Hearing protector against loud noise

• US 6,070,693 A
• Filed: 01/20/1999
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Institut Franco-Allemand de Recherches de Saint-Louis
• Original Assignee: Institut Franco-Allemand de Recherches de Saint-Louis
• Inventors: Hamery, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US09/233,192
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 181/130, 181/135, 128/864, 128/867, 2/209
• US Class Current: 181/135
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/085 including an inner channel

Abstract

The invention relates to a hearing protector for attenuating, selectively or not, noises that can have an intensity of up to 190 dB, designed to be inserted in sealing fashion into the auditory canal. The hearing protector includes a flexible cylindrical body that has a ferrule at each end. At least one of the two ferrules has a channel that runs from one end of the ferrule to the center of the cylindrical body and contains an acoustic filter. When the two ferrules each contain an acoustic filter, the filters may or may not be identical.

Claims

1. A hearing protector for selectively or automatically reducing noises having intensities up to 190 dB, the hearing protector being intended to be sealingly inserted into an auditory canal of a user, the hearing protector comprising:

a cylindrical body having a center, a first end and a second end;

a channel extending from said first and second ends to said center of said cylindrical body; and

said channel containing a first acoustic filter and a second acoustic filter, each of said first and second filters being in communication with one of said first and second ends.

2. The hearing protector according to claim 1, wherein said first and second acoustic filters are identical.

3. The hearing protector according to claim 1, wherein said first and second acoustic filters are not identical.

4. The hearing protector according to claim 1, further having a ferrule at each of said first and second ends wherein said ferrules are separate and said cylindrical body forms an internal connector linking said ferrules.

5. The hearing protector according to claim 4, wherein said internal connector is a single cylinder, said channel forming a right angle and having a first end of said channel containing said first acoustic filter and terminating at at least one of said ferrules and a second end of said channel terminating in said center of said internal connector.

6. The hearing protector according to claim 4, wherein said channel in said internal connector terminates at said center of said internal connector and at said first end and said second end of said internal connector, said first end containing said first acoustic filter and said second end containing said second acoustic filter.

7. The hearing protector according to claim 6, wherein said first acoustic filter is identical to said second acoustic filter.

8. The hearing protector according to claim 6, wherein said first acoustic filter is not identical to said second acoustic filter.

9. The hearing protector according to claim 4, wherein said internal connector includes a central cylindrical part having a central diameter, a first cylindrical part having a first diameter and a second cylindrical part having a second diameter, said central diameter being larger than said first diameter and said second diameter, said first diameter and said second diameter being larger than said channel, said first cylindrical part containing said first acoustic filter and said second cylindrical part contains said second acoustic filter.

10. The hearing protector according to claim 9, wherein said first acoustic filter and said second acoustic filter are identical.

11. The hearing protector according to claim 9, wherein said first acoustic filter and said second acoustic filter are not identical.

12. The hearing protector according to claim 4, wherein said internal connector has serrations for securing said ferrules to said internal connector.

13. The hearing protector according to claim 4, wherein said internal connector has ridges for securing said ferrules to said internal connector.

14. The hearing protector according to claim 4, wherein said internal connector has tapered ends.

15. The hearing protector according to claim 1, wherein said ferrules each have an essentially hemispherical face having a narrow side, said narrow sides being designed to be inserted into the auditory canal of the user first.

16. The hearing protector of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical body is provided with annular fins, said fins having a diameter that increases from said first and second ends of said cylindrical body toward said center of said cylindrical body, the hearing protector being wedgingly securable within the auditory canal of the user.

17. The hearing protector according to claim 1, wherein said acoustic filters permit non-linear filtration of sound.