Means for stabilizing sound pressure produced at the eardrum under an earpad
First Claim
1. In a sound attenuating ear enclosure comprising a circumaural cushion, resting against the head around the ear supporting a rigid, massive shell, within which there is at least one localized source of sound that radiates a sound into an acoustic path of small volume that conducts at least a portion of said sound directly to the eardrum of the user, wherein said acoustic path of small volume comprises a confining structure comprising an earpad assembly and the user'"'"'s ear, wherein said earpad assembly comprises a duct, a flange and an earpad cushion, wherein said earpad cushion is lightly pressed against the user'"'"'s ear by a force exerted through said earpad assembly:
- the improvement comprising apparatus for reducing the variation in sound level at the eardrum of the user, said apparatus comprising at least one specifiable acoustic side branch circuit comprising an acoustic leakage path through said earpad assembly, to carry at least some sound from said acoustic path of small volume to a larger volume comprising the space confined between the inside surface of said ear enclosure and the outside surface of the said confining structure of said acoustic path of small volume, thereby maintaining said at least one specifiable leakage path as a minimum path for the purpose of reducing the variation in sound level at the eardrum that results from the uncontrollable, acoustic leakage openings between the adjacent surfaces of said earpad cushion and the external ear of the user, caused by the irregular size and shape of the external ear from one user to another and by the variation in the force of contact and the positioning of said earpad assembly upon the external ear of the user.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a hearing device, such as a circumaural earmuff cup or a circumaural earphone cup, either of which comprises an earpad assembly in contact with the external ear, through which sound is conducted to the external ear for the purpose of providing at the eardrum a sound pressure having a prescribed ratio with respect to the sound pressure at a source, the invention comprising a predetermined sound leakage path through said earpad assembly, to reduce the variable in said ratio, that is customarily encountered caused by the variations in the shape of the external ear from one user to another and by variations in position and force of contact of the earpad resting against the pinna.
35 Citations
11 Claims
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1. In a sound attenuating ear enclosure comprising a circumaural cushion, resting against the head around the ear supporting a rigid, massive shell, within which there is at least one localized source of sound that radiates a sound into an acoustic path of small volume that conducts at least a portion of said sound directly to the eardrum of the user, wherein said acoustic path of small volume comprises a confining structure comprising an earpad assembly and the user'"'"'s ear, wherein said earpad assembly comprises a duct, a flange and an earpad cushion, wherein said earpad cushion is lightly pressed against the user'"'"'s ear by a force exerted through said earpad assembly:
the improvement comprising apparatus for reducing the variation in sound level at the eardrum of the user, said apparatus comprising at least one specifiable acoustic side branch circuit comprising an acoustic leakage path through said earpad assembly, to carry at least some sound from said acoustic path of small volume to a larger volume comprising the space confined between the inside surface of said ear enclosure and the outside surface of the said confining structure of said acoustic path of small volume, thereby maintaining said at least one specifiable leakage path as a minimum path for the purpose of reducing the variation in sound level at the eardrum that results from the uncontrollable, acoustic leakage openings between the adjacent surfaces of said earpad cushion and the external ear of the user, caused by the irregular size and shape of the external ear from one user to another and by the variation in the force of contact and the positioning of said earpad assembly upon the external ear of the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Specification