US 12,256,186 B2
Wireless earphone
Zachary C. Rich, San Francisco, CA (US); Kurt R. Stiehl, San Jose, CA (US); Arun D. Chawan, San Francisco, CA (US); Michael B. Howes, Mountain View, CA (US); Jonathan S. Aase, Rochester, MI (US); Esge B. Andersen, Campbell, CA (US); Yacine Azmi, San Francisco, CA (US); Jahan C. Minoo, San Jose, CA (US); David J. Shaw, San Diego, CA (US); Aarti Kumar, San Jose, CA (US); Augustin Prats, San Francisco, CA (US); Robert D. Watson, Menlo Park, CA (US); Baptiste P. Paquier, Saratoga, CA (US); Axel D. Berny, San Francisco, CA (US); Benjamin W. Cook, San Francisco, CA (US); Jerzy S. Guterman, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Benjamin Adair Cousins, Burlington, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 22, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/584,069.
Application 18/584,069 is a continuation of application No. 17/827,493, filed on May 27, 2022, granted, now 11,937,037.
Application 17/827,493 is a continuation of application No. 16/790,661, filed on Feb. 13, 2020, granted, now 11,363,363, issued on Jun. 14, 2022.
Application 16/790,661 is a continuation of application No. 16/125,178, filed on Sep. 7, 2018, granted, now 10,567,861, issued on Feb. 18, 2020.
Application 16/125,178 is a continuation of application No. 15/302,163, granted, now 10,110,984, issued on Oct. 23, 2018, previously published as PCT/US2015/026725, filed on Apr. 20, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/982,214, filed on Apr. 21, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2024/0259721 A1, Aug. 1, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61F 4/00 (2006.01); H04R 1/10 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 1/1016 (2013.01) [H04R 1/1025 (2013.01); H04R 1/1075 (2013.01); H04R 1/105 (2013.01); H04R 2201/107 (2013.01); H04R 2420/07 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wireless earphone comprising:
a housing having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises a far end, a near end, a sound outlet at the far end, and wherein the second portion abuts the first portion;
a speaker driver positioned within the first portion;
electronic circuitry positioned within the housing that includes a wireless communications interface to receive audio content and in response provide an audio signal to the speaker driver;
a rechargeable power source positioned within the housing connected to the electronic circuitry;
a first microphone positioned within the first portion;
a second microphone positioned within the second portion and acoustically coupled to an acoustic port at an end of the second portion; and
a third microphone positioned inside the housing, between the first microphone and the second microphone, and
wherein the first microphone is closer to the speaker driver than the second microphone, and wherein at least one of the second microphone or the third microphone is operable to pick up ambient sound outside of an ear for performing acoustic noise cancellation.