V-lock segmented speaker gasket

Details V-lock segmented speaker gasket V-lock segmented speaker gasket

1999-03-30

2001-10-30

Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)

Seal for a joint or juncture

Seal between fixed parts or static contact against...

Contact seal for other than internal combustion engine, or...

C277S632000, C277S644000, C277S650000, C181S199000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06308960

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to audio speakers, and more particularly to an improved gasket or speaker ring employed in mounting a speaker assembly to a speaker cabinet.
Audio speakers include, among other things, a vibrating paper cone which generates sound waves in response to electrical signals supplied to the speaker. In order to operate effectively the speaker must be mounted in a way that allows the paper cone to vibrate freely so that sounds may be faithfully reproduced without distortion.
Typically, a speaker will be mounted within a conical support basket. The speaker basket includes a base at the smaller end of the basket for supporting the electrical components of the speaker. Opposite the base, the front or top of the basket forms a circular rim comprising an annular flange extending parallel to the front face of the speaker and extending around the perimeter thereof, and a small lip which extends forward from the flange again, encircling the entire perimeter of the basket. When the speaker is mounted in the basket, the vibrating speaker cone extends from near the base toward the rim of the basket where it is attached to the annular flange.
For attaching the vibrating cone to the flange, a structure known as a roll-over is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the cone. The roll-over may be formed of plastic or some other suitable material, and comprises a transition piece from the conical sidewalls of the vibrating cone to the flat annular surface of the speaker basket rim. In general, the roll-over comprises a first conical surface which is glued or otherwise attached to the vibrating speaker cone, and a second flat annular surface for attaching to the rim of the speaker basket. An arcuate ridge, or a succession of such ridges arranged side-by-side in a corrugated fashion, form the transition from the flat annular surface of the roll-over to the inner conical surface of the rollover, and thus to the speaker cone itself. When the conical surface of the roll-over is joined to the speaker cone and the flat annular surface is glued to the annular rim of the speaker basket, the arcuate ridge or ridges forming the transition section allow the conical surface of the roll-over, as well as the speaker cone itself, to move back and forth axially relative to the rim of the speaker basket. Thus, the roll-over allows the speaker cone to vibrate freely without distortion.
Once the roll-over has been attached to the annular flange, a speaker ring or gasket is inserted around the rim of the basket above the rollover. The speaker ring is typically glued to the flat portion of the roll-over. Prior to gluing, the speaker ring is held in place in the outward radial direction by the short lip extending around the outer edge of the speaker basket rim.
When finally assembled, the speaker basket, speaker, and speaker ring may be mounted to a speaker cabinet. This may be accomplished in one of two ways. First, the outer surface of the speaker ring can be placed flat against a mounting panel of the speaker cabinet, and fasteners such as screws may be inserted through the mounting panel and the speaker basket flange to attach the speaker to the mounting panel. In this arrangement the speaker ring acts to isolate the vibrating cone within the speaker from the mounting panel of the speaker cabinet, thereby limiting distortion to the audio signals broadcast by the speaker. Alternately, the speaker assembly may be dropped into a hole formed in the mounting panel of the speaker cabinet. In this arrangement, the back side of the speaker basket annular flange engages the mounting panel and fasteners may be inserted through the annular flange and the mounting panel to secure the speaker assembly within the cabinet. In this arrangement, the mounting flange and roll-over are visible from the front of the cabinet. Therefore, the speaker ring performs a more aesthetic function by providing a neat trim piece which conceals the annular flange and the glued-in-place roll-over.
Speaker rings are typically supplied in short arcuate segments. During the speaker assembly process the individual segments must be manually placed within the basket rim and glued to the upper surface of the roll-over. From a production standpoint, inserting the segments and aligning them properly around the rim is a time consuming and costly process. Further, once the segments are glued, making sure they remain in place until the glue has set has also been a long standing manufacturing challenge.
Past speaker rings have been formed with lap joint type mating surfaces as shown in FIG.
1
. In this arrangement, segments
10
are formed having “L” shaped projections
12
extending from each end of the segment such that when adjacent segments are placed end to end the projections
12
overlap one another. While the lap joint arrangement provides some benefit in helping to properly locate ring segments adjacent one another, it still allows some margin for error in aligning the various segments as shown in
FIGS. 1
b
and
1
c
. As is clear from these drawings, the lap joint arrangement does not prevent the speaker ring segments from collapsing radially inward toward the center of the speaker. Thus, prior to the glue setting, the segments are somewhat unstable and likely to move. If the glue sets while speaker ring segments are misaligned, the entire assembly must be scrapped.
Therefore, a self aligning segmented speaker ring is desired wherein adjacent abutting segments are automatically centered relative to one another by action of their respective mating surfaces. It is further desired that the mating surfaces provide additional support for maintaining the proper shape of the ring during the period of the assembly process when the glue applied to the speaker ring segments is setting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the background given above, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved segmented gasket that may be effectively employed as a self centering speaker ring.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved speaker assembly having a self aligning speaker ring.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a segmented speaker ring which tends to retain its proper shape during the speaker assembly and shipping process.
All of these objects as well as others which will become apparent upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, are met by the V-lock segmented gasket and speaker assembly herein disclosed.
The present invention provides a gasket or speaker ring made up of a plurality of individual segments. Each segment is formed with complementary mating surfaces at each end such that, when the segments are arranged end to end to form a closed ring, a first mating surface of a first segment abuts the second mating surface of a second segment, and so on around the entire gasket.
The first mating surface comprises a pair of flat shoulders adjacent the inner and outer sides of the gasket segment, and a triangular or V-shaped projection extending forward between the two shoulders. The second mating surface also comprises a pair of flat shoulders, each adjacent the inner and outer surfaces of the gasket segment, and a triangular or V-shaped groove or notch disposed between the shoulders. The V-shaped notch in the second mating surface is the complement of the V-shaped protrusion of the first mating surface. When two gasket segments are placed end to end with the first mating surface of one segment abutting the second mating surface of another, the V-shaped protrusion of the first segment fits securely within the V-shaped notch of the second mating surface, and the shoulders of the first mating surface abut the shoulders of the second mating surface. The V-shaped protrusion and complementary notch assure that the two segments align properly, and the abutting shoulders ensure that the segments maintain the proper angular relationship with respect to one another. The present invention further comprehends a speaker assembly including a multi-segme

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