Industrial safety assembly

• US 6,012,812 A
• Filed: 11/06/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Energy Telecom Incorporated (PFO Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Energy Micro AS (Silicon Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rickards, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Xuan
• Application Number:
  US08/965,557
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 351/158, 351/41, 351/123, 455/343, 455/344, 455/347, 455/350, 455/351
• US Class Current: 351/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/12 External mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/029 Additional functions or features, e.g. protection for other parts of the face such as ears, nose or mouth; Screen wipers or cleaning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids

Abstract

An industrial safety assembly to be worn on a worker head in an industrial setting, the assembly including a speaker assembly structured and disposed to audibly communicate an audio signal received by a receiver assembly to the wearer through a speaker head. The speaker head, which is structured to be inserted into one of the wearer'"'"'s ears so that the audio signal is clearly audible to the wearer in a loud industrial environment, is flexibly and communicably secured to the receiver assembly so as to permit variable positioning of the speaker head in accordance with a location of the wearer'"'"'s ears. Further included in the safety assembly are a pair of disposable protective ear inserts structured to be inserted into the wearer'"'"'s ears so as to substantially muffle any exterior noise. The protective inserts are removably secured to the speaker assembly such that each user can utilize their own clean pair. As such, a first of the protective inserts includes a bore formed therein and structured to receive the speaker head snugly, yet removably therein so that the audio signal is clearly audible to the wearer, the exterior noise is substantially muffled, and the speaker head is shielded from contact with the wearer and from perspiration or other body contaminants of the wearer.

Claims

1. An improved industrial safety assembly comprising:

a receiver assembly structured and disposed to receive an audio signal,

at least one speaker assembly, said speaker assembly being structured and disposed to audibly communicate said audio signal received by said receiver assembly,

said at least one speaker assembly including a speaker head structured to be inserted into one of the wearer'"'"'s ears such that said audio signal is substantially audible to a user in a loud industrial environment,

at least one disposable protective ear insert structured and disposed to be inserted into the user'"'"'s ears so as to substantially muffle exterior noise,

said protective ear insert including a bore disposed axially therein from a first face thereof; and

said bore in said protective ear insert being structured and disposed to receive said speaker head removably therein such that said audio signal is substantially audible to the user directly from said speaker head and the exterior noise is substantially muffled in the loud industrial environment.

2. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said protective ear insert are structured to substantially shield said speaker head from contact with the user and from perspiration or other body contaminants of the user.

3. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said speaker head is flexibly and communicably secured to said speaker assembly by a generally elongate, flexible speaker connection structured and disposed to variably position said speaker head in accordance with a location of the user'"'"'s ears.

4. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said speaker head audibly generates said audio signal.

5. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said flexible speaker connection includes an elongate sound tube connected at a one end with an internal speaker of said receiver assembly, and connected at an opposite ends with said speaker head, said speaker head including a sound transmitting opening therein.

6. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said bore extends completely through said protective ear insert.

7. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 1 further including a frame assembly structured to be worn by a user.

8. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said frame assembly is structured to be supportably disposed on a head of the user.

9. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein said frame assembly further includes at least one substantially transparent, substantially shatter proof material eye panel disposed so as to shield the wearer'"'"'s eyes.

10. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 8 further including two of said protective ear inserts.

11. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein said protective ear inserts are coupled to said frame assembly such that said protective ear inserts are variably positionable relative to said frame assembly in accordance with the location of the user'"'"'s ears.

12. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 11 wherein said first of said protective ear inserts is coupled to said frame assembly by said speaker assembly, and a second of said protective ear inserts is coupled to said frame assembly by an insert connection assembly.

13. An improved, industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein said insert connection includes an elongate cord having said connector head secured to a free end thereof, said connector head having a generally increased diameter relative to said cord and being structured to be fitted into said bore in said second ear insert so as to firmly, yet removably maintain said second ear insert connected to said frame assembly.

14. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein said speaker assembly is coupled to said frame assembly.

15. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 14 wherein said speaker head is flexibly and communicably secured to said speaker assembly by a generally elongate, flexible speaker connection structured and disposed to variably position said speaker head relative to said frame assembly in accordance with a location of the user'"'"'s ears.

16. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 8 further including two of said protective ear inserts, a first of said protective ear inserts being coupled to said frame assembly by a flexible speaker connection assembly.

17. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein said receiver assembly is coupled to said frame assembly.

18. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said receiver assembly further includes transmitter assembly structured and disposed to transmit an outbound audio signal.

19. An improved industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 18 wherein said transmitter assembly includes a microphone assembly structured and disposed to pick up said outbound audio signal from the used.

20. An improved, industrial safety assembly as recited in claim 1 further including a power supply structured to provide power to at least said receiver assembly.