Hearing coupler shells of soft pliable thermoplastic material
First Claim
1. A device for insertion in an auditory canal of the ear of a human user, said auditory canal being surrounded at an external end by a concha which is in turn surrounded by a pinna and bounded by a tympanic membrane at an internal end, said device comprising a shell having a generally cone-shaped exterior defined by a larger end for positioning toward the external end of the auditory canal and a smaller end for positioning toward the internal end of the auditory canal with at least one internal passage communicating the larger end with the smaller end, said shell formed from a material selected from the group consisting of soft thermoplastics (STP), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and any combination of the foregoing.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device to be insertion in an auditory canal of the ear of a human user to assist teh delievry of an auditory stimulus to the middle ear near the eardrum has a shell with a generally cone-shaped exterior defined by a larger end for positioning toward the external end of the auditory canal and a smaller end for positioning toward the internal end of the auditory canal. At least one internal passage communicates the larger end with the smaller end. the shell is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of soft thermoplastics (STP), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and any combination of the foregoing, so that it has a Shore A hardness of less than about 80 and the exterior of the shell compresses to be frictionally retained in the auditory canal of the user. In another embdiment of the device, a soft pliable shell is provided to enclose a rigid case of a hearing assistance device which is worn behind the pinna of the ear of a human user.
49 Citations
19 Claims
- 1. A device for insertion in an auditory canal of the ear of a human user, said auditory canal being surrounded at an external end by a concha which is in turn surrounded by a pinna and bounded by a tympanic membrane at an internal end, said device comprising a shell having a generally cone-shaped exterior defined by a larger end for positioning toward the external end of the auditory canal and a smaller end for positioning toward the internal end of the auditory canal with at least one internal passage communicating the larger end with the smaller end, said shell formed from a material selected from the group consisting of soft thermoplastics (STP), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and any combination of the foregoing.
-
19. A shell for enclosing a rigid hearing device worn behind a pinna of a human user, said shell formed from a material selected from the group consisting of soft thermoplastics (STP), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and any combination of the foregoing.
Specification