Regulation 3.2 5 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 10 15 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT A cover for an audio console 20 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 25 1 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cover for an audio console. 5 The invention has been developed primarily for use in the entertainment and music industries and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use. Background of the Invention The entertainment and music industries employ "disc jockeys" to play, create, mix, and 10 modify music at live performances and events. However, these disc jockeys must use expensive equipment to perform, which are often sensitive and easily damaged. Typically, disc jockeys will use audio consoles, such as a CDJ (Compact Disc player that allows analog control of music), to produce their mixes of music in a number of different locations which includes both indoor and outdoor environments. Each of these environments 15 has accompanying problematic elements such as, liquid, dust, dirt, grime and other foreign material, which can potentially damage or even destroy the expensive audio consoles during performances and/or in storage and transportation. Furthermore, during usage, the audio consoles may be damaged by mishandling by the disc jockeys, or even unintentionally by other people, leading to superficial or even irreversible damage. 20 To allow disc jockeys to play in live performances and events, it would be beneficial to be able to perform without the risk of damaging their expensive equipment during usage, storage and transportation. The present invention seeks to provide a cover for an audio console which will overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide 25 an alternative. It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. 2 Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cover for an audio console, comprising: - a membrane adapted to substantially protect a top portion of the audio console from 5 foreign material, the membrane being made from a flexible material and having one or more turntable apertures and one or more linear apertures wherein, in use, the one or more turntable apertures are adapted to allow access to one or more turntables of the audio console, and the one or more linear apertures are adapted to allow access to one or more linear potentiometers of the audio console. 10 Advantageously, the membrane provides access to one or more turntables and one or more linear potentiometers of the audio console, while still protecting the audio console. This allows the audio console to be used and still remain protected when it is susceptible to the greatest amounts of damaging foreign material and human interaction. Advantageously, the flexible material allows for depression allowing for the actuation of 15 buttons of the audio console. Advantageously, the cover prolongs the life of the audio console and saves on expensive repair, maintenance and replacement costs. Preferably, the cover further comprises a rim portion extending downwardly from a periphery of the membrane, the rim portion being adapted to substantially conform to a periphery of the 20 top portion to prevent lateral movement of the membrane with respect to the top portion during use. Advantageously, the rim portion holds the membrane in place on the top portion of the audio console during use. This prevents the cover from laterally moving undesirably with respect to the top portion of the audio console during its use. 25 Advantageously, the rim portion prevents foreign material entering around the periphery of the membrane. Preferably, the membrane further comprises one or more knob apertures being adapted to allow access to one or more rotatable potentiometers of the audio console in use. Advantageously, the one or more knob apertures provide access to the one or more 30 rotatable potentiometers during use of the cover. This allows the one or more rotatable potentiometers to be adjusted while the audio console is covered. 3 Preferably, the membrane further comprises one or more toggle portions being adapted to allow actuation of one or more toggle switches of the audio console through the membrane in use. Advantageously, the one or more toggle portions allow the one or more toggle switches to be 5 actuated, even with the membrane covering the one or more toggle switches, via flexure of the membrane. This allows the cover to provide a greater coverage for the audio console, yet allowing the one or more toggle switches to be controllable. Advantageously, the one or more toggle portions retain their shapes after actuation of the one or more toggle switches during use. 10 Preferably, the membrane further comprises one or more button portions being adapted to allow actuation of one or more protruding buttons of the audio console though the membrane in use. Advantageously, the one or more button portions are shaped to substantially match the one or more protruding buttons' shapes. This is to allow actuation of the one or more protruding 15 buttons without undesirable movement of the membrane. Advantageously, the one or more button portions retain their shapes after actuation of the one or more protruding buttons during use. Preferably, the membrane further comprises one or more display portions being adapted to allow one or more displays of the audio console to be substantially visible through the 20 membrane in use. Advantageously, the one or more display portions allows the one or more displays of the audio console to be substantially visible, and thus allowing important information and feedback from the audio console to be available to the user of the audio console, even with the cover present. 25 Preferably, the flexible material is a polymer. Advantageously, the cover is constructed out of a polymer that allows the cover to be flexible, waterproof, durable, washable, reusable and economical to manufacture. Another advantage of this cover, using a polymer, is that the cover can be transparent allowing buttons of the audio console and other necessary information to be visible through the cover 30 with only limited distortion. Furthermore, the material facilitates the addition of different colours, patterns and even glow-in-the-dark features, allowing the cover to be versatile and fashionable. Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed. 4 Brief Description of the Drawings Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 5 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cover for an audio console in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cover for an audio console in use. Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments It should be noted in the following description that like or the same reference numerals in 10 different embodiments denote the same or similar features. According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a cover 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, for an audio console 1000, comprising a membrane 20 adapted to substantially protect a top portion 1010 of the audio console 1000. The membrane 20 is made from a flexible material and has a turntable aperture 30 and a 15 linear portion 40. The membrane 20 is substantially flat conforming to the periphery of the top portion 1010 of the audio console 1000. The turntable aperture 30 is adapted to allow access to a turntable 1020 of the audio console 1000 while in use. The turntable aperture 30 is substantially circular in shape matching the periphery of the turntable 1020, allowing the turntable 1020 to extend through the membrane 20. This allows the turntable 1020 to be 20 exposed for usage, specifically rotation, while providing maximum coverage of the top portion 1010. In other embodiments, the membrane 20 is any shape that still provides substantial protection of the top portion 1010 of the audio console 1000. In other embodiments, there are one or more turntable apertures 30. In other embodiments, the turntable aperture 30 is of a 25 different shape that still provides maximum coverage of the top portion 1010 of the audio console 1000. In still other embodiments, the surrounding flexible material around the turntable aperture 30 is reinforced by increasing the thickness of the flexible material to substantially prevent tearing. It will also be appreciated that other pieces of material may be attached to reinforce the surrounding material. 30 In the preferred embodiment, the linear aperture 40 is adapted to allow access to a linear potentiometer 1030 of the audio console 1000. The linear aperture 40 is substantially an elongated rectangle in shape, matching the periphery of the linear potentiometer 1030. 5 During use of the cover 10, the linear potentiometer 1030 is exposed through the linear aperture 40 of the membrane 20 allowing a slider 1040 of the linear potentiometer 1030 to be moved up and down without disruption from the membrane 20 while maximising coverage of the top portion 1010. 5 In other embodiments, there are one or more linear apertures 40. In other embodiments, the linear aperture 40 is any shape that allows the slider 1040 of the linear potentiometer 1030 to be controlled without disruption from the membrane 20. In other embodiments, the surrounding flexible material around the linear aperture 40 is reinforced by increasing the thickness of the flexible material to substantially prevent tearing. It will also be appreciated 10 that other pieces of material may be attached to reinforce the surrounding material. It should be noted that, in the present specification, the word "potentiometer" means not only conventional analog variable-resistance rotary or linear control devices, but also analog variable-impedance rotary or linear control devices, and the various more recent "digital" rotary or linear control devices such as optical encoders, magneto-inductive encoders, 15 magneto-restrictive encoders, and HALL-effect encoders. In the preferred embodiment, the cover 10 further comprises a rim portion 50 extending downwardly from a periphery of the membrane 20, adapted to substantially conform to a periphery of the top portion 1010 of the audio console 1000 to prevent lateral movement of the membrane 20 with respect to the top portion 1010 during use. The rim portion 50 extends 20 downwardly along side portions 1050 of the audio console 1000. Preferably it does not cover features of the side portions 1050 such as, but not limited to, media insertion regions 1060, plugs (not shown), other buttons (not shown), and other switches (not shown). Furthermore, the rim portion 50 is constructed from the same unitary piece of material as the membrane 20. 25 In other embodiments, the rim portion 50 extends downwardly covering the features of the side portions 1050 having other apertures and other portions adapted to allow the features of the side portions 1050 to be operational during use. In other embodiments the rim portion 50 is made from a different piece of material than the membrane 20 and is attached to the periphery of the membrane 20. In still other embodiments, the join between the rim portion 30 50 and the membrane 20 is reinforced by increasing the thickness of the surrounding material. It will also be appreciated that other pieces of material may be attached to reinforce the surrounding material. In the preferred embodiment, the membrane 20 further comprises three knob apertures 60 adapted to allow access to three rotatable potentiometers 1070 of the audio console 1000 in 6 use. Each of the knob apertures 60 corresponding to a rotatable potentiometer 1070, with each of the knob apertures 60 having a substantially circular shape and matching the periphery of their corresponding rotatable potentiometer 1070. During use of the cover 10, the rotatable potentiometers 1070 extend through their corresponding knob aperture 60 to be 5 exposed to allow usage, specifically rotation, without disruption from the membrane 20. In other embodiments, there are one or more knob apertures 60. In other embodiments, the knob apertures 60 are any shape that still allows access to the rotatable potentiometers 1070. In other embodiments, the surrounding flexible material around the knob apertures 40 is reinforced by increasing the thickness of the flexible material to substantially prevent 10 tearing. It will also be appreciated that other pieces of material may be attached to reinforce the surrounding material. In the preferred embodiment, the membrane 20 further comprises a toggle portion 70 adapted to allow actuation of a toggle switch 1080 of the audio console 1000 through the membrane 20 in use. The toggle portion 70 is made from the same unitary piece of flexible 15 material as the membrane 20. The toggle portion 70 is substantially rectangular in shape extending upwardly from the membrane 20 to the height of the toggle switch 1080, creating space for the toggle switch 1080 to be housed and be positioned at any of its two or more states. The toggle switch 1080 is actuated to another state by pushing the toggle portion 70 in the lateral direction and since the toggle portion 70 is made from the same unitary piece of 20 flexible material as the membrane 20, it allows for flexing while retaining its shape after use. In other embodiments, there are one or more toggle portions 70. In other embodiments, the toggle portion 70 is of any shape that still allows actuation of a toggle switch 1080 through the membrane 20. In other embodiments, the toggle portion 70 is an aperture that is adapted to allow the toggle switch 1080 to extend through the membrane 20 and expose the toggle 25 switch 1080 in use. In other embodiments, the toggle portion 70 is made from a separate piece of material that still allows for flexing and retaining its shape after use. In other embodiments, the join between the toggle portion 70 and the membrane 20 is reinforced by increasing the thickness of the surrounding material to prevent tearing. It will also be appreciated that other pieces of material may be attached to reinforce the surrounding 30 material. In the preferred embodiment, the membrane 20 further comprises six button portions 80 adapted to allow actuation of six protruding buttons 1090 of the audio console 1000. The button portions 80 are made from the same unitary piece of flexible material as the membrane 20. Each of the button portions 80 corresponding to a protruding button 1090. 35 Each of the button portions 80 is substantially circular in shape extending upwardly from the 7 membrane 20 to the height of their corresponding protruding button 1090, while matching the periphery of their corresponding protruding button 1090. The protruding button 1090 is actuated to another state by downwardly depressing the button portion 80, and since the button portion 80 is made from the same unitary piece of flexible material as the membrane 5 20, it allows for flexing while retaining its shape after use. In other embodiments, there are one or more button portions 80. In other embodiments, the button portions 80 are of any shape that still allows actuation of the protruding buttons 1090. In still other embodiments the buttons on top portion 1010 are flush mounted (not shown) or slightly recessed (not shown), rather than protruding as in the case with the protruding 10 buttons 1090. In the two former cases the respective button portions 80 of the membrane 20 may be correspondingly flush (not shown) or slightly recessed (not shown) and still enable the buttons to be actuated to another state by downwardly depressing the button portion 80. In other embodiments, the button portions 80 are apertures that are adapted to allow the protruding buttons 1090 to extend through the membrane 20 in use. Again, in other 15 embodiments, the button portions 80 in the form of apertures in the membrane 20, may allow a user's finger to be inserted through the apertures in the membrane 20 and hence actuate flush or slightly recessed buttons. In other embodiments, the button portions 80 are made from a separate material that still allows for depression and retains its shape after use. In other embodiments, the join between the button portions 80 and the membrane 20 is 20 reinforced by increasing the thickness of the surrounding flexible material. It will also be appreciated that other pieces of material may be attached to reinforce the surrounding material. In the preferred embodiment, the membrane 20 further comprises a display portion 90 adapted to allow a display 1100 of the audio console 1000 to be substantially visible through 25 the membrane 20 in use. The display portion 90 is made from the same unitary piece of material as the membrane 20. The display portion 90 has the same periphery as the display 1100 having a substantially decreased thickness to be able to allow more light through the membrane 20 with less optical distortion. In other embodiments, there are one or more display portions 90. In other embodiments, the 30 display portion 90 is an aperture exposing the display 1100 through the membrane 20. In other embodiments, the display portion 90 is made from a different piece of material than the membrane 20, but still allows the display 1100 to be visible through the membrane 20 with minimal optical distortion. In the preferred embodiment, the flexible material used to construct the cover 10 is a 35 polymer, specifically a silicone compound. The silicone compound is flexible, waterproof, 8 durable, washable, reusable and economical to manufacture. It will be appreciated that the flexible material is not limited to being constructed from a silicone compound but may be constructed from any different polymer with similar properties. The flexible material is constructed to provide substantial transparency, allowing information to be substantially seen 5 through the membrane 20. Also the flexible material allows a plurality of other underlying buttons 1110 to be actuated through the membrane 20 by depressing the membrane 20. In other embodiments, the flexible material is made with different colour additives and/or glow-in-the-dark additives. The cover 10 for an audio console 1000 provides a number of advantages, including: 10 1. The membrane 20 provides access to one or more turntables 1020 and one or more linear potentiometers 1030 of the audio console 1000, while still protecting the audio console 1000. This allows the audio console 1000 to be used and still remain protected when it is susceptible to the greatest amounts of damaging foreign material and human interaction. 15 2. Advantageously, the flexible material allows for depression allowing for the actuation of buttons 1090, 1110 of the audio console 1000. 3. The cover 10 prolongs the life of the audio console 1000 and saves on expensive repair, maintenance and replacement costs. 4. The rim portion 50 holds the membrane 20 in place on the top portion 1010 of the 20 audio console 1000 during use. This prevents the cover 10 from laterally moving undesirably with respect to the top portion 1010 of the audio console 1000 during its use. 5. The rim portion 50 prevents foreign material entering around the periphery of the membrane 20. 25 6. The one or more knob apertures 60 provide access to the one or more rotatable potentiometers 1070 during use of the cover 10. This allows the one or more rotatable potentiometers 1070 to be adjusted while the audio console 1000 is covered. 7. The one or more toggle portions 70 allow the one or more toggle switches 1080 to 30 be actuated, even with the membrane 20 covering the one or more toggle switches 1080, via flexure of the membrane 20. This allows the cover 10 to provide a greater coverage for the audio console 1000, yet allowing the one or more toggle switches 1080 to be controllable. 9 8. The one or more toggle portions 70 retain their shapes after actuation of the one or more toggle switches 1080 during use. 9. The one or more button portions 80 are shaped to substantially match the one or more protruding buttons' 1090 shapes. This is to allow actuation of the one or more 5 protruding buttons 1090 without undesirable movement of the membrane 20. 10. The one or more button portions 80 retain their shapes after actuation of the one or more protruding buttons 1090 during use. 11. The one or more display portions 90 allows the one or more displays 1100 of the audio console 1000 to be substantially visible, and thus allowing important 10 information and feedback from the audio console 1000 to be available to the user of the audio console 1000, even with the cover 10 present. 12. The cover 10 is constructed out of a polymer that allows the cover 10 to be flexible, waterproof, durable, washable, reusable and economical to manufacture. 13. The cover 10 by using a polymer can be transparent allowing buttons 1090, 1110 of 15 the audio console 1000 and other necessary information to be visible through the cover 10 with only limited distortion. Furthermore, the material facilitates the addition of different colours, patterns and even glow-in-the-dark features, allowing the cover 10 to be versatile and fashionable. 10 Interpretation Embodiments: Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment 5 is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, 10 in one or more embodiments. Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of example embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of 15 disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description of Specific 20 Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be 25 understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. Specific Details In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific 30 details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. Terminology 11 In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a 5 similar technical purpose. Terms such as "forward", "rearward", "radially", "peripherally", "upwardly", "downwardly", and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms. Different Instances of Objects As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", 10 "third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner. Comprising and Including In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the 15 context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. Any one of the terms: including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an 20 open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising. Scope of Invention Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may 25 be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods 30 described within the scope of the present invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms. 12 Industrial Applicability It is apparent from the above, that the arrangements described are applicable to the entertainment and music industries. 13