US 11,736,847 B2
Support structure for earpiece cushion
Dustin A. Hatfield, Los Gatos, CA (US); Michael B. Minerbi, San Francisco, CA (US); Eugene Antony Whang, San Francisco, CA (US); Benjamin A. Shaffer, San Jose, CA (US); Edward Siahaan, San Francisco, CA (US); and Daniel R. Bloom, Alameda, CA (US)
Assigned to APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/894,055.
Application 17/894,055 is a continuation of application No. 17/023,239, filed on Sep. 16, 2020, granted, now 11,457,300.
Prior Publication US 2022/0408171 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. H04R 25/00 (2006.01); H04R 1/10 (2006.01); H04R 5/033 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 1/1008 (2013.01) [H04R 1/105 (2013.01); H04R 1/1066 (2013.01); H04R 1/1075 (2013.01); H04R 5/0335 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An earpiece suitable for use with over-ear headphones, the earpiece comprising:
an earpiece housing including one or more walls that define an interior volume having a central region surrounded by an annular region, wherein the one or more walls include a cover disposed over the central region and having one or more apertures formed there through;
an annular earpiece cushion surrounding the one or more apertures and coupled to the earpiece housing;
an acoustic driver disposed within the interior volume and aligned to emit sound through the one or more apertures formed in the cover, the earpiece having a front volume formed between the acoustic driver and the annular earpiece cushion;
a pressure relief aperture formed through a portion of the one or more walls that defines the annular region of the interior volume;
a frame disposed within the interior volume and coupling the acoustic driver to the earpiece housing; and
a plurality of fasteners that couple the acoustic driver to the frame, the plurality of fasteners including at least one hollow fastener having a bore formed through its length; and
an acoustic channel extending through the bore formed in the hollow fastener to acoustically couple the front volume with the pressure relief aperture.