GB2376831A

GB2376831A - Earpiece

Info

Publication number: GB2376831A
Application number: GB0116425A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Vincent Henderson
Original assignee: BROADBASE TECHNOLOGY Ltd
Current assignee: BROADBASE TECHNOLOGY Ltd
Priority date: 2001-04-20
Filing date: 2001-07-04
Publication date: 2002-12-24
Also published as: GB0116425D0; GB0109684D0

Abstract

An earpiece 4 for use with mobile phones having a hollow, flexible sound transmission tube 12 with an ear insertion device 14 at one end and a sound receptor 18 at its other end which is adapted to be connected to the headphone outlet 8 of a mobile phone 2 or the like. The ear insertion device 14 may carry a resilient tube for insertion into the ear canal of a user.

Description

Earpiece The present invention relates to an earpiece and in particular, but not exclusively, to an earpiece for use with mobile phones.

There is increasing concern of health problems resulting from the long term use of mobile phones. Mobile phones convert low frequency speech signals into high frequency microwave signals and these are transmitted via the mobile's antenna. Exposure to this type of radiation can cause a rise in temperature in the section of the brain which lies alongside the mobile's antenna when the phone is held in use to the ear. It is believed that this type of exposure may cause serious problems such as tumours, headaches and memory loss.

US 5,726, 383 Geller describes the use of a radiation shield to reduce the level of radiation. The shield is deployed during use of the phone between the antenna and the user's head, in order to shield the antenna from the user's ear. The shield comprises a sheet including a metalized and dielectric layer which are adapted to block the path of radiation. However, without grounding the operation of such shield is limited. The shield would also need to be relatively large in order to block the path of radiation to the user's head making this cumbersome and unsightly, which is undesirable in that mobile phones are considered to be a fashion accessory and are increasingly highly stylised and compact. The shield is adapted to be fixed to the phone and has the further disadvantage that a shield would have to

be manufactured specifically for each phone style, leading to increased cost of production. The user would also not be able to readily use the shield on more than one phone type.

I n order to reduce a users exposure to radiation, hands-free attachments have also been proposed in the form of an earphone comprising a wire with an earpiece at one end which in use is inserted in the user's ear, and with a jack at the opposite end which in use is plugged into a headphone outlet socket on the phone. Use of the hands-free equipment enables the user to hold the mobile phone away from their ear, with the hands-free equipment relaying the incoming conversation to the ear of the user. This enables the antenna to be held remotely from the ear.

The use of such earphones has been widely accepted by the user since the use of such earphone does not detract from the compact nature of the phone and is in itself considered to be a fashion accessory. However, whilst it was believed that holding the phone's antenna remote from the ear would reduce exposure to radiation, research has shown that the use of such hands-free kits can increase radiation to the skull by more than three times, with the earpiece acting like a receiver and channelling the radiation directly through the ear channel.

A standard earpiece comprises a speaker containing electronics for converting the signal to sound and a standard foam pad which allows insertion of the earpiece loosely to the outside of the ear (the concha) over

the vicinity of the inner ear cavity (auditory canal). Such earpieces are standard in size and therefore do not provide a comfortable fit for all users who may have a variety of ear sizes. Furthermore, such earpieces are easily detached from the ear, particularly if the user is moving for example jogging.

Also the foam pad does not provide an effective seal to the environment, therefore external noise from the environment can still enter the ear and sound produced by the earpiece is lost to the environment, thereby reducing the quality of sound heard by the user and requiring the user to turn up the sound output of the device he is listening to, for example radio, music player such as compact disc or mini-disc or mobile phone etc.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an earpiece which overcomes or alleviates the above described drawbacks. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an earpiece with a more comfortable fit to the ear and which enables clearer sound amplification.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an earpiece for use with mobile phones, comprising a sound transmission tube having an ear insertion device at one end so that sound from the tube is conducted from the tube to the user's ear, and a sound receptor at its other end for conducting sound into the tube, the sound receptor being adapted to be connected to the headphone outlet of a mobile phone or the like.

In a preferred embodiment the sound receptor is a cup adapted to receive in a press-fit manner the earpiece of an earphone of a hands-free kit

for use with a mobile phone or the like.

Preferably the sound receptor is integrally formed with the earphone of said hands-free kit.

The ear insertion device may comprise a resilient sound transmission tube for insertion into the auditory canal of a user. The resilient tube may advantageously comprise a plurality of flexible fins. The flexible tube may comprise an annular shoulder adapted to be seated substantially flush to the concha of the ear of a user.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an earpiece comprising a substantially resilient sound transmission tube for insertion into the auditory canal of the ear of a user. The resilient tube may comprise a plurality of flexible fins. The flexible tube may also comprise an annular shoulder adapted to be seated substantially flush to the concha of the ear of a user.

By way of example only, specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment in which the earpiece of the present invention is in the form of an adaptor; Fig. 2 is a plan view and side view of the ear insertion end of the earpiece of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan and side view of the grip end of the earpiece of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a side and plan view of a further embodiment of the ear insertion piece constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 a mobile phone 2 is provided with a standard earphone 4 comprising a wire 6. One end of the wire carries a jack (not illustrated) for insertion into the headphone outlet (not illustrated) of the mobile phone 2. The opposite end of the wire 6 carries an earpiece 8 comprising electronics, which in use may be inserted into the user's ear in a known manner and which converts the incoming signal into audio form in order for the user to hear the voice of the caller. In accordance with the invention an earpiece adapter 10 is provided comprising a hollow tube 12. One end of the tube 12 carries a moulded, hollow ear insertion device 14 (as best illustrated in Fig. 2), the opposite end of the tube 12 carries a moulded, hollow grip 16 (as best illustrated in Fig. 3) which is adapted to receive in a push-fit manner the earpiece 8. In use the grip 16, tube 12 and device 14 form a wave guide which convey the audio signal produced by the earpiece 8 to the ear of the user. The grip 16 for this purpose acts like a cup around the earpiece 8 and the sound waves are entrained via the grip 16 up through the tube 12 to the hollow ear insertion device 14 where the sound travels directly into the ear channel.

The ear insertion device does not contain electronics and thereby does not act like a receiver allowing the earpiece 8 and any harmful radiation associated therewith to be held remotely from the ear.

The ear insertion device 14 and grip 16 have been illustrated as being push fitted to the tube 12, however it is to be understood that such fitting could be by other means, for example integral.

In a further embodiment (not illustrated) the earphone 4 and adaptor 10 are formed as an integral unit in this instance the earpiece 8 and grip 16 need not be formed as an elbow-style connection, this type of connection being utilised in the first described embodiment in order to provide an earpiece which can be adapted to fit to an existing earphone style, but can instead be in the form of a straight-through connection such that sound issuing from the earpiece can travel directly through the tube 12 without being deflated by the surface 18 of the grip. This design should increase the volume of the sound received at the earpiece 14, whilst a standard jack connection may still be provided to connect to existing headphone outlets.

In a further embodiment (not illustrated) the tube 12 is bifurcated and carries two ear-insertion devices, allowing the user to insert a device in each ear. The split in the tube can be after the connection to the earpiece or two separate tubes can be provided from two separate earpieces to provide stereo reception of a radio broadcast.

In a further embodiment (not illustrated) a microphone is connected

to the tube which is adapted to relay the user's voice back to the mobile phone for transmission by the phone.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4 the ear insertion device is modified to provide a more effective seal to the inner ear (auditory canal), for this purpose the ear insertion device 14A comprises a plurality of resilient fins 20. When device 14A is inserted in the ear of a user the flexible fin arrangement effectively concertinas within the outermost portion of the auditory canal forming a close fit and thereby seal within the ear, whilst outer shoulder 22 seals to the exterior of the ear (the concha). This arrangement stops unwanted noise from the environment entering the ear and also stops sound relayed from the ear insertion device being lost to the environment. This leads to an increase in volume, enabling the output volume of the mobile phone to be lowered, thereby further reducing unwanted radiation. Furthermore, the resilient nature of the ear insertion device enables the device to mould itself to closely fit a variety of depths and widths of ear cavities, enabling a softer, more comfortable fit and reducing the incidence of the ear insertion device accidentally falling out when in use. Apart from mobile phones this ear piece insertion device will find particular application in for example as an ear insertion device for a portable music system, particularly when used by a jogger, since the improved fit will enable the device to more readily remain in the ear during exercise, whilst still reducing the reception of unwanted radiation from the

environment. It is to be understood that although fins have been described, other shapes to insertion devices is possible provided a more effective seal to the auditory canal is made by insertion of a flexible device directly into the ear. Furthermore, although this embodiment has been described in relation to an ear insertion device which comprises no electronics, an earpiece containing electronics could be modified in the same manner to produce an earpiece with improved fit and reception quality as described above.

Although the invention has been described in connection with mobile phones, the earpiece could also be used with other portable listening devices such as walki-talkies, personal stereos etc.

Claims

Claims 1. An earpiece for use with mobile phones or the like, comprising a sound transmission tube having an ear insertion device at one end so that sound from the tube is conducted from the tube to the user's ear, and a sound receptor at its other end for conducting sound into the tube, the sound receptor being adapted to be connected to the headphone outlet of a mobile phone or the like.
2. An earpiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sound receptor is a cup adapted to receive in a press-fit manner the earpiece of an earphone of a handsfree kit.
3. An earpiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sound receptor is integrally formed with the earpiece of an earphone of a hands-free kit.
4. An earpiece as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein two such sound transmission tubes are provided for two separate earpieces of an earphone of a hands-free.
5. An earpiece as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sound transmission tube is bifurcated and an ear insertion device is provided at each of the bifurcated ends.
6. An earpiece as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a microphone is connected to the tube which is adapted to relay the user's voice back to the mobile phone.
7. An earpiece as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ear insertion device comprises a resilient sound transmission tube for insertion into the auditory canal of a user.

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8. An earpiece as claimed in claim 8, wherein the resilient tube carries a plurality of flexible fins.
9. An earpiece as claimed in claim 7 or 8,-wherein the flexible tube comprises an annular shoulder adapted to be seated substantially flush to the concha of the ear of a user.
10. An earpiece comprising a substantially resilient sound transmission tube for insertion into the auditory canal of the ear of a user.
11. An earpiece as claimed in claim 10, wherein the earpiece comprises electronics.
12. An earpiece as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the resilient tube carries a plurality of flexible fins.
13. An earpiece as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the flexible tube is adapted to concertina upon insertion into the ear of a user.
14. An earpiece as claimed in any one of claims 1 o to 13, wherein the flexible tube carries an annular shoulder adapted to be seated substantially flush to the concha of the ear of a user.
15. An earpiece as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, adapted to be connected to a sound transmission tube substantially as herein described.
16. An earpiece constructed and adapted to operate substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.