Acoustic ear muff

• US 4,944,361 A
• Filed: 08/29/1988
• Issued: 07/31/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AB KOMPOSITPRODUKTER S.K.-F.M., BOX 2, S-776 02 VIKMANSHYTTAN, SWEDEN
• Original Assignee: Ab Kompositprodukter S.K.-F.M.
• Inventors: Lindgren, Mats E. G., Sjoovist, Ingvar S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Application Number:
  US07/237,040
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 181/129, 181/130, 381/183, 2/203, 2/208, 2/209, 2/423
• US Class Current: 181/129
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/166 Integral hearing protection
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/14 external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs

Abstract

An acoustic ear muff includes a pad or cup (2) which is made of rigid material and incorporates an opening for receiving one ear of the wearer, and a resilient sealing annulus (10) intended for abutment with the head of the wearer, and also resilient pressure-exerting means (5) connected to the shell of a protective helmet (1), a head strap or like head gear. The ear muff provides good acoustic damping and a high degree of comfort, owing to the fact that the resilient pressure-exerting means is configured to produce a low pressing force substantially independently of head sizes which vary within given limits. The pressure-exerting means includes, to this end, a spring element in the form of a combined torsion and bending spring.

Claims

1. An acoustic ear muff including a pad or cup (2) made of a rigid material and incorporating an opening for accommodating an ear of a wearer, and a resilient sealing annulus (10) which is located around a defining edge of said opening and which is intended to be brought into abutment with a head of the wearer, and further includes spring pressure exerting means (5) connected to a shell of a protective helmet (1) or to a head strap, characterized in that the spring pressure-exerting means is configured to produce a low pressing force which is substantially independent of head sizes which vary within given limits and in that the pressure exerting means includes a spring element (5), said spring element comprising a pair of elongate leaf spring having legs spaced apart from one another, one end of each of said leaf spring legs being secured to said shell while the other end of each of said spring legs are biased towards one another in a plane of said springs so as to impart a given twist thereto.

2. An acoustic ear muff according to claim 1, characterized in that a base part (8) of the spring element (5) is secured in a slot, and in that the slot has provided therein projections which co-act with the spring and which determine the extent of twist of the legs (7) and spring characteristic.

3. An acoustic ear muff according to claim 2, characterized in that the spring element (5) is connected to the pad or cup (2) by a bifurcate holder (3) which is pivotally connected to the pad or cup (2).

4. An acoustic ear muff according to claim 3, characterized in that free ends of the legs (7) of the leaf spring (5) are secured in a given mutually spaced relationship in a slot in a central part of the bifurcate holder (3).

5. An acoustic ear muff according to claims 1 or 2 characterized in that, as a result of said twist, said spring element (5) has two stable positions;

and in that in a first position of said spring element the muff is pressed against the head with a small and substantially constant force sufficient to achieve tight abutment between muff and head, and in a second position is spaced from the ear of the wearer.

6. An acoustic ear muff according to claim 5, characterized in that the spring element (5) is attached to the helmet in a manner such that when the ear muff is disposed at a rest position adjacent said helmet the spring element is unable to move to said first position.

7. A acoustic ear muff according to claims 1-3 or 2, characterized in that said spring element (5) has two functional positions, and in that in a first position the ear muff is pressed against the head with a small but substantially constant force sufficient to achieve tight abutment of the ear muff with the head, and in a second position abuts the head with a still smaller force intended solely for retention of the head strap.

8. An acoustic ear muff according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the sealing annulus (10) has provided thereon an outwardly projecting part (11) which is intended to fill a cavity located adjacent a rear edge of a jawbone, and in that the spring element (5) is configured to generate a spring force such that a remaining part of the sealing annulus will be only slightly compressed.

9. An acoustic ear muff according to claim 5, characterized in that the sealing annulus (10) has provided thereon an outwardly projecting part (11) which is intended to fill a cavity located adjacent a rear edge of a jawbone, and in that the spring element (5) is configured to generate a spring force such that a remaining part of the sealing annulus will be only slightly compressed.

10. An acoustic ear muff according to claim 7, characterized in that the sealing annulus (10) has provided thereon an outwardly projecting part (11) which is intended to fill a cavity located adjacent a rear edge of a jawbone, and in that the spring element (5) is configured to generate a spring force such that a remaining part of the sealing annulus will be only slightly compressed.

11. The acoustic ear muff of claim 1, wherein said legs of said leaf springs are connected at one end thereof to form a U-shaped leaf spring.