IN EAR HEARING AID WITH REMOVABLE MOUNTING PLATE ASSEMBLY

• US 3,598,928 A
• Filed: 11/06/1969
• Issued: 08/10/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George B. Hickox
• Original Assignee: George B. Hickox
• Inventors: Hickox, George B.
• Application Number:
  US04/874,501
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• US Class Current: 381/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/603 of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/609 of circuitry of electronic switches or control elements H04R25/603
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

A customized hearing aid configurated in part to conform actuarately to the contours of the ear canal of a person using the aid, and adapted to be contained entirely within his ear. The hearing aid includes a hollow casing having a customized body portion molded to conform to the users ear and provided along one side with a face having a standardized opening therein, it further includes a mounting plate assembly comprising a cover plate and a circuit board secured thereto and standardized to seat within such opening in the face of the casing, and it also includes contact retainers carried by the mounting plate assembly and respectively cooperative with terminals attached to the casing to releasably secure the assembly thereto in a mechanical sense and, at the same time, electrically connect a speaker element mounted within the casing to the amplifier and microphone elements carried by the faceplate and circuit board assembly, thereby enabling a customized hearing aid that is inoperative because of any one of the usual repair problems to be returned to the user in operative condition in a matter of moments simply by removing the standard cover plate and circuit board assembly from the casing and replacing it with another such assembly.

Claims

1. In an electric hearing aid, a casing having a hollow interior provided therein with a circuit element equipped with a plurality of conductors and having also along one side thereof a face provided with a relatively large opening adapted to seat a mounting plate assembly therein, a mounting plate assembly equipped with circuit elements requiring connection with said first-mentioned element via the conductors thereof and being seated within said opening, a plurality of terminals respectively connected with said conductors and being fixedly secured to said casing at predetermined locations adjacent said opening thereof, and a plurality of contact retainers respectively connected with certain of said second-mentioned circuit elements and being fixedly secured to said mounting plate assembly at predetermined locations respectively aligned with said terminals and being in engagement therewith, said contact retainers both releasably securing said mounting plate assembly mechanically to said casing and electrically connecting said second-mentioned elements to said first-mentioned element via said terminals and conductors.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1 in which said casing is provided with a ledge along said opening offset inwardly from said face and adapted to seat said mounting plate assembly thereon, said terminals being secured to said casing along said ledge at spaced-apart locations, each of said contact retainers being a resilient device having a laterally projecting segment underlying said ledge when said mounting plate assembly is seated thereon.

3. The hearing aid of claim 2 in which said terminals comprise a pair thereof respectively located along opposite ends of said opening and offset in opposite directions relative to a centerline therethrough.

4. The hearing aid of claim 2 in which each of said contact retainers is provided with oppositely oriented cam surfaces adjacent the projecting segment thereof to displace the same over said ledge during insertion and removal of said mounting plate assembly from said casing.

5. The hearing aid of claim 4 in which each of said terminals is a U-shaped member grippingly engaging said ledge.

6. The hearing aid of claim 5 in which said mounting plate assembly includes a cover plate generally aligned with the face of said casing and a circuit board attached to said cover plate, said contact retainers being secured to said circuit board.

7. The hearing aid of claim 6 in which each of said contact retainers has a U-shaped base grippingly engaging said circuit board.