U.S. patent number 3,752,258 [Application Number 05/193,453] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-14 for speaker system.
Invention is credited to Haruo Ishikawa.
United States Patent |
3,752,258 |
Ishikawa |
August 14, 1973 |
SPEAKER SYSTEM
Abstract
A speaker system provided with a plurality of radially arranged
flat speaker-units, a speaker-unit support comprising support walls
corresponding, respectively, to the speaker-units and sections
capable of attaching onto structures, such as partitions, ceilings,
etc., joint-units connecting the speaker-units with the support so
that the speaker-units can be turned towards desired directions at
various angles to the corresponding support walls either
co-operatively or selectively, and means holding the speaker-units
at a desirable position.
Inventors: |
Ishikawa; Haruo (Suginami-ku,
Tokyo, JA) |
Family
ID: |
14165173 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/193,453 |
Filed: |
October 28, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Nov 4, 1970 [JA] |
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45/96444 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
181/145 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16M
11/14 (20130101); F16M 13/02 (20130101); F16M
13/027 (20130101); F21V 33/0056 (20130101); H04R
1/02 (20130101); H04R 1/403 (20130101); F16M
2200/022 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21V
33/00 (20060101); F16M 11/02 (20060101); F16M
11/14 (20060101); H04R 1/02 (20060101); H04R
1/40 (20060101); G10k 013/00 (); H04r 001/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;181/31B,31R,DIG.1,27E |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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833,707 |
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Apr 1960 |
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GB |
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871,574 |
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Jun 1961 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Tomsky; Stephen J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A speaker system comprising: a speaker-unit support; a plurality
of speaker-units; mounting means mounting said plurality of
speaker-units on said speaker-unit support and including a
plurality of universal joints each comprising a ball-shaped member
connected to one of said speaker-unit support and one speaker-unit
and a socket connected to the other of said speaker-unit support
and said one speaker-unit and receiving said ball-shaped member
therein for universal movement of said one speaker-unit
independently of the others and relative to said speaker-unit
support; and adjustable tightening means coacting with said
mounting means for adjustably pressing each ball-shaped member
against the associated socket to adjustably tighten each universal
joint to immovably maintain each speaker-unit in a selected
position.
2. A speaker system, according to claim 1, wherein at least two
speaker-units extend around the speaker-unit support.
3. A speaker system, according to claim 1, wherein said
speaker-unit support comprises a prismatic triangle, having at
least one speaker-unit disposed on each wall thereof.
4. A speaker system, according to claim 1, wherein each
speaker-unit comprises a diaphragm and a frame composed of foamed
synthetic resins.
5. A speaker system, according to claim 1, wherein said
speaker-unit support comprises a hollow structure.
6. A speaker system, according to claim 1, wherein said
speaker-unit support comprises an equipping element disposed within
said speaker-unit support for attaching said speaker-unit support
onto structures.
7. A speaker system comprising a plurality of speaker-units; a
framework surrounding each speaker-unit; a speaker-unit support
having walls corresponding, respectively, to the framework; means
connecting each framework to said speaker-unit support comprising
an arm projecting from said speaker-unit support and terminating in
a socket, another arm projecting from the framework and terminating
in a ball disposed within said socket thereby defining a universal
joint, a connecting pipe extending over the end part of both the
arms; and tightening means disposed on said connecting pipe for
adjustably pressing said ball on the socket.
8. A speaker system according to claim 7, wherein the arm having
the socket comprises a slant surface; said connecting pipe has a
flange in its interior for supporting said ball of said another
arm; and said tightening means includes a tightening bolt screwed
into the connecting pipe and the end part sliding along said slant
surface for pushing said connecting pipe to one direction when the
tightening bolt is screwed further into the pipe.
9. A speaker system according to claim 7, wherein said connecting
pipe comprises means defining a groove for allowing the insertion
of the arm attached to the speaker-unit for changing the position
of the arm.
10. A speaker system according to claim 7, wherein said
speaker-unit support is composed of light-permeable materials, and
further comprising a light source mounted in said speaker-unit
support.
11. A speaker system according to claim 1, wherein said adjustable
tightening means comprises a connecting pipe covering both said
socket and said ball-shaped member and having a flange on one end
for confining said ball-shaped member therein, a slant surface on
said socket, and a tightening bolt mounted on said connecting pipe
and slidable along said slant surface when tightened thereby
pulling said connecting pipe in a direction effective to press said
ball-shaped member against said socket.
Description
The present invention relates to a sound system suitable for home
use and more particularly to a remarkably improved
sound-reproducing system used for listening to music, such as a
stereophonic system, etc.
Speaker systems with a plurality of speaker-units for home use are
well known.
The known speaker systems are available generally in the restricted
forms of box-types, which not only do not provide different
combinations and variously designed appearances, but also have the
disadvantage that they cannot reproduce uniformly because of their
sound directivity. The various attempts for improving such defects
have gone to the limits.
The present speaker system, having a particular construction, can
express at will all the types of combination according to
personalities and respective preferences, as well as can reproduce
non-directional sounds.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
non-directional speaker system having the best sound effects
selected arrangements.
Another object of the present invention is to obtain a speaker
system with selectively changeable arrangements and with an
excellent esthetic appearance.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a speaker
system capable of attaching easily on desirable places, as opposed
to the impossibility of easily attaching usual speaker systems on
desirable places, such as partitions, ceilings, etc.
A speaker system according to the present invention comprises a
plurality of radially arranged flat speaker-units; a speaker-unit
support comprising support walls corresponding, respectively, to
the speaker-units and sections capable of attaching onto
structures, such as partitions, celings, etc.; joint-units
connecting the speaker-units with the support so that the former
can be turned towards desirable directions at various angles to the
corresponding support walls either cooperatively or selectively;
and means holding the speaker-units at voluntary positions.
Other objects and advantages of the invention and details of
construction of a preferred embodiment will be apparent from the
following description with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a plane view of speaker system of the present invention,
with each of speaker-unit held horizontally.
FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a left side view of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a right side view of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a rear side view of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged bottom planeview of a speaker-unit, taken
with the rear cover off, of a speaker system according to the
present invention.
FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged sectional views of the system of FIG. 1,
taken along the line VII--VII, the right side of FIG. 7 is in
successive relation to the left of FIG. 8.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view along the line IX--IX in FIG.
1.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of a modification of the
present speaker system relating mainly to the speaker-unit
support.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the present speaker system
attached to the ceiling.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the present speaker system mounted
on a shelf disposed along a partition.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the present speaker-system
attached onto a wall side.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the speaker system disposed on a
table.
The speaker-unit used in the present invention may be in different
forms. The speaker-unit 1 used in FIGS. 1 to 9, comprising suitable
dynamic cone-type speakers for listening to music, may also be
replaced by magnetic cone-type speakers (not shown). All these
speakers may be used.
In FIGS. 8 and 9, a diaphragm 2 and a frame 3 are molded with foam
of polystyrene and other styrene copolymers into flat form. Both
the pieces may be formed either separately followed by binding them
with adhesives, or by integral molding process.
A voice coil 4 and a magnet 5 are attached in the given position
simultaneously or after molding.
The frame and diaphragm have in general a density of almost 13 to
160 mg/cm.sup.3 and can reproduce the sound of a frequency range
from about 20 cycles to about 20,000 cycles per second without
distortion, provided that they are formed into suitable
thicknesses, shapes, etc. The speaker-unit 1 is fitted into a
framework 6 attached by a screw on a plate 8 fixed to the framework
6 by a screw 7 through the frame of the speaker-unit 1 and covered
with a decorative cloth 9 made of polyvinylidene chloride filament
at the front and, if desired, at the rear also. The speaker-unit
support 10 formed with the support wall 11 made of metallic,
synthetic resinous, or wooden materials, into triangle prismatic,
hollow pole may be attached directly on structures, such as a
ceiling, a partition, etc., with wood screws or machine screws. On
structures made of wood materials, however, an equipping element 12
may be attached with a wood screw 13 through an aperture 32 of the
equipping element 12, around which the support wall is put in, the
support wall fastened with a screw 14 at the outside. In the case
of hard structures, such as stone, concrete, etc., a stud bolt may
be disposed in the structures. On outer surfaces of the
speaker-unit support, suitable decorations for the situation for
setting up the present system may be designed. From the
speaker-unit support 10, mounting means comprises an arm 16 having
a conical socket 15 at the end thereof, is screwed to the support
10 with a bolt 17 and extends towards the direction of the
speaker-unit, while from the speaker-unit 1 another arm 19 which is
screwed to the framework 6 attaching the speaker-unit 1 thereon,
has a ball-shaped member or a ball 18 at the end thereof to be
fitted with the socket 15 of the arm 16. The ball 18 extends
towards the direction of the arm 16, and a cylindrical connecting
pipe 20 surrounds it rotatably mating part of the arms 16, 19. The
connecting pipe 20 terminates in an inner flange 21 engaging with
the ball 18 of the arm 19, and has a groove 22 extending
longitudinally which accepts axial insertion of the neck-part of
the arm 19. A screw 23 on the pipe the outside surface at the rear
of the socket 15, which makes it impossible for the pipe to be
pulled out from the arm 19. Adjustable tightening means comprises a
clamping bolt 24 screwed in at the outside of the connecting pipe
20 and a conical end 25 thereof is faced to a slant surface 26
formed at the rear of the socket 15 of the arm 16, thereby enabling
the ball 18 to be clamped and fixed against the socket 15 of arm 16
by pressing the connecting pipe 20 towards the left in FIG. 7
through the flange 21. The speaker-unit 1 can then be held at a
desired slanted position. The speaker-unit is connected by a lead
wire 27 disposed in the speaker-unit support 10 to terminals 28 to
which the wiring from an amplifier may be linked. There are lateral
cross-pieces 29 extending between frameworks 6 before the front
cover cloth 9.
FIG. 11 shows an example attaching the present system to the
ceiling.
Every speaker-unit is held approximately horizontally with the
others in the state extending in three directions, each unit,
therefore, can give a feeling of similar sight at any part of the
room, and uniform radiating sound from three downward directed
speaker-units. If desired, setting up a plurality of the present
systems renders stereophonic reproduction or other multichannel
reproductions possible.
FIG. 12 is an example wherein the present system faces the rear of
a partition and is mounted on a shelf.
When placed on a shelf, the speaker-unit situtated between the
speaker-unit support and a partition stands almost vertically, and
the speaker-units extending right and left are held in parallel
with the partition by rotating the arm 19 almost 90.degree. from
the horizontal state. Three speaker-units forming a T have a
particular effect and can sound non-directionally giving the
impression that the partition surface sounds as a part of the
speaker system.
FIG. 13 shows an example of using the speaker system of the the
present invention by attaching the speaker-unit support to a
partition.
Each speaker-unit is held a forward slant state with a front
appearance of blooming, and has non-directional effects not only
owing to the sound from the speaker-unit fronts but also owing to
the sound from the rear reflected by the partition.
In FIG. 14, there is indicated an example for use on a desk or a
table. In this Figure, the system shown at the left side, holds
every speaker-unit vertically and gives a stable feeling and a
non-directional effect of reproduction due to diffusion. The system
at the right side holds each speaker-unit almost vertical and
arranged in the form of triangle pole, and has the effect that the
prismatic pole itself is the speaker system.
The examples are no more than an indication of some applications of
the system, which can be applied individually and voluntarily in
the form as users desire.
The speaker-unit support 10 shown in FIG. 10, made of transparent
materials, comprises a socket 30 disposed on an inside equipping
element 12 and equipped with a light source such as a light bulb
31. This system is applicable also as lighting equipment and
increases the beauty and convenience. The transparent materials
comprise transparent and semi-translucent synthetic resins,
perforated metal plates, papered frames, etc. The socket is
provided with wiring (not shown) to an electric source.
The present invention is not limited to the particular structures
and materials in the foregoing description and drawings, but
involves various modifications besides the examples according to
the spirit of the invention. For example, an increase or decrease
of the number of speaker-units, modifications of the sectional
shapes of speaker-unit support, such as circular, rectangular,
polyangular, figured types, etc. are apparent from the foregoing
description to those skilled in art, and do not depart from the
scope of the present invention.
* * * * *