Earpiece Sealing System

• US 20090214072A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ST TipTech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Keady, John P., Staab, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,657,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/380
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/656 Non-customized, universal ear tips, i.e. ear tips which are not specifically adapted to the size or shape of the ear or ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/659 Post-processing of hybrid ear moulds for customisation, e.g. in-situ curing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/13 Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24008 including fastener for attaching to external surface

Abstract

At least one exemplary embodiment is directed toward an earphone device with a sealing section for acoustically sealing the meatus of a human ear, which includes an inner ear canal speaker; an inner ear canal microphone; connected to a logic circuit which can include a digital signal processor (DSP), where a sealant operatively attached to an outer section of the earphone acoustically seals the meatus of a human ear canal.

Claims

1. An earpiece device comprising:

an inner microphone;

an outer microphone;

an inner speaker, wherein the inner microphone, the outer microphone, and the inner speaker are operatively connected via a support structure; and

a sealant element, wherein sealant element includes at least a first section and a second section, where the first section includes a first material, and the second section includes a second material, where the second material is of a lower durometer than the first material.

2. The earpiece device according to claim 1, wherein the first or second material is at least one of a liquid and a gel.

3. The earpiece device according to claim 1, further including a probe tip having a flexible material, wherein when the probe tip is removed from a canal the probe tip removes material from the canal.

4. The earpiece device according to claim 1, wherein the sealant element is spiral in shape, wherein when the earpiece is inserted into an ear canal the earpiece is corkscrewed in, and where the spiral shaped sealant element varies in material properties along the earpiece'"'"'s long axis.

5. The earpiece according to claim 1 wherein the first section interacts with a portion of the cartilaginous region and the second section interacts with a portion of the boney region.

6. A sealant element comprising:

a first section including a first material; and

a second section including a second material, where the second material has an equal or lower durometer than the first material, where the first section and second section are operatively connected, where the first section and second section when inserted into a channel seals the channel, where the acoustical isolation of the first material is different than the acoustic isolation of the second material.

7. The sealant element according to claim 6, wherein the channel is irregular.

8. The sealant element according to claim 7, wherein the first section is an expandable system.

9. The sealant element according to claim 8, wherein the expandable system uses fluid.

10. The sealant element according to claim 8, wherein the fluid is at least one of a liquid and a gas.

11. The sealant element according to claim 10, wherein the irregular channel is an ear canal.

12. The sealant element according to claim 11, wherein the first section firms up the cartilaginous region, reducing the occlusion effect.

13. An inflatable sealant element comprising:

an inflatable first section; and

a second section, where the first and second section are operatively connected, where the second section is configured to carry fluid to the first section, where the sealant element is configured to be inserted into a channel, where, the first section is designed to absorb acoustic energy when at least partially filled with fluid.

14. The sealant element according to claim 13, wherein the channel is an irregular channel.

15. The sealant element according to claim 14, wherein the channel is an ear canal.

16. The sealant element according to claim 15, wherein the first section reduces the occlusion effect when shallowly inserted into the ear canal and at least partially filled with fluid.

17. The sealant element according to claim 16, wherein the fluid is at least one of a gas and a liquid.

18. The sealant element according to claim 17, wherein the first section can be inflated to different pressure values to provide different sound isolation values.

19. A securing device comprising:

a first arm having at least one first arm connection pad;

a second arm having at least one second arm connection pad, where the first arm and second arm are connected at a common rotation point; and

a body encompassing at least a portion of the first arm and the second arm, where the body is configured to seal a channel when the securing device is inserted into a channel.

20. A method of mitigating the occlusion effect in a shallowly inserted sealing system comprising:

inserting an expandable section into an ear canal, where the expandable system is shallowly inserted; and

expanding the expandable section to a pressure greater than or equal to a sealing pressure, where the sealing pressure is defined as the pressure where there is at least a 5 dB drop in acoustic energy between a first side of the expandable section to second side of the expandable section.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein shallowly inserted refers to insertion within the first two thirds of the length of the ear canal.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the expandable section provides a sound isolation value greater than 5 dB from the first side to the second side.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the sound isolation value is varied by varying the pressure.