US008O31900B2
`
`(12) United States Patent
`Dyer et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8,031,900 B2
`Oct. 4, 2011
`
`(54) EARPHONE AMBIENT EARTIP
`
`(75) Inventors: Ms. yyer, St. E. h
`(US); Jerry J. Harvey, Newport Beach,
`CA (US)
`(73) Assignee: Logitech International, S.A. (CH)
`(*) Notice:
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 1434 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 11/363,006
`(22) Filed:
`Feb. 27, 2006
`9
`Prior Publication Data
`
`(65)
`
`Aug. 30, 2007
`
`US 2007/02O1717 A1
`(51) Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`H04R 25/00
`(52) U.S. Cl. ........ 381/380.381/381: 381/322.381/328.
`181 f130; 181 (135
`(58) Field of Classification Search .................. 381/32,
`381/322. 330, 380 381: 181 (130, 135
`See application file for complete search history. s
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4,375,016 A * 2/1983 Harada ......................... 181,135
`5,729,605 A
`3, 1998 BobiSuthi et al.
`
`7,079,662 B2 * 7/2006 Niederdr ....................... 381.328
`7.627,131 B2 * 12/2009 Nielsen et al. ................ 381.328
`2002/0139607 A1 10, 2002 Wubker
`2005/024.9369 A1 1 1/2005 Angst et al.
`2006/0137934 A1* 6/2006 Kurth ............................ 181,135
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner — Davetta W Goins
`Assistant Examiner — Jasmine Pritchard
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Patent Law Office of David
`G. Beck
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`An eartip that includes at least one acoustic material filled
`port is provided. The port and the acoustic material contained
`therein provide the eartip with a controlled acoustic leakage
`path, thus allowing the user to tailor the performance of the
`earphones to which the eartips of the invention are attached.
`The provided eartip is attachable to a standard, generic ear
`piece, for example through the use of interlocking members
`(e.g., channellip arrangement). At least one port, in addition
`to the central opening by which the eartip is attached to the
`earphone, extends through the eartip. The port can have a
`circular cross-section, arcuate cross-section, or other shape.
`If desired, for example to increase the port area, the eartip can
`be designed with multiple ports Surrounding the central open
`ing. Within the port is an acoustic material with the desired
`acoustic impedance. The eartip can be coded to allow identi
`fication of the acoustic qualities of a particular eartip.
`
`19 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
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`APPLE 1006
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`U.S. Patent
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`Oct. 4, 2011
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`Sheet 1 of 8
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`US 8,031,900 B2
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`FIG. 1
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`ÈÑ
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`N
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`sssssssNo.SSSSSSSSSSRN @ Z <-
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`205
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`cro O CN
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`FIG. 2
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`3
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`Sheet 3 of 8
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`FIG. 3
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`t
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`403
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`FIG. 4
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`501-
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`403
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`500
`41
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`FIG. 5
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`400
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`401
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`FIG. 6
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`U.S. Patent
`US. Patent
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`Oct. 4, 2011
`Oct. 4, 2011
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`500
`500
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`501
`501
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`FIG. 7
`FIG. 7
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`U.S. Patent
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`Oct. 4, 2011
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`801
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`801
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`FIG. 8
`FIG. 8
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`Oct. 4, 2011
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`FIG. 9
`FIG. 9
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`U.S. Patent
`US. Patent
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`Oct. 4, 2011
`Oct. 4, 2011
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`Sheet 8 of 8
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`1001
`1001
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`FIG. 10
`FIG. 10
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`US 8,031,900 B2
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`1.
`EARPHONE AMIBIENT EARTIP
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates generally to audio monitors
`and, more particularly, to an earphone eartip.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`2
`based on the intended use, or at least the primary intended use.
`As a result, either the user must buy multiple earphone sets to
`accommodate different uses, or Suffer with varying perfor
`mance inadequacies. The present invention is designed to
`overcome this problem.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention provides an eartip that includes at
`least one acoustic material filled port, the port and the acous
`tic material contained therein providing the eartip with a path
`for controlled acoustic leakage. As a result of this controlled
`acoustic leakage, the user is able to tailor the performance of
`the earphones to which the eartips of the invention are
`attached, for example allowing varying levels of ambient
`Sound to intrude upon the Sound produced by the earphone,
`thereby limiting the sound isolation afforded by the eartip.
`The controlled acoustic leakage of the eartip can also be used
`to tailor the response of the earphone, for example lessening
`the earphone's base response.
`The eartip of the invention is attachable to a standard,
`generic earphone, for example through the use of interlocking
`members (e.g., channel/lip arrangement). At least one port, in
`addition to the central opening by which the eartip is attached
`to the earphone, extends through the eartip. The port can have
`a circular cross-section, arcuate cross-section, or other shape.
`If desired, for example to increase the port area, the eartip can
`be designed with multiple ports Surrounding the central open
`ing. Within the port is an acoustic material with the desired
`acoustic impedance. Typical acoustic materials are fabricated
`from foam or fibrous material, although the invention is not
`limited to these materials. Preferably the eartip of the inven
`tion includes an indicator, Such as color coding, that allows
`the user to easily identify the acoustic qualities of the selected
`eartip.
`In one embodiment of the invention, a kit of eartip pairs of
`varying acoustic impedance is provided. The user selects the
`eartip pair based on the desired earphone performance, thus
`allowing the earphone frequency response and/or the degree
`of sound isolation to be varied as preferred.
`A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the
`present invention may be realized by reference to the remain
`ing portions of the specification and the drawings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a generic earphone in
`accordance with the prior art;
`FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a generic earphone with
`multiple sound delivery tubes inaccordance with the prior art;
`FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate prior art
`eartip;
`FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an eartip similar to that
`shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the inclusion of a controlled
`leakage port;
`FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an eartip similar to that
`shown in FIG. 3, with the inclusion of a controlled leakage
`port;
`FIG. 6 is an end view of the eartip shown in FIG. 4;
`FIG. 7 is an end view of the eartip shown in FIG. 5:
`FIG. 8 is an end view of an eartip with multiple ports
`Surrounding the central eartip opening;
`FIG. 9 is an end view of an eartip with a circular port
`Surrounding the entire central eartip opening; and
`FIG. 10 is an end view of an eartip with multiple arcuate
`ports Surrounding the central eartip opening.
`
`Earphones, also referred to as in-ear monitors, canal
`phones and earpieces, are commonly used to listen to both
`recorded and live music. A typical recorded music application
`would involve plugging the earphone into a music player Such
`as a CD player, flash or hard drive based MP3 player, home
`Stereo, or similar device using the earphone's headphone
`jack. Alternately, the earphone can be wirelessly coupled to
`the music player. In a typical live music application, an on
`stage musician wears the earphone in order to hear his or her
`own music during a performance.
`Earphones are typically quite Small and are worn just out
`side the ear canal. Prior art earphones use either one or more
`diaphragm-based drivers, one or more armature-based driv
`ers, or a combination of both driver types. Broadly character
`ized, a diaphragm is a moving-coil speaker with a paper or
`mylar diaphragm. Since the cost to manufacture diaphragms
`is relatively low, they are widely used in many common audio
`products. In contrast to the diaphragm approach, an armature
`receiver utilizes a piston design. Due to the inherent cost of
`armature receivers, however, they are typically only found in
`hearing aids and high-end in-ear monitors.
`Armature drivers, also referred to as balanced armatures,
`were originally developed by the hearing aid industry. This
`type of driver uses a magnetically balanced shaft or armature
`within a small, typically rectangular, enclosure. A single
`armature is capable of accurately reproducing low-frequency
`audio or high-frequency audio, but incapable of providing
`high-fidelity performance across all frequencies. To over
`come this limitation, armature-based earphones often use
`two, or even three, armature drivers. In such multiple arma
`ture arrangements, a crossover network is used to divide the
`frequency spectrum into multiple regions, i.e., low and high
`or low, medium, and high. Separate armature drivers are then
`used for each region, individual armature drivers being opti
`mized for each region. In contrast to the multi-driver
`approach often used with armature drivers, earpieces utilizing
`diaphragm drivers are typically limited to a single diaphragm
`due to the size of the diaphragm assembly. Unfortunately, as
`diaphragm-based monitors have significant frequency roll off
`above 4 kHz, an earpiece with a single diaphragm cannot
`achieve the desired upper frequency response while still pro
`viding an accurate low frequency response.
`In addition to utilizing one or more high-fidelity drivers,
`professional-quality earphones are either custom molded or
`they use generic eartips, also referred to as sleeves. Eartips are
`typically fabricated from a soft, pliable material such as foam
`or silicon in order to achieve the desired snug fit within the
`user's ear canal. In use, the eartips isolate the user, thus
`insuring that the user can hear every nuance of the reproduced
`audio Source by minimizing the audio interference caused by
`competing background noise.
`Although sound isolating earphones meet the requirements
`of many users, for example professional musicians, some
`users prefer to be able to hear a degree of background Sound.
`This preference may be for convenience, for example to hear
`the telephone while using the earphones, or for safety, for
`example to hear traffic and/or emergency vehicles while
`cycling. Currently users must select the type of earphone
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`US 8,031,900 B2
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`DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC
`EMBODIMENTS
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`designer and/or user to select the materials firmness (i.e.,
`hard to soft), texture, color, etc. Enclosure 115 can be either
`custom molded or designed with a generic shape.
`Attached to the end portion of sound delivery member 111
`(or member 201) is an eartip 121, also referred to as an eartip
`sleeve or simply a sleeve. Eartip 121 can be fabricated from
`any of a variety of materials including foam, plastic and
`silicon-based material. Sleeve 121 can have the generally
`cylindrical and smooth shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or can
`include one or more flanges. To hold sleeve 121 onto member
`111 (or member 201) during normal use but still allow the
`sleeve to be replaced when desired, typically the eartip
`includes a lip portion 123 which is fit into a corresponding
`channel or groove 125 in sound delivery member 111 (or
`groove 213 in sound delivery member 201 of FIG. 2). The
`combination of an interlocking groove 125 with a lip 123
`provides a convenient means of replacing eartip 121, allow
`ing sleeves of various sizes, shapes, or colors to be easily
`attached to the earphone. As a result, it is easy to provide the
`end user with a comfortable fit at a fraction of the cost of a
`custom fit (i.e., molded) earphone. Additionally, the use of
`interlocking members 123 and 125 allow worn out eartips to
`be quickly and easily replaced. It will be appreciated that
`other eartip mounting methods can be used with earphone
`100. For example, eartip 121 can be attached to sound deliv
`ery member 111 using pressure fittings, bonding, etc.
`Although eartip 121, as illustrated in the cross-sectional
`views of FIGS. 1 and 2, is solid, it will be appreciated that
`other configurations can be used. For example, FIG. 3 is a
`cross-sectional view of an alternate eartip 300. As shown,
`preferably eartip300 includes a lip portion 301, thus allowing
`it to be easily attached to the sound delivery member groove
`as previously described and illustrated relative to eartip 121.
`Portion 303 of eartip 300 is cylindrically-shaped, thus pro
`viding a secure fit against the barrel-shaped portion of the
`sound delivery member (e.g., portion 127 of member 111,
`portion 215 of member 201, etc.). Eartip 300 also includes a
`pliable portion 305 designed to provide both a tight and
`comfortable fit within the user's ear canal.
`In accordance with the invention, one or more controlled
`acoustic leakage ports are included within the eartip. It should
`be appreciated that the controlled leakage ports of the inven
`tion are not simply open ports, rather they are ports that
`include a material selected to provide the desired acoustic
`impedance. Uncontrolled leakage, i.e., that resulting from an
`open port, is undesirable as it degrades the sound quality to an
`unacceptable level. Accordingly the present invention pro
`vides controlled leakage, thus achieving the benefits of a
`ported earphone without the significant drawbacks associated
`with an open port.
`FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of eartips 400 and
`500, similar to eartips 121 and 300, respectively, except for
`the inclusion of controlled impedance ports 401 and 501. As
`shown, ports 401 and 501 are cylindrically-shaped and filled
`with the desired acoustic material 403. FIGS. 6 and 7 provide
`end views of eartips 400 and 500, respectively.
`The acoustic impedance of an eartip designed in accor
`dance with the invention depends, in part, on the area of the
`controlled impedance port or ports integrated into the eartip.
`The primary constraint placed on the available area for inte
`grating one or more ports into the eartip is the Surface area of
`the exit surface of the eartip that opens into the ear canal, as
`opposed to the side Surfaces of the eartip that are immediately
`adjacent to, and fit against, the inner ear canal. Additionally,
`the back surface of the port or ports must remain unblocked
`when the eartip is attached to the earphone. Thus, for
`example, the back surface 405 of port 401 in eartip 400 is
`
`FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a generic earphone 100
`in accordance with the prior art. Earphone 100, also referred
`to herein as an earpiece, in-ear monitor and canalphone,
`includes a low-frequency driver armature driver 101 and a
`high-frequency armature driver 103. A circuit 105, such as a
`passive crossover circuit or an active crossover circuit, pro
`vides input to armature drivers 101 and 103. Crossover circuit
`105 is coupled to the external sound source (not shown) via a
`cable 107. Only a portion of cable 107 is shown. The external
`Sound source may be selected from any of a variety of sources
`Such as an audio receiver, mixer, music player, headphone
`amplifier or other source type. As is well known in the indus
`try, earphone 100 can also be wirelessly coupled to the
`desired source. Although dual armature drivers are shown in
`FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that the invention is equally
`applicable to other driver configurations, for example with
`fewer or greater numbers of drivers as well as those using
`either diaphragm drivers, armature drivers, or both.
`As illustrated, the output from each driver enters an acous
`tic mixing chamber 109 within sound delivery member 111. A
`single sound delivery tube 113 delivers the mixed audio from
`the two drivers through the sound delivery member 111 to the
`user. Sound delivery member 111 is designed to fit within the
`outer ear canal of the user and as such, is generally cylindrical
`in shape. It will be appreciated that although a single Sound
`delivery tube 113 is shown in the embodiment illustrated in
`FIG. 1, the invention is not limited to earphones of this design.
`For example, assuming the use of multiple drivers, multiple
`sound delivery tubes can be used as described in co-pending
`U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/051,865, filed Feb. 4,
`2005, and 1 1/333,151, filed Jan. 17, 2006, the disclosures of
`which are incorporated herein for any and all purposes. An
`35
`exemplary embodiment of a multiple Sound tube configura
`tion is shown in FIG. 2. As shown, sound delivery member
`201 of earphone 200 includes two separate sound delivery
`tubes 203/205, corresponding to drivers 101 and 103, respec
`tively. Preferably a boot member 207, which can also be used
`in other configurations such as that shown in FIG. 1, attaches
`to sound delivery member 201, boot member 207 securing the
`components to the Sound delivery member.
`Regardless of the configuration, earphones utilizing the
`present invention can include internal dampers, also com
`45
`monly referred to as acoustic filters. Although not shown in
`FIG. 1, the embodiment illustrated in FIG.2 includes a pair of
`dampers 209/211 interposed between the drivers 101/103 and
`sound delivery tubes 203/205. In the embodiment illustrated
`in FIG. 1, the damper could be located within the mixing
`chamber 109, for example. Dampers, interposed between the
`driver(s) and the sound delivery tube(s) and/or the sound
`delivery tube(s) and the earphone output, are often used to
`tune the earphone, for example by reducing the output level
`for a particular frequency range or reducing the overall sound
`pressure level.
`An outer earphone enclosure 115 attaches to sound deliv
`ery member 111 (or member 201 in FIG. 2). Earphone enclo
`sure 115 protects the drivers (e.g., drivers 101/103) and any
`required earphone circuitry (e.g., crossover circuit 105) from
`damage while providing a convenient means of securing
`cable 107, or a cable socket, to the earphone. Enclosure 115
`can be attached to member 111 (or member 201) using inter
`locking members (e.g., groove 117, lip 119). Alternately, an
`adhesive or other means can be used to attach enclosure 115
`to member 111 (or member 201). Enclosure 115 can be fab
`ricated from any of a variety of materials, thus allowing the
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`moved away from the centerline to insure that it is not blocked
`when attached to sound delivery member 111.
`It should be appreciated that there are countless designs for
`the port, depending upon the desired port area. For example,
`FIG. 8 is an illustration of an end view of an eartip with
`multiple ports 801 Surrounding the central eartip opening
`803. In the alternate design shown in FIG. 9, port 901 is
`circular, Surrounding the entire central eartip opening. In
`another alternate design shown in FIG. 10, multiple arcuate
`ports 1001 surround the central eartip opening.
`The acoustic material comprising the eartip acoustic ports
`of the invention can be fabricated from any of a variety of
`materials, although typically the material is either made of a
`foam or a fibrous material (e.g., woven cloth-like material).
`The acoustic material is selected on the basis of its acoustic
`impedance such that the selected material provides the
`desired acoustic transmission. If desired, the selected acous
`tic material can also be selected on the basis of its acoustic
`transmission for a specific range of frequencies, for example
`preferentially transmitting the range of frequencies that
`include Voices and emergency sirens.
`In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the user is
`provided with multiple eartip pairs, assuming a headset with
`both left and right channels, each eartip pair having a different
`acoustic impedance. Thus the user is able to tailor the acoustic
`properties of their headset for a particular use. Furthermore
`given the easy interchangeability of eartips, the user is able to
`quickly modify their headset as needed. Preferably each ear
`tip includes an identifier Such as a color code or other mark
`ing, thus allowing its acoustic properties to be quickly ascer
`tained.
`In addition to providing a means of adjusting the sound
`isolation properties of a set of earphones, the controlled leak
`age eartips of the present invention can also be used to adjust
`the frequency response of the earphones. As a result, it is
`possible for a single set of earphones to be adjusted to match
`the listening preferences of a variety of users. For example,
`the base response of a set of earphones can be easily adjusted
`by varying the leakage of the eartips.
`As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the
`present invention may be embodied in other specific forms
`without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics
`thereof. Accordingly, the disclosures and descriptions herein
`are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of
`the invention which is set forth in the following claims.
`45
`What is claimed is:
`1. An eartip fabricated from a first material and configured
`for coupling to an earphone, said eartip comprising:
`a central opening within said eartip, said central opening
`configured to accept an earphone sound delivery mem
`50
`ber;
`means for attaching said eartip to said earphone sound
`delivery member;
`at least one port within said eartip, said at least one port
`forming at least one acoustic leakage pathway indepen
`dent and separate from said earphone sound delivery
`member, wherein said at least one port is adjacent to said
`central opening, and wherein said acoustic leakage path
`way couples ambient sound to an exit Surface of said
`eartip; and
`acoustic material filling at least a portion of said at least one
`port, said acoustic material different from the first mate
`rial used to fabricate the eartip, wherein said acoustic
`material is selected from the group of materials consist
`ing of foam and fibrous material, and wherein said
`acoustic material is selected on the basis of its acoustic
`impedance.
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`2. The eartip of claim 1, wherein a first end of said at least
`one port is within a user ear canal during earphone use, and
`wherein a second end of said at least one port is positioned to
`receive ambient Sounds during earphone use.
`3. The eartip of claim 1, wherein said central opening is
`cylindrically shaped.
`4. The eartip of claim 1, wherein said attaching means
`further comprises a first interlocking member on an exterior
`Surface of said earphone sound delivery member and a second
`interlocking member on an inner Surface of said central open
`ing of said eartip.
`5. The eartip of claim 1, wherein said attaching means
`further comprises a channel on an exterior Surface of said
`earphone sound delivery member and a lip on an inner Surface
`of said central opening of said eartip, wherein said lip fits
`within said channel when said eartip is attached to said ear
`phone sound delivery member.
`6. The eartip of claim 1, wherein said at least one port has
`a circular cross-section.
`7. The eartip of claim 1, wherein said at least one port has
`an arcuate shaped cross-section.
`8. The eartip of claim 1, wherein said at least one port is
`comprised of a plurality of ports Surrounding said central
`opening.
`9. The eartip of claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of
`ports has a circular cross-section.
`10. The eartip of claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of
`ports has an arcuate shaped cross-section.
`11. The eartip of claim 1, further comprising an indicator
`associated with an acoustic property of said eartip.
`12. An eartip kit for use with a set of earphones, said eartip
`kit comprising:
`a plurality of eartip pairs of varying acoustic impedance,
`wherein each eartip pair includes a first and a second
`eartip, and wherein each of said first and second eartips
`comprises:
`a central opening configured to accept an earphone
`sound delivery member;
`at least one port adjacent to said central opening, said at
`least one port forming at least one acoustic leakage
`pathway independent and separate from said ear
`phone sound delivery member, and wherein said
`acoustic leakage pathway couples ambient Sound to
`an eartip exit Surface;
`acoustic material filling at least a portion of said at least
`one port, wherein said acoustic material is selected
`from the group of materials consisting of foam and
`fibrous material, wherein said acoustic material
`defines said acoustic impedance of said eartip pair,
`and wherein said acoustic impedance of each eartip
`pair is different due to differences in said acoustic
`material selected for each eartip pair; and
`visual coding indicative of said acoustic impedance of
`said eartip pair.
`13. The eartip kit of claim 12, wherein each eartip of each
`eartip pair of said plurality of eartip pairs further comprises a
`first interlocking member on an inner Surface of said central
`opening configured to couple to a second interlocking mem
`ber on an exterior surface of said earphone sound delivery
`member.
`14. The eartip kit of claim 12, wherein each eartip of each
`eartip pair of said plurality of eartip pairs further comprises a
`lip on an inner Surface of said central opening configured to fit
`within a channel on an exterior Surface of said earphone
`sound delivery member.
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`12
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`

`

`US 8,031,900 B2
`
`7
`15. The eartip kit of claim 12, wherein said at least one port
`has a circular cross-section.
`16. The eartip kit of claim 12, wherein said at least one port
`has an arcuate shaped cross-section.
`17. The eartip kit of claim 12, wherein said at least one port s
`is comprised of a plurality of ports Surrounding said central
`opening.
`
`8
`18. The eartip kit of claim 17, wherein each of said plurality
`of ports has a circular cross-section.
`19. The eartip kit of claim 17, wherein each of said plurality
`of ports has an arcuate shaped cross-section.
`
`k
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`.
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`13
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