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SonyPatent applicationAudio & voiceInterest 4/10

Sony patents speaker that works standing up or lying down

Sony describes a speaker design that can be installed either vertically or horizontally. It uses a curved internal tube to guide sound from the speaker driver to the output, with specific bends that adjust how the sound projects depending on the device's orientation.

Why it mattersThis filing suggests Sony is refining how its audio hardware fits into different room setups, ensuring consistent sound quality whether the device is placed on a shelf or a desk.

In the filing’s own words

Disclosed is an audio output device that is formed in a shape having a longitudinal direction, is usable in two different installation states, namely, a vertical installation state and a horizontal installation state, and includes a cabinet, a speaker unit, and a sound conducting duct. The cabinet has an internal acoustic space. The speaker unit is attached to the cabinet and outputs sound. The sound conducting duct has an internal space formed as a sound conducting space to amplify sound outputted from the speaker unit. One end of the sound conducting duct is formed as an audio input port, and the other end is formed as an audio output port. The sound conducting duct is provided with at least two bent sections that are bent in different directions and disposed continuously or separately in a sound conducting direction. In the vertical installation state, the audio input port is positioned above the audio output port. In the horizontal installation state, at least a lower portion of the sound conducting duct is provided as an inclined section that is displaced downward from the audio input port toward the audio output port.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An audio output device formed in a shape having a longitudinal direction and usable in two different installation states, namely, a vertical installation state and a horizontal installation state, the audio output device comprising: a cabinet that has an internal acoustic space; a speaker unit that is attached to the cabinet and outputs sound; and a sound conducting duct that has an internal space formed as a sound conducting space to amplify sound outputted from the speaker unit, wherein one end of the sound conducting duct is formed as an audio input port, and the other end of the sound conducting duct is formed as an audio output port, the sound conducting duct is provided with at least two bent sections that are bent in different directions and disposed continuously or separately in a sound conducting direction, in the vertical installation state, the audio input port is positioned above the audio output port, and, in the horizontal installation state, at least a lower portion of the sound conducting duct is provided as an inclined section that is displaced downward from the audio input port toward the audio output port.

Facts

Company
Sony (SONY GROUP CORPORATION)
Official title
AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICE
Publication number
US20260261795A1
Application number
18832317
Filed
Jan 24, 2023
Published
Sep 3, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
10

Classified under

H04R 1/30 Electricity & electronicsH04R 1/025 Electricity & electronicsH04R 1/026 Electricity & electronicsH04R 2201/025 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.