Title: Communications headset with reversible mounting means

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1. A reversible headset comprising:

a. headband means for supporting the headset on a wearer's head, including a pad adapted to engage either side of the head and having an aperture extending therethrough from front to back and open at both ends so that when said headband means is on a wearer's head, there is always a front opening aperture in the pad, whether the pad is on the left or right side of the head;

b. beam means having one end slidable into either end of said aperture so that when said one end of the beam means is inserted in the front end of the aperture, the other end of the beam means projects forwardly from the pad;

c. transducer housing means mounted on the forwardly projecting beam means;

d. an earphone transducer within the housing means; and

e. ear tube means having one end adapted to engage an ear of the wearer and defining an acoustic path between the ear and the transducer;

f. said headset being reversible from a first configuration in which the ear tube means is adjacent one of the wearer's ears to a second configuration in which the ear tube means is adjacent the other of the wearer's ears by removing the beam means from one end of the aperture and inserting it in the opposite end of the aperture.

2. A headset as in claim 1, in which said headband means includes:

a. a yoke adapted to fit over a wearer's head; and

said pad means and a second pad means, respectively located at the opposite ends of the yoke and adapted to engage the opposite sides of the wearer's head, said aperture extending through one of said pad means.

3. A headset as in claim 2, in which:

a. said one pad means includes an elongated leaf spring biasing the beam means against one side of the aperture to hold it frictionally in place therein.

4. A headset as in claim 3, in which:

a. said beam means is adjustable lengthwise of the aperture;

b. said spring is elongated and engages the middle of said one side of the aperture when there is no beam means in the aperture; and

c. said beam means in any operating position within the aperture is engaged by the middle of the spring and held frictionally against said one side of the aperture.

5. A headset as in claim 4, in which said spring has tips bent over to engage the housing, so as to prevent end-wise movement of the spring through the aperture.

6. A headset as in claim 3, including:

a. a projection on the side of the beam means opposite the spring; and

b. a channel in the housing receiving the projection, said channel being closed at its ends to engage the projection and thereby prevent a movement of the beam means out of the aperture beyond a range of positions in which it is engaged by the middle of the spring, said beam means being removable from the aperture by compressing the spring so that the projection clears one of said closed ends.

7. A headset comprising:

a. headband means for supporting the headset on the wearer's head, said headband means including a yoke adapted to extend transversely over the wearer's head and a casing connected to one end of the yoke;

beam means projecting forwardly from said casing;

c. transducer housing means mounted on the projecting beam means;

d. an earphone transducer within the housing means;

e. ear tube means; and

f. means defining an acoustic path between the ear tube means and the earphone transducer, said acoustic path defining means comprising:

1. an acoustic tube connecting the earphone transducer and an opening in the housing means;

2. a first rotatable coupling between the housing means and the projecting end of the beam means, said coupling including a first element on the housing means and encircling the opening, and a second element on the beam means cooperating with the first element;

3. a second rotatable coupling between said projecting end of the beam means and the ear tube means, said first and second couplings having connecting apertures forming part of said acoustic path.

8. A headset as in claim 7, in which each of said couplings comprises cooperating separable male and female elements and means resisting coupling and separation of said elements.

9. A headset as in claim 7, in which one of the couplings comprises:

a. an aperture in one side of the beam means and extending part way through the beam means;

b. said other coupling comprises a projection concentric with said aperture and on the other side of the beam means, and an opening through said projection into said aperture.

10. A headset as in claim 8, in which the resisting means of one of said couplings comprises an O-ring captured in a recess in the wall of the last-mentioned aperture.

11. A headset as in claim 8, in which the resisting means of one coupling comprises an inward projection on the wall of the female element and an outward projection on the wall of the male element, said elements being of yieldable material, so that the projections can snap over one another during insertion and removal.

12. A headset as in claim 1, including an offset on the beam means between said one end and said other end to bring the other end closer to the wearer's head than the one end.

13. A headset as in claim 1, including:

a. a microphone;

b. articulated joint means supported on said housing means;

c. a conduit having one end connected to the articulated joint, said conduit being curved so that the microphone is disposed laterally of the housing means;

d. conductor means connected to the microphone and extending through the conduit and the joint into the housing; and

e. means including the conduit and the joint supporting the microphone for adjustment of its operating position with respect to the wearer's mouth.

14. A headset as in claim 13, in which:

a. said microphone is reversible;

b. said conduit is curved sufficiently to support the microphone adjacent the wearer's mouth when the headset is in place on the head;

c. said joint permits rotation of the conduit at least 180.degree. about its own axis to allow the microphone to be used on either the left or the right-hand side of the head.

15. A headset as in claim 13, in which said joint permits tilting of the conduit at least 15.degree. about any axis perpendicular to the conduit to adjust the position of the microphone relative to the mouth.

16. A reversible headset comprising:

a. headband means for supporting the headset on a wearer's head, said headband means having an aperture extending horizontally therethrough, parallel to a head engaging surface thereof;

b. beam means having one end slidable into either end of said aperture, so that the beam means may be mounted with its other end extending forwardly from said headband means on either side of the head;

c. housing means supported on the other end of the beam means;

d. a reversible microphone having sound receiving openings on two opposite faces;

e. articulated joint means supported on said housing means;

f. a conduit having one end connected to the microphone and the other end connected to the joint, said conduit being curved so that the microphone is disposed laterally of the housing means;

g. conductor means connected at one end to the microphone and extending through the conduit and the joint into the housing means; and

h. means including the conduit and the joint supporting the microphone for adjustment of its operating position with respect to the wearer's mouth on either the left or right-hand side of the head.

17. A headset as in claim 16, in which:

a. said conductor means comprises continuous wires connected to the microphone, and extending through the conduit to terminals in the housing means; and

b. said joint includes means limiting rotation of the conduit on the housing means to less than one revolution.

18. A headset comprising:

a. headband means for supporting the headset on the wearer's head, said headband means including a yoke adapted to extend transversely over the wearer's head and a pad connected to one end of the yoke;

b. beam means projecting forwardly from said pad and having a passage extending through its forward end;

c. transducer housing means mounted in said passage and supported by the beam means;

d. an earphone transducer within the housing means;

e. ear tube means supported by the beam means; and

f. means defining an acoustic path from the earphone transducer through said passage to the ear tube means.

19. A headset as in claim 18, including:

a. a microphone in said housing;

b. acoustic tube means extending between the wearer's mouth and the microphone, said acoustic tube means including an articulated joint connecting the tube and the housing, said joint permitting rotation and tilting of the tube with respect to the housing.

20. A headset as in claim 18, comprising:

a. a microphone;

b. a conduit supporting the microphone and extending therefrom to the housing; and

c. an articulated joint connecting the conduit and the housing, said joint permitting rotation and tilting of the conduit with respect to the housing.

Other info:

Inventors: Foley, James P. (Astoria, NY, US)

Application Number: 555529
Filing Date: 1975-03-05
Publication_date: 1976-07-27
Assignee: Roanwell Corporation (New York, NY)
Primary Class(es): 379/430
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3184556	May, 1965	Larkin	179/156.
3327807	Jun, 1967	Mullin	179/156.
3796841	Mar, 1974	Gorman	179/156.

Other Refs: 995,159

Jun, 1965	UK

Primary Examiner: Cooper, William C.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Cooper, Dunham, Clark, Griffin & Moran