Sound Reproduction System

Abstract

A plurality of generally tubular members of corrugated fiberboard, each rectangular in transverse cross-section and including four panels, are nested one within the other to form a closed six-walled housing, each wall comprising back-to-back panels secured together with the corrugations thereof extending in mutually perpendicular directions, each tubular member being formed of a continuous sheet of fiberboard folded to the tubular configuration and having opposite side edges thereof joined together to form a seam disposed centrally of one of said panels. One form of the invention comprises three tubular members nested together with the axes thereof mutually perpendicular. Another form of the invention comprises two tubular members nested together coaxially, with the inner member having four end flaps at each end thereof disposed in use in a folded configuration wherein opposed flaps are coplanar and joined together to form back-to-back end panels at each end of the tubular member for closing same.

Parent Case Text

This is a division, of application Ser. No. 222,262, filed Jan 31, 1972.

Description

This invention relates to a sound reproduction system comprising a loudspeaker enclosure and a loudspeaker mounted therein.

More particularly, the present invention relates to loudspeaker enclosures formed of corrugated board, and is an improvement of the loudspeaker enclosure disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,695, entitled "Loud Speaker Enclosure" and issued on July 18, 1961, and of the loudspeaker enclosure disclosed in my copending U.S. application Ser. No. 222,263, entitled "Sound Reproduction System," which application is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved loudspeaker enclosure of simple and economical construction which affords excellent acoustical characteristics and improved structural strength.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a loudspeaker enclosure comprising a plurality of continuous sheets of corrugated material constructed and arranged to define a closed housing having a plurality of walls, the housing having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, each of the housing walls including back-to-back portions of the sheets with the corrugations of each of the sheet portions extending perpendicular to the corrugations of adjacent sheet portions of the wall, each of the sheets having opposite side edges thereof joined together to form a seam disposed substantially centrally of one of the walls thereby to insure the integrity of the junctures between the walls, whereby there is provided a housing of increased structural strength with the perpendicular corrugations of adjacent sheet portions in each housing wall facilitating the suppression by the walls of undesirable sound waves emitted from the loudspeaker enclosure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a loudspeaker enclosure comprising three tubular members, each formed of one of the sheets of corrugated material folded to a tubular configuration substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section and including four panels disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member with the seam being disposed centrally of one of the panels of the tubular member, the tubular members being disposed in use in an assembled configuration snugly received one within another and secured together with the longitudinal axes thereof being mutually perpendicular for forming a closed housing having six walls, each one of the walls comprising back-to-back panels of different tubular members having the corrugations thereof mutually perpendicular.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a loudspeaker enclosure of the type set forth, comprising a closed box-like member formed of a first continuous sheet of folded corrugated material and including four side panels and two end panels, each of the side panels including a single layer of corrugations extending in a predetermined direction, each of the end panels including at least two layers of corrugations with the corrugations of each layer extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the directions of the corrugations of adjacent layers of the panel, and a tubular member formed of a second continuous sheet of corrugated material including four side panels and disposed in use in surrounding relationship with the box-like member and secured thereto with the side panels of the tubular member respectively disposed in back-to-back engagement with the side panels of the box-like member, the corrugations of each of the side panels of the tubular member extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the directions of the corrugations of the adjacent side panel of the box-like member.

In connection with the foregoing object, it is another object of the present invention to provide a loudspeaker enclosure of the type set forth, wherein the box-like member comprises a generally tubular member of square transverse cross-section, each of the side panels thereof having flaps at each end disposed in use in a folded configuration defining two-ply end walls closing the ends of the tube, the flaps at one end having recesses therein which mate when folded to define the opening in the one end wall.

In connection with the foregoing objects, it is another object of the invention to provide a sound reproduction system which includes a loudspeaker enclosure of the type set forth, and a loudspeaker mounted in the enclosure in alignment with the opening for radiating front sound waves therethrough and for emitting back sound waves into the enclosure.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts of the sound reproduction system whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a sound reproduction system and loudspeaker enclosure constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1, with the mounted position of the loudspeaker and electrical conductor being illustrated in broken line;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the loudspeaker enclosure of FIGS. 1 and 2, indicating the manner in which the parts of the loudspeaker enclosure are assembled;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view, similar to FIG. 1, of a second embodiment of a sound reproduction system and loudspeaker enclosure constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in vertical section taken along the line 5--5 in FIG. 4, with the mounted position of the loudspeaker and electrical conductor being illustrated in broken line;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the inner tubular member of the loudspeaker enclosure of FIG. 4, with the end flaps open; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the loudspeaker enclosure of FIG. 4, indicating the relationship of the various parts of the loudspeaker enclosure, and showing the inner tubular member with the end flaps closed.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings, there is illustrated a sound reproduction system, generally designated by the numeral 90, including a loudspeaker enclosure 10 having a loudspeaker 70 mounted therein. The loudspeaker enclosure 10 is preferably in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and includes a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, a front wall 13, a rear wall 14, and a pair of opposed side walls 16 and 17, all of which cooperate to form a closed housing 15. The housing 15 is formed of three generally tubular members, including an inner tubular member 20, an intermediate tubular member 30 and an outer tubular member 40, all nested together in an assembled configuration to form the closed housing 15. Each of the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 is formed of corrugated material, preferably corrugated paper board or fiberboard, each of the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 being formed of a single continuous sheet of the corrugated paper board, folded to the desired tubular configuration.

More particularly, the inner tubular member 20 is constructed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated paper board, folded into a tubular configuration substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section, thereby to form a front panel 23, a rear panel 24, and a pair of opposed side panels 26 and 27, opposed side edges of the corrugated sheet being joined together, as by suitable adhesive such as glue, to form a seam 25 extending longitudinally of the inner tubular member 20 substantially centrally of the rear panel 24. Thus, it will be seen that the inner tubular member 20 comprises an open-ended rectangular tube with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed in use substantially vertically, the corrugations of the inner tubular member 20 extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIG. 3. Formed in the front panel 23 of the inner tubular member 20 is a relatively large circular speaker opening 28 and a rectangular reflex port 29, while there is formed in the rear panel 24 a small circular connector opening (not shown), all for a purpose to be explained more fully below.

The intermediate tubular member 30 is formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated paper board folded to form a tube substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section and arranged with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed in use substantially horizontally. More particularly, the intermediate tubular member 30 includes a top panel 31, a bottom panel 32, a front panel 33 and a rear panel 34, with opposed side edges of the corrugated sheets being joined together, as by a suitable adhesive such as glue, to form a seam 35 extending longitudinally of the tubular member 30 substantially centrally of the rear panel 34 thereof. The corrugations of the intermediate tubular member 30 are arranged to extend in directions substantially normal of the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIG. 3. The front panel 33 of the intermediate tubular member 30 has formed therein a relatively large circular speaker opening 38 and a rectangular reflex opening 39, the openings 38 and 39 being respectively identical in configuration and position to the openings 28 and 29 in the inner tubular member 20. Further, the rear panel 34 has formed therein a relatively small connector opening (not shown).

The outer tubular member 40 is also formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated paper board folded to form an open-ended tube substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section. More particularly, the outer tubular member 40 includes a top panel 41, a bottom panel 42, and a pair of opposed side panels 46 and 47, with opposite side edges of the corrugated sheet being joined together, as by a suitable adhesive such as glue, to form a seam 45 extending longitudinally of the outer tubular member 40 substantially centrally of the bottom panel 42. The corrugations of the outer tubular member 40 are arranged to extend in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIG. 3.

It is a significant feature of the present invention that in each of the tubular members 20, 30 and 40, the seam is located approximately centrally of one of the rectangular panels formed by the tubular member. More particularly, the seam 25 in the inner tubular member 20 is disposed centrally of the rear panel 24 thereof, the seam 35 of the intermediate tubular member 30 is disposed centrally of the rear panel 34 thereof, and the seam 45 of the outer tubular member 40 is disposed centrally of the bottom panel 42 thereof. The location of seams away from the corners of tubular members 20, 30 and 40 serves to insure the structural integrity of the junctures between adjacent panels of each of the tubular members under normal wear and tear conditions for the loudspeaker enclosure 10. In addition, it will be noted that when the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 are nested together in the assembled configuration thereof, the seams 25 and 35 in the back-to-back rear panels 24 and 34 will be disposed perpendicular to each other, thereby to insure the integrity of the seams and of the rear wall 14 of the closed housing 15.

In assembling the closed housing 15 of the loudspeaker enclosure 10, the inner tubular member 20 may be inserted within the intermediate tubular member 30, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 3, the intermediate tubular member 30 being dimensioned to receive the inner tubular member 20 therein in a snug sliding fit. When the tubular members 20 and 30 are thus nested together, the top and bottom panels 31 and 32 of the intermediate tubular member 30 respectively close the open top and bottom ends of the inner tubular member 20, while the opposed side panels 26 and 27 of the inner tubular member 20 respectively close the open sides of the intermediate tubular member 30. Furthermore, when the tubular members 20 and 30 are nested together in the manner described, the front panels 23 and 33 thereof will be disposed in back-to-back engagement with each other to form the front wall 13 of the closed housing 15, and the rear panels 24 and 34 will likewise be disposed in back-to-back engagement with each other to form the rear wall 14 of the closed housing 15. The speaker opening 28 and reflex port 29 of the inner tubular member 20 will be congruent with the speaker opening 38 and the reflex port 39 of the intermediate tubular member 30. Similarly, the connector openings in the rear panels 24 and 34 will also be disposed in axial alignment with each other. The front panels 23 and 33 are secured together by any suitable means, preferably by face gluing, the rear panels 24 and 34 being secured together in like manner.

It will be noted that when the inner tubular member 20 is nested within the intermediate tubular member 30 in the manner described the corrugations of the back-to-back front panels 23 and 33 will be disposed perpendicular to each other and, likewise, the corrugations of the back-to-back rear panels 24 and 34 will be disposed perpendicular to each other, whereby each of the front and rear walls 13 and 14 of the closing housing 15 comprises a criss-cross pattern of corrugations. Further, it will be noted that the seam 35 of the intermediate tubular member 30 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the seam 25 of the inner tubular member 20.

The intermediate tubular member 30, with the inner tubular member 20 nested therewithin, may be inserted into the outer tubular member 40, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 3, the outer tubular member 40 being dimensioned to receive the intermediate tubular member 30 therein in a snug sliding fit. The top and bottom panels 41 and 42 and the side panels 46 and 47 of the outer tubular member 40 are also dimensioned to extend a predetermined distance forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear panels 33 and 34 of the intermediate tubular member 30, when the intermediate tubular member 30 is nested within the outer tubular member 40 in the assembled configuration, thereby to form a front recess 48 and a rear recess 49, as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

When the tubular members 20, 30 and 40 are thus assembled, the top and bottom panels 31 and 32 of the intermediate tubular member 30 will respectively be disposed in back-to-back engagement with the top and bottom panels 41 and 42 of the outer tubular member 40, thereby to form the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 of the closed housing 15, with the corrugations of the top and bottom panels 31 and 32 being respectively disposed substantially perpendicular to the corrugations of the top and bottom panels 41 and 42. Similarly, the opposed side panels 26 and 27 of the inner tubular member 20 are respectively disposed in back-to-back engagement with the opposed side panels 46 and 47 of the outer tubular member 40, thereby to form the side walls 16 and 17 of the closed housing 15, with the corrugations of the side panels 26 and 27 being respectively disposed perpendicular to the corrugations of the side panels 46 and 47. Thus, Each of the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 and the opposed side walls 16 and 17 of the closed housing 15 comprises criss-cross layers of corrugations, the back-to-back panels of each of these walls being secured together by any suitable means, such as face gluing, to form a rigid unitary structure.

There is also provided a rectangular loadspeaker-mounting or baffle board generally designated by the numeral 50, having a front surface 52, a rear surface 53 and a peripheral side surface 54 and adapted to be received in the front recess 48 of the closed housing 15 substantially congruent with the front wall 13. The baffle board 50 is provided with a circular loudspeaker opening 51 and a rectangular reflex port 56 therein, the opening 51 and port 56 being respectively disposed in use in axial alignment with the openings 28 and 38 and ports 29 and 39 in the front wall 13 of the closed housing 15. However, the opening 51 has a diameter somewhat smaller than the diameters of the aligned openings 28 and 38. A grille cloth 55 of sound-transmitting fabric material covers the front surface 52 of the baffle board 50, the grille cloth 55 preferably being stretched over the peripheral side surface 54 of the baffle board 50 and secured thereto by suitable means, whereby the grille cloth 55 conceals the speaker opening 51 and the reflex port 56. While the baffle board 50 is preferably constructed of plywood, it will be appreciated that any other suitable material such as solid wood, particleboard, flakeboard, pressed fiberboard, composition board or plastic, either foamed or solid, or corrugated board may also be used.

There is also provided a rectangular rear cover panel 60 formed of corrugated board and adapted to be received in the rear recess 49 of the closed housing 15 for covering the rear wall 14 thereof, the rear cover panel 60 being secured to the rear wall 14 by any suitable means, such as face gluing. The rear cover panel 60 is provided with a small circular connector opening (not shown) therein, disposed in use in axial alignment with the connector openings in the rear wall 14.

Preferably, the top and bottom walls 11 and 12, the side walls 16 and 17 and the rear cover panel 60 of the speaker enclosure 10 are covered by a decorative facing of any desired material. More particularly, the rear surface of the rear cover panel 60 is covered by a decorative facing sheet 65 secured thereto by a suitable adhesive, while the outer surfaces of the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 and the side walls 16 and 17 are all covered by a single continuous decorative facing sheet 66 with opposed side edges thereof joined together to form a seam substantially along the seam 45 in the bottom pahel 42 of the outer tubular member 40. The front and rear edges of the decorative facing sheet 66 are respectively wrapped around the overhanging front and rear margins of the panels 41, 42, 46 and 47 of the outer tubular member 40 which define the front and rear recesses 48 and 49, for completely covering these overhanging portions as is best shown in FIG. 2. The decorative facing sheet 66 is secured to the outer tubular member 40 by suitable means such as face gluing.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the decorative facing sheets 65 and 66 are formed of suitably covered vinyl material, but it will be appreciated that any desired material may be used. Thus, it is anticipated that such materials as patterned paper or vinyls, either supported or non-supported, wood veneers, metals, plastics, either flexible or rigid, cloth, non-woven materials, leather, furs, foams, stone veneers, various woven or metal fabrics and materials, cork, glass or painted or sprayed materials may be used to form the decorative facing sheets 65 or 66 to suit the needs and desires of individual customers.

A loudspeaker, generally designated by the numeral 70, is mounted within the loudspeaker enclosure 10. While the loudspeaker 70 may be of any desired type such as electrostatic, cone-type, etc., for purposes of illustration a cone-type loudspeaker is shown, including an electromagnet structure 71, and a cone-shaped diaphragm 72 provided at the open end thereof with one or more mounting flanges 73 extending radially outwardly therefrom. In use, the mounting flanges 73 are secured to the inner surface 53 of the baffle board 50 by a suitable adhesive or by any other desired means, such as screws, bolts, staples, clips and the like, with the diaphragm 72 disposed in axial alignment with the speaker opening 51 in the baffle board 50 and extending rearwardly therefrom, as is more clearly shown in the aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 222,263. When the baffle board 50 is mounted in the front recess 48, as described above, the speaker diaphragm 72 will extend inwardly through the speaker openings 28 and 38 in the front wall 13, whereby sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm 72 will be radiated outwardly through the aligned speaker openings 28, 38 and 51 to the exterior of the loudspeaker enclosure 10, while sound waves generated at the rear surface of the diaphragm 72 will be transmitted into the closed housing 15. At predetermined frequencies, these back sound waves will be radiated outwardly through the aligned reflex ports 29, 39 and 56 in a well-known manner, while at other frequencies these back sound waves will be substantially suppressed by the walls of the loudspeaker enclosure 10, as will be explained more fully hereinafter

Alternatively, the speaker flanges may be sandwiched between the front panels 23 and 33 of the front wall 13 in such a way that the speaker mounting flanges are adhesively bonded or otherwise firmly supported and secured between these panels, thus holding the loudspeaker 70 rigidly in position in the speaker openings provided. Other alternative arrangements disclosed in my aforementioned copening U.S. application, Ser. No. 222,263, may also be used. In this case, the baffle board may be eliminated and the grille cloth 55 may be mounted on a suitable pad or frame disposed in the front recess 48. Also, a baffle board of corrugated fiberboard having a recess in the rear surface thereof in surrounding relationship with the loudspeaker opening for receiving by loudspeaker mounting flanges may also be used, which arrangement is disclosed in greater detail in my aforementioned copending U.S. application, Ser. No. 222,263. It will, of course, also be appreciated that, if desired, the mounting flanges 73 may be secured to the inner surface of the front wall 13, in the manner disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,695.

The electromagnet structure 71 of the loudspeaker 70 is connected by a conductor 74 to a connector (not shown) mounted in the rear wall 14 of the loudspeaker enclosure 10, and adapted to be connected to an associated source of electrical signal power. The structure and mounting arrangement of a preferred embodiment of such a connector is disclosed in my aforementioned copending application, Ser. No. 222,263.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, as was described above, each of the walls of the closed housing 15 comprises two layers of corrugated paper board or fiberboard, the corrugations of which layers are disposed in directions perpendicular to each other. Each of these layers of corrugated paper board thereby serves to align incident sound waves in the direction of the corrugations, whereby the sound waves are aligned in mutually perpendicular directions in the two layers of corrugations in each wall of the closed housing 15, the net effect being substantially to cancel out the transmission of audible sound waves through the combined layers of corrugated material. Thus, this criss-cross pattern of corrugations serves to effect suppression of those undesirable sound waves generated within the loudspeaker enclosure 10 which are not radiated outwardly through the reflex port, and to prevent generation of undesirable audible sound waves by the walls of the enclosure itself.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the loudspeaker enclosures of the present invention may be provided with a plurality of loudspeaker openings therein for respectively accommodating a plurality of different loudspeakers in more complex speaker systems. It will also be appreciated that the reflex ports 56 may be eliminated or additional reflex ports may be added as desired to meet the requirements of any specific sound system. Furthermore, it will be understood that the description of the assembly of the parts of the loudspeaker enclosure herein is simply for purposes of illustration and that other methods of forming the loudspeaker enclosures of the present invention may in fact be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 7 of the drawings, there is illustrated a second embodiment of the sound reproduction system of the present invention, generally designated by the numeral 100. The sound reproduction system 100 includes a loudspeaker enclosure, generally designated by the numeral 110, having a loudspeaker 170 mounted therein. The loudspeaker enclosure 110 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelopiped which is substantially square in transverse cross-section. Preferably, the loudspeaker enclosure 110 is in the shape of a cube and includes a top wall 111, a bottom wall 112, a front wall 113, a rear wall 114, and a pair of opposed side walls 116 and 117, all of which cooperate to form a closed housing 115. The housing 115 is formed of two generally tubular members, including an inner tubular member 120 and an outer tubular member 140, nested together in an assembled configuration to form the closed housing 115. Each of the generally tubular members 120 and 140 is formed of corrugated material, preferably corrugated paperboard or fiberboard, each of the tubular members 120 and 140 being formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated paperboard, folded to the desired configuration.

More particularly, the inner tubular member 120 is constructed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated paperboard, folded into a tubular configuration essentially square in transverse cross-section, thereby to form a top panel 121, a bottom panel 122, and a pair of opposed side panels 126 and 127, opposed side edges of the corrugated sheet being joined together, as by taping, to form a seam 125 extending longitudinally of the inner tubular member 120 on any one of the corners thereof, such as the juncture between the top panel 121 and the side panel 127. Thus, it will be seen that the panels 121, 122, 126 and 127 cooperate to define an open-ended rectangular tube with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed in use substantially horizontally, the corrugations of the inner tubular member 120 extending in directions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inner tubular member 120, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Integral with each of the top and bottom panels 121 and 122 at the opposite ends thereof respectively, are a front flap 132 and a rear flap 136, each of the flaps 132 and 136 being generally rectangular in shape and having a width substantially equal to the width of the associated panel 121 or 122 and extending therefrom a distance substantially equal to one-half the width thereof. In like manner, integral with each of the side walls 126 aNd 127 at the opposite ends thereof respectively, are a front flap 133 and a rear flap 137, the front flaps 133 being shaped and dimensioned substantially identically to the front flaps 132 and the rear flaps 137 being shaped and dimensioned substantially identically to the rear flaps 136. Each of the front flaps 132 and 133 has formed therein centrally of the free edge thereof, a relatively large semi-circular recess 139, while each of the rear flaps 137 and 136 has formed therein centrally of the free edge thereof a relatively small semi-circular recess 138. It will be noted that, as indicated above, the inner tubular member 120 is integrally formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated material, the flaps 132, 133, 137 and 136 being formed by appropriately cutting and scoring the corrugated sheet so that each of the flaps is hingedly connected to the associated panel.

In use, the flaps 132, 133, 137 and 136 are all folded to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7. More particularly, the front flaps 132 are folded inwardly to a position wherein they are coplanar with each other with the free edges thereof abutting. The abutting edges of the flaps 132 are then secured together as by gluing to form a seam 123, the coplanr flaps 132 thereby forming a front inner panel 130 for closing the front end of the inner tubular member 120. In this folded configuration, the semi-circular recesses 139 of the flaps 132 mate to define a circular opening in the front inner panel 130. The front flaps 133 are then folded inwardly to a position wherein they are coplanar with each other with the free edges thereof abutting, the folded flaps 133 overlying the flaps 132 in back-to-back engagement therewith. Preferably, the folded flaps 133 are secured to the outer surface of the front inner panel 130 as by face gluing and the abutting edges of the flaps 133 are secured together as by gluing to form a seam 124, the coplanar flaps 133 thereby forming a front outer panel 131 cooperating with the front inner panel 130 to form the front wall 113 of the closed housing 115. In this folded configuration, the recesses 139 of the flaps 133 mate to form a circular opening in the front outer panel 131 which is congruent with the corresponding opening in the front inner panel 130, and cooperates therewith to form a loudspeaker opening 119 in the front wall 113 of the housing 115.

In like manner, the rear flaps 136 are folded inwardly in use to a position wherein the flaps 136 are coplanar with each other with the free edges thereof abutting. These abutting free edges are joined together as by gluing to form a seam 128, the coplanar flaps 136 thereby forming a rear inner panel closing the rear end of the tubular member 120. In this folded configuration, the semi-circular recesses 138 mate to define a small circular opening through the rear inner panel 134. The flaps 137 are then folded inwardly to a position wherein the flaps 137 are coplanar with each other and overlie the rear inner panel 134 in back-to-back engagement therewith. Preferably, the rear flaps 137 are secured to the outer surface of the rear inner panel 134 as by face gluing, the flaps 137 being secured together along the free edges thereof to form a seam 129, the coplanar flaps 137 thereby forming a rear outer panel 135 which cooperates with the rear inner panel 134 to form the rear wall 114 of the closed housing 115. In this folded configuration, the recesses 138 in the flaps 137 mate to form a small circular opening through the rear outer panel 135 which is congruent with the corresponding opening in the rear inner panel 134 and cooperates therewith to form a connector opening 118 in the rear wall 114 of the housing 115.

It will be noted that when the inner tubular member 120 has the flaps thereof disposed in the folded configuration illustrated in FIG. 7, the corrugations of the front inner panel 130 extends vertically while the corrugations of the front outer panel 131 extend horizontally. In like manner, the corrugations of the rear inner panel 134 extend vertically, while the corrugations of the rear outer panel 135 extend horizontally. Thus, it will be appreciated that each of the front walls 113 and 114 of the closed housing 115 comprises two panels of corrugated material having the corrugations thereof disposed perpendicular to each other to thereby provide a criss-cross pattern of corrugations to facilitate the suppression of undesirable sound waves by the front and rear walls 113 and 114.

The outer tubular member 140 is also formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated paperboard folded to form an open-ended tube substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section. More particularly, the outer tubular member 140 includes a top panel 141, a bottom panel 142, and a pair of opposed side panels 146 and 147, with opposite side edges of the corrugated sheet being joined together, as by a suitable adhesive such as glue, to form a seam 145 extending longitudinally of the outer tubular member 140 substantially centrally of the bottom panel 142 thereof. The corrugations of the outer tubular member 140 are arranged to extend in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, as indicated by the double-ended arrows in FIG. 7.

In assembling the closed housing 115 of the loudspeaker enclosure 110, the inner tubular member 120 may be folded to the cubical configuration illustrated in FIG. 7, as was described above, and inserted within the outer tubular member 140 which is dimensioned to receive the inner tubular member 120 therein in a snug sliding fit. When the tubular members 120 and 140 are thus nested together in their assembled configuration, the top and bottom panels 141 and 142 of the outer tubular member 140 will respectively be disposed in back-to-back engagement with the top and bottom panels 121 and 122 of the inner tubular member 120 to form the top and bottom walls 111 and 112 of the closed housing 115. In like manner, the opposed side panels 146 and 147 of the outer tubular member 140 will be disposed in back-to-back engagement with the opposed side panels 126 and 127 of the inner tubular member 120, thereby to form the side walls 116 and 117 of the closed housing 115. The back-to-back panels of the inner and outer tubular members 120 and 140 are secured together by any suitable means, preferably by face gluing, to provide a rigid unitary structure for the closed housing 115.

It will be noted that when the inner tubular member 120 is nested within the outer tubular member 140 in the manner described, the corrugations of the back-to-back panels thereof will be disposed perpendicular to each other, whereby each of the top and bottom and side walls 111, 112, 116 and 117 of the closed housing 115 comprises a criss-cross pattern of corrugations for facilitating the suppression of undesirable sound waves emitted from the closed housing 115. Thus, it will be appreciated that all six walls of the assembled closed housing 115 comprise back-to-back two-panel construction having the criss-cross pattern of corrugations, the panels of the front and rear walls 113 and 114 being formed by the folded flaps of the inner tubular member 120, as was described above. It will be noted that the top and bottom panels 141 and 142 and the side panels 146 and 147 of the outer tubular member 140 are dimensioned to extend a predetermined distance forwardly and rearwardly beyond the front and rear outer panels 131 and 135 of the inner tubular member 120, and cooperate therewith to define a front recess 148 and a rear recess 149, when the tubular members 120 and 140 are nested together in the assembled configuration, as indicated in FIG. 5.

There is also provided a substantially square loudspeaker-mounting or baffle board, generally designated by the numeral 150, having a front surface 152, a rear surface 153 and a peripheral side surface 154 and adapted to be received in the front recess 148 of the closed housing 115 substantially congruent with the front wall 113 thereof. The baffle board 150 is provided with a circular loudspeaker opening 151 therein which disposed in use coaxially with the loudspeaker opening 119 formed in the front wall 113 of the closed housing 115. However, the diameter of the opening 151 is less than the diameter of the opening in the front wall 113. A grille cloth 155 of sound-transmitting fabric material covers the front surface 152 of the baffle board 150, the grille cloth 155 preferably being stretched over the peripheral side surface 154 of the baffle board 150 and secured thereto by suitable means, whereby the grille cloth 155 conceals the speaker opening 151. While the baffle board 150 is preferably constructed of plywood, it will be appreciated that it may be constructed of other suitable materials such as those mentioned above with respect to the baffle board 50 of the loudspeaker enclosure 10.

There is also provided a substantially square rear cover panel 160 formed of corrugated board and adapted to be received in the rear recess 149 of the closed housing 115 for covering the rear wall 114 thereof, the rear cover panel 160 being secured to the rear wall 114 by any suitable means, such as face gluing. The rear cover panel 160 is provided with a small circular connector opening 168 therein, disposed in use in axial alignment with the connector opening 118 in the rear wall 114 of the closed housing 115.

Preferably, the top and bottom walls 111 and 112 and the side walls 116 and 117 and the rear cover panel 160 of the loudspeaker enclosure 110 are covered by decorative facing of any desired material. More particularly, the rear surface of the rear cover panel 160 is covered by a decorative facing sheet 165 secured thereto by a suitable adhesive, while the outer surfaces of the top and bottom walls 111 and 112 and the side walls 116 and 117 are all covered by a single continuous decorative facing sheet 166 with opposed side edges thereof joined together to form a seam, substantially along seam 145 in the bottom panel 142 of the other tubular member 140. The front and rear edges of the decorative facing sheet 166 are respectively wrapped around the overhanding front and rear margins of the panels 141, 142, 146 and 147 of the outer tubular member 140 which define the front and rear recesses 148 and 149, for completely covering these overhanging portions, as is best shown in FIG. 5. The decorative facing sheet 166 is secured to the outer tubular member 140 by suitable means such as face gluing. The decorative facing sheets 165 and 166 are preferably formed of vinyl material, but may be formed of any other suitable material, such as those indicated above with respect to the decorative facing sheets 65 and 66 of the loudspeaker enclosure 10.

A loudspeaker, generally designed by the numeral 170, is mounted within the loudspeaker enclosure 110. While the loudspeaker 170 may be of any desired type, for purposes of illustration a cone-type loudspeaker is shown, including an electromagnet structure 171 and a cone-shaped diaphragm 172 provided at the open end thereof with one or more mounting flanges 173 extending radially outwardly therefrom. In use, the mounting flanges 173 are secured to the inner surface 153 of the baffle board 150 by suitable adhesive or by any other desired means, such as screws, bolts, staples, clips and the like, with the diaphragm 172 disposed in axial alignment with the loudspeaker opening 151 in the baffle board 150 and extending rearwardly therefrom, as is more clearly shown in my aforementioned copending application, Ser. No. 222,263. When the baffle board 150 is mounted in the front recess 148, as described above, the loudspeaker diaphragm 172 will extend inwardly through the opening 119 in the front wall 113, whereby sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm 172 will be radiated outwardly through the aligned speaker openings 119 and 159 to the exterior of the loudspeaker enclosure 110, while sound waves generated at the rear surface of the diaphragm 172 will be transmitted into the closed housing 115. Alternative modes of mounting the loudspeaker within the closed housing 115, as described above with respect to the loudspeaker enclosure 10, may also be used for mounting the loudspeaker 170 in the loudspeaker enclosure 110. The electromagnet structure 171 of the loudspeaker 170 is connected by a conductor 174 to a suitable connector (not shown) mounted in the rear wall 114 of the loudspeaker enclosure 110, and adapted to be connected to an associated source of electric signal power. The structure and mounting arrangement of a preferred embodiment of such a connector is disclosed in my aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 222,263.

While in the preferred embodiments of this invention, the tubular members 20, 30, 40, 120 and 140 are constructed of paperboard or fiberboard for simplicity and economy of fabrication, it will be appreciated that other corrugated materials may be used to produce the same sound deadening effect, as long as the adjacent layers of corrugated material have the corrugations thereof disposed at right angles to each other.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a novel loudspeaker enclosure simply constructed of economical materials, and comprising a closed housing of corrugated material having a criss-cross pattern of corrugations in each of the housing walls for suppressing undesirable sound waves emitted from the enclosure, the enclosure providing superior acoustical characteristics while having improved structural strength which insures the integrity of the junctures between adjacent walls of the housing.

More particularly there has been provided a novel loudspeaker enclosure with a plurality of rectangular tubes of corrugated paperboard nested together in an assembled configuration, each of the tubes being formed of a single continuous sheet of corrugated material folded into a rectangular tubular configuration and having opposed free edges thereof joined together to form a longitudinal seam, the seams of each of the tubular members being disposed centrally of one of the rectangular panels thereof.

In addition, there has been provided a loudspeaker enclosure constructed of two tubular members of square transverse cross-section, the inner tubular member having rectangular flaps at the opposite ends of each of the four side panels thereof, the flaps being disposed in use in a folded configuration defining front and rear end walls for the inner tubular member, each of these end walls comprising two back-to-back end panels having the corrugations thereof disposed perpendicular to each other.

While there has been described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed box-like member formed of a first continuous sheet of folded corrugated material, said box-like member being substantially rectangular in transverse cross section and including four side panels and two end panels, opposite edges of said first sheet being joined together to form a seam disposed centrally of one of said panels of said box-like member, each of said panels including a single layer of corrugations extending in a predetermined direction, each of said end panels including at least two layers of corrugations with the corrugations of each layer extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the directions of the corrugations of adjacent layers of said panel, a tubular member formed of a second continuous sheet of corrugated material, said tubular member being substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section and including four side panels, opposite side edges of said second sheet being joined together to form a seam disposed centrally of one of said panels of said tubular member, said tubular member being disposed in use in surrounding relationship with said box-like member and secured thereto with the side panels of said tubular member respectively disposed in back-to-back engagement with the side panels of said box-like member, the corrugations of each of said side panels of said tubular member extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the directions of the corrugations of the adjacent side panel of said box-like member, and one of said end panels having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of said end panels and said back-to-back side panels cooperate to facilitate the suppression of

2. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 1, wherein said box-like

3. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 1, wherein said box-like

4. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising two generally tubular members of corrugated board, each of said tubular members being substantially square in transverse cross-section and including four side panels disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said tubular member, the corrugations of each of said panels of one of said tubular members extending in directions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, the corrugations of each of said panels of the other of said tubular members extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, each of the panels of said one tubular member having two generally rectangular flaps respectively connected thereto at the opposite ends thereof, each of said flaps at one end of said one tubular member having a recess formed therein centrally of the free edge thereof, said flaps being disposed in use in a folded configuration wherein opposed ones of said flaps at each end of said one tubular member are substantially coplanar with each other having the free edges thereof secured together to form two back-to-back end panels closing the adjacent end of said one tubular member, the recesses of opposed ones of said flaps mating to form a loudspeaker opening in the corresponding end panel at said one end of said one tubular member when said flaps are disposed in the folded configuration thereof, the two back-to-back end panels at each end of said one tubular member being secured together with the loudspeaker openings thereof substantially congruent, the corrugations of each end panel of said one tubular member extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the corrugations of the other end panel at the same end of said one tubular member, said tubular members being disposed in use in as assembled configuration with said one tubular member snugly received within the other tubular member coaxially therewith and secured thereto for forming a closed housing, each one of said side panels of said one tubular member being disposed in back-to-back engagement with a corresponding side panel of said other tubular member when said tubular members are disposed in the assembled configuration thereof with the corrugations of the panels of each of said side walls extending in mutually perpendicular directions, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of the back-to-back end panels and side panels of said housing facilitating the suppression by said panels of undesirable sound waves

5. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said tubular members is formed of a single continuous folded sheet of corrugated material with opposite side edges thereof joined together to form a longitudinally extending seam, said seam being disposed centrally of one of said side panels of said tubular member thereby to insure the integrity of the junctures between adjacent ones of said side panels for

6. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 4, wherein the back-to-back end panels at the other end of said one tubular member in the folded configuration thereof are provided with axially aligned connector openings

7. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 4, wherein each of the flaps at the other end of said one tubular member is provided with a recess formed therein centrally of the free edge thereof, the recesses of opposed ones of said flaps at said other end of said one tubular member mating to form a connector opening in the corresponding end panel at said other end of said one tubular member when said flaps are disposed in the

8. The loudspeaker enclosure set forth in claim 4, wherein the four panels of said other tubular member extend outwardly beyond the end panels at the opposite ends of said one tubular member and cooperate therewith to form two end recesses, and further including a loudspeaker-mounting board disposed in the end recess at said one end of said one tubular member and secured to the adjacent end panel thereof and having an opening therein aligned with the speaker opening in said adjacent end panel for mounting an associated loudspeaker thereon, and a rear cover panel disposed in the end recess at the other end of said one tubular member and secured to the

9. A sound reproduction system comprising two generally tubular members of corrugated board, each of said tubular members being substantially square in transverse cross section and including four side panels disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said tubular members, the corrugations of each of said panels of one of said tubular members extending in directions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, the corrugations of each of said panels of the other of said tubular members extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, each of the panels of said one tubular member having two generally rectangular flaps respectively connected thereto at the opposite ends thereof, each of said flaps having a recess formed therein centrally of the free edge thereof, said flaps being disposed in use in a folded configuration wherein opposed ones of said flaps at each end of said one tubular member are substantially coplanar with each other having the free edges thereof secured together to form two back-to-back end panels closing the adjacent end of said one tubular member, the recesses of opposed ones of said flaps mating to form a loudspeaker opening in the corresponding end panel at said one end of said one tubular member when said flaps are disposed in the folded configuration thereof, the two back-to-back end panels at each end of said one tubular member being secured together with the loudspeaker openings thereof substantially congruent, the corrugations of each end panel of said one tubular member extending in directions substantially perpendicular to the corrugations of the other end panel at the same end of said one tubular member, said tubular members being disposed in use in an assembled configuration with said one tubular member snugly received within the other tubular member coaxially therewith and secured thereto for forming a closed housing, each one of said corresponding side panels of said one tubular member being disposed in back-to-back engagement with a corresponding side panel of said other tubular member when said tubular members are disposed in the assembled configuration thereof with the corrugations of the panels of each of said side walls extending in mutually perpendicular directions, and a loudspeaker mounted in said housing and disposed in axial alignment with said opening for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated at the front surface of the diaphragm thereof and for transmitting into said housing sound waves generated at the rear surface of the diaphragm thereof, whereby the perpendicular corrugations of the back-to-back end panels and side panels of said housing facilitating the suppression by said panels of undesirable sound

10. The sound reproduction system set forth in claim 9, wherein each of said tubular members is formed of a single continuous folded sheet of corrugated board with opposite side edges thereof joined together to form a longitudinally extending seam, said seam being disposed centrally of one of said side panels of said tubular member thereby to insure the integrity of the junctures between adjacent one of said side panels for providing a

11. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising a closed box-like member formed of a first continuous sheet of folded corrugated material, said box-like member being substantially tubular in transverse cross section and including side panels and two end panels, each of said panels including a single layer of corrugations extending in a predetermined direction, each of said end panels including at least two layers of corrugations with the corrugations of each layer extending in directions crossed with respect to the directions of the corrugations of adjacent layers of said end panel, a tubular member formed of a second continuous sheet of corrugated material, said tubular member being substantially tubular in transverse cross section and including a number of side panels equal to the side panels in said box-like member, said tubular member being disposed in use in surrounding relationship with said box-like member and secured thereto with the side panels of said tubular member respectively disposed in back-to-back engagement with the side panels of said box-like member, the corrugations of each of said side panels of said tubular member extending in directions crossed with respect to the directions of the corrugations of the adjacent side panel of said box-like member, and one of said end panels having an opening therein to facilitate the emission of sound waves therefrom whereby the crossed corrugations of said end panels and said back-to-back side panels cooperate to facilitate the suppression of

12. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising two generally tubular members of corrugated board, each of said tubular members being substantially tubular in transverse cross section and including side panels disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said tubular members, the corrugations of each of said panels of one of said tubular members extending in directions substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, the corrugations of each of said panels of one of said tubular members being crossed with respect to the corrugations of the associated panel of the other of said tubular members, each of the panels of said one tubular members having two flaps respectively connected thereto at the opposite ends thereof, each of said flaps at one end of said one tubular member having a recess formed therein centrally of the free edge thereof, said flaps being disposed in use in a folded configuration wherein said flaps at each end of said one tubular member are secured together to form two back-to-back end panels closing the adjacent end of said one tubular member, the recesses of said flaps mating to form a loudspeaker opening in the corresponding end panel at said one end of said one tubular member when said flaps are disposed in the folded configuration thereof, the corrugations of each end panel of said one tubular member extending in directions crossed with respect to the corrugations of the other end panel at the same end of said one tubular member, said tubular members being disposed in use in an assembled configuration with said one tubular member snugly received within the other tubular member coaxially therewith and secured thereto for forming a closed housing, each one of said side panels of said one tubular member being disposed in back-to-back engagement with a corresponding side panel of said other tubular member when said tubulr members are disposed in the assembled configuration thereof with the corrugations of the panels of each of said side walls extending in mutually crossed directions, whereby the corrugations of the back-to-back end panels and side panels of said housing facilitating the suppression by said panels of undesirable sound waves emitted from said loudspeaker

13. A sound reproduction system comprising two generally tubular members of corrugated board, each of said tubular members including side panels disposed substantially parallel to the longitudional axes of said tubular members, said tubular members being disposed in use in an assembled configuration with one of said tubular members snugly received within the other of said tubular members coaxially therewith, the corrugations of each of said side panels in said one tubular member extending in directions crossed with respect to the directions of the corrugations of the adjacent side panel of said other tubular member, at least certain of the side panels of said one tubular member having flaps respectively connected thereto in the opposite ends thereof, said flaps being disposed in use in a folded configuration with said flaps overlying to provide two layers of corrugation at each end of said one tubular member with the corrugations in one layer being crossed with respect to the corrugations in the other layer to form end panels closing the adjacent end of said one tubular member, the flaps forming the end panel at one end of said one tubular member being shaped to provide a loudspeaker opening in the folded configuraiton thereof, and a loudspeaker mounted in said housing and disposed in alignment with said opening for transmitting therethrough to the exterior of said housing sound waves generated thereby.