Polymeric foam earplug

• US 5,203,352 A
• Filed: 10/16/1990
• Issued: 04/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cabot Safety Intermediate Corporation et al
• Original Assignee: Cabot Safety Corp (3M Company)
• Inventors: Gardner, Ross Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KENEALY, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/598,268
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 128/864, 128/865, 128/866, 128/867, 128/868, 604/369, 604/370
• US Class Current: 128/864
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/10 inflatable or expandable

Abstract

Disclosed herein are hearing protective earplug constructions of the roll-down type. In one aspect the constructions employ means to limit the depth of insertion of the earplug into the ear canal and to facilitate proper insertion thereof. In another aspect, the constructions employ polymeric foam bodies adapted to be compressed, inserted into the ear canal and there allowed to expand to obturate the ear canal and whose recovery time is markedly and inversely temperature dependent.

Claims

1. A roll-down type earplug construction comprising a resilient polymeric foam body the cellular volume of said foam body being gas-filled, said body comprising a nose section and, coextensive therewith, a tail section,

said nose section being composed of a slow recovery, viscoelastic, polymeric foam and being of a size and shape adapted to be compressed, inserted into the human ear canal and there allowed to expand and obturate the ear canal, said nose section having a room temperature recovery time from 60 percent compression to 40 percent compression thereof at least 1 second and an equilibrium pressure at 40 percent compression thereof of from 0.2 to 1.3 p.s.i.,

said tail section being composed of a relatively faster recover, more elastic, polymeric foam than that of said nose section, said tail section having a room temperature recovery time from 60 percent compression to 40 percent compression thereof of no greater than 50 percent of the recovery time of said nose section and no greater than 5 seconds.

2. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the recovery time of said nose section is relatively temperature insensitive and wherein the recovery time thereof at room temperature is between 1 and 60 seconds.

3. The earplug construction of claim 2 wherein the recovery time of said nose section at room temperature is between 10 and 60 seconds.

4. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the recovery time of said nose section is markedly and inversely temperature dependent and wherein said recovery time at room temperature is greater than 60 seconds, wherein said recovery time at body temperature is no greater than 90 seconds and wherein said recovery time at body temperature is substantially less than said recovery time at room temperature.

5. The earplug construction of claim 4 wherein the recovery time of said nose section at body temperature is no greater than 60 seconds.

6. The earplug construction of claim 4 wherein at body temperature the leading end regions of said nose section recover substantially more quickly than the mid-length region thereof.

7. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the room temperature equilibrium pressure of said nose section at 40% compression thereof resides within the range of 0.35 and 1.0 p.s.i.

8. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the room temperature stiffness of said tail section is less than that of said nose section, as determined by the Shore 00 Durometer test.

9. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the room temperature stiffness of said tail section is less than that of said nose section, as determined by the instant pressure test.

10. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the room temperature recovery time of said tail section is no greater than 2 seconds.

11. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the length of said nose section resides within the range of 0.25 and 0.75 inch.

12. The earplug construction of claim 11 wherein the length of said nose section resides within the range of 0.5 and 0.6 inch.

13. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein said nose section is composed of polyvinylchloride foam compositions.

14. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein said nose section is composed of polyurethane foam compositions.

15. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein said nose section is composed of polyetherpolyurethane foam compositions.

16. The earplug construction of claim 15 wherein said nose section is composed of latex modified polyetherpolyurethane foam compositions.

17. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein said tail section is composed of polyvinylchloride foam compositions.

18. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein said tail section is composed of polyurethane foam compositions.

19. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein said tail section is composed of polyetherpolyurethane foam compositions.

20. The earplug construction of claim 15 wherein said tail section is composed of latex modified polyetherpolyurethane foam compositions.

21. The earplug construction of claim 6 wherein the end regions of said nose section are of greater apparent density than the mid-length region thereof.

22. The earplug construction of claim 1 wherein the length of said tail section is greater than 0.1 inch.

23. The earplug construction of claim 18 wherein the length of said tail section resides within the range of about 0.2 and about 0.4 inch.