Disposable noise reducing hearing aid attachment

• US 4,073,366 A
• Filed: 07/26/1976
• Issued: 02/14/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roger Q. Estes
• Original Assignee: Roger Q. Estes
• Inventors: Estes, Roger Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tomsky, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US05/708,316
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 181/158, 181/166, 181/149, 181/175, 181/160, 179/180, 179/107 R
• US Class Current: 181/158
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/002 Devices for damping, suppressing, obstructing or conducting sound in acoustic devices G10K1/06 - G10K1/10 take precedence; for electro-mechanical transducers for communication H04R3/002
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 13/00 Cones, diaphragms, or the like, for emitting or receiving sound in general for electromechanical transducers H04R7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/07 Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/48 using constructional means for obtaining a desired frequency response H04R25/652 takes precedence

Abstract

A disposable noise reducing hearing attachment provided for covering the sound inlet of a hearing aid to reduce the amplitude of random noises such as wind noises and to prevent dirt and moisture from entering the sound inlet. The attachment includes a flexible open cellular noise filter that is covered by a thin sheet of tightly woven material to form a wind and dust screen on the top surface of the noise filter. A stretchable bottom ring layer of nonporous sheet material is attached to the bottom surface of the noise filter in which the bottom ring layer has an aperture that is greater than the cross section of the sound inlet. The top wind screen layer and the bottom ring layer are secured to opposite sides of the noise filter layer by rings of adhesive that have diameters greater than the cross-sectional diameter of the sound inlet of the hearing aid so that adhesive does not interfere with the sound transmission through the attachment and into the hearing aid through the sound inlet.

Claims

1. A disposable noise reducing hearing aid attachment for attaching to a hearing aid that has a housing with a sound inlet formed therein of a specified cross-sectional area to transmit audible sound from the environment to an internal microphone, comprising:

a flexible noise filter layer of an open cellular material for overlying the sound inlet to reduce the amplitude of audible noise transmitted from the environment to the hearing aid sound inlet;

said noise filter layer having extended top and bottom surfaces of greater area than the cross-sectional area of the sound inlet to form a central area region for directly overlying the sound inlet and a circumferential perimeter region for extending outward of the sound inlet;

a flexible wind and dust screen layer of tightly woven fabric coextensive with and engaging the top surface of the noise filter layer;

a stretchable bottom ring layer of sheet material having a central aperture of a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of the sound inlet engaging the perimeter region of the bottom surface of the noise filter layer;

said screen layer and said stretchable ring layer being permanently secured to the perimeter regions of the respective top and bottom surfaces of the noise filter layer by rings of adhesive with the central area regions of the noise filter surfaces being free of adhesive;

said ring layer having a bottom surface with a coating of pressure sensitive adhesive thereon to enable the attachment to be releasably mounted to the hearing aid housing over the sound inlet.

2. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible noise filter layer is constructed of an open cellular felt material.

3. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible wind and dust screen is constructed of a tightly woven silk fabric.

4. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible noise filter layer is open cellular urethane foam having a thickness of between 3/32 inch and 1/8 inch and a density of between 1 lb/ft³ and 2 lb/ft³.

5. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible noise filter layer is constructed of an open cellular urethane foam material.

6. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible noise filter layer is constructed of an open cellular polyvinyl foam material.

7. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible wind and dust screen is constructed of a tightly woven nylon fabric.

8. The noise reducing hearing aid attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible wind and dust screen is constructed of a tightly woven rayon acetate.