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SonyPatent applicationAudio & voiceInterest 6/10

Sony patents headphones that switch between open and closed back designs

Sony has filed a patent for a headphone earcup that can physically change its shape. An actuator moves the housing to switch between an open-back design, which lets sound escape, and a closed-back design, which seals the ear.

Why it mattersThis could allow listeners to adjust their sound experience and noise isolation without needing to buy two different pairs of headphones.

In the filing’s own words

An earcup for a set of headphones includes: an actuator and a housing, wherein the earcup is operable, by the actuator, to alternate between being in an open state and a closed state, wherein the housing is arranged in an open-back configuration when the earcup is in the open state, and the housing is arranged in a closed-back configuration when the earcup is in the closed state.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An earcup for a set of headphones, the earcup comprising: an actuator and a housing, wherein the earcup is operable, by the actuator, to alternate between being in an open state and a closed state, wherein the housing is arranged in an open-back configuration when the earcup is in the open state, and the housing is arranged in a closed-back configuration when the earcup is in the closed state.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.)
Official title
EARCUP FOR HEADPHONES
Publication number
US20260270602A1
Application number
19559313
Filed
Mar 6, 2026
Published
Sep 10, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
26

Classified under

H04R 1/1041 Electricity & electronicsH04R 1/1008 Electricity & electronicsH04R 1/1075 Electricity & electronicsH04R 1/1083 Electricity & electronicsH04R 2460/01 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.