Ear cup

• US 8,189,801 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Svenska AB (3M Company)
• Inventors: Heringslack, Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren, David S.
• Application Number:
  US11/912,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71.6, 381/71.7, 381/72
• US Class Current: 381/71.6
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/14 external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs

Abstract

An ear cup which comprises an inner cup portion for the formation of a noise damping space and an outer cup portion for the formation of a space for accommodating electronics, electrical connections and/or a current source. The outer cup portion is fixable on the inner with the aid of a locking member which is insertable in a guide in the outer cup portion. The inner cup portion has a locking recess and the outer cup portion has an aperture. The locking member is placed in the locking recess and the aperture. The locking member has an outer shank and an inner shank. The outer shank is provided with a bulge which engages with a recess in the outer cup portion. The inner shank is provided with a locking portion which engages with the inner cup portion. The locking portion has projections which prevent withdrawal of the inner shank out of the aperture. In association with the projections, recesses are provided which, together with recesses in the outer cup portion, entail that the locking member can “be wriggled” into position in the aperture. The ear cup is designed in order to realise simple and rational assembly of the components included.

Claims

1. An ear cup comprising:

an inner cup portion for forming a noise damping space and

an outer cup portion for forming a space for accommodating electronics,

electric connections and/or a current source mounted on the inner cup portion, the outer cup portion being fixable on the inner, and

a locking device which includes a locking member disposed in a guide in the outer cup portion,

wherein the locking member being movable between a locked position where the outer cup portion is fixed on the inner and an open position where the outer cup portion is removable from the inner;

wherein the locking member and the outer cup portion have mutually cooperating retainer means which retain the locking member on the outer cup portion.

2. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer cup portion covers a whole of an outside of the inner cup portion.

3. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide is disposed to guide the locking member in a displacement movement.

4. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide is disposed on an outside of the outer cup portion.

5. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking member has a locking portion on an inside of the outer cup portion, the locking portion, in the locked position, being located in a locking recess on the inner cup portion.

6. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking device further includes catch means engaging with one another in the locked position, one on an outside of the inner cup portion and one on an inside of the outer cup portion, the catch means being releasable from one another in the open position.

7. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking member is produced from a resilient material, has and includes a bulge which, under action of inherent resilient forces, may be snapped into a recess in the outer cup portion in order to prevent unintentional displacement of the locking member to the open position.

8. The ear cup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retainer means for fixedly retain the locking member on the outer cup portion when in the open position.

9. An ear cup comprising:

an inner cup portion for forming a noise damping space and

an outer cup portion for forming a space for accommodating electronics,

electric connections and/or a current source mounted on the inner cup portion, the outer cup portion being fixable on the inner, and

a locking device which includes a locking member disposed in a guide in the outer cup portion,

wherein the locking member being movable between a locked position where the outer cup portion is fixed on the inner and an open position where the outer cup portion is removable from the inner;

wherein the locking member has an inner shank interiorly in the outer cup portion, and an outer shank on an outside thereof, the locking member extending through an aperture in the outer cup portion, the retainer means including at least one projection which extends laterally out from the inner shank so that a width thereof over the projection is larger than a width of the aperture.

10. The ear cup as claimed in claim 9, wherein the inner shank has a recess in an edge located in register with the projection, the recess being of a depth which is larger than a projecting extent of the projection, whereby the locking member is mountable in and dismountable from the aperture by lateral displacement of the locking member so that the edge of the aperture is located in the recess.

11. The ear cup as claimed in claim 10, wherein the locking member has two opposing projections and two recesses disposed in association therewith.