Hearing protectors

• US 4,572,323 A
• Filed: 03/20/1984
• Issued: 02/25/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Racal Safety Limited
• Original Assignee: Racal Safety Limited
• Inventors: Randall, Mervyn D. G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hix, L. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Brian W.
• Application Number:
  US06/591,455
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 181/129, 179/184, 179/156 R, 179/179, 179/182 R, 2/209
• US Class Current: 181/129
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/14 external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs

Abstract

A hearing protecting device comprises a shell defining a hollow enclosure, which may be provided with sound absorbing material, with an open mouth, which is, in use, placed over the ear. A resiliently deformable seal of sound absorbing material is provided along the periphery of the open mouth to seal against the shell and the wearer, and is releasably retained in place by releasable retaining means which cooperate with an inner portion of the sealing means and with an inner edge portion of the mouth of the enclosure. The retaining means may comprise an annular member made integral with the sealing means and which extends round the inner edge of the mouth to overlie and engage an inner surface of the shell, or a member separate from the sealing means which retains an inner portion of the sealing means relative to the inner edge of the mouth of the shell.

Claims

1. A hearing protecting device for protecting the hearing of a wearer comprising a shell defining a hollow enclosure with an open mouth which is, in use, placed over an ear of the wearer, a resiliently deformable annular sealing means extending along said open mouth of said enclosure for sealing against said shell and against the wearer, said sealing means having an inner peripheral portion, said shell comprising an annular flange at said open mouth, said flange having inner and outer surfaces and extending inwardly from the periphery of the mouth across the mouth of the enclosure and providing an annular surface which said sealing means overlies and against which said sealing means seals, said flange having an inner peripheral edge portion, and retaining means for releasably retaining said sealing means relative to said shell comprising an annular member made integral with said inner peripheral portion of said sealing means and adapted to extend around the inner peripheral edge portion of the flange and underlie the inner surface of said flange, said annular member and said inner surface comprising the sole retaining means for said sealing means.

2. A hearing protecting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining means comprises an outwardly extending flange for underlying said flange on said shell.

3. A hearing protecting assembly comprising two hearing protecting devices as claimed in claim 1, said devices being mounted on a band which, in use, extends around the head of the wearer and biases said devices against the wearer'"'"'s head.

4. A hearing protecting device for protecting the hearing of a wearer comprising:

a shell defining a hollow enclosure with an open mouth which is in use placed over an ear of the wearer;

an annular flange at said open mouth, said flange having inner and outer surfaces and extending inwardly from the periphery of the mouth across the mouth of the enclosure, resiliently deformable annular sealing means extending along said outer surface of said flange for sealing against said outer surface and against the wearer, said sealing means comprising sound absorbing material enclosed in a protective annular casing, said casing comprising an annular base member which overlies and engages said outer surface of said flange and a flexible annular cover member, said members being fixed together along inner and outer peripheries thereof; and

retaining means for releasably retaining said sealing means relative to said shell, said retaining means comprising an annular member fixed to said sealing means along the fixing of said inner peripheries of said casing members and extending therefrom to underly and engage said inner surface of said flange, said annular member and said inner surface of said flange comprising the sole retaining means for said sealing means.

5. A hearing protecting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said annular member is of relatively inflexible material.

6. A hearing protecting device comprising:

a shell defining a hollow enclosure with an open mouth which is in use placed over the a wearer'"'"'s ear;

a resiliently deformable annular seal extending along a surface of said shell at said open mouth of said enclosure for sealing against said shell surface and against the wearer, said seal comprising sound absorbing material enclosed in a protective annular casing, said casing comprising an annular base member which overlies said surface of said shell and a flexible annular cover member, said members being fixed together along inner and outer peripheries thereof; and

retaining means for releasably retaining said sealing means relative to said shell, said retaining means comprising a member separate from said sealing means and said shell and which engages a portion of said sealing means and retains it relative to an inner edge portion of said mouth of said shell, said portion of said sealing means comprising a flange extending freely from the fixing of said inner peripheries of said casing members of said sealing means.

7. A hearing protecting device protecting the hearing of a wearer comprising a shell defining a hollow enclosure with an open mouth which, in use, is placed over an ear of the wearer, a resiliently deformable annular sealing means extending along said open mouth of said enclosure for sealing against said shell and against the wearer, said shell comprising an annular flange at the open mouth thereof, said flange extending inwardly from the periphery of the mouth across the mouth of the enclosure and providing an annular surface on which said sealing means is located and against which said sealing means seals, and retaining means separate from said sealing means and said shell for releasably retaining said sealing means relative to said shell solely by the inner periphery thereof and comprising an annular member which releasably engages over an inner peripheral portion of said sealing means and under the inner periphery of said flange to hold said sealing means relative to said flange.