KR950011499B1 - Ear wax barrier for a hearing aid - Google Patents

Abstract

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Description

Ear earmuffs for hearing aids

1 is a partial cutaway front view of a conventional ear rear mounted hearing aid worn on a user's ear.

2 is a partially cut right side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing an in-ear insert hearing aid worn inside a user's ear and having an ear block.

3 is a partial cutaway perspective view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG.

4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the ear edge block shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a first modification of the ear edge block shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 5 showing ear build up after the barrier is used in a hearing aid. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a second modification of the ear edge block shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

8 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a third modification of the ear edge block shown in FIG.

9 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a fourth modification of the ear edge block shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a fifth modification of the ear edge block shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

11 is a side view of a sixth modification of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the ear edge breaker taken along line 12-12 of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the hearing aid showing the ear edge closure of FIG. 11 incorporated therein. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the ear edge block of FIG. 11. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of the manufacturing die of the ear edge block of FIG. 11. FIG.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 showing a modified protrusion of an ear edge block. FIG.

FIG. 17 is a partial transverse cross-sectional view of the modified protrusion shown in FIG. 16. FIG.

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 11 showing an integrated acoustic baffle. FIG.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged partial exploded perspective view of the acoustic baffle and housing shown in FIG. 18;

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to ear edge blockers, and more specifically, ear edges (also known as earwax) of hearing aids and devices, such as "inserted" or "ear canal" hearing aids or acoustic resonators. It is about ear blocker which prevents from entering).

Most hearing aids have a housing or shell that houses the hearing aid elements. The sheath of many hearing aids is designed to be inserted into the ear canal of a user. The envelope of the electronic hearing aid may, for example, accommodate a microphone, an amplifier circuit and a receiver. The microphone receives a voice signal from the outside of the hearing aid and generates an electrical signal corresponding thereto. The electrical signal can be passed to an amplifier circuit or other electronic hearing aid elements. The devices send a signal back to the handset and the handset generates the corresponding voice.

In many electronic hearing aids, voice passes from the exit of the handset through the voice path in the hearing aid and out of the hearing aid through the exit of the hearing aid envelope. The voice from the sheath outlet then passes through the ear canal of the user and vibrates the user's eardrum.

The ears of most hearing aid users secrete substances called intrinsic ear. Ear edges tend to flow into the hearing aid's voice and into the receiver, while the internal structure of the ear is clean. If the ear edge enters the receiver, it interferes with the proper operation of the receiver.

Cosmetic small "insertion" hearing aids and "ear canal" hearing aids (usually at least partially inserted into the user's ear) have recently been developed. However, in such hearing aids, the internal volume of the hearing aid assigned to the device is reduced. This is particularly the case, for example, when the interior of the user's ear is relatively small.

In addition, the art of hearing aid manufacturing often involves fabricating the shell from plastic. The outer shell is made in the shape of the inner surface of the ear. The thickness of the skin must meet the requirements for maintaining the skin integrated structure and protecting the internal components of the hearing aid. However, the wall thickness of the shell reduces the volume of the hearing aid internals assigned to the device. The resulting limited volume in the hearing aid assigned to the elements requires the handset to be placed as deep as possible in the ear canal of the user. However, the placement of hearing aids within the ear canal further brings the earpiece exit closer to the ear canal environment, including the ear edge producing tissue in the ear canal.

Therefore, although hearing and hearing impaired people have improved hearing aids by inserting and inserting ear canal hearing aids, such hearing aids have caused problems with ear edges. Those skilled in the art will understand that the movement of ear edges has been perceived as a difficult problem.

As the ear edges move into the voice path and the receiver of the hearing aid, there is a substantial increase in the incidence of failure of many handsets. Gradual blockage of the handset results in a decrease in the acoustic gain and a drop in the power of the handset, which sometimes results in a complete failure of the hearing aid to allow the output of amplified speech.

Degradation or failure of hearing aid performance is annoying for the user. If ear blockage occurs, the hearing aid must be completely disassembled to clean or replace the earpiece. Of course, sending the hearing aid to the service center to disassemble or replace the handset is inconvenient and expensive for the user.

Many devices currently on the market are not suitable for preventing ear accumulating in the hearing aid receiver. Some "barrier" designs use a fine mesh in the negative path between the handset and the outside of the hearing aid. However, such meshes have the disadvantage that if they are made small enough to protect the ear from movement of the ear edges, the holes in such mesh will eventually be blocked by the ear edge. However, if the net is made more coarse, the net does not effectively prevent ear edges from moving across the net block to the receiver.

Other devices that prevent ear edges from moving into the handset provide a single hole of small cross-sectional area between the exterior of the hearing aid and the handset. Other devices place a membrane of porous synthetic material between the exterior of the hearing aid and the earpiece. Such designs have the same disadvantage in achieving long-term blockage of ear edge movement and at the same time preventing the blockage of ear edges over the life of a hearing aid.

Therefore, such porous barriers take a disgruntled average between the resistance to clogging by the ear edges of the barrier itself, on the one hand, and the movement of the ear edges into the receiver, on the other hand. Blocks with small holes can block ear movement, but will also block. Large holes aren't blocked, but they're not effective at blocking ear edges.

In addition, small openings in the passage between the outlet of the hearing aid and the receiver can cause the acoustic impedance described above. Elevated impedance can cause undesirable changes in the frequency response of the output sound pressure level supplied by the handset.

[Summary of invention]

The subject of the present invention is an ear edge block for hearing aids. For illustrative purposes, the present invention is described in particular for use with electronic hearing aids. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention is also useful for other ear-related devices, acoustic resonators, and acoustic hearing aids that can benefit from ear edge blockers.

Hearing aids include an envelope and an earpiece within the envelope. Both the jacket and the receiver have an acoustic outlet. The blocking device includes a housing having a plurality of protrusions. The housing interconnects the sheath and the acoustic outlets of the receiver. The housing defines a central axis of the passageway between the inner surface and the housing ends. The protrusions can be displaced relative to one another. The protrusions protrude inward from the inner surface of the housing. Each protrusion partially blocks a portion of the interior of the housing. The projections, in turn, provide a meandering passageway for solid or semisolid ear edges that move axially along the interior of the housing.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved ear edge block for hearing aids. Another object of the present invention is to provide a blocking device that effectively prevents the sticking of the ear edges. Another object is to provide a barrier that prevents clogging of the hearing aid earpiece by more substantially preventing the movement of naturally occurring ear edges. Yet another object is to provide a block that provides less acoustic impedance to the receiver when placed between the acoustic outlet of the hearing aid and the receiver.

Another purpose is to provide a barrier that collects ear edges and does not need to be frequently cleaned or replaced over the life of the hearing aid. Another object is to provide a block for lowering the cost of hearing aids for the consumer due to low manufacturing and maintenance costs.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

2-10, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown as an improved ear edge block 20 for a "insertion" or "ear canal" hearing aid 22. So-called "traditional" or general hearing aids are designed to be worn in the ear or ear canal itself. However, prior to the development of such hearing aids, they were designed to be worn on the back or other areas of the ear.

A conventional rear worn hearing aid 24 is shown in FIG. Hearing aid 24 included a plastic case 26 to receive the elements. Representative devices included a microphone 28, an amplification circuit (not shown), a receiver 30, a plastic tube 32, and an ear mold 34.

The microphone receives a voice signal from the outside of the ear and converts the voice signal into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is then transmitted to the handset 30.

The receiver 30 included an acoustic outlet 36 interconnected to the tube 32. The handset 30 receives a signal from the electrical elements in the hearing aid 24 and sends a voice signal through the outlet 36. This voice signal is then transmitted through the canal into the ear mold 34 and into the user's ear.

In the prior art embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the acoustic outlet 36 of the receiver 30 is physically isolated from the environment of the ear by the tube 32. Thus, the migration of solid or semisolid ear edge material into the receiver 30 is negligible due to the physical length of the tube.

However, as the size of electronic devices in the 1970s and 1980s decreased, they could make hearing aids more cosmetically attractive. Such hearing aids are inserted inside the ear, ie in the ear canal of the user. See hearing aid 22 shown in FIG.

Like the hearing aid 24 shown in FIG. 1, the hearing aid 22 has a sheath 40 capable of receiving a microphone 42, an amplification circuit (not shown) and a receiver 44. Each of the envelope 40 and the receiver 44 has acoustic outlets 46 and 48. The sheaths 40 and the outlets 46 and 48 of the receiver 44 are interconnected by a hearing aid voice path 50. The shut-off opening 20 is disposed between the two acoustic outlets 46 and 48 in the voice passage 50.

The microphone 42 also receives a voice signal and transmits an electrical signal corresponding thereto. The electrical signal is sent back to the handset 44, which converts the signal into a voice signal. The voice signal is then transmitted through the acoustic outlet 48 of the earpiece 44 and the acoustic outlet 50 of the hearing aid 22 to the acoustic outlet 46 in the envelope 40 of the hearing aid 22. The voice may move from the ear canal 52 of the user to the ear after leaving the envelope of the hearing aid 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the earpiece outlet 48 is proximal to the ear canal 52 containing ear edge producing tissue. Thus, the ear edge often passes through the negative path 50 through the exit 46 in the sheath 40 and moves upwardly into the exit 48 and the receiver 44 itself. This blocks the receiver 44 or sheath outlet 46 and reduces sound gain and output and, in some cases, causes the hearing aid 22 to fail completely to amplify or alter voice.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ear edge block 20 is connected between the acoustic outlet 46 and the receiver 44 of the hearing aid envelope 40 as shown in FIG. In the preferred embodiment shown, the acoustic outlet 48 of the receiver 44 is substantially cylindrical. Therefore, the barrier 20 itself is actually cylindrical and is neatly inserted into the sheath outlet 46. See Figure 3. Of course, in other embodiments the block 20 can have most other cross-sectional shapes. Thus, for example, the block 20 may be manufactured as part of the hearing aid 22. That is, the block 20 may be assembled as part of the sheath 40 or as part of the earpiece 44.

As shown in FIG. 4, one embodiment of the ear edge block 20 includes a housing 54 and first, second, third and fourth protrusions 56, 58, 60, 62. Of course, more or fewer projections can be used.

The housing 54 of this embodiment defines a wall 64 with first and second ends 66, 68 and is substantially cylindrical formed from various types of materials. In a preferred embodiment, injection molded thermoplastics are used. Materials that can be used to make the housing include "Cycolac" and "ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene)" resins.

The dimensions of one particular embodiment of the invention are described below. Of course, variations are also possible and should not limit the scope of the invention with its dimensions.

The housing 54 is about 0.35 inches in length between the first and second ends 66 and 68, an inner diameter of about 0.11 inches, a wall thickness of about 0.01 inches, and the housing 54 also includes an inner chamber 70 and an inner chamber. Define surface 72. The housing 54 also defines a central axis of the passage 74 between the first and second ends.

In one preferred embodiment, the central axis 74 passes through the center of the rough cylindrical housing 54 equidistant from all points of the inner surface of the housing 54. The first end 66 is neatly inserted into the receiver outlet 48. In use with the hearing aid 22, the second end 68 remote from the earpiece 44 faces the acoustic exit 46 of the hearing aid envelope 40 and the interior of the user's ear.

As shown, each of the four protrusions 56-62 is actually similar to the other (of course, the barrier may also use a number of other shaped protrusions). Only the first protrusion 56 is described below for illustrative purposes.

The protrusion 56 is attached to the inner surface 72 of the housing 54 and protrudes inward toward the central axis 74 of the housing 54. The protrusion 56 partially obstructs the inner housing chamber 70 or the central acoustic passageway.

In a preferred embodiment, the protrusion 56 is formed of a thermoplastic that can be injection molded like the housing 54. Of course, in a variant, the projections 56 may be covered with a coating that does not adhere well to the ear edges. Such coatings include, for example, "Teflon" and "Tefgel". Such coatings allow for easy cleaning after ear edges build up in the housing or protrusions.

If the housing 54 is cylindrical, the protrusions 56 form an outer circumference which is partially circular.

In addition, the protrusion 56 may be described as a disc. Although including a number of protrusion shapes of the present invention, the preferred embodiment of FIG. 4 includes a disc having a wedge-shaped gap 78. In one preferred embodiment, the protrusion 56 has a maximum outer diameter of about 0.11 inch and therefore fits snugly into the inner surface of the housing 54.

In a preferred embodiment, the protrusion 56 is attached to the inner surface 72 of the housing 54. In a preferred embodiment, it is attached with a strong adhesive such as cyanoacrylate ester. In a variant, however, the protrusion 56 may be molded into part of the housing 54, or simply press-fit into the inner chamber 70 of the housing 54 or otherwise attached to the housing.

The housing 54 of the preferred embodiment forms an inner region of circular cross section. In addition, a part of the inside of the circle is blocked by the protrusion 56. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the projection 56 is disc shaped with the wedge portion 78 removed. The "removed" part is described as "wedge" 78 for illustration. Of course it will be appreciated that the wedges 78 defining the open area of the present invention, although typically representative of only straight sides, may include one rounded side removed from the rounded protrusion 56 shown in FIG. .

Using other terms, the projections 56 may be described as "2700 circular portions". The central axis 74 of the housing 54 defines the center of the circle. In addition, the gap from the projection 56 may be described as a 90 ° circle.

The open wedge 78 of the projection 56 defines an open area in the cross-sectional area of the housing 54. Therefore, looking from the first end 66 to the second end 68 parallel to the axis 74 through the housing, the interior of the housing 54 is circular. The protrusion 56 blocks the interior 76 of the housing 54 except for the wedge 78. The first protrusion 56 itself forms a first containment region and the wedge 78 defines a first open region in the cross-sectional region of the housing 54, which is perpendicular to the axis 74.

It is through this open area in housing 54, that is, wedge 78, that voice can move out of earpiece 44 out of hearing aid 22. However, if the protrusion 56 is a single block, ear edges may flow through the open area under some conditions. Therefore, at least one additional second projection 58 is usually provided which prevents the ear edge from passing again.

In a preferred embodiment, the second projection 58 is disposed about 0.02 inches away from the first projection 56. In the most preferred embodiment, the projections have found that they do not substantially affect the overall acoustic response and should be spaced far enough so that the expected amount of ear edge accumulation is less than the distance between the projections. Therefore, for the most desirable performance of the ear edge block 20, the spacing between the projections may be 0.005 inches to 0.04 inches.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the projections 56-62 are inserted into the housing 54 in engagement with one another, ie the projections are spatially angularly displaced with respect to the central axis 74. The protrusions can be made of various kinds of materials, for example, thermoplastics or semipermeable materials. Of course, the protrusions can be displaced in the radial or axial direction from each other.

The second protrusion 58 is similar to the first protrusion 56 in that it forms the second wedge 80. Although the second wedge of the preferred embodiment has the same shape as the first wedge 78, it is a matter of course that the second wedge 80 may be different in size and shape from other wedges. The second protrusion 58 and the second wedge 80 also form a containment area and an open area perpendicular to the axis 74 in the housing. The open area of the second protrusion 58 is disposed to overlap the first containment area. Therefore, a serpentine passage is provided for the ear edge, otherwise the ear edge moves from the first end 66 to the second end 68.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the wedges 78 and 80 are about 90 °. The second projection 58 is similar in shape to the first projection 56, but the first projection 56 It is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the position of. Finally, the fourth protrusion 62 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the position of the third protrusion 60.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the open area of each projection is further blocked by the containment portions of three different projections. Therefore, the protrusions interlocked with each other form an acoustic passage 70 which completely blocks ear edge movement. That is, all moving lines passing through the housing 54 along the inner surface 72 are blocked by projections. Such a structure provides a tortuous ear edge passageway that substantially reduces the amount of ear edge that can move from the voice path 50 to the handset 44 and at the same time provides substantially no acoustic impedance to the handset 44. Found that.

A second preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. Block 82 has a housing 84 and a plurality of protrusions. Block 82 includes first, second, third and fourth protrusions 86, 88, 90, 92. The structure of the housing 84 is similar to that shown in FIG. Further, the projections 86-92 are actually the same thickness and the same separation distance as the embodiment shown in FIG. However, each projection is 180 degrees (semicircle) rather than 270 degrees.

The first projection 86 defines a first containment region and a first open region. The second protrusion 88 is rotated so that the blocking region of the second protrusion blocks the open region of the first protrusion 86. The third protrusion 90 blocks the open area of the second protrusion 88. Similarly, the fourth protrusion 92 blocks the open area of the third protrusion 90.

As shown in FIG. 6, the placement of 180 ° semicircular protrusions 86-92 prevents ear edges from flowing directly through the housing 84. As shown in FIG. Substantial accumulation of ear edge 94 may be expected on the first protrusion during the life of the hearing aid 22. It can be expected that the second protrusion 88 collects and accumulates a smaller amount of ear edge 96 because it is disposed slightly deeper in the housing 84. However, the third protrusion 90 collects substantially less because the ear edge movement passage is blocked by the first and second protrusions 86 and 88. The fourth protrusion 92 hardly accumulates ear edges because the ear edges were previously blocked by the three protrusions 86-90.

7 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Block 100 includes a housing and a plurality of protrusions (104, 106, 108, 110). The housing is actually similar to that of FIGS. 4-6.

Each of the four protrusions 104-110 spokes a series of 24 spokes 112, 114, 116, 118 extending radially from the midpoints 120, 122, 124, 126 defined by the central axis 128. It consists of. Each spoke is 0.01 inch in diameter. Of course, in the preferred embodiment, the protrusions 104-110 may also be made of plastic and the second protrusion 106 is effectively rotated several degrees from the position of the first protrusion 104. Again, the third protrusion 108 is rotated slightly from the position of the second protrusion 106, and the fourth protrusion 110 is rotated slightly from the position of the third protrusion 108.

Another variant is shown in FIG. 8, in which embodiment the block 130 is provided with a housing 132 and first, second, third, fourth and fifth protrusions 134, 136, 138. , 140, 142). Each protrusion 134-142 includes a portion of a circle. The second protrusion 136 is rotated from the position of the first protrusion 134. The third, fourth and fifth protrusions 138-142 are similarly rotated from the position of each preceding protrusion. When the housing is viewed in the direction of the axis 144 shown in FIG. 8, the entire inner cross section of the housing is blocked by the protrusions 134-142.

The plurality of protrusions 134-142 are similarly displaced along the axis 144 with a thickness substantially the same as the protrusions described above for the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-7.

But there are five but not four projections. Therefore, housing 132 is about 0.02 inches longer than housing 54 shown in FIG.

Another variant is shown in FIG. 9, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the blocking opening 146 has a housing 148 and a plurality of protrusions 150-156, each protrusion being approximately It is a circle of 180 °. However, each projection is rotated about 90 ° rather than 180 ° from the preceding projection. Therefore, the second protrusion 152 is rotated about 90 degrees from the position of the first protrusion 150, and the third and fourth protrusions 154 and 156 are also the same.

Also shown in FIG. 10 is a preferred embodiment. Each protrusion 160-166 includes about 90 ° circle portions. The second protrusion 162 is rotated about 90 ° from the position of the first protrusion 160, the third protrusion 164 is rotated about 90 ° from the position of the second protrusion 162, and the fourth protrusion 166 is rotated. Rotated about 90 ° from the third projection 164.

11-15, a sixth embodiment of the present invention is shown as an ear edge block 200 for hearing aid 202. As best shown in FIG. 13, the hearing aid 202 includes an envelope 204 that is suitable for insertion into the ear canal (not shown) and defines an acoustic outlet 206. Hearing aid 202 also includes a handset 208 having a handset outlet 210.

In this embodiment, the earpiece 208 is secured within the shell 204 by the elastomeric fill 212. That is, the earpiece 208 is positioned relative to the shell 204 and then inserted into the fill 212. Once the fill 212 is cured, the earpiece 208 is secured as well as secured by the flexible shock absorbing fill 212.

The sheath 204 includes a female threaded hole 214 that interconnects the acoustic outlet 206 with the inner chamber 216 of the sheath 204. This hole 214 is adapted to receive the ear edge block 200. As best shown in FIG. 13, the sheath 204 has a hole 214 directly adjacent to the substantially cylindrical passageway 218 and the hole 214 where the elastomeric filler 212 is directly adjacent to the receiver outlet 210. ) To form the internal thread cavity 220 extending to the inner chamber 216.

In this preferred embodiment, the ear edge block 200 is an integrated component molded from a thermoplastic material such as ABS. Block 200 defines a central acoustic passageway 224 between block inlet 226 and block outlet 228, with a collar portion defining outlet 228. As shown, the outer diameter of collar portion 232 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of male thread portion 230.

The housing 222 is adapted to be received in the female threaded hole 214 of the shell 204 as the fill 212 is expanded. The central axis 234 of the housing 222, or in particular, the central acoustic passage 224, which is fixed in the hole, is actually aligned with the receiver outlet 210. Since the blocking inlet 226 is aligned and slightly overlapped with the passage 218, voice signals generated by the handset 208 are received at the blocking 200 and pass through the central acoustic passage 224. That is, the passage acoustically connects the receiver 208 to the exit of the hearing aid 220.

In this preferred embodiment, the collar portion 232 of the housing 222 includes slots 236A, 236B facing radially and extending from the substantially cylindrical barrier outlet 228. The slots 236A, 236B are mechanisms having a driver (not shown) shape to form the key means 238 for rotating the ear edge block 200. Using the key means 238, the ear edge block 200 can be easily removed from the shell 204 for cleaning or replacement.

Ear-edge block 200, in particular male portion 230 of housing 222, includes access hole 240. As best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the access hole 240 is actually longitudinal and centered within the male screw portion 230. Access hole 240 allows direct access to passage 224 for inspection and cleaning.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 14, earedge blocker 200 also includes at least two semi-circular protrusions 242A, 242B that protrude into passage 224.

The protrusions 242A, 242B are equidistant from each other and from the inlet 226 and the outlet 228 and are substantially perpendicular to the inner wall surface of the central axis 234 and the housing 222. In this preferred embodiment, the projections 242A, 242B protrude slightly beyond the centerline “ML” of the collar portion 232 (best shown in FIG. 14), such that the projections 242A, 242B Slightly overlapping

The protrusions 242A, 242B block the central acoustic passageway 224 (in this and other preferred embodiments) such that movement of the ear edges is prevented. The protrusions 242A, 242B form the catch 244 to accumulate ear edges at the predetermined accumulation sites 246A, 246B, thereby opening the central acoustic passage 224 without substantially disturbing the performance characteristics of the hearing aid 202. To block the flow through. As best shown in FIG. 14, the accumulation sites 246A, 246B are fully extended around the inner wall surface of the housing 222.

The ear edge block 200 is molded into a mold 248 formed of five parts shown in FIG. Mold 248 includes mold halves 250A and 250B suitable for receiving first, second and third inserts 252A, 252B and 252C. As shown, the three inserts 252A-C are associated with each other to form a central sound passage 224 and an access hole 240.

In FIGS. 16 and 17, the deformed shape for the protrusions 242A, 242B is shown. Only one protrusion 242A is described herein in brief. The protrusion 242A includes a disc portion 254 and a flange portion 256. Disc 254 is the same as protrusion 242A of FIGS. 12-15 described above. Disc 254 defines boundary edge 258.

The flange portion 256 protrudes substantially perpendicular to the disc portion 254 from the boundary edge 258. The flange portion 256 protrudes from the handset 208 toward the acoustic outlet 206 of the shell 204. The flange portion 256 forms another impedance for the movement of the ear edge passing through the blocker 200 and forms the capture portion 244 with the disc portion 254.

Disc 254 includes a series of “dents 260”, which recesses further inhibit ear movement by providing additional sites of accumulation. Essentially, depression 260 is inhibited because it must be at least partially filled before another progression occurs.

The projection 242A shown in FIG. 16 provides additional advantages. The shape of disc 254 and flange 256 provides adjustable sound attenuation means and, with proper dimensional determination, provides a true optimal attenuation of the overall frequency response with the ear edge stop 200. In one embodiment, the flange portion 256 is connected to the disc portion 254 by an "active hinge." The orientation of the flange portion 256 is adjusted to provide a variably limited acoustic passageway to provide the desired acoustic attenuation with the earedge blocker 200. The flange portion 256 once properly positioned is fixed to the inner wall surface of the housing 222 by means of adhesion or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the earedge blocker 200 may also include an adjustable acoustic baffle 262. The adjustable acoustic baffle 262 or " variable acoustic attenuator " includes a central actual cylindrical portion 264 and a pair of wings 266A and 266B, which wings protrude from the center 264 opposite. Each wing 266A, 266B is actually square and thin. The adjustable baffle 262 is mounted to two pins 268A, 268B, which pins protrude from the inner wall surface of the housing 222 and engage the passage 270 formed by the central portion 264. The orientation of the adjustable baffle 262 may be such that the mating fastening tab 272 and the central portion 264 of the adjustable baffle 262 are equi-spaced around the adhesive or inner wall surface of the housing 222 around the pins 268A, 268B. It may be secured by slots 274 spaced about the end. Adjustable baffle 262 includes an adjustment hole 276 disposed centrally along one edge of vanes 266A and 266B. Open areas 278A, 278B between the adjustable baffle 262 and the projections 242A, 242B provide a limited passage for attenuation of the overall acoustic response.

In each of the embodiments described above, a meandering passage is provided to effectively reduce ear edge movement. In addition, some embodiments include a device for adjusting the overall acoustic attenuation with the ear edge block 200. Nevertheless, a substantial open area is provided to reduce the acoustic impedance by the ear cutoff. In each preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the housing is substantially blocked by one or more protrusions.

In the preferred embodiment described above, the ear edge block 20 is disposed in the voice path 50 or otherwise located between the outlet 46 of the hearing aid envelope 40 and the outlet 48 of the receiver 44. By doing so, the block 20 can block ear edges entering the receiver 44 from the outside of the hearing aid 22. Of course, as a variant, the ear edge block 20 may be connected directly to or within the outlet 48 of the earpiece 44.

While various preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, it should be understood that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

(a) an envelope having an acoustic outlet and (b) an ear edge barrier to prevent entry of the ear edge into a hearing aid comprising a receiver located within the envelope and having a receiver exit, the ear outlet intercepting the acoustic outlet and the receiver outlet, An acoustic passage defining a central axis passing through and an inner wall surface, and extending from the inner wall surface into the acoustic passage, being spatially angularly displaced with respect to the central axis, perpendicular to the central axis and the inner wall surface, An ear blocker including a plurality of protrusions superimposed along the axis such that at least a portion of the passageway is sealed along a passage parallel to the central axis and associated with the inner wall surface to form a tortuous movement passage of the ear edge . The earedge blocker of claim 1, wherein the housing has an access hole between the protrusions, the access hole allowing access to the cylindrical central acoustic passage. The ear edge block according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a collar portion and a male screw portion. 4. The earedge blocker of claim 3, wherein the male screw portion has an access hole to allow access to the cylindrical central acoustic passageway. 5. An ear edge block according to claim 4, wherein said collar portion comprises key means for rotating said ear edge block to remove said ear edge block from said sheath. 6. The earedge blocker of claim 5, wherein the key means comprises two opposing throttles. The earedge blocker of claim 1, further comprising a variable acoustic attenuator, wherein the variable acoustic attenuator and the protrusions are associated with each other to form a device for variably attenuating the acoustic response of the hearing aid. 8. The earedge blocker of claim 7, wherein the variable acoustic attenuator comprises an adjustable baffle having a pair of vanes that adjustably define the central acoustic passage. (a) an envelope having an acoustic outlet and (b) an ear edge barrier to prevent entry of the ear edge into a hearing aid comprising a receiver located within the envelope and having a receiver exit, the ear outlet intercepting the acoustic outlet and the receiver outlet, An acoustic passage defining an outer wall surface including a screw around the inner wall surface and defining a central axis therethrough, extending from the inner wall surface into the acoustic passage and spatially angularly displaced with respect to the central axis; Having a plurality of protrusions perpendicular to the inner wall surface and mutually associated with the inner wall surface to form ear edge accumulation sites for collecting ear edges, and a female thread surface inherent in the hearing aid to mate the screws with respect to the passage. Receptor for removing ear block from the hearing aid Gwieji block that includes the nine. (a) an envelope having an acoustic outlet and (b) an ear edge barrier to prevent entry of the ear into a hearing aid comprising a receiver located within the envelope and having a receiver exit, the ear outlet intercepting the acoustic outlet and the receiver outlet, An acoustic passage defining an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface including screws around the outer wall surface, the sound passage defining a central axis therethrough, extending from the inner wall surface into the acoustic path and spatially angularly displaced with respect to the central axis; And at least a portion of the passageway is enclosed along a passage parallel to the central axis, perpendicular to the inner wall surface, and interlocked with the inner wall surface for the winding movement passage and ear edge collection of the ear edge. A plurality of protrusions forming an ear edge accumulation place, and inherent to the hearing aid; Gwieji old block that includes a receptacle that can remove bunteo gwieji Block phrase in the hearing aid for cleaning by jinim a female thread surface which matches the said thread against the furnace.

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