Hearing protective device and method of making same

• US 20020124851A1
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cabot Safety Intermediate Corporation et al
• Original Assignee: Cabot Safety Intermediate Corporation et al
• Inventors: Knauer, Richard, Hall, James, Seville, Alan R., Falco, Robert N., Hall, Lori S.
• Application Number:
  US09/990,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20020124851A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/864
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/10 inflatable or expandable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/12 External mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/812 Venting

Abstract

A hearing device including a foam, a foam insertable portion, a component, and a foam handle portion, and a method of forming the same. The component is nestable with and bondable with the foam such that the component is at least partially within the foam insertable portion and the foam handle portion. The hearing protective device includes earplugs attached to a flexible cord, under-the-chin element, or headband. A method of making a hearing protective device including disposing a component into a mold, introducing a foam or foamable mixture into the mold, causing the foam to rise such that the component is nested within and bonded with the foam.

Claims

1. An earplug comprising:

a foam; and

a component nestable with and bondable with said foam, wherein said component is disposed at least partially within a foam insertable portion and at least partially within a foam handle portion.

2. The earplug of claim 1, wherein said foam is selected from the group comprising polyurethane, acrylic, acrylic blends, and mixtures and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials.

3. The earplug of claim 1, wherein said component is selected from the group comprising plastic, paper, dense paper, stiff foam, semi-stiff foam, foam, porous foam, cardboard, rubber, and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials.

4. The earplug of claim 1, further comprising at least one depression formed in said foam at least partially along said component and at least partially along said foam handle portion.

5. The earplug of claim 1, wherein said at least one component has at least one passage disposed therein.

6. The earplug of claim 1, wherein said component comprises a vent for venting a mold during a manufacturing of the earplug.

7. The earplug of claim 6, wherein said vent comprises a screw threaded portion.

8. The earplug of claim 6, wherein said vent comprises a knurled portion.

9. The earplug of claim 6, wherein said vent is disposed across the length of the component

10. The earplug of claim 6 wherein said vent is disposed at a top of said component.

11. A set of a first earplug and a second earplug comprising:

a foam of said first earplug;

a foam of said second earplug;

a first component nestable with and bondable with said foam of said first earplug, wherein said first component is disposed at least partially within a first foam insertable portion and at least partially within a first foam handle portion;

a second component nestable with and bondable with said foam of said second earplug, wherein said second component is disposed at least partially within a first foam insertable portion and at least partially within a first foam handle portion; and

a connection device having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to said first foam handle portion, and the second end being attached to said second foam handle portion.

12. The set of two earplugs of claim 11, wherein said foam of said first earplug and said foam of said second earplug is selected from the group comprising polyurethane, acrylic, acrylic blends, and mixtures and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials.

13. The set of two earplugs of claim 11, wherein said first component and said second component is selected from the group comprising plastic, paper, dense paper, foam, porous foam, stiff foam, semi-stiff foam, cardboard, rubber, and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials.

14. The set of two earplugs of claim 11, further comprising a depression formed in said foam of said first earplug at least partially along said first component and at least partially along said foam handle portion of said first earplug and in said foam of said second earplug at least partially along said second component and at least partially along said foam handle portion of said second earplug.

15. The set of two earplugs of claim 11, wherein said first component is nonporous and said second component is nonporous.

16. The set of two earplugs of claim 11, wherein said connection device is a flexible cord.

17. The set of two earplugs of claim 11, wherein said connection device is an under the chin device or a headband.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said foam or said foamable mixture is self-rising.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said foam is selected from the group comprising polyurethane, acrylic, acrylic blends, and mixtures and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials, and wherein said component is selected from the group comprising plastic, paper, dense paper, foam, porous foam, stiff foam, semi-stiff foam, cardboard, rubber, and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising forming a depression in said foam along said component.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising forming a passage in said component.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising venting the mold during said causing said foam or foamable mixture to rise to allow a gas to move from an interior of the mold to an exterior of the mold.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said venting includes forming venting passageways between the component and the mold during said disposing of the component within the mold.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said venting passageways extend from the interior to the exterior.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising sealing said interior of said mold from said exterior after said venting.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said sealing comprises allowing a volume of said rising foam or foamable mixture to enter a vent used in said venting and curing said volume therein.

29. The mold of claim 28 wherein said means for venting comprises a screw thread helically disposed on the upper mold portion in the upper cavity.

30. The mold of claim 28 wherein said means for venting comprises a plurality of knurls disposed on the upper mold portion in the upper cavity.

31. The mold of claim 27 wherein said means for venting comprises at least one annular flange disposed on the upper mold portion in the upper cavity, the flange including at least one space formed therein to allow said venting of said gas.

32. The mold of claim 27 further comprising a plurality of ribs projecting from the upper mold portion radially into the upper cavity and traversing the upper cavity in a longitudinal direction.

18. A method of making an earplug comprising:

disposing a component within a mold;

introducing a foam or foamable mixture into said mold; and

causing said foam or said foamable mixture to rise about said component such that said component is nested within and bonded with said foam, such that said component is at least partially within a foam insertable portion and at least partially within a foam handle portion.

28. A mold for forming a foam earplug comprising:

a lower mold portion including a lower cavity; and

an upper mold portion including an upper cavity and a means for venting a gas during a rising of the foam;

wherein the lower and upper mold portions are engageable so as to communicably engage the lower and upper cavities.