The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 20, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 24, 1999
Robert L. Lathrop, III, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Richard J. Lutzinger, Fremont, CA (US);
Kenneth G. Olson, Los Gatos, CA (US);
John H. Magnasco, San Jose, CA (US);
Hello Direct, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
A headset has an earpiece and a flexible microphone boom. The headset is designed and constructed to be lightweight, flexibly adjustable, and comfortable to wear. The earpiece fits comfortably over an external portion of an ear of a wearer and between a head of the wearer and the ear. The earpiece is designed to be easily adjusted for a secure, comfortable fit. In the preferred embodiment, the earpiece includes a rigid plastic backbone and a ductile wire. In an alternate embodiment, the earpiece includes a rigid plastic backbone, a spring, and a ductile wire. The earpiece has an asymmetrical U shape, facilitating easy adjustment to fit securely around the external portion of the ear. A speaker module is coupled to the earpiece and designed to rest over a pinna of the ear when the earpiece is worn over the ear. A small speaker is mounted inside the speaker module. The speaker module is coupled to the earpiece by a ball and socket joint integrally formed as part of the earpiece. A speaker cushion is configured to fit over the speaker module and has a lip which fits within a groove of the speaker module. The speaker cushion is compressible to facilitate stably positioning the speaker module against the pinna.