Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02826475 2013-09-09
Multiple-Orientation, Free-Standing, Portable Speaker
BACKGROUND
[0001] In today's world, portable speakers are becoming increasingly
popular for enhancing the listening experience associated with other portable
electronic devices such as cell phones and smart phones. Unfortunately,
speakers intended for use with such portable electronic devices often support
only
a single orientation, and this single orientation may not suit the particular
needs or
desires of a user as those needs change from location to location or from use
to
use. For example, in one location or use, it may desirable to position the
speaker
so that the sounds it produces are aimed in a first direction, while, in
another
location or use, it may desirable to position the speaker so that the sounds
it
produces are aimed in a second, different direction.
[0002] In addition to having control over the directions in which sounds
produced by the speaker are aimed, it may also be desirable to have control
over
other aspects of the sounds that are produced. For example, in one speaker
orientation, such as an orientation wherein sounds are projected in a
substantially
horizontal direction, it may be desirable to project the sounds within a
narrower
angle, while, in another orientation, such as an orientation wherein sounds
are
projected in a substantially vertical direction, it may be desirable to
project the
sounds within a wider angle.
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[0003] Accordingly, it is desirable to have a free-standing, portable
speaker
that provides multiple orientations from which the sounds may be projected. It
is
also desirable to have a freestanding portable speaker that can automatically
accommodate different listening modes based on the selected orientation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is
now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the
accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference
numerals
represent like parts.
[0005] FIG. 1 is schematic drawing showing a side view of an exemplary
speaker with internal components shown and with the speaker disposed on a side
for emitting sound in an upward direction;
[0006] FIG. 2 is drawing of an exemplary multiple-sided speaker viewed
from a rearward direction;
[0007] FIG. 3 is drawing showing a side view of the speaker of FIG. 1
showing position of the center of mass in relation to sides of the speaker;
[0008] FIG. 4 is drawing of an exemplary multiple-sided speaker viewed
from a rearward direction; and
[0009] FIG. 5 is drawing showing a perspective view of an exemplary
multiple-sided speaker.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative
implementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are
provided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implemented using
any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The
disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations,
drawings,
and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and
implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within
the
scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, a portable speaker 102 comprises a housing
104 that defines an internal cavity 106, within which a sound generating
member
(i.e., a vibrating member) 108 is disposed. The housing 104 may comprise
metal,
plastic or composite materials and may be formed via a molding process or via
suitable machining processes such as CNC machining. An actuator 110 is
positioned for cooperation with (e.g., adjacent to) the sound generating
member
108 and is configured for causing the sound generating member 108 to vibrate,
and to thereby generate sound waves, as instructed by a controller 112.
[0012] It should be appreciated that the terms configured for and
configured
to refer to a condition wherein the element or feature that is so configured
is
capable of performing the designated function even if the element or feature
does
not necessarily perform the designated function at all times. For example, it
should be appreciated from the foregoing description of the actuator 110, that
the
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actuator 110 is capable of causing the sound generating member 108 to vibrate,
and to thereby generate sound waves, as instructed by a controller 112.
Moreover, it should be appreciated that the actuator 110 is capable of causing
the
sound generating member 108 to vibrate, and to thereby generate sound waves,
as instructed by a controller 112 even if the actuator 110 does not
necessarily do
so at all times. Thus, the actuator 110, the sound generating member 108, and
the controller 112 are coupled (i.e., electrically, mechanically,
magnetically,
pneumatically, hydraulically) to one another, and configured for (i.e.,
capable of)
cooperation with one another, such that the sound generating member 108
produces sound waves substantially as instructed by the controller 112.
[0013] In an
exemplary embodiment, the housing 104 is substantially rigid
and impervious to infiltration of foreign matter so as to provide a protected
environment for a plurality of components (e.g., the actuator 110, the sound
generating member 108, the controller 112, and the power storage device 170)
disposed within the internal cavity 106. The housing 104 includes a front
panel
114, a first side 116, a second side 118, and a third side 120. It should be
appreciated that, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 104 may include a fourth
side
122, a fifth side 124, and a sixth side 126, as well as additional sides. It
should
also be appreciated that the names selected for the sides (i.e., the first
side 116,
the second side 118, etc.) are chosen for convenience and do not necessarily
indicate the order of the sides. Put another way, it should be appreciated
that the
second side 118 is not necessarily adjacent to the first side 116 or the third
side
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120, although that may be the case, particularly when the housing 104 includes
only three sides. It should also be appreciated that a side 116, 118, 120 need
not
be positioned adjacent to the front panel 114 of the housing 104.
[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the first side 116, second side 118,
and third side 120 each define a respective planar surface that may serve as a
base 130 upon which the speaker 102 is supported in a desired orientation. As
will
be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the portable speaker 102
has a
center of mass 128 (FIG. 3) that is affected by a position of the components
(e.g.,
the controller 112, the actuator 110, a power storage device 170, or any other
components) that are disposed within the housing 104 (FIG. 1). Accordingly,
the
positions of the components may be arranged and positioned within the housing
104 to facilitate use of the first side 116, second side 118, and third side
120 as a
base 130 upon which the speaker 102 is supported in a desired orientation.
[0015] With particular reference to FIG. 3, in order to provide for
stability in
such use, without requiring a kickstand or other support-providing member(s)
(i.e.,
to lend a free-standing quality to the portable speaker 102), the components
may
be arranged and positioned within the housing 104 so that the center of mass
128
of the speaker 102 is positioned along an axis that extends from, and is
perpendicular to, a side such that the side may serve as a base for the
speaker
102. Put another way, the side is positioned and oriented relative to the
center of
mass 128 such that an axis extending perpendicular to the side passes through
the center of mass 128. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the center of mass
128
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of speaker 102 is positioned along a first axis 144 that extends from, and is
perpendicular to, the first side 116. Accordingly, when the speaker 102 is
supported on the first side 116, the center of mass 128 is positioned above
the first
side 116.
[0016] To provide a number of free-standing speaker orientations from
which the sounds may be projected in a corresponding number of selectable
directions, the first side 116 of the housing 104 is disposed at a first angle
134
relative to the front panel 114, while the second side 118 is disposed at a
second
angle 136 relative to the front panel 114, with the second angle 136 differing
from
(e.g., being less than) the first angle 134. As shown in FIG. 3, the third
side 120 is
substantially parallel to the front panel 114 (i.e., the angle between the
third side
120 and the front panel 114 is approximately 0). Accordingly, when the third
side
120 is used as a base, the front panel may be aimed in a substantially
vertical
direction such that sound waves emanate vertically from the speaker 102. Such
an orientation may be useful as a conference mode for use in teleconferencing.
As used herein the term vertical refers to a direction that substantially
opposes the
direction in which the gravity force is directed, and the term horizontal
refers to a
direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the
gravity
force is directed.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, to facilitate use of the first side 116 as a
base
without requiring a kickstand or other support-providing member(s), the
controller
112 and the actuator 110 are arranged and positioned so that the center of
mass
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128 of speaker 102 is positioned along a first axis 144 that extends from, and
is
perpendicular to, the first side 116. Accordingly, when the speaker 102 is
supported on the first side 116 (i.e., the first side 116 is used as a base),
the center
of mass 128 is positioned above the first side 116. Therefore, the speaker 102
may stand on the first side 116, with the first side 116 serving as a base, in
a
stable manner.
[0018] As further illustrated in FIG. 3, to facilitate use of
the second side 118
as a base without requiring a kickstand or other support-providing member(s),
the
controller 112 and the actuator 110 are arranged and positioned so that the
center
of mass 128 of the speaker 102 is positioned along the second axis 146 that
extends from, and is perpendicular to, the second side 118. Accordingly, when
the
speaker 102 is supported on the second side 118, the center of mass 128 is
positioned above the second side 118.
[0019] To provide yet another orientation from which the sounds
may be
projected, the third side 120 of the housing 104 is disposed at a third angle
138
relative to the front panel 114, with the third angle 138 differing from
(e.g., being
less than) the second angle 136. To facilitate use of the third side 120 as a
base
without requiring a kickstand or other support-providing member(s), the
controller
112 and the actuator 110 are arranged and positioned so that the center of
mass
128 of the speaker 102 is positioned along a third axis 148 that extends from,
and
is perpendicular to, the third side 120. Accordingly, when the speaker 102 is
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supported on the third side 120, the center of mass 128 is positioned above
the
third side 120.
[0020] To provide yet another orientation from which the sounds may be
projected, the fourth side 122 of the housing 104 is disposed at an angle
relative to
the front panel 114, with the angle of the fourth side differing from (e.g.,
being less
than) the third angle 138. To facilitate use of the fourth side 122 as a base
side
130 without requiring a kickstand or other support-providing member(s), the
controller 112 and the actuator 110 are arranged and positioned so that the
center
of mass 128 of the speaker 102 is positioned along an axis (not shown) that
extends from, and is perpendicular to, the fourth side 122. Accordingly, when
the
speaker 102 is supported on the fourth side 122, the center of mass 128 is
positioned above the fourth side 122.
[0021] To provide yet another orientation from which the sounds may be
projected, the fifth side 124 of the housing 104 is disposed at an angle
relative to
the front panel 114, with the angle of the fifth side differing from the
angles of the
other sides. To facilitate use of the fifth side 124 as a base side 130
without
requiring a kickstand or other support-providing member(s), the controller 112
and
the actuator 110 are arranged and positioned so that the center of mass 128 of
the
speaker 102 is positioned along an axis (not shown) that extends from, and is
perpendicular to, the fifth side 124. Accordingly, when the speaker 102 is
supported on the fifth side 124, the center of mass 128 is positioned above
the fifth
side 124.
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[0022] To provide yet another orientation from which the sounds may be
projected, the sixth side 126 of the housing 104 is disposed at an angle
relative to
the front panel 114, with the angle of the sixth side differing from the
angles of the
other sides relative to the front panel 114. To facilitate use of the sixth
side 126 as
a base side 130 without requiring a kickstand or other support-providing
member(s), the controller 112 and the actuator 110 are arranged and positioned
so that the center of mass 128 of the speaker 102 is positioned along an axis
(not
shown) that extends from, and is perpendicular to, the sixth side 126.
Accordingly,
when the speaker 102 is supported on the sixth side 126, the center of mass
128
is positioned above the sixth side 126.
[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, each of the sides 116, 118, 120, 122,
124, 126 is oriented at a unique angle relative to the front panel 114 of the
housing
104. For example, the first angle 134 may be between approximately 95 degrees
and 85 degrees, while the angles at which each of the other sides are disposed
relative to the front panel 114 cover a range of angles between approximately
85
degrees and zero degrees, providing a range of possible orientations for the
front
panel 114 of the speaker 102 from approximately vertical to approximately
horizontal. It should be appreciated that any one of the sides 116, 118, 120,
122,
124, 126 may be disposed at any desirable angle, as made possible by the
arrangement of components within the housing 104 and the resulting positioning
of
the center of mass 128. For example, the first angle 134 may be between
approximately 85 degrees and 75 degrees. Alternatively, the first angle 134
may
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be between approximately 75 degrees and 65 degrees. Alternatively, the first
angle 134 may be between approximately 65 degrees and 55 degrees.
Alternatively, the first angle 134 may be between approximately 55 degrees and
45 degrees. Alternatively, the first angle 134 may be between approximately 45
degrees and 35 degrees.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, the front panel 114 includes a sound-
emitting
portion 158 configured to permit (i.e., capable of permitting) transmission of
sound
waves generated by the sound generating member 108 as it vibrates. In an
exemplary embodiment, the sound-emitting portion 158 defines a plurality
(e.g.,
hundreds) of perforations 160 that are laser drilled through the sound-
emitting
portion 158 of the front panel 114.
[0025] With further reference to FIG. 1, in an exemplary
embodiment, a
speaker 102 includes a receiver 162 for receiving information from an external
source (not shown). The information may be configured to define (i.e., capable
of
defining) the sounds to be transmitted by the speaker 102 and/or logic to be
used
by the speaker 102 in processing other information. The information may be
transmitted to the receiver 162 wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth) or via a
wired
connection as discussed below. The receiver 162 is in communication with the
controller 112, which comprises a processor 164 in communication with a memory
storage device 166. Information received by the receiver 162 may be stored in
the
memory storage device 166 and/or processed by the processor 164 as necessary
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to facilitate the controller 112 instructing the actuator 110 to cause the
sound
generating member 108 to vibrate, thereby generating sound waves.
[0026] The controller 112 may also be in communication with one or more
sensor 168 configured for detecting (i.e., capable of detecting) an
orientation of the
speaker 102 and for sending a signal from the sensor 168 to the controller 112
indicative of the detected orientation. Based on the detected orientation
(e.g., an
angle of the front panel 114), the controller 112 may process the information
received according to appropriate logic stored in a memory storage device 166
so
as to produce sound waves configured according to the detected orientation of
the
speaker 102. Thus, the controller 112 may be configured for affecting (i.e.,
may be
capable of affecting) the sound waves generated by the sound generating member
108 based at least in part on the orientation of the speaker 102.
[0027] Still further, the controller 112 may be configured for affecting
(i.e.,
may be capable of affecting) the sound waves generated by the sound generating
member 108 based at least in part on a preference defined by an user.
Accordingly, the controller 112 may be configured to receive (i.e., may be
capable
of receiving) the preference from the user, to store the preference in a the
memory
storage device 166, and to retrieve the preference so as to apply it in
determining
how affect the sound waves generated by the sound generating member 108.
[0028] The speaker 102 may include a plurality of electrical connectors
176,
178, 180, each being disposed on the front panel 114 or on a respective side
116,
118, 120 of the speaker 102 and each being exposed for interfacing with a
mating
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electrical connector (not shown) when its respective side 116, 118, 120 is not
in
use as a base 130 upon which the speaker 102 is being supported. Thus, in an
exemplary embodiment, a first electrical connector 176 is disposed at first
side
116, a second electrical connector 178 is disposed at second side 118, and a
third
electrical connector is disposed at third side 120.
[0029] In an exemplary embodiment, each electrical connector
176, 176,
180 is configured for mating (i.e., capable of mating) with a standard micro
USB
connector and may be configured for providing (i.e., may be capable of
providing)
transmission of information between the speaker 102 and another external
component and/or for providing a supply of electrical power for driving the
actuator
110 or for storage within a power storage device 170 of the speaker 102. Thus,
each electrical connector 176, 178, 180 is configured for coupling (i.e.,
capable of
coupling) an external source (not shown) of electrical power and/or
information to
the speaker 102.
[0030] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiver 162 is
configured for
receiving (i.e., capable of receiving) information from an external source via
any
one of the electrical connectors 176, 178, 180. To facilitate the
incorporation of
multiple electrical connectors 176, 178, 180 (and/or to prevent conflicts from
occurring between signals or power received or sent between two or more of the
electrical connectors 176, 178, 180), the controller 112 may be configured to
control (i.e., capable of controlling) the processing of power and/or
information
received from the individual electrical connectors 176, 178, 180. For example,
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where a signal from the sensor 168 to the controller 112 indicates that a
particular side
116, 118, 120 is in use as a base 130, the controller 112 may be configured to
deactivate
(i.e., capable of deactivating) that particular electrical connector 176, 178,
180, exist
power and/or signal/information connections exist.
[0031]
Further, where connections exist between external sources of power and/or
information (i.e., signals) and two or more electrical connectors 176, 178,
180, the
controller 112 may be configured to transmit (i.e., may be capable of
transmitting) power
and/or to process signals from only one of the electrical connectors 176, 178,
180 at a
time. The controller 112 may determine which electrical connector 176, 178,
180 to use at
a particular time based on a user-prescribed preference or based on logic. An
indication
of whether an electrical connector 176, 178, 180 is active or inactive may be
provided,
such as via an external display or an illuminated LED (e.g., a green LED
indicating an
active connector/connection and a red LED indicating an inactive
connector/connection).
[0032]
While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it
should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in
many
other specific forms without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. The
present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and
the intention
is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various
elements or
components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features
may be
omitted, or not implemented.
[0033]
It will be understood by those having skill in the art that many changes may
be
made to the details of the above-described embodiments. The present invention
may be
embodied in other specific forms without departing from the subject matter of
the claims.
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_
The described example embodiments are to be considered in all respects as
being only
illustrative and not restrictive unless otherwise stated. The scope of
protection being
sought is defined by the following claims rather than the described
embodiments in the
foregoing description. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the
embodiments
set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation
consistent with
the description as a whole.
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