Device for adjustably mounting a microphone on a headset

[57] ABSTRACT

A U-shaped supporting pedestal is rotatably and frictionally secured at its bight portion to a support member attached to the earphone of a headset. The limbs of the pedestal extend outwardly from the support member and are slotted to receive an elongated microphone arm which is longitudinally displaceable through the slots. Further, the arm can be positioned by rotating the pedestal on the support member and by laterally displacing the arm within the slot in one limb while it is held in frictional engagement within the slot in the other

Claims, 2 Drawing Figures

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C

PATENTED APR 4 1972

SHEET 1 OF 2

3,654,406

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INVENTOR.

KML RflNTHAUR

BY ^ATTORNCVS

PATENTED APR 4197?

3,654,406

SHEET 2 OF 2

FIG.2

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INVENTOR.

KARL R0NTWALER ^BY(/4cMw anol Town 'ATToMeys

3,654,406

2

DEVICE FOR ADJUSTABLY MOUNTING A MICROPHONE ON A HEADSET

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a support arrangement for a microphone used in combination with a headset and, more particularly, it is concerned with a device for affording various adjustments in the position of the microphone.

Headsets including a microphone are frequently employed in communication technology, for example for telephone operators, aircraft pilots, television technicians and the like because the hands remain free when using a microphone attached to a headset and, after being once adjusted, the microphone will remain at the same distance from the mouth so that it is possible in practice to operate with the same setting of the volume control.

Furthermore, facilities for adjusting the microphone should not only permit optimum utilization of the special properties of the microphone by appropriate adjustment of the distance thereof from the mouth, but should also permit due allowance to be made for the different head shapes of users. In particular, the following adjustment features are required:

1. The microphone arm should be rotatable about an axis which either coincides with the central axis of a housing of the headset, or at least extends in the near proximity thereof;

2. The microphone arm should be longitudinally slidable for adjustment of the distance between the mouth and the microphone; and

3. The microphone arm should also be laterally pivotable to prevent the microphone being affected by breathing and speech noise (wind and bubbling effects) and moisture.

All three of these adjustment features are not always provided in known constructions. In some cases the microphone arm is only longitudinally slidable and rotatable or only pivotable. In most cases adjustment is provided by a single adjusting element, for example a ball joint or the like, with frictional arresting means or with a clamping ring. Where a plurality of adjusting elements are provided it is generally necessary to use additional clamping means to enable the adjusting elements to be fixed in the selected position.

One disadvantage of known constructions is that both hands must usually be used to adjust the correct position of the microphone. One hand holds the microphone in the correct position while the headset is fitted, the other hand being required to slacken and retighten the clamping means. In some constructions, particularly those in which there are a plurality of independently adjustable elements, it may in some circumstances be necessary for one and the same element to be adjusted several times until the microphone is in the desired position. Moreover, known systems with only a single adjusting element require different forces for the operation thereof in different directions so that unskilled handling may easily cause damage to the arm at the free end of which the microphone is disposed, since the lever action on the extended microphone arm is substantial.

Therefore, a primary object of the invention is to provide a headset with an adjustable microphone which is substantially free ofthe disadvantages of known systems.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a support device for adjustably mounting a microphone on a headset which includes a microphone arm adjustably mounted on an earpiece of the headset. The support device comprises a Ushaped supporting pedestal for adjustably connecting the microphone arm to the side of the earpiece remote from the ear of a user so that it can be rotated about an axis parallel to the limbs of the pedestal. A friction brake is arranged to hold the supporting pedestal in a selected rotational position. The microphone arm extends captively through aligned slots 70 formed in the limbs of the supporting pedestal, the arm is longitudinally slidable in the slots against the action of friction retaining means for retaining the arm in a selected longitudinal position. Further, the arm is constrained against movement along the slot of one limb forming a pivot about which 75 the arm can be pivoted laterally in the direction of the slot in the other limb which is provided with spaced ratchet notches along its length into which the arm may be selectively placed for retention in a desired lateral position.

Conveniently, a disc-shaped member is fixed to the earpiece on the side remote from the ear of a user, and the supporting pedestal is mounted on the disc-shaped member for rotation about a central screw, the pedestal bears on the member via a brake disc attached to the member.

Preferably, the microphone arm is formed of two parallel rods each of which passes through a respective slot in each of the limbs of the supporting pedestal.

In one form of the invention, each limb of the supporting pedestal is divided into two symmetrical tongues each provided with a slot, the slot in each tongue of one limb forming with the slot in a corresponding tongue ofthe other limb a pair of slots through which one rod of the microphone arm extends.

The supporting pedestal may suitably be enclosed by a cap which is rotatable with the pedestal to enable convenient adjustment of the rotatable position of the microphone arm.

The advantages of a headset embodying the invention over known systems are that not only are all three ofthe desired ad25 justments (pivoting, sliding and rotation) provided for the microphone arm, but separate mechanical elements such as a friction disc, spring or ratchet may be provided for each adjusting means so that the required frictional resistance for each adjusting means can be regulated under optimum conditions and independently ofthe others.

Furthermore, a headset embodying the invention can offer the additional advantage that frequently occurring motions of the microphone arm, for example sliding or pivoting, may be 35 performed steplessly, while lateral pivoting may be performed in steps defined, for example by ratchet positions in slots of the limbs.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims an40 nexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the Drawing:

FIG. 1 is a section through an earpiece of a headset showing 5q the adjustable attachment of a microphone arm in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one form of supporting pedestal for the microphone arm.

₅₅ DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a disc 2 is fixedly mounted on an earpiece 1 of a headset on the side remote from the ear of a user, such disc forms a baseplate for a support device upon which ₆θ mounts a microphone arm 7 on the headset. A brake disc 3 of ^u suitable friction material is mounted on the disc 2, and the brake disc engages a U-shaped supporting pedestal 4 in which the microphone arm 7 is adjustably guided in a manner described hereinbelow. A suitably curved spring plate 5, the 65 stress of which can be varied by means of a central adjusting screw 6, thrusts the supporting pedestal 4 against the brake disc 3 in the direction of the disc 2. The frictional resistance between the supporting pedestal 4 and the brake disc 3 will vary in accordance with the extent to which the screw 6 is tightened and serves to hold the pedestal 4 and, therefore, arm 7 in a selected rotational position. An adjustment of screw 6 is selected which safely retains the microphone arm 7 in the desired rotational position yet does not require an adjustment force of a magnitude which would result in deformation of the microphone arm 7.

3,654,406

Referring now to FIG. 2, a suitable form of U-shaped supporting pedestal 4 is shown, constructed of two parallel limbs extending outwardly from a bight portion which is positioned adjacent to the disc 2. Each of the limbs ofthe pedestal are divided by a sht 4', 4 into two symmetrical tongues 4„ 4₂ and 4₃,4₄, respectively, so that each limb is of bifurcated form

A slot 4a is cut in each of the tongues 4₃, 4₄ and a slot 4b is cut in each of the tongues 4„ 4₂, each slot 4a being aligned with a corresponding slot 4b to form a slot pair for receiving therethrough one part of the microphone arm 7 formed by a pair of parallel parts or rods.

Longitudinal sliding adjustment of the microphone arm in the slots 4a, 4b is possible and the arm is retained in the adjusted position by frictional engagement, for example, by a brake block 8 (FIG. 1) inserted in recesses 4b, such a brake block requires no adjustability since there is no danger of damaging this microphone arm when it slides in the longitudinal direction, even if the friction is slightly excessive.

Lateral pivoting movement of the microphone arm is also possible, the arm being free for to-and-fro movement in the longitudinal direction of the slots 4α and being frictionally constrained in the slots 4b to define pivot points. The longitudinally extending side walls of the slots 4α are formed with ratchet recesses in which the parallel rods ofthe arm 7 can be engaged so that it is held in the desired lateral position.

The base or bight portion of the supporting pedestal is extended in alignment with the slits 4' and 4' by strips 4_e and 4₇. These strips can engage in suitable recesses in a cover 9 to be described hereinafter, so that by rotating this cover about screw 6 the supporting pedestal is also rotated thereby permitting rotational adjustment of the arm 7.

In FIG. 1, the three possible adjustments ofthe microphone arm 7 are indicated by arrows designated with the letters A, B and C. The rotating motion in the direction A is performed around the central screw 6, the longitudinal sliding motion B is possible through the slots or recesses 4α, 4b of the U-shaped supporting pedestal 4 and the pivoting motion C is obtained by virtue of the fact that the arm 7 can be moved to-and-fro longitudinally of the slot or recess 4α of the supporting pedestal 4 namely in the plane ofthe FIG. 1, while the recess 4b is pro-’ vided with a cross section which corresponds to the cross section of the microphone arm thereby defining frictionally engaged pivot points.

Cover 9 previously mentioned encloses the supporting pedestal 4 and is secured by a screw 10 on the supporting pedestal 4. Slits 11 in the cover 9 permits traversing of the microphone arm 7 when being displaced in its longitudinal direction.

A headset embodying the invention provides for all the necessary adjustments in a convenient manner. All adjustments of the microphone arm can be performed without applying any separate effort, and independently of the other adjustments because only a relatively small frictional resistance needs to be overcome for the most frequent adjustment, namely rotating and sliding in the longitudinal direction. The stepped ratchet recesses provided on the supporting pedestal for determining the laterally pivoted positions of the microphone arm are advantageous since, although such pivoting motion is only rarely required, the setting must nevertheless be relatively firm as an unintentional force component may occur in the direction of lateral pivoting during the rotat4 ing or sliding motion. This would necessitate readjustment of the microphone in the lateral direction when the arm is rotated back into its original position.