Earplug

• US 8,656,927 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Falco, Robert Nicolo, Hamer, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zalukaeva, Tatyana
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAMTU TRAN
• Application Number:
  US13/618,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20130019880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 128/864, 128/866, 181129-130, 181134-135
• US Class Current: 128/864
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 Prior to assembly

Abstract

An earplug is provided and includes a tip for use in forward and lateral sealing, which is formed to define a rearward recessed cavity, and a stem. The stem includes a user graspable elongate portion configured with a stiffness in a first direction that is greater than a stiffness in a second direction, which is transverse to the first direction, and a member, disposed at a forward end of the elongate portion and configured to be insertable into the cavity, the member including a surface to be adhered to an interior facing surface of the cavity and on which a channel is defined to allow for outflow from the cavity, and the member being formed with a shape to complement that of the cavity to axially and circumferentially align the tip and the stem.

Claims

1. An earplug, comprising:

a sound attenuating tip having an oval cross-section and defining a rearward recessed cavity including a pocket; and

a stem, comprising;

a user graspable elongate portion configured with a stiffness in a first direction that is greater than a stiffness in a second direction, which is transverse to the first direction, and

a member, disposed at a forward end of the elongate portion, positioned in the cavity, the member including a protrusion;

wherein the protrusion of the member is positioned in the pocket of the recessed cavity such that the first direction and the second direction are circumferentially aligned.

2. The earplug according to claim 1, wherein the elongate portion comprises opposing sidewalls tapered toward one another and opposing faces extending between the sidewalls, which are arranged substantially in parallel.

3. The earplug according to claim 1, wherein the sidewalls taper toward one another in a forward direction.

4. The earplug according to claim 1, wherein the opposing faces are defined with undercut portions recessed therefrom.

5. The earplug according to claim 1, wherein the elongate portion comprises a bulbous user graspable base section at a rear thereof.