U.S. patent number 3,638,753 [Application Number 05/068,199] was granted by the patent office on 1972-02-01 for barrel speaker enclosure.
Invention is credited to Paul E. Cunningham.
United States Patent |
3,638,753 |
Cunningham |
February 1, 1972 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
BARREL SPEAKER ENCLOSURE
Abstract
A speaker enclosure having a barrel-shaped drum with an open
front end and an open rear end. The speaker is axially mounted
across the open front of the drum and an aerodynamically curved,
dome-shaped reflector is mounted to surround the rear portion of
the drum and is spaced therefrom. The open end of the reflector is
thus aligned to direct sound emitted from it in a substantially
forward axial direction.
Inventors: |
Cunningham; Paul E. (Athens,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
22081052 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/068,199 |
Filed: |
August 31, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
181/153 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R
1/345 (20130101); H04R 1/028 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04R
1/28 (20060101); G10k 013/00 (); H04r 001/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;181/31B,31R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tomsky; Stephen J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A speaker and associated enclosure apparatus for reproducing
sound from electronic audio signals, the apparatus comprising:
a. a barrel-shaped drum having two open circular ends, one end in a
selected position being a front end and the opposite end being a
rear end and being substantially parallel with and substantially
equal in size to the front end, intermediate portions of the drum
being circular in cross section and having greater diameters than
the ends, the axial length of the drum being substantially longer
than any diameter thereof;
b. a substantially axially aligned speaker mounted at the front end
of the drum for directing the sound in opposite substantially axial
directions; and
c. an aerodynamically curved reflector having an open front end,
and a closed rear end, the reflector mounted to surround the rear
portion of said drum and spaced therefrom so that the sides thereof
are substantially parallel with the adjacent sides of the drum and
so that the reflector extends from the rear of said drum forward
more than half way the length of said drum, the open end of the
reflector being aligned to direct sound emitted therefrom in a
substantially forward axial direction.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the speaker extends entirely across the open front end of
the drum.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the closed end of the reflector is formed with an inwardly,
forwardly directed aerodynamically curved peak which is coaxially
aligned with said drum and which is mounted to and secured by a
bolt to the rear of said drum.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the drum and the reflector are circularly, symmetrical
about their axes, and coaxially mounted, and the drum radius is
approximately 80 percent of the reflector radius.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein the speaker extends entirely across the open front end of
the drum and the closed end of the reflector is formed with an
inwardly directed peak which is coaxially aligned with said drum.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to audio reproduction equipment and more
particularly relates to a speaker and speaker enclosure
combination.
High fidelity and stereo enthusiasts have designed many structures
for improving the audio reproduction obtained from an ordinary
speaker. The speaker is usually associated with an enclosure and
the enclosure is designed primarily to improve the quality and the
relative amplitude of the lower frequency musical sounds. Many
structures have been proposed for reflecting, directing and
reinforcing the sounds received from the rear portion of the
speaker. Nonetheless modern sound reproduction equipment still
inherently possesses a sound quality which is inferior to that of
live musical concerts. There is a continuing need for a speaker and
enclosure system demonstrating improved tone qualities for sound
reproduction. Although the sound reproduced by my speaker and
enclosure is not equivalent to the sound of a concert, my speaker
and enclosure do demonstrate improved tone qualities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a speaker and associated enclosure apparatus for
reproducing sound from electronic audio signals. The apparatus
comprises a barrel-shaped drum having open ends, one end in a
selected position being the front end and the opposite end being a
rear end. A substantially axially aligned speaker is mounted at the
front end of the drum for directing sound in opposite substantially
axial directions but primarily in the forward direction. An
aerodynamically curved, dome-shaped reflector which has an open end
is mounted to surround the rear portion of the drum. The reflector
is spaced from the drum and positioned with its open end being
aligned to direct sound emitted from the reflector in a
substantially forward axial direction.
It is an object of the invention to provide a speaker and enclosure
apparatus with improved sound reproduction qualities.
It is another object of the invention to provide a speaker
enclosure of ornamental appearance.
It is another object of the invention to provide a speaker with
good aerodynamic qualities which help to avoid turbulent flow of
sound waves.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section taken substantially along the
lines 2--2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the preferred embodiment of the
invention shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of an alternative embodiment of
the invention in which a pair of speaker and enclosure apparatuses
are mounted in coaxial, oppositely directed, alignment beneath a
coffee table.
In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated
in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the
sake of clarity; however, it is not intended to be limited to the
specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each
specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a
similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a speaker enclosure 10 mounted on a suitable
pedestal-type base 12. A barrel shaped drum 14 has a grill cloth 16
at its front end immediately behind which the speaker (not visible
in FIG. 1) is mounted. An aerodynamically curved, dome-shaped
reflector 18, which has a rim 20 around its open end, is mounted to
surround the rear portion of the drum 14, and is spaced
therefrom.
FIG. 2 shows the preferred apparatus in more detail. The reflector
18 is mounted, such as by screws, to the pedestal base 12. The
barrel shaped drum 14 is mounted partially within the reflector 18
and is spaced therefrom by resilient suction cup spacers such as
spacers 22 and 24, which are circularly spaced around the drum 14.
The drum 14 is barrel-shaped in the sense that the drum is
generally cylindrical but is swelled out in the center so that the
diameter is greater at the center than at the ends. The ends are
parallel to each other and are substantially circular and
substantially identical. Sections taken throughout the drum
parallel to the ends are also circular but have greater diameters
than the diameters of the ends. The sides curve smoothly from end
to end of the drum. A speaker 26 is mounted at the front, open end
of the drum 14 and seats against a circular collar 28 which is
glued or otherwise mounted to the inner surface of the drum 14. The
grill cloth 16 is positioned protectively over the front of the
speaker 26 and is held in place by a leather rim 30 which is nailed
to the drum 14. Electrical connections to the speaker are not
illustrated since they form no part of this invention and are
obvious to persons skilled in the art.
The rear end 31 of the drum 14 is not open except for a linear
brace 32 which extends diametrically across and is attached to the
open rear end 31 of the drum 14. The closed end 34 of the reflector
is formed with an inwardly, forwardly directed aerodynamically
curved, peak 36 which is coaxially aligned with the drum 14. The
linear brace 32 at the rear end 31 of the drum 14 is attached to
the reflector 18 by means of a threaded rod 38 with nuts 40 and 42
at opposite ends thereof. The threaded rod extends axially through
the forwardly directed peak 36.
In the preferred embodiment, the drum 14 is made from wooden staves
and preferably is very similar to the barrel of an ordinary conga
drum. The reflector 18 is advantageously formed of fiberglass.
In FIG. 3, I illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention
wherein a pair of such speakers and enclosures are mounted
coaxially and oppositely directed and are suspended beneath a
coffee table. I have found that by positioning, aligning and
directing the speakers in this manner, improved appearance and
sound reproduction is accomplished. The speakers 50 and 52 are
suspended from the coffee table 54 by suspension rods 56, 58, 60
and 62. In other respects, the speaker enclosures and speaker
apparatus 50 and 52 are similar to the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 2, but with the base 12 removed.
The operation of the preferred embodiment begins with the
energization of the speaker 26 by means of audio electrical
signals. Vibration of the speaker cone as a result of this
energization causes sound waves to be propagated in opposite
substantially axial directions. Sound waves propagated in the
forward direction, of course, leave the speaker toward the listener
in a direct and conventional manner. Sound waves, however, which
are propagated in a rearwardly direction from the speaker pass
through and are resonated and reinforced in the drum 14. As they
approach the forwardly directed peak 36, these sound waves are
directed gracefully, outwardly with minimum distortion and bent
around the rear closed portion of the reflector 18 until they are
then directed in a forward direction between the exterior of the
drum 14 and the interior of the reflector 18. Thus, the reflected
sounds are finally emitted in a forward direction from the open end
21 of the reflector 18.
It is an advantage of the invention that an aerodynamically curved
path is provided for the faithful passage of sound waves. It is a
further advantage of the invention that the sound emitted from the
reflector is entirely symmetrically axial around the central axis
of the drum 14 as it is directed toward the listener in a forward
direction.
In still another alternative embodiment of my invention, I have
found it advantageous to mount a pair of speaker and enclosure
apparatuses of the type illustrated in FIG. 2 as twins in
side-by-side parallel alignment. This, too, I have found seems to
improve both the sound quality and the amplitude of the emitted
sound. Further desirable operation is obtained if the twin speakers
are rotated while they are producing sound.
I prefer that colored light be positioned at spaced intervals in
the fiber glass reflector 18 and that these lights be electrically
controlled by the sounds emitted by the speaker 26 so that the
pitch of the sound controls the color of the lights, and the volume
of the sound controls the intensity of the light.
It is to be understood that while the detailed drawings and
specific examples given describe preferred embodiments of my
invention, they are for the purposes of illustration only, that the
apparatus of the invention is not limited to the precise details
and conditions disclosed, and that various changes may be made
therein without departing from the spirit of the invention which is
defined by the following claims.
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