Method and structure for inducing acoustic signals and attenuating acoustic signals

Abstract

At least one embodiment is directed to an earpiece comprising a housing; and a field responsive fluid, where the field responsive fluid is in the housing, where the housing is part of the earpiece, and where the earpiece is configured to vary a field to vary an acoustical property of the field responsive fluid.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An earpiece comprising:
 a housing;   an electric field generator, where the field generator is configured to generate a net electric field when a non-zero voltage is applied to the field generator, where the net electric field includes at least one of a stable electric field and a varying electric field; and   a field responsive fluid, where the field responsive fluid is within a portion of a housing, where the field responsive fluid is configured to respond only to the electric field from the electric field generator and to any ambient electric field originating from outside of the portion, where the housing is part of the earpiece, where the field responsive fluid responds to the net electric field, where the response is at least one of increased sound absorption at a first acoustic frequency and generation of an acoustic wave at a second acoustic frequency.   
     
     
         2 . An acoustic generator comprising:
 a field varying circuit, where the field varying circuit is an electric field generator, where the field generator is configured to generate a net electric field when a non-zero voltage is applied to the field generator, where the net electric field includes at least one of a stable electric field and a varying electric field; and   a field responsive fluid, where the field responsive fluid is configured to move in response to the net electric field generating an acoustic signal.