Apparel – Head coverings – Muffs
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-22
2004-03-02
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Head coverings
Muffs
C381S371000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06698028
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to ear muffs, specifically to ear muffs that are to be used in conjunction with headphones for portable radios, cassette players and other media players of the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
The Earmuff originally was designed to protect the ears from cold weather. The Earmuffs consisted of two insulated cushions or muffs usually round or oval typically attached together with a flexible curved center section or band. The band extends over the head of the wearer and has at each end, the padded earmuff piece that is permanently affixed to be in register with the ear of the wearer.
For purposes of definition, the standard earmuff commonly available on the market today, will be defined to include the above description as well as the following features. The typical earmuff consists of two pads or muffs commonly filled with insulating padding and covered with an insulating material such as cloth, fur—synthetic or otherwise. The typical earmuff design is oversized in relationship to the ear in order to over both the ear and part of the head around the ear to ensure a comfortable and well-insulated fit.
In addition, devices also known as earmuffs have been used to provide acoustic protection to the ear of a wearer against excessive noise such as the sound of a firearm which is discharged or the sound of a jet engine. Devices known as headsets, earphones or headphones have been used to provide a means for positioning a speaker adjacent to the ear of the user while excluding background noise in order to facilitate the reception of sound. The headphone devices have typically been made with a flexible curved center section or band, which extends over the head positioning a speaker adjacent to the ear of the user while excluding background noise in order to facilitate the reception of sound.
Portable radios and cassette players with small portable speakers are very popular. The speakers that accompany these portable players are usually small and lightweight and are designed to fit on the ear comfortably with their circumference well within the area of the ear. Due to their size and construction the speakers do not lend themselves to protecting the ear against cold weather. Larger headphones do exist that completely cover the ear, but do not have the design elements necessary for proper insulation in cold weather and they are considerably larger, heavier and more expensive to be practically adapted for outdoor use.
The construction of the headphone is very similar to the earmuff. It consists of two speakers that are connected by a curved center section, typically referred to as a band, which extends over the head of the wearer much like the ear muff, and is designed to hold the speakers adjacent to each ear the same way ear muffs are held over the ears by a band.
The two devices cannot be used together for the following reasons. Earmuffs do not have the space required to accommodate headphone speakers so that the headphone speakers could be placed adjacent to the ear while the earmuffs are also occupying the same adjacent space next to the ear. Earmuffs and headphones make use of a band to position their respective end pieces, either muff or speaker adjacent to the wearers ear. Using both in unison becomes difficult due to the multiplicity of bands and earpieces. The fitting of one set of ear pieces adjacent to the ear naturally prevents the placement of the other to the same.
Several types of headphone earmuffs have been proposed in the past to accomplish the task of insulating the ear while wearing headphones, but with inherent disadvantages.
Due to the popularity of headphones and portable listening devices such as radios, cassette, compact disc, and media devices of the like, many styles of headphones have become available and are currently in use. Each style of headphone boasts a unique design as well as materials. The variances between models range in the areas of speaker size and shape, as well as the different band consistencies and their connection methods to the speakers they support. Prior art does not allow for the use of the headphone earmuff with the wide variety of headphones already available on the market.
The connection method which secures the earmuff to the headphone speaker unit in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,215 depends on the band of the headphone unit to be of a specific dimension as well as in one predefined relationship to the headphone speaker which must be of a specific size and circumference in order to connect the earmuff to the headphone speaker. Any variation in speaker size, bandwidth or girth or angle of connection between the band and earphone speaker will render the design in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,215 unusable. Additionally, the design in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,215 limits the size of the earmuff because it is constructed with a spring loop that defines the circumference of the earmuff. The earmuff has inter-linking ends that comprise the connecting mechanism of the muff, which must stay in close relationship with the connecting point of the band and the speaker in order to prove effective. If the ring is made larger to accommodate an oversized ear muff consistent with the standard earmuff designs in the market today, the ring must still connect with the headphone at the same juncture where band and speaker meet making the enlarged earmuff hang well below the ear and not equally around it as an efficient use of an earmuff dictates.
Further by having a limited size and shape dictated by the patent's design, the aesthetic features commonly associated with the popularized earmuffs found in the market wherein a soft plush round or oval insulated pad being oversized to the ear touching the surrounding area of the head is featured, is compromised in order to achieve this patent's perceived function. In conclusion, the design above in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,215 limits its uses with the various styles of headphones on the market having only the capability to work in conjunction with a few that meet its limited physical dimension criteria.
In prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,898 the earmuff designed to be used in conjunction with headphones features two rounded flaps the intended to be secured flatly together sandwiching the earphone in between them. The flaps are fastened together by matching hook and loop fasteners or the like. It is thus required to match the opposing flaps in exact symmetry to each other while sandwiching the speaker at the same time in order to properly place the headphone speaker within the earmuff. It is apparent by this designs functionality that it requires complex manipulation of the matching pieces to properly align and therefore use this item. In addition, once the flaps are properly in place, small adjustments necessary to keep the earmuff in proper alignment with the headphone speakers proves difficult due to the fact that the two flaps completely encase the headphone speaker and there for allow for little movement with out the need to completely separate and reattach the flaps together in new alignment.
The design in U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,898 lacks the internal structure that would otherwise prevent the earphone from twisting inside the pocket created by the two-sandwiched flaps. Proper positioning of the earphone inside the sandwich pocket is possible, but due to the lack of structure and support proves difficult to maintain. The standard earmuff typically features oversized earmuff pads which surround the ear and lie in contact with the area of the head around the ear in order to completely cover and insulate the wearers ear and ear region of the head. U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,898's use of flaps as described above make use of a thin cupped shape covered by material that engages the ear in order to provide insulation. The cup is not shown to contact the head and thus does not envelope the ear nor is there mention that the design features insulation of any kind outside of the aforementioned cloth material. This lack of i
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