Headphone

Claim 1

A headphone comprising a first resilient band piece of arcuate shape having first coupling means at one end thereof; a second resilient band piece having second coupling means at one end thereof, said second band piece having the same length, width, thickness and shape as said first band piece; connecting means for connecting the other ends of said first and second band pieces to one another with the arcuate shapes of said band pieces lying in a common plane, said connecting means comprising a coupling portion projecting from said other end of said first resilient band piece and having a hole extending therethrough in a direction perpendicular to said common plane, a pair of spaced coupling pieces projecting from said other end of said second resilient band piece in facing relation to the opposing ends of said coupling portion, each of said pair of coupling pieces having a hole therein in alignment with the hole in said coupling portion, a shaft extending through the holes formed in said coupling portion and in said pair of coupling pieces whereby said first and second band pieces can be angularly displaced relative to one another in said common plane about said shaft, the spacing between said pair of coupling pieces being significantly greater than the axial extent of said coupling portion in a direction parallel to said shaft whereby said first and second band pieces can be moved relative to one another along said shaft, bias means comprising a coil spring wound about said shaft between one of said pair of the coupling pieces and said coupling portion for urging said coupling portion along said shaft into engagement with one of said coupling pieces, said coupling portion and said one of said coupling pieces having stepped portions which define planes that extend transverse to said shaft and which are moved into engagement with one another by the biasing force of said coil spring to prevent angular displacement of said band pieces relative to one another about said shaft, said planes being disengaged from one another, to permit relative angular displacement of said band pieces about said shaft, by movement of said coupling portion and said one of said coupling pieces away from one another along said shaft against the biasing force exerted by said coil spring; a first end piece having a length approximately equal to that of said first resilient band piece, said first end piece being slidably coupled with said first coupling means so that substantially the entire length of the first end piece is slidable along said first resilient band piece; a second end piece of the same material, shape, length, width and thickness as said first end piece, said second end piece being slidably coupled with said second coupling means so that substantially the entire length of said second end piece is slidable along said second resilient band piece; and first and second headphone members each of which is covered by an ear pad and each of which includes a transducer for converting an electric signal into an acoustic signal, said first and second headphone members being respectively mounted on said first and second end pieces at positions remote from said connecting means such that when said first and second end pieces are slid relative to their respective coupling means until said headphone members reach said first and second coupling means, respectively, said first and second headphone members are brought into contact with each other through said covering ear pads.