GB2554710A

GB2554710A - An earphone wire decorative device

Info

Publication number: GB2554710A
Application number: GB1616950.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harding Wade Lennon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-10-06
Filing date: 2016-10-06
Publication date: 2018-04-11
Also published as: GB201616950D0

Abstract

An earphone wire decorative device and associated earphone wire decoration system, the device comprising a decoration section 1 and a wire attachment portion 2, wherein the wire attachment portion comprises a mouth 3 arranged to close over a wire and the decoration section comprises a sufficiently large footprint to hide the attachment portion. The decoration section and the wire attachment section may be a unitary body or mutually separable so as to make use of interchangeable decoration sections (figs 8a, 8b). The decoration section may be attached to the wire attachment section by magnetic means, and the sections may be mutually rotatable.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

Lennon Harding Wade

Keith Road, Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH3 7DS, United Kingdom (56) Documents Cited:

WO 2012/142209 A2 US 20130192031 A1 AU 2007101005 JP 3141560 (58) Field of Search:

DE 202012009360 U (72) Inventor(s):

Lennon Harding Wade

INT CL H04M, H04R Other: WPI, EPODOC (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

ipconsult

21A Commercial Road, SWANAGE, Dorset, BH19 1DF, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: An earphone wire decorative device Abstract Title: An earphone wire decorative device (57) An earphone wire decorative device and associated earphone wire decoration system, the device comprising a decoration section 1 and a wire attachment portion 2, wherein the wire attachment portion comprises a mouth 3 arranged to close over a wire and the decoration section comprises a sufficiently large footprint to hide the attachment portion.

The decoration section and the wire attachment section may be a unitary body or mutually separable so as to make use of interchangeable decoration sections (figs 8a, 8b).

The decoration section may be attached to the wire attachment section by magnetic means, and the sections may be mutually rotatable.

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AN EARPHONE WIRE DECORATIVE DEVICE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an earphone wire decorative device.

Background

Increasing miniaturisation in electronics and the digitisation of music files in particular has meant an ever-growing number of users enjoy portable music players.

Many such users have portable telephones or similar that often come equipped with ear buds, ear phones or headphones.

Headphones can become accessories that are as important and almost as expensive as the music playing equipment itself.

As a consequence personalisation of these headphones can become important to users, helping individualise the headphones for personal and recognition purposes. However there is limited space on typical earphones in particular, which often comprise a wire, jack and two independent ear buds.

Prior Art

CN 203 912 135 (XIAO) discloses an earphone, in particular a decorative earphone with a replaceable cover wherein the decoration and the body are fitted together via a magnet.

USD 654 052 (MONSTER) discloses a decorative earphone wire device, comprising a clip with a hinge.

US 2008 285 785 (ZIEG et al) discloses a device comprising an ornamental object with a central channel adapted to couple to a headphone cord at a point along the length of the cord.

The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided an earphone wire decorative device comprising a decoration section and a wire attachment portion, wherein the wire attachment portion comprises a mouth arranged to close over a wire and the decoration section comprises a sufficiently large footprint to hide the attachment portion.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an associated earphone wire decoration system which includes the device.

In some embodiments the mouth comprises two jaws.

In some embodiments at least one of the jaws may be moveable.

In some embodiments at least one of the jaws may be resiliently deformable.

For example in some embodiments the mouth comprises two jaws spaced apart by a spacing appropriate to the wire diameter. In this way the wire may be introduced to the mouth to deform the jaws, such that the jaws reform onto or over the wire.

The mouth may comprise a single lacuna, which lacuna may be substantially circular and arranged with a missing circumferential segment, through which the wire may be introduced. The circumferential segment may be smaller in length than the diameter of the wire, such that the mouth separates or is separated into two moveable jaws, which jaws may move under urging of the wire, and/or which jaws may be resiliently deformable. In some embodiments parts of the mouth adjacent the segment may be resiliently deformable so as to comprise the jaws. For example, in some embodiments the mouth may comprise a resiliently deformable cover or coating, which cover or coating is surrounds the segment.

In some embodiments the device may comprise a unitary part, for example formed in a thermo plastic such as polyethylene or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

In some embodiments the device may comprise a plurality of parts, which parts may be formed in a plurality of materials. For example in some embodiments the attachment portion may comprise a resiliently deformable material such as synthetic rubber, plastics or silicone, and the decoration section may comprise a substantially rigid thermo plastic part.

In some embodiments the attachment portion may comprise a mouth with a high friction or texturised inner surface. The surface in some embodiments may comprise raised and lowered parts laterally, or may be disposed to otherwise limit axial movement along the wire in use. In addition or the alternative the surface may comprise raised and lowered parts arranged to limit rotation about the wire.

In some embodiments the device may comprise mutually separable parts, such that the user may be enabled to separate the parts in use, for example for replacement of the decorative section without detaching the attachment portion.

In some embodiments the decorative section and attachment portion may be connected by a mutually rotatable mounting. In this way for example the decorative section can be rotated whilst the attachment portion remains attached to the wire.

In this way a user may be enabled to align the decorative section as wished, for example so as to align with the wire axis, with usage of the headphone or with respect to the user’s viewpoint or that of third parties in use.

In some embodiments the decorative section is larger than the attachment portion, or has a larger surface area. In this way it may be envisaged that the decorative section in use hides the attachment portion, and may even extend substantially to the side and behind it.

In some embodiments the decorative section comprises a three dimensional form, for example concave or convex, or otherwise extending away from the attachment portion.

In this way the decorative section may be visible from a greater number of viewpoints, and the attachment portion may be hidden from a greater number of viewpoints.

In further embodiments the device may comprise a self-levelling means, for example comprising a liquid level arranged to level out, or rearrange under the gravity, the aesthetic section or a part of the attachment portion.

In some embodiments the device may comprise clips and/or ferromagnetic parts. For example the clips or ferromagnetic parts may be arranged to grip, clip or connect the device other devices or other devices according to the present invention. For example the clips or ferromagnetic parts may be arranged to be used as a means of tidying the wire, for example by enabling looping of wire between devices.

In some embodiments the portion and section or part thereof may be screw fit, ferromagnetic or tolerance or interference fitting.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a plan view from below of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a reverse isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows an isometric view ofthe embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows an exploded isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 shows a reverse isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7 shows a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

And

Figures 8 show sketch isometric views of two further embodiments of the device according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of Figures

With reference to Figures 1 to 6 there is shown an embodiment of the device comprising an attachment portion 2 and a decorative section 1, wherein both the portion 2 and section 1 comprise circular footprint parts and the decorative section 1 provides a larger footprint than the attachment portion 1.

The attachment portion 1 comprises a domed convex outer surface 6 which can be used to effectively display decorative features, images, lettering or other aesthetic considerations.

The domed surface 6 provides the distal face of a planar circular inner face 5, which inner face 5 provides a basal part of a mounting for the attachment portion 2.

The attachment portion also includes a planar inner face 7, which inner face 7 provides a circular planar face in contact with the decorative section’s inner face 5.

The two opposed inner faces are therefore in contact and are enabled to rotate in some embodiments by a connecting pin axle (not shown). In other embodiments the inner faces are adhered or bonded to one another.

The inner face 5 of the section 1 may be formed in a different material, for example a harder or more rigid thermoplastics, or a metal or alloy.

This inner face may comprise a separate construction, for example a metal or alloy disc onto which the upper 6 is bonded permanently or slotted temporarily for example in some embodiments comprising a standardised sizing such as a button pin badge.

In the pictured embodiment the inner face 5 comprises a shallow-curvature chamfered edge, so as limit snag hazards at the decorative section.

The inner face 7 of the attachment portion 2 may be formed in a different material, for example a harder or more rigid thermoplastics, or a metal or alloy.

In the pictured embodiment the inner face 7 comprises a bipartite stratified formation wherein a first outer layer may comprise a different part, for example comprising an upstanding pin, or pivot, onto which the decorative section 1 is located.

The subordinate layer may comprise a second pivot or mounting layer in some embodiments, for example wherein the layers are bonded or adhered to the portion and section, and may be enabled to mutually rotate, provided a friction-less or selflubricating contact, for example comprising Nylon (RTM).

The mouth 3 is formed as an inverted tear drop, which is formed by a circular section channel which is arranged across a diameter of the portion in plan, and has overhanging jaws 4 extending radially over the channel of the mouth 3.

The jaws 4 comprise resiliently deformable material, being thereby enabled to deform in order to accept passage of the wire under urging and reform after passage of the wire, so as to require deformation under urging to remove the wire from the mouth. The whole of the attachment portion thereby comprises a convex hemispherical projection 43 with a planar back and a channel across its diameter with a narrowing middle.

The mouth diameter is sized slightly smaller appropriate a standard wire diameter used for headphones, that is approximately 3.5mm. In this way the wire is held once in place.

Additionally the inner surface of the mouth comprises resiliently deformable material, as does the outer of standard wires, such that the wire is held by the mouth after insertion.

As shown in Figure 7 the mouth comprises a resiliently deformable material cover 41 for example silicon or rubber, covering an inner substantially rigid thermoplastics core

40. The extending nature of the cover 41 enables the jaws to be formed by extending resiliently deformable material framing the mouth 3 to either side of the core, which forms a channel edge 44 surrounded by extending cover 41.

The edge 44 of the channel provides a segment in section of a circular core diameter, the segment length between 90 and 180 degrees, so as to ensure passage and restraint of the wire into the mouth.

With reference to Figure 5 the embodiment is shown exploded, wherein the attachment portion 2 and decorative section 1 are joined by a mounting connector 12 comprising a shallow circular tray, wherein the tray faces towards the attachment portion 2 and a circular indent for its receipt therein, and the connector surrounds or covers a stud 10 projecting from the decorative section 2. In some embodiments the mounting connector may be screw fit, ferromagnetic or tolerance or interference fitting.

With reference to Figure 8a there are shown sketch isometric views of a second embodiment of the device having a unitary body 71 with mouth 70 facing upwards,so as to combine the attachment portion and decorative section, and the righthand image showing the body’s mouth 70 clipped over a wire 69 so as to display the substantially planar display section 72. The body is formed in a resiliently deformable thermo plastic or elastomer.

With reference to Figure 8b the third embodiment comprises a body 71 providing the mouth 70, for clipping onto the wire 69, but having an indentation so as to receive a decorative disc section 72, which is adhered to the body’s indentation. In some embodiments the disc section 72 may be screw fit, ferromagnetic or tolerance or interference fitting.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of invention as defined by the claims, in particular but not solely combination of features of described embodiments.

Claims

1. An earphone wire decorative device and associated earphone wire decoration system, the device comprising a decoration section and a wire attachment portion, wherein the wire attachment portion comprises a mouth arranged to close over a wire and the decoration section comprises a sufficiently large footprint to hide the attachment portion.

2. A device according to claim 1 comprising a mounting between the attachment portion and decorative section.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the mounting is rotatable with respect to device.

4. A device according to claim 1 comprising a unitary body.

5. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the attachment portion comprises a resiliently deformable cover.

6. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the attachment portion comprises a fixed mouth.

7. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the attachment portion comprises resiliently deformable jaws.

8. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the decorative section is convex and extends axially away from the attachment portion.

9. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the attachment portion comprises a channel of smaller diameter than a 3.5mm headphone wire.

10. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the decorative section comprises a displaceable part.

11. A device according to claim 10 wherein the displaceable part comprises a magnet or ferromagnetic device.

12. A device substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 7.

13. A device substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 8a.

14. A device substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 8b.

15. A system for decorating headphone wires comprising a device according to any of the preceding claims.

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