Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals next-gen wireless AirPods and wired EarPods that utilizes a new wraparound mechanism for the ear that uses magnets that could be attracted through ear tissue to keep the pods from falling out of a user's ears.

Patent Background

Earphone assemblies are often worn by users that are exercising or performing other activities. However, such active use often dislodges an earphone assembly from its functional position with respect to a user's ear.

Apple Invention

Apple's invention relates to earphone assemblies and, more particularly, to earphone assemblies with magnets for anchoring to a user.

Apple notes as an example, an earphone assembly for use by a user's ear may be provided that may include a hook member including a functional component, a body, an audio output component positioned at least partially within the body, a first magnet physically coupled to the body, and a second magnet, wherein, when the body is positioned against the user's ear in a functional position that is operative to direct sound from the audio output component into the user's ear, the first magnet and the second magnet are operative to be positioned on opposite sides of a wall of the ear and are operative to be magnetically attracted to one another via the wall for holding the body in the functional position, and wherein a first end of the hook member is physically coupled to the body, a second end of the hook member is a free end, the second magnet is coupled to the hook member adjacent the second end of the hook member, and the functional component includes at least one of an antenna functionally coupled to the audio output component and a battery functionally coupled to the audio component.

As another example, an earphone assembly for use by a user's ear may be provided that may include a body, an audio output component positioned at least partially within the body, a hook member including a first end physically coupled to the body, a second end that is a free end, and a hook member part extending between the first end and the second end, a first magnet physically coupled to the body, a second magnet provided at a first position along the length of the hook member part, and a third magnet provided at a second position along the length of the hook member part, wherein, when the body is positioned against the user's ear in a functional position that is operative to direct sound from the audio output component into the user's ear, the first magnet and the second magnet are operative to be positioned on opposite sides of a first portion of a wall of the ear and are operative to be magnetically attracted to one another via the first portion of the wall for holding the body in the functional position, and, when the body is positioned against the user's ear in another functional position that is operative to direct sound from the audio output component into the user's ear, the first magnet and the third magnet are operative to be positioned on opposite sides of a second portion of the wall of the ear and are operative to be magnetically attracted to one another via the second portion of the wall for holding the body in the other functional position.

As yet another example, an earphone assembly for use by a user's ear may be provided that may include a body, an audio output component including a first magnet positioned at least partially within the body and a second magnet, wherein, when the body is positioned against the user's ear in a functional position that is operative to direct sound from the audio output component into the user's ear, the first magnet and the second magnet are operative to be positioned on opposite sides of a wall of the ear and are operative to be magnetically attracted to one another via the wall for holding the body in the functional position.

Apple's patent FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an illustrative earphone assembly worn by a user; FIGS. 3A – 3C are different cross-sectional views of a portion of the assembly.

Magnetism through Ear Tissue

More specifically in FIG. 3A noted above we're able to see magnets #252 and #282 highlighted. These magnets may be aligned for attracting one another with magnetism (e.g., magnetism MG) through ear tissue #301 of any suitable portion of ear #300.

In some embodiments, in addition to or as an alternative to hook member #280, another ear hook member #284 may be coupled to and may extend away from body #250. Hook member #284 may include a free end (e.g., similar to free end #281 of hook member #280) that may be positioned behind the ear when a portion of member #284 is directed away from the body down and under ear lobe #314.

Member #284 may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, rubber, glass, and/or the like, that may include at least a flexible coupling with the body and/or that may be flexible along at least a portion of the length of member #284 for enabling the member to be flexible, deformable, and/or reconfigurable to be positioned as shown in FIG. 3.

Apple's patent application 20160381448 was filed back in Q2 2016. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

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