Earplug

• US 7,793,662 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Carson Elliott
• Original Assignee: James Carson Elliott
• Inventors: Elliott, James Carson
• Primary Examiner(s): Bianco; Patricia M
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAMTU TRAN
• Application Number:
  US11/353,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20060180387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 128/864, 128/866, 128/867, 181/129, 181/130, 181/135
• US Class Current: 128/864
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/15 Determination of the acoustic seal of ear moulds or ear tips of hearing devices

Abstract

An earplug (100) having an adjustable sound deadening rating is disclosed. The earplug (100) includes an ear piece (102) adapted to fit within a user'"'"'s ear canal and a core (104). The core (104) has a predetermined sound deadening rating. The ear piece (102) includes a coupling assembly (106) for removably coupling the core (104) to the ear piece (102) such that the core (104) may be removed from the ear piece (102) and replaced with another core (108) having a different preselected sound deadening rating to adjust a sound deadening rating of the earplug.

Claims

1. An earplug kit comprising:

an ear piece having first and second ends and an open bore extending through the ear piece between the first and second ends;

a first core having first and second ends, a length greater than the distance between the ear piece first and second ends, and a first sound deadening rate; and

a second core having first and second ends, a length greater than the distance between the ear piece first and second ends, and a second sound deadening rate different from the first sound deadening rate;

wherein the first and second cores are each removably coupleable with the ear piece by inserting the first or second core exclusively into the open bore, and wherein the first end of the first or second core when removably coupled with the ear piece is substantially flush with the first end of the ear piece.

2. An earplug kit comprising:

an ear piece adapted to fit in a user'"'"'s ear canal, the ear piece having first and second ends and an open bore extending through the ear piece from the first end to the second end;

a first core having first and second ends and a first sound deadening rating; and

a second core having first and second ends and a second sound deadening rating higher or lower than said first sound deadening rating,

wherein said ear piece includes a coupling assembly and said first and second cores are each adapted to be fitted within the open bore of the ear piece;

wherein fitting one of said first and second cores into the open bore of said ear piece creates an assembled earplug, the assembled earplug having an assembled sound deadening rating; and

wherein the user'"'"'s removing of said first core and replacing it with said second core in the open bore changes the sound deadening rating of the assembled earplug.

3. An earplug kit comprising:

an earplug body having a proximal end and a distal end and an open bore extending through the body from the proximal and to the distal end; and

two or more cores made of materials having different sound deadening capabilities, wherein each of the two or more cores is insertable into the open bore to change the sound deadening capability of the earplug.

4. The earplug of claim 3, wherein the two or more cores have different colors to indicate a different sound deadening capability.

5. The earplug of claim 3, wherein the two or more cores have markings to indicate a different sound deadening capability.