducer 19. Alternatively, either headset may be adapted for use as an earphone only headset by omitting themicrophone 23 andtube 24 in that embodiment of FIG. 1 or by omitting theacoustic 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 theyoke 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.