Auditory canal insert for hearing aids

• US 5,654,530 A
• Filed: 12/20/1995
• Issued: 08/05/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG, Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Sauer, Joseph, Haertl, Christof
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US08/575,597
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 181/129, 181/130, 181/135, 381/68.6, 381/69, 128/864, 128/865, 128/867
• US Class Current: 181/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659

Abstract

For retention and sound-damping sealing of members introducible into the auditory canal, such as hearing aid housings, otoplastics or ear adapters, an annularly fashioned seal and retainer element can be plugged onto the member and when the member is inserted into the auditory canal, the retainer element fits itself against the walls of the auditory canal and seals the annular gap between the outside contour of the member and the auditory canal in sound-damping fashion.

Claims

1. A sealing and mounting element for an in-the-ear hearing aid adapted for insertion into an outer auditory canal leading to an inner ear of a wearer of the hearing aid, said hearing aid having an acoustic channel therein for acoustic communication between the outer auditory canal and a tympanic membrane in the inner ear, there being an annular gap between an outside surface of said element and a wall of the outer auditory canal, said sealing and mounting element comprising:

a member having an annular retainer groove therein; and

a positioning and seal ring disposed in said retainer groove consisting of a disk of soft elastic material having a slotted outer circumference divided into a plurality of fan-like circumferential segments fittable against and adapted to a shape of said wall of said outer auditory canal and said segments together forming means for sound-damping and for positioning and for sealing said member in said auditory canal.

2. The element of claim 1 wherein said member has a plurality of annular retainer grooves and a plurality of positioning and seat rings respectively disposed in said grooves, each ring having said plurality of fan-like circumferential segments.

3. The element of claim 2 wherein each of said rings has an inside diameter with each inside diameter being different.

4. The element of claim 2 wherein each of said rings has an outside diameter with each outside diameter being different.

5. The element of claim 2 wherein each of said rings has a thickness with each thickness being different.

6. The element of claim 1 wherein said slotted outer circumference of said ring comprises a plurality of radially proceeding slots.

7. The element of claim 1 wherein said ring comprises a recess therein forming a vent opening.

8. An in-the-ear hearing aid having a hearing aid portion adapted for insertion into an auditory canal and having at least two annular, circumferentially slotted disk-shaped elements of elastic material, each disk-shaped element having an inside diameter and said inside diameters being different, said disk-shaped elements each surrounding said portion of said hearing aid adapted for insertion into the auditory canal and being adapted for insertion into the auditory canal together with said portion, said disk-shaped elements together forming means for sound-damping and for positioning and for sealing said portion of said hearing aid in said auditory canal.

9. An in-the-ear hearing aid having a hearing aid portion adapted for insertion into an auditory canal and having at least two annular, circumferentially slotted disk-shaped elements of elastic material, each disk-shaped element having an outside diameter and said outside diameters being different, said disk-shaped elements each surrounding said portion of said hearing aid adapted for insertion into the auditory canal and being adapted for insertion into the auditory canal together with said portion, said disk-shaped elements together forming means for sound-damping and for positioning and for sealing said portion of said hearing aid in said auditory canal.