GB2323295A

GB2323295A - Ear plug

Info

Publication number: GB2323295A
Application number: GB9705833A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward O'connor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-03-20
Filing date: 1997-03-20
Publication date: 1998-09-23
Also published as: GB9705833D0

Abstract

An ear plug, which may carry a miniaturised speaker, comprises inner and outer flanges 1 which are lockable together and connected by a compressible, sprung conduit 4, the latter being linked via an aperture in the inner flange to a perforated, semi-flexible, shaped tube 5 fittable into the ear and enclosed in an inflatable plastic membrane 6. The membrane is inflated by transfer of a flowable substance into the tube and through the perforations 11, the substance being transferred from the outer tube 4 by compression of the flanges. The two flanges may be closed together by finger pressure or by means of a hinged lever or bellows and may be so shaped as to fit snugly together when pressed into contact. The inner flange may have holes 12 in its outer edge to allow air trapped within the ear to escape.

Description

EAR PLUG This invention relates to the use of ear plugs to block out or reduce noise and/or the use of ear plugs to carry music and sound.

The use of ear plugs is common for noise reduction. However, available designs have a number of problems in use, in particular, they can be awkward to fit, hard to remove, and being of average universal size/shape/design in any given format, may not fit snugly. In addition, many designs deteriorate with use, so as to become hard or inflexible.

The present invention seeks to address these problems by creating an ear plug that is of flexible size, easily removable and re-usable.

In addition the present invention may be simply adapted for use with mobile music systems wherein the ear plug component is replace by a small speaker with the same features as hereafter described permitting ease of placement removal and secure individualised fitting.

According to the present invention there is provided a unit comprising two ergonomically shaped flanges conveniently described as outer and inner, so shaped as to fit snugly together when pressed into contact either flush or in male/female connection one inside the other and being dimensioned so as to comfortably cover and close off the outer opening to the ear by either abutting to it or entering partially inside.

Such inner and outer flanges as described being connected linked and joined together on their respective inner faces by a centrally located flexible sprung tube or conduit with concertina ribbing or telescopic or bellows construction or similar arrangement such as to be fully compressible to permit the inner faces of the flanges to be easily pressed together into contact.

Such pressure as is required to bring the two flanges into secure contact being achieved via the use of simple finger pressure or via a secondary mechanism such as a guided hinged lever or hinged bellows principle. Such secure contact being optionally maintained as required via a simple connector system such as a screw fitting/ thread/ catch/lever-down toggle clamp/push button release catch or similar arrangement and also disconnectable/removable at will.

Such connection and disconnection being facilitated via the outer face of the outer flange being ergonomically shaped for gripping/turning/pressing or otherwise manipulating.

In addition the present invention provides that the inner flange has an aperture at centre aligned and seal ably connected to the outer sprung tube providing a continuation of the said tube through the body of the inner flange and containably connected on the opposite side with a second tube or conduit or guide of soft semi-flexible construction so shaped ergonomically as to fit conveniently inside the ear. Such second tube having along it's length a pattern of openings or apertures and being in turn contained within a closed and air tight elastic membrane seal ably fixed to the outer face of the inner flange such as to create a sealed air and water tight connection with the first outer tube.

Such arrangement of second tube and elastic membrane being optionally combined into one component.

Such arrangement as described permitting the at-rest uncompressed outer sprung tube to hold and contain a given benign flowing substance such as air/gas/fluid or other flowable material being of spongy or other sound suppressing/absorbing type and optionally, if air, drawn in via a pumping action with optional valves to prevent leakage.

Such flowing material or substance as described being sufficiently fluid that pressure to close and compress the outer flange against the inner flange and thereby compressing the outer sprung tube forces the said flowing or fluid material contained in the outer sprung tube to pass through the aperture in the inner flange into the second semi-flexible tube and via the pattern of openings therein into the elastic membrane thereby inflating such membrane to fill the ear cavity flexibly according to individual shape. Such inflation of the elastic membrane into the ear cavity acting thereafter to lock the unit in place and firmly hold the coupled flanges against the outside or marginally inside the ear.

In addition the present invention provides that the inner flange contains on it's outer edge concentric or convenient holes with the effect that as the flanges are pressed and forced together pushing the sound absorbing/suppressing flowing substance into the second tube and inflating the elastic expandable membrane, air contained in the ear cavity may be expelled and may exit via the small concentric holes in the inner flange prior to the two flanges being fixed or screwed or otherwise connected together thus allowing the flexible membrane to expand without exerting pressure on the ear drum.

Such arrangement as described ensuring that when the process is reversed and the flanges released from contact the flexible compressible tube by virtue of it's sprung mechanism or spring like structure returns to a fully extended state thereby drawing out and acting as a holding reservoir for the sound absorbing/flowable substance. Such process being assisted by the contractible nature of the elastic membrane around the second semi-flexible tube which with a release of pressure contracts by virtue of it's inherent elastic properties. Such contraction permitting simple withdrawal of the unit from the ear.

The present invention further provides that the closing together of the two flanges and their temporary securing and attachment as described above may be adjustable and achieved incrementally and gradually and in stages such as to permit a partial and gradable incremental expansion of the inner elastic membrane to ensure and accommodate a variable pressure and expansion within the ear according to size, fit and individual ergonomic requirements. The expansive qualities of the inner elastic membrane being such as to allow and permit the membrane to expand unevenly as required and thereby fill any configuration of inner ear shape.

Such unit and arrangement as herein described being also transferable and adaptable to accommodate other ear insertion devices such as the temporary fitting of ear plugs attached to a portable music system wherein such plugs would contain or carry miniaturised speakers. The unit thereby operating primarily to provide secure placement and ease of removal of the said plugs and the elastic inflatable membrane being then inflatable with a substance such as air or gas whose properties do not impede the transfer of sound.

In addition the present invention also provides for the use of other flowable substances where the plug/speakers are separable and isolated within the ear cavity, as for example where the expansion of the elastic membrane occurs within a sealed and separate chamber separate from the speakers and arranged so as not to interfere with their operation. For example the membrane being arranged around a core wire loom with uncovered end/speaker permitting close proximity to the ear drum. Such variable arrangement permitting the optional exclusion of unwanted sound from without the ear while permitting sound generated within the unit via the miniaturised speakers to be clearly heard.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 Shows the unit in fully expanded form at rest Figure 2 Shows the unit in partial compression with the inner membrane semi-inflated Figure 3 Shows the unit in full compression with the membrane fully inflated.

Referring to the drawings, the unit consists of a pair of twin flanges 1 with inner compatible sleeves 2 connected together by an outer sprung flexible tube with concertina construction 4 the inner lining of which is in turn connected via an aperture in the inner flange 10 to a second semi-flexible inner tube 5 whose body is placed inside the ear cavity prior to use and being perforated with holes 11 and wholly enclosed in a flexible expandable membrane 6. The outer flexible tube 4 contains a flowable liquid or substance when at rest such that when the outer flange with grip 8 is pressed together with the inner flange in direction of the arrow 13 the outer flexible tube 4 is compressed forcing the liquid or substance through the aperture in the inner flange 10 and through the inner semi-flexible tube via the holes 11 into the flexible membrane 6 forcing the membrane to expand and fill the inner ear space. Such arrangement being kept in place by connectors on the two flanges 7 which are twistably or otherwise conveniently secured while escaping air from the inner ear cavity is released during the compression of the twin flanges by holes in the outer edge of the inner flange The flanges are undone when the unit is removed from the ear such that the flowable liquid or substance is returned to the outer sprung tube via it's own expansive force plus the contraction of the flexible elastic membrane allowing simple removal.

Claims

A unit comprising compatible ergonomic ear-opening sized flanges lockable together and connected via a compressible/telescopic sprung conduit sealably linked via an aperture in the inner flange to a perforated protruding flexible/semi-flexible ergonomically shaped tube fittable into the ear enclosed in an elastic expandable membrane inflatable into the shape of the space inside the ear via a flowable substance transferable from the outer to the inner tube by flange compression and having optional sound suppressing qualities.
2 A unit as claimed in claim 1 having an outer flange with outer face with a ergonomic finger grippable turnable pressable manipulable shape either concave or convex.
3 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 wherein the two flanges are linked and pressurably closable into secure contact via the use of simple finger pressure or via a secondary mechanism such as a guided hinged lever or hinged bellows principle.
4 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 wherein the two flanges are so shaped as to fit snugly together when pressed into contact either flush or in male/female connection one inside the other and being dimensioned so as to comfortably cover and close off the outer opening to the ear by either abutting to it or entering partially inside.
5 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 wherein the two flanges are securely lockable via a simple connector system such as a screw fitting/ thread/ catch/lever-down toggle clamp/push button release catch or similar arrangement and also disconnectable/removable at will.
6 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 whereby the inner flange contains on it's outer edge concentric or convenient holes allowing trapped air within the ear to escape as the two flanges are compressed together thus allowing the flexible membrane to expand without exerting pressure on the ear drum.
7 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 Wherein the conduit connecting the flanges is formed with concertina ribbing or telescopic or bellows construction or similar arrangement such as to be fully compressible to permit the inner faces of the flanges to be easily pressed together into contact.
8 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 Wherein the 'at-rest' uncompressed outer sprung tube may act as a reservoir and hold and contain a benign flowing substance such as air/gas/fluid or other flowable material being of spongy or other sound suppressing/absorbing type.
9 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 Wherein the outer sprung conduit may optionally contain air drawn in via a pumping action with optional valves to prevent leakage.
10 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 Whereby Such arrangement of second tube and elastic membrane being optionally combined into one component.
11 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 Whereby the elastic membrane may be so constructed as to be flexibly expandable to fill the ear cavity flexibly according to individual shape.
12 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 Whereby the inflation of the elastic membrane into the ear cavity may by it's gripping and expansive action act to lock the unit in place and firmly hold the coupled flanges against the outside or marginally inside the ear.
13 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 Whereby outer compressible tube has a sprung mechanism or spring like structure permitting a return to a fully extended state when the flanges are disengaged.
14 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 Whereby the elastic membrane around the second semi-flexible tube has contracting elastic properties such that release of the flanges causes contraction permitting simple withdrawal of the unit from the ear.
15 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 Whereby the locking of the flanges may be adjustable and achieved incrementally and gradually and in stages such as to permit a partial and gradable incremental expansion of the inner elastic membrane to ensure and accommodate a variable pressure and expansion within the ear according to size, fit and individual ergonomic requirements.
16 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 Whereby the said unit is adaptable to accommodate other ear insertion devices such as plugs attached to a portable music system where such plugs contain or carry miniaturised speakers and may act to secure and release such plugs as required.
17 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 and 16 Whereby the said unit may utilise a substance such as air or gas whose properties do not impede the transfer of sound.
18 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 and 16 and 17 Whereby the said unit may accommodate sound/music carrying speaker plugs where the plug/speakers are separable and isolated within the ear cavity and the elastic membrane is within a sealed and separate chamber separate from the speakers and arranged so as not to interfere with their operation.
19 A unit as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 and 16 and 17 and 18 Whereby the membrane may be optionally arranged so as to accommodate sound speakers and act to permit the optional exclusion of unwanted sound from without the ear while permitting sound generated within the unit via the miniaturised speakers to be clearly heard.