GB2458538A

GB2458538A - Ear plug with vent and flexible vanes

Info

Publication number: GB2458538A
Application number: GB0805613A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jukka Isorinne
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-03-28
Filing date: 2008-03-28
Publication date: 2009-09-30
Also published as: GB0805613D0

Abstract

An ear plug device for preventing motion sickness which forms a seal between the external air and the air in the inner part of the external ear channel which has a venting means provided to control the flow of air between the inner part of the external ear channel and the external air. Preferably the venting means is a centre tube 10 mounted along the axis of the ear plug and the seal in the external ear channel is formed by flexible vanes 2. Preferably the amount of air moving through the venting means is controlled by the size i.e. the diameter, of the centre tube, which is controlled by an adjustable diaphragm. Preferably the centre tube has holes 8a, 8b, 8c along its length which allow air to be vented between the cavities formed by the vanes and the centre tube, which have means for adjusting the flow of air through the holes. Preferably one or more external or internal end pieces or a filter can also be added.

Description

I

A DEVICE FOR PREVENTING MOTION SICKNESS

The present invention relates to improvements to a device which in use will prevent the symptoms of motion sickness including sea sickness which is one form of motion sickness.

It is well known that anyone who has a normal inner ear balance function can suffer from some form of motion sickness. It is also recognised that 90% of people will have suffered from motion sickness at some point in their lives.

Even those who spend a lifetime in work which regularly involves sea travel can suffer from that particular form of motion sickness known as sea sickness.

Motion sickness is not something like an illness which you can catch. It happens when the body's sensory system sends conflicting messages to the brain so it has a physical cause but is a problem largely generated by the way the brain deals with our senses.

Today motion-sickness is a problem which is generally attributed to disturbance in the balance system of the inner ear, sometimes known as the vestibular system. A person's sensory perception gets out of sync as the brain attempts to compensate for unfamiliar external motion.

A person's sense of balance is maintained by a complex interaction of five main parts of the nervous system. Firstly the inner ears (also called the labyrinth) monitor the directions of motion such as turning, forward, backward, side to side and up and down motion. Secondly the eyes which monitor where the body is in relation to its surroundings i.e., upside down, right side up, and also the direction of motion. Thirdly the skin pressure receptors, which tell what part of the body is down or touching the ground. Fourthly the muscle and joint sensory system, this tells us what part of the body is moving and finally, the central nervous system. This consists primarily of the brain and the spinal cord, which process all of the information from the other four systems.

The symptoms of sea sickness and dizziness develop when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the other four systems, even one conflict out of four is sufficient to create the symptoms of motion sickness.

The particular form of motion sickness which is known as sea sickness generally develops mainly, though not entirely, because the brain is being told by the vision system that the world is stable whilst the inner ear is telling the brain that it is not. The cabin walls, floor etc are not moving with respect to the body standing on them but the ship containing the cabin is moving in several different directions.

The symptoms of motion sickness or sea sickness, vary in their detail and intensity between people, but generally start with tiredness or sleepiness followed by very mild nausea and then for many people the symptoms get worse and develop into extreme nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, pallor and cold perspiration.

An important thing to understand about motion sickness, and particularly that form of motion sickness known as sea sickness is that the condition often disappears without medical treatment within a few days. As the brain learns to compensate for the swaying and pitching of the boat then the symptoms often go away leading to the expression about someone having ugot their sea legs".

It is quite common for people to find that sickness does not develop if they can be on deck and look at the horizon, this is because the sensory system can then detect the movement of the ship relative to the horizon and can send the brain sufficient information to allow it to compensate for the other conflicting messages being received. The onset of sea sickness can also be delayed by occupying the brain in another activity. Also it has been found by many sailors of small boats that steering the boat is an instant cure for sea sickness.

All of these factors point conclusively to the fact that particularly sea sickness, of all of the different forms of motion sickness, is a sensory problem controlled by the brain itself and originates from the fact that messages from the inner ear balance system are in conflict with the rest of our sensory system.

Many cures for motion sickness and sea sickness have been suggested and a number of them are to be found in the art. Medicinal remedies are too many in number to mention but mostly they rely on drugs which act on the symptoms of motion sickness and sea sickness to control vomiting and nausea.

Other cures to be found in the art range from various devices intended to apply pressure to different parts of the body, particularly the stomach or the wrist. These devices rely on changing the input to the brain from one of the senses.

Then, at the other end of the spectrum of cures we find various devices intended to feed corrected or better information to the eyes so that the brain is not deceived by the eyes into thinking that the plafform on which the body rests is stable. A typical example would be based on a spirit level principle.

Since it is apparent that the most important part of the body's sensory system which is responsible for motion sickness and sea sickness is the balancing system in the ear then it follows that any system for preventing the occurrence of the symptoms of sea sickness must act on the ear to change the response of the ears balancing system to the motion of a ship at sea. It is also apparent that since it is the brain's interpretation of the sensory signals received which is important then it is not necessary to make changes to the body's balancing system it is simply sufficient to change the ears response so that the brain is receiving slightly different signals and this is achieved by changing the response of one ear only.

In this specification sea sickness is often described by way of example this being one example of one type of motion sickness. It is not intended to limit the application of the present invention as a cure for sea sickness only.

The present invention can be presented in many different embodiments all of which are used to prevent any form of motion sickness including sea sickness, air sickness and other forms of motion sickness and all of which incorporate the present invention.

The present invention relates to an ear plug which in use forms a seal when inserted into the external ear channel and this plug has a central vent such that the air in the inner part of the external ear is connected to the external air by the said vent.

The said vent in one embodiment may be a central tube running along the axis of the plug. There are further embodiments in which the size of the vent hole may be controlled by various suitable means or in which vent holes are let into the side of the central tube. Even further embodiments are also included in this specification where the said vent is made up of several components which together have the same or similar function to the central tube. The invention described in this specification is intended primarily but not exclusively for use in one ear only and most often the device is used mainly but not exclusively in the left.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an ear plug which in use forms a seal when inserted into the external ear channel and this plug has venting means provided such that the air in the inner part of the ear is connected to the external air by the said vent and the said air moves between the inner part of the ear and the external air in a restricted manner controlled by the size of the said venting means.

In a second aspect of the invention the plug described in the first aspect is vented by means of a centre tube mounted along the axis of the plug.

In a third aspect of the present invention an ear plug as described in the first and second aspects which in use forms a seal when inserted into the external ear channel has venting means consisting of a central vent tube running along the axis of the plug such that the air in the inner part of the ear is connected to the external air by the said vent tube the said vent tube is also provided with holes which allow air to move between the central vent tube and the cavities between the vanes which provide a seal in the ear channel In a fourth aspect of the invention, various external end pieces may be added to enlarge or reduce the diameter of the hole which allows air into the central vent tube which runs along the axis of the plug.

In a fifth aspect of the invention the device which reduces the diameter of the end of the central vent tube is an adjustable diaphragm.

In a sixth aspect of the invention adjustable closure devices are provided to change the diameter of the holes in the side of the improved plug In a seventh aspect of the invention a plug according to the fist aspect is made up of a main body with detail for gripping the ear channel, an interior mouthpiece, an exterior mouthpiece and an end cap.

In a eighth aspect of the invention a plug according to the seventh aspect is equipped with venting means consisting of means for changing the diameter of vent holes in the interior mouthpiece, and the exterior mouthpiece.

In a ninth aspect of the invention a plug according to the seventh or eighth aspects and in addition to the venting means has a filter through which the air must pass in order to travel from the outside to the inner part of the ear.

In a tenth aspect of the invention a plug according to the eighth or ninth aspects has means for changing the diameter of vent holes consisting of inserts fitted to each end of the said inner and the said outer mouthpieces which inserts each having a centre hole of suitable diameter.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the drawings in which: -Figure 1 Is a side view of one embodiment of the plug Figure 2 Is an end view of the plug shown in figure 1 Figure 3 Is a view of a plug in use Figure 4 Is a further view of the plug shown in figure 1 in use when fully inserted into the external ear channel.

Figure 5 is a view of a further embodiment showing the additional vent holes in the side of the plug.

Figure 6 Is a side view of another embodiment of the plug showing the adjustable closure devices on the holes in the side of the plug.

Figure 7 Is a side view of showing an embodiment with adjustable external end piece which can be rotated to reduce or enlarge the diameter of the hole leading to the central vent tube.

Figure 8 Shows a further embodiment in which a plug is constructed according to the invention using several parts.

Figure 9 Shows the embodiment illustrated in figure 8 with all of the component parts shown in the order in which they are assembled.

Referring now to the figures 1, 2 and 4, these show a particular construction of a basic plug 1, whereby flexible vanes 2, are provided to grip the ear channel 7 so as to ensure that the only access for air to the ear is via a breather channel 5, in tube 4 which terminates in flange 6.

Figure 3 is an illustration of how one embodiment of the plug is inserted into the ear.

The essential elements which are claimed as novel in this invention lie in the sealing aspect of the plug whilst at the same time allowing a passage of air through to the inner part of the external ear.

Referring now to the figure 5, a further embodiment can be seen in which the basic plug consists of tube which is hollow along the centre 10, of its axis having side walls 11. The tube has vanes 2 and an end vane 3 and the centre hollow portion of the tube 10 is vented at the inner (internal) end at vent hole 9 and the outer (external) end at vent holel3.

Between the vanes additional vent holes Ba, b, and c allow air to move between the centre hollow tube and in use the walls of inner ear which would lie between the vanes 2.

Turning now to figure 6, rotatable bands 14a, b and c have been added.

These bands can be turned so that the holes 15a, b and c line up with the vent holes 14a,b and c. Or alternatively bands 14a, b and c may be rotated to close off, completely or partially, the vent holes 8a, b and c.

In the case of the examples given in both figures 5 and 6 the external end piece may be changed in order to provide a different sized vent hole at 13 and also the internal construction has an end piece 20 which may be joined to the body of the main tube at a point either in front of or behind vane number 3 (not shown as a separate component in the drawings) which carries the hole 9.

This component 20 which caries the hole 9 may also be changed in order to provide a different sized hole at 9.

A further embodiment of the plug is shown in figure 6 in which the external end piece is adjustable. The end piece body 16 is equipped with a rotatable sleeve 17 which controls diaphragm 19 which operates like a camera lens iris to enlarge or reduce the size of the vent hole 18. The internal end piece 20 in this example may be manually changed as in the previous examples to alter the size of the hole 9.

Turning now to figure 8, a main body 23 which is constructed with gripper vanes, has a neck 27 which receives an outer or external mouthpiece 22. The external mouthpiece is then covered by sliding an external cap 21 over the external mouthpiece. The said cap engages with ridges 28 and is a friction fit in this embodiment but may also be attached by any suitable means.

The individual component parts are shown in figure 9. Refering now to figure 9, the external mouthpiece 22 is shown and a friction ridge 26 can be seen which engage with the main body. The external mouthpiece also has restrictors controlling the flow of air between the outside and the inner part of the ear channel. These restnctors are in the form, in this embodiment, of inserts 33 and 35 which for into each end of the external mouthpiece. These inserts have vent holes 34 and 36 which are of suitable diameter, preferably but not exclusively between.01 and 1 millimetre.

An optional internal filter 25 fits into the end of the external mouthpiece and is not shown on any of the other drawings.

The main body of the plug, 23, also receives an internal mouthpiece. This internal mouthpiece is closed off at each end by inserts 30 and 31 which forms an internal chamber. These inserts contain vent holes 29 and 32 and these inserts may be changed to vary the size of the vent hole preferably but not exclusively between.ol and 1.00 millimetre.

No specific hole diameters are applied to this specification, and any dimensions given are by way of example only, because hole sizes may be varied to change the sensitivity of the device and therefore the invention includes any suitable diameter of hole and any suitable shape, size or bore of centre tube.

The examples given show vanes 2, intended for sealing the plug against the ear channel, however these vanes may be replaced by any other suitable sealing means.

There are many different ways of implementing this invention and the present invention is intended to include any ear plug device which includes, when in use, any method of venting air, or controlling the venting of air or the flow of air, between the outside air and the inner part of ear canal which is blocked by the ear plug device. This may also include the use of vent holes leading to the side walls of the ear canal. The invention also includes any method of changing the diameter of any vent holes which vent holes include the inner and outer holes in the central vent tube and the side vent holes and any components used which include vent holes.

Additional accessories are also planned which relate to the provision of small, electrical impulses to the ear using known technology. These devices are not disclosed here because no novelty is claimed for the electronics involved, however the use of small electrical impulses delivered to the membranes of the ear in conjunction with and additional to the novel ideas previously disclosed in this specification is a novel aspect of a further improvement.

In view of the foregoing it will be understood that the scope of this invention is not intended to be limited by this description and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A device for preventing motion sickness comprising an ear plug which in use forms a seal between the external air and the air in the inner part of the external ear channel characterised by the said plug having venting means which in use allows the movement of air between the inner part of the external ear channel and the external air.
2. A device for preventing motion sickness according to claim 1 where the amount of air moving between the inner part of the external ear channel and the external air is controlled by the size of the said venting means.
3. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim where the said venting means is a centre tub mounted along the axis of the plug.
4. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous * S..claim in which the seal in the external ear channel is formed by flexible * S. S. S * ** vanes means.SS..... * *
5. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim in which a central vent tube is provided with holes along it's length which holes allow air to be vented between cavities formed by flexible vanes and the central vent tube.
6. A device for preventing motion sickness according to claim 5 in which the said holes along the length of the central vent tube are equipped with means for adjustably restricting the flow of air.
7. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim in which one or more external or internal end pieces may be added in different combinations to control the diameter of the hole which allows air to enter or leave the central vent tube.
8. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim in which the device for controlling the diameter of the hole which allow air to enter or leave the central vent tube is an adjustable diaphragm.

:
9. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim which is equipped with an interior mouthpiece and exterior *:* mouthpiece * S S...
10. A device for preventing motion sickness according to claim 9 in which means are provided for changing the diameter of a vent hole or holes in one or both interior and exterior mouthpieces.
11. A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim which is equipped with a filter through which the air must pass in order to travel from the outside to the inner part of the external ear channel.
12 A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim in which the said mouthpieces are equipped with means for changing the diameter Of one or more vent holes.
13. A device for preventing motion sickness according to claim 12 where the means for changing the diameter vent holes is an insert which is fitted to the mouthpiece which insert has a centre hole.
14.A device for preventing motion sickness according to any previous claim which in use is applied preferably but not exclusively to one ear only. * * * ** * ***. * * S... *. .. * S S * S S... * * *..* * .*S * I* *....S S