Sealing retainer for extended wear hearing devices
First Claim
1. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within the ear canal, the seal comprising:
- a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell defining a cavity in an axial direction for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties;
wherein an exterior surface of the shell is smooth and an interior surface of a shell wall has a plurality of scallops formed therein with axially aligned spaces therebetween configured to distribute compressive forces applied to a shell perimeter such that when the shell is positioned in the ear canal, the compressive forces can compress the scallops so that the shell wall conforms to the shape of the ear canal to maintain an acoustical seal between an exterior surface of the shell and the walls of the ear canal, wherein the shell is configured such that a spring force exerted by the shell on the walls of the ear canal does not to exceed a capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An embodiment provides a seal for retaining a hearing device within the ear canal comprising a curved shell having an opening at a shell apex portion. The shell defines a cavity for retention of a device component. An interior surface of a shell wall has a scalloped shape configured to distribute compressive forces applied to the shell perimeter such that when the shell is positioned in the canal, the shell wall conforms to the shape of the canal to maintain an acoustical seal between a shell exterior surface and the canal walls. The scalloped shape can be configured to produce a substantially constant amount of inward deformation of a shell wall independent of a force application point on a shell perimeter. The shell can include a coating to retain the seal in the canal and/or to promote asparagine growth into the coating to fastenly retain the seal in the canal.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within the ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell defining a cavity in an axial direction for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties; wherein an exterior surface of the shell is smooth and an interior surface of a shell wall has a plurality of scallops formed therein with axially aligned spaces therebetween configured to distribute compressive forces applied to a shell perimeter such that when the shell is positioned in the ear canal, the compressive forces can compress the scallops so that the shell wall conforms to the shape of the ear canal to maintain an acoustical seal between an exterior surface of the shell and the walls of the ear canal, wherein the shell is configured such that a spring force exerted by the shell on the walls of the ear canal does not to exceed a capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within a bony portion of an ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell defining a cavity in an axial direction for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties; wherein an exterior surface of the shell is smooth and an interior surface of a shell wall has a plurality of scallops formed therein with axially aligned spaces therebetween configured to distribute compressive forces applied to a shell perimeter such that when the shell is positioned in the ear canal, the compressive forces can compress the scallops so that the shell does not to exert a spring force on a canal wall in excess of a capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer.
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23. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within a bony portion of an ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell defining a cavity in an axial direction for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties;
the shell including a wall having a circumferentially varying thickness, wherein an outer surface of the wall is smooth and an inner portion of the shell has a plurality of scallops formed therein with axially aligned spaces therebetween configured to compress such that an amount of deformation of the shell wall in response to an applied force is substantially independent of a circumferential position of force application on the shell wall, wherein the shell is configured such that a spring force exerted by the shell on the walls of the ear canal does not to exceed a capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer.
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24. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within a bony portion of an ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell having an axis and defining a cavity for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties; the shell including a wall having a smooth exterior surface and an inner portion having a plurality of scallops formed therein with axially aligned spaces therebetween wherein the axially aligned spaces of the scallops have a frequency and a depth configured to minimize circumferentially non uniform deformation of the shell wall in response to an externally applied force, wherein the shell is configured such that a spring force exerted by the shell on the walls of the ear canal does not to exceed a capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer.
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25. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within a bony portion of an ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell having an axis and defining a cavity for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties; the wall having a smooth exterior surface and an inner portion of the shell wall having a convoluted geometry with a plurality of axially aligned spaces configured to be circumferentially compressed upon non uniform deformation of the shell wall in response to an externally applied force, wherein the shell is configured such that a spring force exerted by the shell on the walls of the ear canal does not to exceed a capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer.
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26. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within a bony portion of an ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell defining an cavity for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material having sound attenuating properties; wherein an external portion of the shell has a biocompatible layer having properties configured for in growth of asparagines to a selected depth into the layer to fastenly retain the seal in the ear canal for a period of extended wear. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A seal for retaining an extended wear hearing device within a bony portion of an ear canal, the seal comprising:
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a curved shell having an opening at an apex portion of the shell, the shell defining a cavity for retention of a hearing device component, at least a portion of the shell comprising a resilient material; and a coating disposed over at least a portion of the shell, the coating conferring at least about three decibels of sound attenuation to a shell wall, the coating having sufficient hoop strength to substantially maintain dimensional stability of the seal when the seal is positioned in the ear canal for periods of extended wear. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for wearing a hearing device in the ear canal of a user, the method comprising:
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providing a hearing device having a retaining seal configured to retain the device in the ear canal with a force that does not exceed the capillary venous return pressure of a canal epithelial layer; positioning the hearing device at a location in the ear canal; and wearing the device in the canal on a substantially continuous basis while substantially preserving a structural integrity of an epithelial layer in contact with the seal. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification