Earphone assemblies with multiple subassembly housings

Abstract

Earphone assemblies with multiple subassembly housings are provided.

1 . An earphone assembly to be worn by a user's ear, the earphone assembly comprising:
 a housing structure comprising;
 a rear housing structure portion; 
 a front housing structure portion; and 
 a nozzle housing structure portion extending out from the front housing structure portion about a sound axis and defining an inner nozzle space; and 
   an audio output component positioned at least partially within an interior housing space that is at least partially defined by the rear housing structure portion and the front housing structure portion and that is communicatively coupled to the inner nozzle space, such that an audio opening of the audio output component is aligned with the sound axis and is operative to emit sound waves from the audio output component, along the sound axis, through a portion of a front chamber of the interior housing space and through the nozzle housing structure portion.   
     
     
         2 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a planar rear surface of the rear housing structure portion forms a rear sound angle with the sound axis in a range between 47° and 87°. 
     
     
         3 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a planar rear surface of the rear housing structure portion forms a rear sound angle with the sound axis of 67°. 
     
     
         4 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a front vent defined by a front vent passageway extending through the housing structure between an exterior opening through an exterior surface of the housing structure and an interior opening through an interior surface of the housing structure, wherein:
 the interior surface of the housing structure defines at least a portion of the front chamber of the interior housing space; and   a cross-sectional diameter of at least one of the exterior opening and the interior opening is in a range between 0.02 millimeters and 0.10 millimeters.   
     
     
         5 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a front vent defined by a front vent passageway extending through the housing structure between an exterior opening through an exterior surface of the housing structure and an interior opening through an interior surface of the housing structure, wherein:
 the interior surface of the housing structure defines at least a portion of the front chamber of the interior housing space;   a cross-sectional diameter of the interior opening is in a range between 0.02 millimeters and 0.10 millimeters; and   a cross-sectional diameter of the exterior opening is in a range between 0.35 millimeters and 0.65 millimeters.   
     
     
         6 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a front vent defined by a front vent passageway extending through the housing structure between an exterior opening through an exterior surface of the housing structure and an interior opening through an interior surface of the housing structure, wherein:
 the interior surface of the housing structure defines at least a portion of the front chamber of the interior housing space; and   a cross-sectional diameter of at least one of the exterior opening and the interior opening is 0.05 millimeters.   
     
     
         7 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a front vent defined by a front vent passageway extending through the housing structure between an exterior opening through an exterior surface of the housing structure and an interior opening through an interior surface of the housing structure, wherein:
 the interior surface of the housing structure defines at least a portion of the front chamber of the interior housing space;   a cross-sectional diameter of the interior opening is 0.05 millimeters; and   a cross-sectional diameter of the exterior opening is 0.50 millimeters.   
     
     
         8 . The earphone assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the audio output component comprises a membrane operative to produce the sound waves;   the membrane comprises a first layer of material stacked on a second layer of material;   the first layer of material comprises a polyurethane; and   the second layer of material comprises a polyarylate.   
     
     
         9 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An earphone assembly to be worn by a user's ear, the earphone assembly comprising:
 a housing structure defining an interior housing space; and   an audio output component that is positioned at least partially within the interior housing space and that is operative to emit sound waves, where:
 the audio output component comprises a membrane operative to produce the sound waves; 
 the membrane comprises a first layer of material stacked on a second layer of material; 
 the first layer of material comprises a polyurethane; and 
 the second layer of material comprises a polyarylate. 
   
     
     
         22 . The earphone assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the polyurethane comprises a polyurethane elastomer. 
     
     
         23 . The earphone assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the polyarylate comprises amorphous polyester of bisphenol-A. 
     
     
         24 . The earphone assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the polyarylate comprises isophthalic acids. 
     
     
         25 . The earphone assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the polyarylate comprises terephthalic acids. 
     
     
         26 . The earphone assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the polyarylate comprises amorphous polyester of bisphenol-A with isophthalic acids and terephthalic acids. 
     
     
         27 . The earphone assembly of  claim 26 , wherein the polyurethane comprises a polyurethane elastomer. 
     
     
         28 . An earphone assembly to be worn by a user's ear, the earphone assembly comprising:
 a housing structure comprising:
 a rear housing structure portion; and 
 a front housing structure portion coupled to the rear housing structure portion; 
   an audio output component positioned at least partially within an interior housing space that is at least partially defined by the rear housing structure portion and the front housing structure portion, such that an audio opening of the audio output component is operative to emit sound waves from the audio output component through a portion of a front chamber of the interior housing space defined by the front housing structure portion; and   a front vent defined by a front vent passageway extending through the housing structure between an exterior opening through an exterior surface of the housing structure and an interior opening through an interior surface of the housing structure, wherein:
 the interior surface of the housing structure defines at least a portion of the front chamber of the interior housing space; and 
 a cross-sectional diameter of at least one of the exterior opening and the interior opening is in a range between 0.02 millimeters and 0.10 millimeters. 
   
     
     
         29 . The earphone assembly of  claim 28 , wherein a cross-sectional diameter of the interior opening is in a range between 0.02 millimeters and 0.10 millimeters. 
     
     
         30 . The earphone assembly of  claim 29 , wherein a cross-sectional diameter of the exterior opening is in a range between 0.35 millimeters and 0.65 millimeters. 
     
     
         31 . The earphone assembly of  claim 28 , wherein a cross-sectional diameter of at least one of the exterior opening and the interior opening is 0.05 millimeters. 
     
     
         32 . The earphone assembly of  claim 28 , wherein:
 a cross-sectional diameter of the interior opening is 0.05 millimeters; and   a cross-sectional diameter of the exterior opening is 0.50 millimeters.