Apple assigned patent for Beats Mixr headphone design
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a headphone design patent originally assigned to Beats Electronics, the audio hardware maker Apple purchased for $3 billion in 2014.
Source: Beats and USPTO
Officially titled "Audio listening system," Apple's new patent reassignment covers the Beats Mixr over-ear headphone design.
As seen in the drawings above, Mixr is designed for DJs who need to hear both turn table and loudspeaker output. A unique design lets users rotate one driver up and behind their ear for mixing duties, both ear cups down for isolated sound or both up for storage.
Each ear cup is attached to a loop structure that affixes to notched posts on the headband. The posts' internal shape interacts with the ear cup loops to provide friction for sizing and rotation stops at 90 degrees and 180 degrees. A single cord runs from one driver to another through the headband, offering ample slack for ear cup rotation.
Ironically, the patent is credited to ex-Apple design chief Robert Brunner, whose former firm Pentagram first partnered with Beats in 2006 to create a line of headphones marketed largely on its design merits. Brunner subsequently formed another company called Ammunition Group, which continued work on Beats over-the-ear headphones, earphones and speakers.
Following its $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music, Apple dropped Ammunition, presumably handing over future product design work to an internal team led by SVP of Design Jony Ive.
Along with Brunner, Apple's reassigned design patent credits Gregoire Vandenbussche and Chris Fruhauf as inventors.
Source: Beats and USPTO
Officially titled "Audio listening system," Apple's new patent reassignment covers the Beats Mixr over-ear headphone design.
As seen in the drawings above, Mixr is designed for DJs who need to hear both turn table and loudspeaker output. A unique design lets users rotate one driver up and behind their ear for mixing duties, both ear cups down for isolated sound or both up for storage.
Each ear cup is attached to a loop structure that affixes to notched posts on the headband. The posts' internal shape interacts with the ear cup loops to provide friction for sizing and rotation stops at 90 degrees and 180 degrees. A single cord runs from one driver to another through the headband, offering ample slack for ear cup rotation.
Ironically, the patent is credited to ex-Apple design chief Robert Brunner, whose former firm Pentagram first partnered with Beats in 2006 to create a line of headphones marketed largely on its design merits. Brunner subsequently formed another company called Ammunition Group, which continued work on Beats over-the-ear headphones, earphones and speakers.
Following its $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music, Apple dropped Ammunition, presumably handing over future product design work to an internal team led by SVP of Design Jony Ive.
Along with Brunner, Apple's reassigned design patent credits Gregoire Vandenbussche and Chris Fruhauf as inventors.
Comments
Interesting bit about Robert Brunner.
Can't wait for it to hit the market.
Lest anyone forget, Marvel is owned by Disney.
Yes. Indeed. With Disneys MCU plans, Star Wars; Indiana Jones movies planned, Frozen ( a billion dollar franchise) ABC TV adding to the mix. Marvel doing well in Netflix (Daredevil). this may be a good time to own Disney Stock. Don't forget Disney owns Pixar as well.
Disney under Iger has performed spectacularly.
Who is buying this ugly overpriced kak?
Another who makes funny disparaging remarks without reading the article? : ) They don't even state a price : )
As it says, it's for DJs, not general use. Seriously and with all due respect, if you don't know about what the article explains you should look it up so you'll know how it applies to it's intended market.
This is a physical design patent, not an audio tech one, so hold off on the "snake oil" stuff too. Very generally speaking. DJs, pro and amateur, need to monitor the outputs of at least two audio sources (without the crowd hearing the signal until it's routed to the main outs), and hear the room directly as well, going back and forth constantly. The idea here, apparently, is that, instead of pulling off one side and sliding it up your head or some other way to have one on and one off, you can simply rotate one up and the rest of it stays in place.
It's actually a decent concept and one of those things I'm surprised no one has made before. Far better than the shelves upon shelves of hardware products I see at Microcenter which are questionable solutions in search of a problem.
As far as ugly to us, well sure. They're not coming to us for suggestions for a reason.
Another who makes funny disparaging remarks without reading the article? : ) They don't even state a price : )
Yawn.
LOL. Says the one who thought it was a $500 set of red headphones marketed to him.
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