Users of telephones, audio and video players and other mobile devices increasingly choose earphones for convenience, privacy and in some cases, compliance with laws allowing only hands free phones while driving. Earphones are distinguished from headphones, which are generally larger and have a head-shaped band that supports two ear pieces designed to fit over at least a portion of the ears.
Some earphones have a portion sized to be inserted at least partially into the ear canal. Although these earphones can deliver better performance in some situations, a reliable and comfortable fit is difficult to achieve for some users. In the most common earphones, however, instead of a smaller in-canal portion, a larger generally rounded portion is shaped to fit at least partially within a portion of the outer ear (external to the ear canal).
Because ear shapes vary widely, attempts have been made to allow users to adapt the fit of standard earphones for their individual requirements, which sometimes differ between the left and right ears. Some earphones are designed to accept cushions of different thicknesses to allow their fit to be adapted. Some earphones include members shaped to fit around the user's ears (like eyeglass temples) to hold the earphones in place.
There remains a need, however, for an earphone configurable to fit a wide array of users securely and comfortably that is easy to adjust and convenient to wear and remove.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds