Passive ear protector
First Claim
1. A passive ear protector positionable in the canal of a user'"'"'s ear for attenuating incoming sound, said protector comprising in combination sound input and output ports, a sound passage coupling said ports, and first attenuation-correcting means for providing a maximum of transmission for at least one frequency at which the unobstructed ear canal normally enhances the pressure at the eardrum and at which the presence of said ear protector in said canal substantially reduces said transmission to produce a spectrum of the sound coupled through the ear protector to the user'"'"'s ear which is substantially the same at said one frequency as that which would be effective at the user'"'"'s ear in the absence of the passive ear protector, but decreased by a substantially constant factor, said attenuation-correcting means including complaint diaphargm means positioned across said passage for responding to incoming sound and providing attenuated sound pressure communication through said passage to the user'"'"'s ear, said diaphragm means being configured to function as a pressure divider with the occluded volume of said ear canal, and a damping member positioned across said sound passage, said first attenuation-correction means being the configuration of said diaphragm, said sound passage and said damping member to provide said transmission maximum.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A passive ear protector device for positioning in the ear of the user for protecting the ear from sounds of high intensity. The device attenuates sound in a manner which tends to preserve the natural quality of the incoming sound, in particular with respect to the natural resonance of the ear canal.
-
Citations
16 Claims
- 1. A passive ear protector positionable in the canal of a user'"'"'s ear for attenuating incoming sound, said protector comprising in combination sound input and output ports, a sound passage coupling said ports, and first attenuation-correcting means for providing a maximum of transmission for at least one frequency at which the unobstructed ear canal normally enhances the pressure at the eardrum and at which the presence of said ear protector in said canal substantially reduces said transmission to produce a spectrum of the sound coupled through the ear protector to the user'"'"'s ear which is substantially the same at said one frequency as that which would be effective at the user'"'"'s ear in the absence of the passive ear protector, but decreased by a substantially constant factor, said attenuation-correcting means including complaint diaphargm means positioned across said passage for responding to incoming sound and providing attenuated sound pressure communication through said passage to the user'"'"'s ear, said diaphragm means being configured to function as a pressure divider with the occluded volume of said ear canal, and a damping member positioned across said sound passage, said first attenuation-correction means being the configuration of said diaphragm, said sound passage and said damping member to provide said transmission maximum.
-
6. A passive sonic attenuator for insertion into the ear canal comprising:
-
plug means for occludingly sealing the outer portion of said ear canal; port means for passing external sound through said plug means and into said ear canal; attenuator means associated with said port means for attenuating the sound passing therethrough over a spectrum of audible frequencies; and first acoustical attenuation-modifying means acoustically communicating with said port means for substantially reducing said attenuation with respect to that of adjacent portions of said spectrum in the vicinity of 2.7 kilohertz sufficiently to generally reproduce for transmission into said ear canal a sound spectrum having the normal 2.7 kilohertz transmission-augmenting pre-emphasis of an unoccluded ear canal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
Specification