Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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21635 -1-
~L~P~ON~ 9AND8~T ~U~ION
Fi~l~ of tho Invention
The present invention pertains to telephone handset
attachments and, in particular, to a cushion for a
telephone receiver or transmitter which improves the
handset's comfort and audio performance.
~ac~ground o~ the Invent~on
Cushions which are placed over the transmitter or
receiver of a telephone handset are known. U.S. Patent
No. 2,669,610 to Dent and U.S. Patent No. 2,621,751 to
Kettler show caps which can be placed on the end of a
telephone handset receiver to help isolate the telephone
user's ear from surrounding sound or from the handset
~5 itself. However, these devices canno~ be used with many
of the telephones available today and do not filter the
sound coming out of the receiver's speaker. In addition,
they have concave surface~ with large openings which do
not rest comfortably against the concave surface of a
person's ear.
8umm4r~ of the Invontion
The present invention not only helps to better
isola~e surrounding noise from a telephone' fi ~peaker or
microphone, but also provides a cushion. It filters and
channels the ~ound coming in or out of a telephone handset
and cooperates with the many parts of a telephone base.
1 For example, plungers, electrical connections and hanging
hooks.
In one embodiment, the invention is a cushion for
application to a telephone handset having a transducer and
a transducer housing with a central sound aperture for
allowing the sound to pass between the user and the
transducer. The cushion has a main body adapted to be
attached to the transducer housing. This main body has
an inner face for contacting the transducer housing and
an outer face for contacting the user, as well as a
channel to guide sound between the handset sound aperture
and the user through the main body. There is also a
diaphragm extending across the channel, having a plurality
of ports for allowing sound traveling through the channel
to pass through the diaphragm. Preferably, the diaphragm
is proximate the main body outer face and has a reinforced
portion proximate its center. This reinforced portion
preferably comprises a bulge extending away from the main
body inner face, where the diaphragm is thickened. The
reinforced portion is adapted to engage a telephone
plunger when the telephone handset is placed on hook. The
channel's cross section is preferably larger proximate
the main body inner surface and narrower proximate the
main body outer surface. An adhesive on the main body
inner surface is preferably used to hold the main body to
the telephone transducer housing. An additional mounting
surface on the main body inner surface can be used. Where
required, tabs mounted to the main body can be adapted to
engage corresponding tabs on the telephone transducer
housing for conducting electricity between the telephone
handset and its cradle. The cushion is preferably made
of a resilient, substantially sound impermeable material,
such as low density, high resiliency foam, the main body
and diaphragm being molded as a single piece of resilient
foam. The cushion may be covered on its outer surface
with vinyl or leather.
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1 Alternatively, the invention is a cushion for
application to a telephone handset, having a transducer
and a transducer housing with a central sound aperture for
allowing sound to pass between the user and the
transducer. The cushion has a main body adapted to be
attached through the transducer housing and having an
inner face for contacting the transducer housing and an
outer face for contacting the user. A channel defined by
the main body extends through the main body between the
handset sound aperture and the user, the channel
increasing in cross section proximate the sound aperture
and decreasing in cross section proximate the user.
Preferably, the channel has a cross section proximate the
sound aperture which is adapted to match the area of the
handset sound aperture. The perimeter of the main body
inner face is preferably adapted to match the perimeter
of the transducer housing. A sound permeable diaphragm
preferably extends across the channel proximate the main
body outer face with a plurality of ports for allowing
sound traveling through the channel to pass through the
diaphragm.
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1Brief De~cription of the Drawing~
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cushion according
to the present invention mounted to a telephone handset;
FIG. 2 is front elevational view of the cushion of
5FIG. 1 mounted to a telephone handset;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the cushion
of FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3 mounted to a telephone
handset.;
FIG. 4 is a bottom elevational view of the cushion
10of FIG. l mounted to a telephone handset;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective vie~ of a third alternate
embodiment of the present invention;
15FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternate embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the embodiment
of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment
20of FIG. 8 taken along line 9-9; and
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth
alternate embodiment of the present invention.
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1 Detaile~ De~cription of th~ Invention
A cushion according to the present invention has a
main body 16, which surrounds a recessed central diaphragm
1~. The diaphragm has a set of ports 20 and a central
bulge 22. As best seen in FIG. 3, a central channel 24
within the main body 16-is covered by the diaphragm 18
which extends all the way across the central channel 24.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the cushion is adapted
to be mounted on a telephone handset 2. The cushion has
an outer face 26 which contacts the telephone user's ear
and an inner face 28 which contacts the telephone handset.
The cushion's outside perimeter is adapted to match the
outside perimeter of the handset's receiver housing 3 or
transmitter housing 4 to form a flush continuing surface
from the handset to the outer face 26 of the cushion's
main body see e.g. FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. The main body inner
face 28, is adapted to fit flush against and roughly match
the shape of the telephone handset's receiver or
transmitter housing. This not only enhances the aesthetic
appeal of the cushion but allows it to fit in cradles
designed for the telephone handset. Since, in most
telephone handsets, the receiver and transmitter have the
same shape, a cushion adapted for use with a particular
handset's receiYer may also be used with the handset's
transmitter.
As is well known, a telephone handset's transmitter
or receiver typically has a transducer 5 such as a
microphone or speaker, respectively, which sits within the
transmitter 3 or receiver housing 4. The housing forms
the exterior surface of the transmitter or receiver. In
the description, the cushion will be described as it
relates to application to a handset receiver. However,
it should be understood that the cushion may be applied
equally well to a handset transmitter and that most of the
same functional considerations apply.
The cushion of FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 is adapted to be
placed on a handset that has a relatively square receiver.
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1 However, as with most receivers, sound typically emanates
from the speaker through a round set of holes or sound
apertures 6 in the middle of the speaker housing.
Accordingly, the sound channel 24 and the diaphragm 18
have a round cross section. At the inner face of the
cushion's main body, this round cross section is designed
to match the area of the sound apertures in the receiver
speaker housing through which the sound emanates. The
channel's cross section then narrows as the channel
extends outward toward the main body outer surface 26.
The channel guides and funnels the sound directly toward
the telephone user's ear which normally has a much smaller
sound opening than the receiver. If the area of the sound
aperture were rectangular or elliptical, the sound channel
and diaphragm is preferably made rectangular or elliptical
to match.
As sound emanates from the sound apertures and the
receiver toward the user's ear, it meets the diaphragm
and would normally be inhibited. Therefore, there are a
plurality of ports 20 in the diaphragm. These are
preferably simple molded holes punched through the
diaphragm material. However, if desired, these holes can
be covered with some sort of sound filtering material or
have a specific shape to achieve a special acoustic
effect. Alternatively, the diaphragm ~ay be constructed
from a more sound permeable material so that the ports
are not necessary.
Placing a cushion over the receiver provides many
benefits. One benefit is that the telephone receiver is
made more comfortable. Telephone handsets are typically
made of a hard plastic material which is tiresome to hold
against the ear. The cushion of the present invention is
preferably made of a low density, high resiliency flexible
skinned foam which easily conforms to approximate the
shape of a user's ear and absorbs much of the pressure of
the user pressing the receiver against his eax. The
foam's skin makes the cushion easier to clean. The
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1 cushion also lengthens the telephone handset receiver.
This can in many telephone handset designs make the
handset more comfortable to cradle between a user's
shoulder and his ear, making hands-free operation of the
telephone more convenient.
The cushion also has several acoustic advantages.
First, the cushion improves coupling between the user's
ear and the receiver. Preferably, the cushion is molded
from a foam which is substantially impermeable to sound.
When the cushion is pressed against the user's ear, it
flexes and compresses to seal acoustically against the
user's ear. The seal formed is much more effective than
that of the hard plastic surface of the telephone handset
which requires the user's ear to do all of the flexing.
The improved coupling reduces the amount of sound coming
into the ear from other sources, making it easier for the
user to hear sound coming through the sound channel 24.
The cushion also helps to channel sound coming from
the receiver more directly into the us~r's ear. Because
the sound channel is funnel shaped, it takes the large
dispersion pattern of the receiver's sound aperture and
funnels it down to enter directly into the user's ear
channel, effectively increasing the volume of sound
directed toward the user's ear.
The diaphragm, which extends completely across the
sound channel, serves to dampen the sound coming out of
the receiver' 8 sound aperture. By restricting the sound
coming through the sound channel to the ports in the
diaphragm and providing an acoustically absorbent, but
sound impermeable channel, much of the harshness of
telephone voices is reduced. This allows the telephone
to be used for a much longer period without fatiguing the
user's ears. While normally the sound volume reaching the
user's ear is diminished by the diaphragm, voices on the
telephone are easier to hear because of the improved
coupling and the damping effect. The cushion also has
sanitary benefits in that it can be applied to public
.
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1 telephones to protect the user's ear from any
microorganisms that may be on the public telephone handset
receiver or transmitter.
It is anticipated that most use~s will prefer to
apply the cushion of ~he present invention to a single
telephone handset and leave it there permanently or until
it requires replacement due to wear. ~ccordingly, it is
important that the telephone remain fully functioning even
with the cushion applied. Many telephones are taken off
hook when the telephone receiver pushes against a plunger
in the telephone base. Many of these plungers contact the
receiver near its sound apertures, i.e. near the center
of the receiver's outer face. If the cushion did not
include the diaphragm, there would be nothing to push
against the plunger and the telephone could not be hung
up. In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the
diaphragm is, therefore, placed close to the main body's
outer surface so that when the telephone handset is hung
up, a plunger designed to contact a central area of the
receiver's outer surface will contact the diaphragm and
be activated instead of entering the hole and leaving the
telephone off hooX. The diaphragm may also be located
closer to or flush with the main body's outer face 26 if
desired.
The diaphragm includes a bulge 22,~see, e. g., FI~S.
3 and 9, which is a thickening in the center of the
diaphragm to strengthen the diaphragm so that it can more
effectively endure the pressure of the plunger against it.
While the bulge is shown as being round and centrally
located, a variety of other arrangements can be provided.
In addition, if the cushion is adapted for a telephone
that does not have a central plunger, the diaphragm may
be moved further back in the sound channel toward the main
body's inner face 28 or removed altogether.
A wall mounted telephone base typically uses a
protrudin~ lip on the bottom surface of the handset
receiver's cradle (not shown), which engages a groove 30
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1 in the bottom of the telephone receiver to hold the
handset in the cradle. See, e.g., FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. In
some applications, the cushion can simply be made soft
enough so that the telephone's protruding lip extends into
the cushion and holds the handset in place on the wall
mount base. However, this will not always be sufficient.
Accordingly, it is preferred to provide a corresponding,
matching groove 32 on the underside of the cushion. The
lip on the telephone base then sits within the groove 32
in the cushion just as it would in the groove of the
telephone receiver and the telephone handset is held as
securely as it would be without the cushion. The shape
and location of the groove can be modified to match any
existing telephone design.
The present invention can be modified to fit a
variety of telephone handsets, whether the handset
receiver and transmitter are round or any variety of
rectangular shapes. The angle of the side walls of the
cushion can also be varied to match the shape of the
transmitter and receiver. If necessary, a different
cushion can be used for the receiver than for the
transmitter. Variations in the shape of a cushion
constructed according to the present invention are
illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 9.
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show an embodimen,t of the invention
for use with some cordless telephones. In some cordless
telephones, the telephone handset is battery powered and
sends signals through an antenna to the telephone base.
The batteries in the handset are recharged when the
handset is returned to its base. This is frequently done
through contact plates ~not shown) on the handset
receiver. Placing a cushion over the end of the receiver
lifts the receiver's contact plates away from the electric
current supplying pins on the telephone base (not shown),
preventing the telephone handset from being recharged.
This can be overcome by placing electrically conducting
tabs 34 on the cushion. These tabs engage the pins on the
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1 telephone base just as the contact plates on the receiver
would and conduct the electricity from those pins to the
contact plates on the telephone receiver, effectively
bridging the gap between the receiver and the recharging
pins created by the cushion. A variety of other
modifications can be applied to the cushion shown in FIGS.
1-9 to adapt it to the peculiarities of specific
applications.
In the embodiments of FIGS. 1-9, the cushion is
preferably molded from a single piece of foam, although
other materials may be used. on the inner face of the
main body 28, a self-adhesive backing is preferably
supplied so that the cushion is mounted to the telephone
by peeling off a protective layer and pressing the cushion
against the handset receiver or transmitter. With
conventional low density, high resiliency foams, no
additional structure need normally be supplied. However,
the present invention may be constructed in a variety of
other ways. one such alternative is illustrated in FIG.
10.
In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the main body 16 is
still made of a low density, high resiliency foam,
although other materials may be used. The main body 16
is encased by a covering 38. The covering may be made
from vinylr leather, fabric or any other material. Ihe
covering gives the cushion a distinctive appearance, which
can either complement some other decor or simply give the
unit a luxury appearance or feel. Alternatively, an
easily cleaned or disposable material may be chosen to
enhance the cushion's sanitary usefulness. The covering
can extend over the diaphragm 18 as shown in FIG. 10,
including holes for the sound to come through, or it may
be limited to the annular main body. The covering may be
molded onto the main body, glued to the main body or
fastened in any other way.
A cushion having the covering of FIG. 10 may be
mounted directly to a receiver as illustrated for the
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l cushion without a covering in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, or it
may incorporate a more complex mounting structure as shown
in FIG. 10. Any of the cushions of FIGS. l-9 may also be
adapted to be used with the mounting structure shown in
FIG. 10. This mounting structure has a mounting plate 40
applied to the main body~inner face which may be made of
cardboard, plastic or some other semirigid material. A
double-faced tape or double-sided adhesive 42 is applied
to the backing for holding the cushion onto a telephone
handset. The cushion is installed by removing the
peel-off tape strip 44 from the adhesive or tape, then
the backing with adhesive is pressed against the telephone
receiver or transmitter to hold it in place.
A variety of other mounting arrangements may also be
provided. ~or example, a mounting ring can be attached
to the inner surface of the cushion. The cushion would
then be installed by snapping the mounting ring over the
outside edge of the handset's receiver or transmitter.
Alternatively, a strap can be provided which will loop
around the back of the telephone handset to hold the
cushion in place. The strap can be made of an elastic
material or belt-type buckles or velcro closures can be
provided to adjust the size of the strap to match a
particular telephone handset.
While only a few embodiments have been described
above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art
that a variety of modifications and adaptations can be
applied to the described embodiments without departing
from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The
inventor intends in no way to limit the invention to the
embodiments shown and described.
