Audio speaker with partially spherical speaker housing and escutcheon

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a speaker, a partially recessed housing and an escutcheon that are adapted to be attached to a wall or ceiling.

2. Background Art

Audio speakers are provided in a wide variety of types and styles for broadcast music, recorded music players, and video entertainment systems, and the like. Audio systems may be designed for use in buildings, in vehicles, or at outdoor locations. Some audio speakers are specifically designed for use in a vehicle. Other audio speakers are specifically designed for use in homes, business, or other buildings and are not appropriate for use in vehicles. Recreational vehicles such as motor homes, trailers, or boats are normally designed to provide all the comforts and convenience of home, but they are normally provided with 12 volt vehicle audio systems. Speakers designed for use in buildings are not used in recreational vehicles because they are difficult to attach to the recreational vehicle in an attractive and secure manner.

Speakers designed to be used in vehicles are generally flush mounted in a dashboard top, package shelf behind a seating area, or inside interior panels. Speciality vehicles such as motor homes, trailers and boats generally have speakers that are flush mounted to the wall or ceiling of the speciality vehicle. Flush mounted speakers normally cannot be aimed to focus sound in a desired direction except in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the wall or ceiling to which the speaker is mounted. Flush mounted speakers are not generally adjustable and must be mounted within the space provided behind an interior wall or ceiling. Flush mounting arrangements may limit acoustic performance. Bracket mounted speakers may be used in recreational vehicles, but are usually relatively unattractive. Bracket mounts increase the amount of space required for the speakers.

There is a need for a speaker mounting arrangement that is attractive and minimizes space requirements. There is also a need for a speaker mount that can be directed toward a listening position. There is also a need for a speaker mounting arrangement that may be suitable for home or vehicle use and that is particularly well suited for use in recreational vehicles. Applicants' invention addresses these needs and problems as summarized below.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an adjustable speaker housing assembly is provided that is adapted to be secured to a wall. The adjustable speaker housing assembly comprises an adapter for securing the speaker housing assembly to the wall that includes a wall mounting portion and a recessed concave portion. A guide track is arranged on the concave portion of the adapter. A speaker enclosure is assembled to the concave portion of the adapter. The speaker enclosure has an inset portion and a projecting portion. At least one speaker is secured within the speaker enclosure. An interlocking element may be selectively locked to secure the speaker enclosure to the adapter in one position and may be unlocked to permit the speaker enclosure to move relative to the adapter.

According to another aspect of the invention, an adjustable speaker system is provided that is adapted to be secured to a wall. The adjustable speaker system comprises an adapter for securing the speaker system to the wall that has a wall mounting portion and a recessed portion. A speaker housing is secured to the adapter in a partially recessed relationship with the adapter. The speaker housing has an inset portion and includes at least one speaker secured within the speaker housing. The inset portion of the speaker housing is disposed within the recessed portion of the adapter in a ball and socket relationship.

According to other aspects of the invention, the concave portion of the adapter and the inset portion of the speaker enclosure are at least partially spherical in shape. The inset portion of the speaker enclosure may slide relative to the concave portion of the adapter. The guide track may comprise a linear slot formed in the concave portion of the adapter. The slot has a first inter-engaging portion that engages a second inter-engaging portion of the interlocking element when the interlocking element is locked. The linear slot may receive speaker wires that extend from the speaker enclosure that are adapted to be connected to an audio source.

According to another aspect of the invention, a screw may be inserted through the first and second inter-engaging portions and a threaded nut may be secured to the inset portion of the speaker enclosure to secure the enclosure and adapter together. This clamping arrangement forms the sole connector between the speaker enclosure and the adapter.

According to other aspects of the invention, the concave portion adapter and the wall mounting portion may be formed in one piece in a molding operation. The concave portion of the adapter may be a first partially spherical wall with the inset portion of the speaker enclosure defining a second partially spherical wall.

According to other aspects of the invention, an elastomeric pad may be provided between the concave portion and the inset portion. The elastomeric pad may be adhesively secured to the concave portion of the adapter.

These and other aspects of the invention will be better understood in view of the attached drawings and following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable speaker housing assembly secured to a supporting surface according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the adjustable speaker housing assembly shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view thereof showing a speaker housing secured to an adapter in one position with additional positions being shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the adjustable speaker housing assembly;

FIG. 5 is an exploded rear perspective view of the adjustable speaker housing assembly;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view showing the speaker housing secured to the adapter;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7 - 7 in FIG. 6 ; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8 - 8 in FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the speaker housing assembly 10 of the present invention is illustrated. In FIG. 1 , the speaker housing assembly 10 is shown with its adapter 12 having an escutcheon 14 secured to a supporting surface 16 . A speaker enclosure 18 having a speaker grill 20 that covers a speaker 21 is shown attached to the adapter 12 . A plurality of screws 22 are secured to the supporting surface 16 through holes 24 formed in the escutcheon 14 . The speaker enclosure 18 has a partially spherical side wall 26 and a grill retention ring 28 that retains the speaker grill 20 on the speaker enclosure 18 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , adjustment of the orientation of the speaker enclosure 18 relative to the adapter 12 is illustrated. A speaker wire 30 extends from the speaker enclosure 18 and is connected to an audio amplifier, as is well known in the art. A lock assembly 32 is provided to lock the speaker enclosure 18 in a selected orientation relative to the adapter 12 . The lock assembly 32 includes a screw 34 that extends through an arcuate slot 36 formed in the adapter 12 . The arcuate slot 36 is formed with teeth 38 on opposite sides of the arcuate slot 36 . Flanges 40 on a spring clip 42 are placed in registry with the teeth 38 when the lock assembly 32 is engaged. A finger knob 44 is provided to facilitate tightening the lock assembly 32 . The finger knob 44 receives and is held against the spring clip 42 by the screw 34 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , indicia 46 are provided adjacent the arcuate slot 36 to facilitate aligning the speaker enclosure 18 relative to the adapter 12 . The indicia corresponds to the angular offset of the lock assembly 32 along the length of the arcuate slot 36 . As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the lock assembly 32 is at 0°, which corresponds to the position of the speaker enclosure 18 , as shown in FIG. 3 . The speaker enclosure 18 position may be adjusted, for example, by shifting the lock assembly 32 to a position adjacent the indicia “ 30 .” This would allow the speaker enclosure to be placed at a 30° angle relative to the adapter 12 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the speaker housing assembly 10 is shown in exploded perspective. The adapter 12 is shown separated from the speaker enclosure 18 . The lock assembly 32 is shown to include the screw 34 that is inserted through the finger knob 44 , the spring clip 42 , and the helical spring 48 .

The arcuate slot 36 is formed in a partially spherical recessed concave portion 52 of the adapter 12 . The concave portion 52 as illustrated is a continuous partially spherical area that may be integrally molded with the escutcheon 14 . Alternatively, the concave portion 52 could be in the form of an arcuate band.

A nut 54 is assembled to the partially spherical sidewall 26 and is disposed within a follower 56 on the sidewall 26 . The speaker wire 30 may also extend through the follower 56 . The follower 56 is inserted into the arcuate slot 36 . Parallel walls 60 of the follower 56 engage opposite walls of the arcuate slot 36 . The parallel walls 60 guide the movement of the speaker enclosure 18 relative to the adapter 12 by following the opposite sides of the arcuate slot 36 .

An elastomeric pad 62 is shown in phantom in FIG. 5 . The elastomeric pad 62 functions to absorb vibrations and also provides a resilient layer against which the speaker enclosure 18 may be drawn as the lock assembly 32 is tightened.

Referring to FIGS. 6 , 7 , and 8 , the function of the lock assembly 32 is explained in greater detail. The speaker housing assembly 10 is shown from the rear in FIG. 6 with the screw 34 and finger knob 44 exploded away from the concave portion 52 . The speaker wire 30 extends from the speaker enclosure 18 through the arcuate slot 36 . The flanges 40 of the spring clip 42 are shown in registry with the teeth 38 that are formed on opposite sides of the arcuate slot 36 .

Referring specifically to FIG. 7 , the section taken through the screw 34 illustrates the stack-up of the screw 34 , finger knob 44 , and spring clip 42 and also shows the nut 54 that receives the screw 34 . The elastomeric pad 62 is shown between the concave portion 52 and the partially spherical sidewall 26 .

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.