Apple Files Patent For Prettier 'Unibody' Headphones

For all the popularity that Apple products have gained over the years, one piece of equipment has left even sanctimonious fans complaining: the company's standard in-ear headphones that are packaged with iPods, iPhones and more.

But Apple fans may get a better set of earphones with future purchases. Apple Insider reports, the company has filed an application to patent earphones constructed from components bonded together by a process called "ultrasonic welding," which would create products with "a seamless unibody structure."

According to the patent application, the aesthetically-improved buds would be achieved by combining the separate pieces together using a series of "weld rings" than can then be sanded down and polished to create a body structure that appears as though it's one piece.

The application provided illustrations of what the buds may potentially look like:

In the diagram, the dashed lines represent the seams between two separate components, labeled as 202 and 204; these seams would be covered up by the polished weld rings.

The weld ring patent doesn't mention any improvements to acoustic quality, but Apple has also begun exploring options for improving sound quality as well, according to Apple Insider.

The company also filed an application this week to patent a new process for making the "cap" or "grill" of the headphone -- the part with all the tiny holes -- in a way that would eliminate "remnants" of the manufacturing process and therefore create a clearer sound and smoother appearance.

That process, called "deburring," would be achieved by coating the cap with an abrasive material and then vibrating a special tool across the surface so that the material conforms to the curves of the cap.

CNET reported that though the "ultrasonic welding" patent application was filed this week, Apple has focused since 2008 on creating structures that would be "thinner, lighter, and stronger than some traditional, multi-piece designs."

And if the rumors are true, Apple may be planning to use unibody welding procedures to create the iPhone 5, according to CNET.

Take a look at the slideshow (below) to see some of the coolest patents Apple ever applied for.

Also on HuffPost:

From our partners

Comments

[Breppies Earbud Covers]

12:28 PM on 08/29/2012

I know a lot of people who have issues with their Apple earbuds, but the answer is really with a new design of earbud cover. In full disclosure, I work for the company that designed the covers called Breppies. We have received great reviews for the product and they are really inexpensive while also extending the life of your earbud. Much better than foam or snap ons. You can see them at www.brepps.com

[builderman55]

11:09 AM on 04/16/2012

How about if Apple designs earbuds that actually stay in your ears!? They are the worst earbuds I've ever used, which surprises me for a company that designs such superb products.

[mannapat]

02:45 PM on 04/15/2012

Those Apple earbugs DO NOT work for me. They don't stay in, and they are very uncomfortable. But, gee, they're so pretty, I leave them out just to look at them and dust them off occasionally. So, the ones I buy and USE are black, rubbery, they stay in, and they're comfortable...and they come in different sizes.

Apple, get more women on your design team. They're much more practical.

[oldgeek1]

04:35 PM on 04/14/2012

At CES the really good news was companies offering new Headphones instead of what had become common ear buds.

[Carbon Forteetoo]

03:10 PM on 04/14/2012

Those earbuds don't stay in my ear. And I hate the ones that wrap around the outside. I think my ear hole is too shallow.

What about the shallow earholed gentleman, huh Apple?!?! What about us???

[ran6110]

12:46 AM on 04/15/2012

For $99.00 Apple will sell you in the ear ones that work but sound crappy.

[masterdaddy0]

12:14 PM on 04/14/2012

Maybe they should file a patent for more durable and better-sounding headphones.

[JohnComposMentis]

12:09 PM on 04/14/2012

I know they look a little dorky, but I finally bought a pair of cheap Sony ones that have over-the-ear hooks. The Apple ones simply would not stay in my ears even on casual strolls around the neighborhood. I also get some vague satisfaction out of the fact that the Sonys are not white.

[Katco]

11:26 AM on 04/14/2012

This design doesn't look much better than the old one... THEY DON'T FIT PEOPLE WITH SMALL EAR HOLES!!! I have always had to upgrade my buds for sound quality and fit, Apple's are a waste of money. Love everything else Apple though.

[Carbon Forteetoo]

03:15 PM on 04/14/2012

I had some pop out on a bike ride. You guessed it.... direct fall into the spinning spokes! SNAP!

I had to spend the whole rest of the ride loudly singing to myself like a crazy person. Not everybody appreciates my mastery of the Huey Lewis music catalog.

[jflorish]

09:32 AM on 04/14/2012

I like the headphones they have now, not sure I need them improved as they fit and hold perfectly in the ear.

[Gravenstein]

10:35 AM on 04/14/2012

Lots of people really hate them.

I don't use them, myself...

[SamMicCham]

07:27 AM on 04/14/2012

I used to work at an Apple store, and even I think the standard Apple headphones are crap.

[Peter Luis Venero]

05:40 AM on 04/14/2012

Hope they will make them sweat-proof this time so we can use it at the gym. They're hideous at the moment.

[Gigity]

01:48 AM on 04/14/2012

It's the shape of the earbuds that's the problem. Not the construction. Terrible design.

[jflorish]

09:56 AM on 04/14/2012

Great design, I like it. They are made for each ear, so if you don't know that and put them in the wrong ears, then yeah you might not like it.

[easong]

01:03 AM on 04/14/2012

Who cares if it is welded into one smooth piece? Fact is one earbud size does not fit all. Make it soft like plug of earwax so I can cram it so far down into my middle ear that it will never fall out in the gym.

[wilray]

10:21 PM on 04/13/2012

Anyone who uses the ear buds that come with their player doesn't actually care what the music sounds like.

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

08:21 PM on 04/13/2012

The current Apple headphones are deplorable considering the advancement in headphone design and technology over the past few years. They don't stay in place and they are tinny to say the least.