Multi Service Corporation

Ms Electronics LLC

Induction Dynamics LLC

Get Connected LLC

Christopher E Combest

Lindsey K Humphrey

Kenneth Hecht

John Koval

Ken Hecht

Robert R Hoyes

David Staley

Chris Witham

Stephen Belafonte

Stephen Saint-Vincent

A speaker system broadly comprises a plurality of speaker assemblies each including a speaker housing, an input circuit, a low range speaker, and a higher-range speaker. The input circuit receives audio signals from a sound system or other controller and actively or passively sends the audio signals to the speakers. The low-range speaker is positioned in the upper section and the higher-range speaker is positioned in the lower section. Each speaker assembly is configured to be spaced from the other speaker assemblies within a listening area with each speaker assembly generating low frequency soundwaves and higher-frequency soundwaves. This reduces or eliminates out-of-phase crossover frequency wave cancellation effects within the listening area. The speaker housings are compact while allowing the low-range speaker and higher-range speaker to effectively produce and project desired soundwaves from the suspended speaker housing into the listening area.

Hanging speaker system

A speaker system broadly comprises a plurality of speaker assemblies each including a speaker housing, an input circuit, a low range speaker, and a higher-range speaker. The input circuit receives audio signals from a sound system or other controller and actively or passively sends the audio signals to the speakers. The low-range speaker is positioned in the upper section and the higher-range speaker is positioned in the lower section. Each speaker assembly is configured to be suspended from an elevated structure and spaced from the other speaker assemblies within a listening area with each speaker assembly generating low frequency soundwaves and higher-frequency soundwaves. This reduces or eliminates out-of-phase crossover frequency wave cancellation effects within the listening area. The speaker housings are compact while allowing the low-range speaker and higher-range speaker to effectively produce and project desired soundwaves from the suspended speaker housing into the listening area.

A headphone set includes a head band and a pair of speaker assemblies supplied on opposite ends of the headband. Each of the speaker assemblies comprises an earphone speaker for reproducing sound to be directed toward one of the wearer's ears, a relatively larger and more powerful broadcast speaker for reproducing sound to be broadcast in the vicinity of the headphone set; and an expandable speaker enclosure for supporting the earphone speaker and the broadcast speaker. Each speaker enclosure defines a sound chamber having an enclosed air volume for improving the acoustical characteristics of the headphone set and each speaker enclosure is shiftable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. When the speaker enclosures are shifted to their expanded configurations, the sound chambers have a relatively larger enclosed air volume. When they are shifted to their collapsed configurations relatively smaller enclosed air volumes. This permits the sound chamber to be selectively increased in size when the larger broadcast speakers are operated and to be returned to their smaller size when only the earphone speakers are operated.

Headphones with expandable speaker enclosures

A bracket for retaining a sound transducer against a soundboard. The bracket is mountable to architectural frame members and is operable to balance the load of the transducer in the bracket. The bracket includes a spring element that is operable to hold the sound transducer against the soundboard with a specified force.

Balanced cantilever spring bracket

An acoustic bracket system comprising a bracket section containing an insert holder; coupling means connectable to the bracket section; and an insert securable to the insert holder and adapted to hold one or more acoustic transducers is provided. In one embodiment the coupling means comprises two flanges. In one embodiment the coupling means comprises a plurality of hooks. The acoustic bracket system is tunable and securable to framing members which are designed to support a sounding board. In one embodiment, the insert is a conformable foam insert with an opening into which each of the one or more acoustic transducers is securable. The acoustic bracket system is acoustically tunable with mass, stiffness and damping to enhance the audio performance of the one or more acoustic transducers.

Acoustic bracket system

An in-wall or ceiling speaker enclosure () having a predetermined air volume is provided, and includes a housing () designed to support a speaker assembly () between a pair of adjacent wall studs (). The enclosure () also has an expandable air chamber () of predetermined volume operably coupled and in communication with housing (). The enclosure () can be easily mounted within a pre-cut wall opening () of minimal size.

Expandable speaker enclosure

A sound transducer () for imparting acoustical energy directly to a solid surface () while achieving the sound quality and frequency response found only in conventional diaphragm speakers. The sound transducer () comprises a pair of symmetrical magnet assemblies (), a pair of symmetrical voice coils (), and an actuator (). The magnet assemblies () each present an area of concentrated magnetic flux (). The symmetrical voice coils () are positioned in the vicinity of the areas of concentrated magnetic flux and are operable to receive an alternating audio signal which causes the voice coils to move relative to the magnet assemblies. The actuator () moves with the voice coils and includes a foot () for coupling with a solid surface to impart movement to the solid surface and thereby produce sound when the voice coils receive the audio signal. The actuator () is coupled to the voice coils () by an elongated shaft (). The shaft () is supported for linear movement by a pair of spaced-apart bearings ().

Sound transducer for solid surfaces

An excursion limiter () broadly comprises a voltage controlled filter () to suppress an audio signal according to a selected threshold at a selected frequency using a control voltage. The voltage controlled filter () preferably produces an inversion signal at the frequency, amplifies the inversion signal according to the control voltage to produce a suppression signal, and combines the audio signal with the suppression signal, thus suppressing the audio signal at the frequency and creating a resultant signal. A control voltage generator () preferably generates the control voltage using a frequency compensation filter (), a full-wave rectifier (), a precision half-wave rectifier () and a non-linear compensator (). The frequency compensation filter () isolates an initial component which is rectified by the full-wave rectifier (), shifted, and rectified again at the precision rectifier () before being essentially flattened in a non-linear manner by the non-linear compensator ().

Excursion limiter

A speaker grille () comprises a cloth () and a frame () to support the cloth (). The cloth () is preferably stretched taunt over the frame () for minimal movement in response to speaker excursion. The frame () includes a plurality of sidewalls () defining a plurality of slots () through which sound waves may travel between a smooth surface () supporting the cloth () and a mounting surface () with which the frame () mounts to a speaker box (). The slots () preferably penetrate all four sides of the frame () and may also penetrate all four corners of the frame (). The slots () form channels that act as waveguides and allow sound waves to travel from speakers () through the frame (). The frame () and the channels may be configured to direct the sound waves at various angles to the speaker box ().

Speaker grille frame

A coaxial speaker assembly () with reduced sound distortion, sound time delay, and polar response distortion. The coaxial speaker assembly () includes a high-frequency speaker system () mounted coaxially with and fitting within a lower-frequency speaker system (). A baffle () is secured to a diaphragm () of the high-frequency speaker system (). A step-down ledge () is circumferentially positioned adjacent to the baffle () and extends outwardly therefrom. A portion of the sound waves emanating from the high-frequency diaphragm () are reflected off the step-down ledge ().

Coaxial speaker with step-down ledge to eliminate sound wave distortions and time delay

A driver control circuit ( ) that enhances a steep crossover slope while permitting selective shaping or adjusting of its in-band frequency response with a minimum number of components. The driver control circuit includes a signal connector ( ) for connecting with a source of audio signals ( ); a speaker connector ( ) for connecting with a speaker ( ); and a frequency passing circuit ( ) coupled between the signal connector ( ) and the speaker connector ( ) for passing a selected range of frequencies of the audio signals to the speaker ( ) and for attenuating other frequencies. The frequency passing circuit ( ) includes components forming a traditional low-pass or high-pass filter network and a resistive component (R ) connected in parallel across the second series mounted component of the low-pass or high-pass filter network.

Growing community of inventors

Leawood, KS, United States of America

Christopher E Combest