BTE/CIC auditory device and modular connector system therefor

• US 7,110,562 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hear-Wear Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Hear-Wear Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Feeley, Jim, Feeley, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US10/238,829
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 381/322, 381/324, 381/330, 381/328, 381/380, 381/381, 381/382, 381/FOR.133, 381/FOR.132, 381/FOR.135
• US Class Current: 381/322
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/0213 Constructional details of earhooks, e.g. shape, material
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/57 Aspects of electrical interconnection between hearing aid parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/607 of earhooks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/609 of circuitry of electronic switches or control elements H04R25/603
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/656 Non-customized, universal ear tips, i.e. ear tips which are not specifically adapted to the size or shape of the ear or ear canal

Abstract

An earpiece auditory device includes a behind-the-ear (BTE) component, which includes processing circuitry. In an embodiment, the device also includes a completely-in-canal (CIC) component, shaped to fit into the ear canal of the user such that it touches the bony portion of the ear canal. In some embodiments, the CIC component includes either a universal fit or a custom fit ear mold. The custom fit ear mold can be fabricated using a rapid prototyping technology, in which the contours of the user'"'"'s ear canal are scanned, and the scan data is used either directly or indirectly to replicate the ear canal contours of that user into the custom fit ear mold. In some embodiments, the ear mold is detachably interconnected with a speaker module, preferably using either an intermediate sleeve or a detachable locking pin assembly. In another embodiment, the speaker module is permanently encapsulated within the ear mold.

Claims

1. An earpiece auditory device comprising:

a behind-the-ear (BTE) component, said BTE component being shaped to fit behind an ear of a user, wherein said BTE component comprises a module including processing circuitry;

a completely-in-canal (CIC) component, said CIC component being shaped to fit into the ear canal of the user, wherein said CIC component comprises an ear mold and a speaker, said speaker being encased in a speaker module; and

a connector physically and communicatively coupling said BTE component to said CIC component, said connector having a proximal end physically and communicatively coupled to said BTE component and a distal end physically and communicatively coupled to said CIC component, said connector being sufficiently rigid so as to allow said connector to be used to insert and remove said CIC component from the ear canal of the user;

wherein said speaker module is detachably physically interconnected with said ear mold, said speaker module is interconnected with said ear mold through a hollow sleeve, and said hollow sleeve is formed of resilient material.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said connector is detachably coupled at said proximal end with said BTE component.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said connector is detachably coupled at said distal end with said CIC component.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said connector is a disposable component.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said speaker module is a disposable component.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said speaker module is formed of a hard and rigid polymer material.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said ear mold is stretched over a tubular neck of said hollow sleeve.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said ear mold and said hollow sleeve constitute a disposable component.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said hollow sleeve detachably latches to said speaker module.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein a protruding flange formed in the surface of said speaker module engages a slot defined by a resilient strap formed in said hollow sleeve.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said ear mold is a universal fit ear mold.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said universal fit ear mold is formed of a soft polymer material selected from the group consisting of a soft silicone polymer and a soft foam polymer.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said ear mold is a custom fit ear mold.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said custom fit ear mold is formed of polymer material selected from the group consisting of soft polymer materials, elastomers, and silicone in the 3–

40 durometer range.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein said speaker module is interconnected detachably with said ear mold through a locking pin assembly.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said locking pin assembly is formed of resilient polymer material selected from the group consisting of silicone polymer material and fluorocarbon polymer material.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein said locking pin assembly is disposable.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein said speaker module, said ear mold, and said locking pin assembly constitute a disposable component.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein said speaker module is integrally encapsulated into said ear mold.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said ear mold and said integrally encapsulated speaker module constitute a disposable component.

21. The device of claim 1 wherein said BTE component incorporates at least one user-operable switch.

22. A method for providing a plurality of earpiece auditory device components, a portion of which may be assembled to form an earpiece auditory device tailored to a user, said method comprising:

providing a selected behind-the-ear (BTE) component operable to facilitate the user'"'"'s intended use for the earpiece auditory device may be selected, wherein said BTE component comprises a module including processing circuitry;

providing a selected completely-in-canal (CIC) component, said selected CIC component being shaped to fit into the ear canal of the user, wherein said selected CIC component comprises an ear mold and a speaker, said speaker being encased in a speaker module; and

providing a connector of sufficient length to physically couple said selected BTE component when said selected BTE component is placed behind the ear of the user to said selected CIC component when said CIC component is placed inside the ear canal of the user, wherein said connector of sufficient length includes a proximal end physically and communicatively operable to couple to said BTE component and a distal end physically and communicatively operable to couple to said CIC component, said connector of sufficient length being sufficiently rigid so as to allow said connector of sufficient length to be used to insert and remove said selected CIC component;

wherein said speaker module is detachably physically interconnectable with said ear mold.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said selected connector is operable to detachably couple at said proximal end with said BTE component.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said selected connector is operable to detachably couple at said distal end with said CIC component.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein said speaker module is formed of a hard and rigid polymer material.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein said speaker module is interconnectable with said ear mold through a hollow sleeve, and said hollow sleeve is formed of resilient polymer material selected from the group consisting of urethane polymer and silicone polymer, and said ear mold is slipped over a tubular neck via said hollow sleeve.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein said speaker module is interconnectable with said ear mold through a hollow sleeve, and said hollow sleeve is formed of resilient polymer material selected from the group consisting of urethane polymer and silicone polymer, and said hollow sleeve detachably latches to said speaker module.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said latching comprises the steps of:

inserting said speaker module into an open end of said hollow sleeve;

engaging a flange of said speaker module into a slot defined by a resilient strap formed in said hollow sleeve; and

retaining said flange with said resilient strap.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said detaching of said speaker module from said hollow sleeve comprises the steps of:

deflecting said resilient strap such that said flange is released from said slot; and

when said resilient strap clears said flange, withdrawing said speaker module from said open end of said hollow sleeve.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein said ear mold is a universal fit ear mold.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said universal fit ear mold is formed of a soft polymer material selected from the group consisting of a soft silicone polymer and a soft foam polymer.

32. The method of claim 22 wherein said ear mold is a custom fit ear mold.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said custom fit ear mold is formed using a rapid prototyping technology.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein using said rapid prototyping technology comprises the steps of:

scanning the surface of a user'"'"'s ear canal; and

applying the data obtained from said scanning to substantially replicate the surface contours of said user'"'"'s ear canal in a solid ear mold material.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein using said rapid prototyping technology comprises the steps of:

scanning the surface of a cast impression of a user'"'"'s ear canal; and

applying the data obtained from said scanning to substantially replicate the surface contours of said user'"'"'s ear canal in a solid ear mold material.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein using said rapid prototyping technology comprises the step of casting said custom fit ear mold in a casting shell generated using scan data obtained from said user'"'"'s ear canal.

37. The method of claim 32 wherein said custom fit ear mold is formed of polymer material selected from the group consisting of soft polymer materials, elastomers, and silicone in the 3–

40 durometer range.

38. The method of claim 22 wherein said speaker module is interconnected detachably with said ear mold through a locking pin assembly.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said locking pin assembly is formed of resilient polymer material selected from the group consisting of silicone polymer material and fluorocarbon polymer material.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein said locking pin assembly is fastened using an interference fit.

41. The method of claim 22 wherein said speaker module is integrally encapsulated into said ear mold.

42. An auditory device comprising:

a processing module comprising audio processing circuitry;

an in-the-canal (ITC) component, wherein said ITC component comprises an ear mold and a speaker, said speaker being encased in a speaker module; and

a connector physically and communicatively coupling said processing module component to said ITC component, said connector having a proximal end physically and communicatively coupled to said processing module and a distal end physically and communicatively coupled to said ITC component;

wherein said speaker is interconnected detachably with said ear mold through a locking pin assembly.

43. The device of claim 42 wherein said locking pin assembly is formed of resilient polymer material selected from the group consisting of silicone polymer material and fluorocarbon polymer material.

44. The device of claim 42 wherein said locking pin assembly is fastened using an interference fit.

45. The device of claim 42 wherein said speaker is integrally encapsulated into said ear mold.