US3389232A - Hearing aid and ear mold assembly - Google Patents

Hearing aid and ear mold assembly Download PDF

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Publication number
US3389232A
US3389232A US472136A US47213665A US3389232A US 3389232 A US3389232 A US 3389232A US 472136 A US472136 A US 472136A US 47213665 A US47213665 A US 47213665A US 3389232 A US3389232 A US 3389232A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
hearing aid
ear
ear mold
receiver
external
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US472136A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Lawrence Posen
Sam Posen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Beltone Electronics Corp
Original Assignee
Beltone Electronics Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Beltone Electronics Corp filed Critical Beltone Electronics Corp
Priority to US472136A priority Critical patent/US3389232A/en
Priority to DEB87100A priority patent/DE1287137B/de
Priority to FR64654A priority patent/FR1482622A/fr
Priority to NL666608182A priority patent/NL138793B/xx
Priority to AT641066A priority patent/AT267634B/de
Priority to CH1021066A priority patent/CH454229A/de
Priority to GB31727/66A priority patent/GB1111748A/en
Priority to DK366966AA priority patent/DK119259B/da
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3389232A publication Critical patent/US3389232A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/60—Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H04R25/65—Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture
    • H04R25/652—Ear tips; Ear moulds

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to a hearing aid and ear mold assembly and more particularly to a new and improved assembly which advantageously is adapted for use in hearing aids of the type adapted to be supported completely at the ear of the user.
  • the hearing aid is comprised of an external portion encasing at least a microphone, amplifier and battery and an in ternal portion encasing at least a receiver with an elongated flexible tube coupling said portions to permit electrical connections therebetween
  • said ear mold is formed with a recess shaped to receive said external portion and has an opening in one wall thereof through which 3,339,232 Patented June 18, 1968 said internal portion may be passed during assembly such that the internal portion of the hearing aid is supported within the inner ear on one side of the ear mold and the external portion of the hearing aid is supported in the outer ear within the recess of the ear mold.
  • FIGURE 1 illustrates one preferred embodiment of an inthe-ear type of hearing aid useful in the present invention wherein the receiver portion of the hearing aid is separated from, but coupled to, the external portion of the hearing aid by an elongated flexible tube;
  • FIGURE 2 is a front view partially in phantom to illustrate the internal arrangement of the parts of the external portion of the hearing aid shown in FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is an exploded view illustrating the construction and assembly of the novel hearing aid and ear mold arrangement
  • FIGURE 4 is a pictorial View showing the invention in position within the external and internal ear of a user.
  • FIGURES 1 and 2 there is generally shown one illustrative embodiment of an in-the-ear type of hearing aid which finds advantageous use in the present invention.
  • This in-the-ear hearing aid 14. makes use of miniaturized parts capable of being positioned within a pair of compact housings 12 and 14, separated from each other but coupled by means of an eiongated flexible tube 22.
  • the hearing aid housing 12 is supported within a recess of an ear mold in the outer portion of the ear and will be referred to hereinafter as the external portion of the hearing aid, while the hearing aid housing 14 is positioned within the ear canal of the user and will be referred to hereinafter as the internal portion of the hearing aid.
  • the hearing aid 16 will be a completely self-contained functional hearing aid despite its extremely compact size which enables it to be wholly worn in the ear of the user.
  • the hearing aid 1% includes all of the parts necessary to provide an operative hearing aid suitable for picking up and amplifying sound to the hard-of-hearing user. While the details of the hearing air circuit do not form a part of the present invention, since they are conventional and well-known in the art, it can be seen rom FIGURES 1 and 2 that the presently available miniaturized components can easily be fitted within the external and internal portion of the hearing aid housing.
  • the hearing aid microphone 16, the hearing aid amplifier 18, and the battery power source 20 are supported within the external portion 12, while the hearing aid receiver is supported within the internal portion 14 of the hearing aid housing.
  • These parts are connected by suitable wiring and the interconnection between the receiver in the internal portion 1d and the hearing aid parts in the external portion 12 may be eliected by positioning the wires 34 through the flexible tube 22 at the time the hearing aid is assembled.
  • suitable control elements such as an-olf switch, volume control, and the like, also may be provided in the present invention without changing its principles for operation.
  • the hearing aid it due to its particular construction, is advantageously adapted for use with the ear mold 26, as illustrated in FEGURES 3 and 4 of the drawing.
  • the ear mold 261 is conventional in some respects in that it is formed of a preferably-colored plastic material which can be custom molded to fit the users ear.
  • an external recess 23 is provided in the external wall of the ear mold.
  • the external recess 28 advantageously is shaped to snugly receive the external portion 12 of the hearing aid til such that the external portion 12 is completely encased by the ear mold with its outer wall, having the microphone opening 32 therein, substantially co-planar with the outer wall of the ear mold.
  • this arrangement serves to effectively conceal the hearing aid in the users ear, as distinguished from the prior art hearing aid and ear mold assemblies wherein a portion of the hearing aid projected outwardly of the ear mold and the users car so as to be relatively conspicuous.
  • the internal wall of the ear mold 26 is provided with a suitable opening 39 shaped to permit the internal receiver portion 14 of the hearing aid to be passed therethrough during assembly of the combination.
  • the elongated flexible tube 22 between the internal portion 14 and external portion 12 is positioned through the ear mold opening 30 and the hearing aid receiver in the internal portion 14 is positioned within the ear canal of the user.
  • the operation of the hearing aid and ear mold assembly can be enhanced in accordance with a still further feature of this invention by the use of a flange member 24 to provide efiicient acoustic sealing between the hearing aid receiver and the remainder of the hearing aid.
  • the flange member 24 is provided with an outer peripheral configuration suitable for abutting the internal wall of the users ear canal, and is provided with a further internal opening to permit the flange member 24 to be positioned around and supported by the internal portion 14 of the hearing aid.
  • the flange member 24 engages the peripheral surface of the ear canal to effectively seal the external portion of the hearing aid from acoustical feedback which could emanate from the hearing aid receiver.
  • the invention permits the use of a substantially Wholly concealed hearing aid worn in the ear of the user while at the same time permitting the use of standardized production type of miniature self-contained hearing aids. It can be seen that in the event the ear mold is not made or fitted properly, it only is necessary to replace the ear mold which is the relatively inexpensive component in the assembly, since the hearing aid can be used with another ear mold. This cannot be done in the prior art in-the-ear types of hearing aids wherein the hearing aid housing itself is custom molded to fit the ear of the wearer since in such cases the existence of a defect generally results in the scrapping of the entire hearing aid. This results in substantial savings in manufacturing and inventory costs for the present invention over such prior art devices.
  • an in-the-ear hearing aid and ear mold assembly comprising the combination of a cornpact hearing aid having an external portion and an internal portion, said external portion encasing at least a microphone, an amplifier circuit and a power supply battery, said internal portion encasing at least a hearing aid receiver, said external and internal portions being spaced apart but coupled to each other by an elongated flexible tube extending between said portions, said hearing aid including conductor means interconnecting said microphone, amplifier circuit, battery and receiver to provide a complete and operative hearing aid capable of amplifying sound received at the microphone and applying the same to the users ear from the receiver, the conductor means connecting the receiver to the remainder of the hearing aid being extended through said elongated flexible tube, and an ear mold formed to fit into the outer ear of the wearer, said ear mold being provided with a recess shaped to receive and encase said external housing portion of the hearing aid such that the latter does not project outwardly from the ear mold and is substantially concealed thereby during use, said
  • an in-the-ear hearing aid and ear mold assembly comprising the combination of a compact hearing aid having an external portion and a housing portion, said external portion encasing at least a microphone, an amplifier circuit and a power supply battery, said internal portion encasing at least a hearing aid receiver, said external and internal portions being spaced apart but coupled to each other by an elongated flexible tube extending between said portions, said hearing aid including conductor means interconnecting said microphone, amplifier circuit, battery and receiver to provide a complete and operative hearing aid capable of amplifying sound received at the microphone and applying the same to the users ear from the receiver, the conductor means connecting the receiver to the remainder of the hearing aid being extended through said elongated flexible tube, an ear mold formed to fit into the outer ear of the wearer, said ear mold being provided with a recess shaped to receive and encase said external housing portion of the hearing aid such that the latter does not project outwardly from the ear mold and is substantially concealed thereby during use, said ear mold being formed
  • an in-the-ear hearing aid and ear mold assembly comprising the combination of a compact hearing aid having an external portion and an internal portion, said external portion encasing at least a microphone, an amplifier circuit and a power supply battery, said internal portion encasing at least a hearing aid receiver, said external and internal portions being spaced apart but coupled to each other by an elongated flexible tube extending between said portions, said hearing aid including conductor means interconnecting said microphone, amplifier circuit, battery and receiver to provide a complete and operative hearing aid capable of amplifying sound received at the microphone and applying the same to the users ear from the receiver, the conductor means connecting the receiver to the remainder of the hearing aid being extended through said elongated fiexible tube, an ear mold formed to fit into the outer ear of the wearer, said ear mold being provided with a recess shaped to receive and encase said external housing portion of the hearing aid such that the latter does not project outwardly from the ear mold and is substantially concealed thereby during use, said ear mold being

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Headphones And Earphones (AREA)
US472136A 1965-07-15 1965-07-15 Hearing aid and ear mold assembly Expired - Lifetime US3389232A (en)

Priority Applications (8)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US472136A US3389232A (en) 1965-07-15 1965-07-15 Hearing aid and ear mold assembly
DEB87100A DE1287137B (de) 1965-07-15 1966-05-13 Im Ohr zu tragendes Schwerhoerigengeraet
FR64654A FR1482622A (fr) 1965-07-15 1966-06-08 Appareil d'audition autonome monté dans l'oreille de l'utilisateur
NL666608182A NL138793B (nl) 1965-07-15 1966-06-13 Gehoorapparaat met een oorvormstuk.
AT641066A AT267634B (de) 1965-07-15 1966-07-05 Im äußeren Ohr zu tragendes Hörgerät
CH1021066A CH454229A (de) 1965-07-15 1966-07-14 Hörhilfegerät
GB31727/66A GB1111748A (en) 1965-07-15 1966-07-14 Hearing aid and ear mould assembly
DK366966AA DK119259B (da) 1965-07-15 1966-07-14 Høreapparat.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US472136A US3389232A (en) 1965-07-15 1965-07-15 Hearing aid and ear mold assembly

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3389232A true US3389232A (en) 1968-06-18

Family

ID=23874334

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US472136A Expired - Lifetime US3389232A (en) 1965-07-15 1965-07-15 Hearing aid and ear mold assembly

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3389232A (de)
AT (1) AT267634B (de)
CH (1) CH454229A (de)
DE (1) DE1287137B (de)
DK (1) DK119259B (de)
GB (1) GB1111748A (de)
NL (1) NL138793B (de)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3513269A (en) * 1967-01-26 1970-05-19 Pacific Plantronics Inc Earform mold for supporting acoustic apparatus on a wearer's ear and method of making the mold
US3783201A (en) * 1970-12-02 1974-01-01 Beltone Electronics Corp Miniature hearing aid structure
US6041129A (en) * 1991-01-17 2000-03-21 Adelman; Roger A. Hearing apparatus

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4617429A (en) * 1985-02-04 1986-10-14 Gaspare Bellafiore Hearing aid
DE3542616A1 (de) * 1985-12-03 1987-06-04 Toepholm & Westermann Verfahren zum herstellen einer individuellen ohrmulde
DE8610634U1 (de) * 1986-04-18 1986-07-17 Borowsky, Hans-Dieter, 4400 Münster Hörgerät
DE8712957U1 (de) * 1987-09-25 1989-01-19 Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München In-dem-Ohr-Hörgerät
US5701348A (en) * 1994-12-29 1997-12-23 Decibel Instruments, Inc. Articulated hearing device

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2959645A (en) * 1956-05-22 1960-11-08 Ladd John Hearing aid
US3061689A (en) * 1957-05-27 1962-10-30 Beltone Hearing Aid Company Hearing aid

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
None *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3513269A (en) * 1967-01-26 1970-05-19 Pacific Plantronics Inc Earform mold for supporting acoustic apparatus on a wearer's ear and method of making the mold
US3783201A (en) * 1970-12-02 1974-01-01 Beltone Electronics Corp Miniature hearing aid structure
US6041129A (en) * 1991-01-17 2000-03-21 Adelman; Roger A. Hearing apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DK119259B (da) 1970-12-07
AT267634B (de) 1969-01-10
GB1111748A (en) 1968-05-01
NL6608182A (de) 1967-01-16
DE1287137B (de) 1969-01-16
NL138793B (nl) 1973-05-15
CH454229A (de) 1968-04-15

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