US 11,700,476 B2
Earphone positioning and retention
Brandon Holley, Brookline, MA (US); Wei-Hean Liew, Boston, MA (US); Jerad Lewis, Cambridge, MA (US); David Amaranto, Truckee, CA (US); Alexia Delhoume, Boston, MA (US); Casper Asmussen, Malmö (SE); and Victor Johansson, Malmö (SE)
Assigned to Sonos, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Filed by Sonos, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/480,008.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/080,611, filed on Sep. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0095040 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H04R 1/10 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 1/1066 (2013.01) [H04R 1/1016 (2013.01); H04R 1/1041 (2013.01); H04R 1/1091 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for placing an earphone into a wearing position on a user, the method comprising:
inserting an earphone into the outer cavity portion of a user's ear, where the earphone comprises an eartip, a body portion, and a retaining member;
where the eartip comprises an oval-shaped first contact surface at an opening forming a hole through the eartip;
where the body portion comprises a second contact surface formed to conform to an anti-tragus portion of a user's ear;
where the retaining member comprises a third contact surface formed to conform to a cymba conch portion of a user's ear;
where the retaining member is removeable from the earphone; and
where the retaining member comprises a loop configured to fit entirely over the body portion;
pressing the earphone inward toward the user's ear canal until the oval-shaped first contact surface of the eartip contacts the ear canal;
turning the earphone a partial rotation about an axis that is aligned in the direction of the ear canal until the second contact surface of the body portion contacts the anti-tragus portion of the user's ear and the third contact surface of the retaining member contacts the cymba conch portion of the user's ear; and
removing the retaining member and fitting a replacement retaining member over the body portion.