Earpiece sealing system

• US 8,657,064 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Staab, Wayne, Keady, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): LUKS, JEREMY AUSTIN
• Application Number:
  US12/140,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20090214072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 181/129, 181/130, 181/135, 381/322, 381/328
• US Class Current: 181/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/659 Post-processing of hybrid ear moulds for customisation, e.g. in-situ curing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/13 Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24008 including fastener for attaching to external surface

Abstract

Earphone devices with a sealing section for acoustically sealing the meatus of a human ear are provided. An earphone device includes an inner ear canal speaker and an inner ear canal microphone, each connected to a logic circuit which can include a digital signal processor (DSP). A sealant element is operatively attached to an outer section of the earphone and acoustically seals the meatus of a human ear canal.

Claims

1. An earpiece device comprising:

an inner microphone;

an outer microphone;

an inner speaker, wherein the inner microphone, the outer microphone, and the inner speaker are operatively connected via a support structure; and

a sealant element, wherein the sealant element includes at least an expandable first section and a second section, the expandable first section coupled to an element that actively fills the first section with a fluid, to expand the expandable first section, the first section including a first material, and the second section including a second material different from the first material, the first section and the second section being coupled via a conduit, the first section and the second section arranged to be at different depths of an ear canal when inserted into the ear canal, the second section extending farther into the ear canal than the first section,

wherein the first section of the sealant element has a length such that the first section is configured to be inserted into a cartilaginous region of the ear canal, without extending into a bony region of the ear canal, such that at least the first section of the sealant element seals the cartilaginous region, the first material providing a different acoustic isolation than the second material,

wherein the first section is configured to be expanded via the element from a first diameter to a second diameter greater than the first diameter to seal the ear canal, each of first section and the second section being configured to press against an ear canal wall of the ear canal such that the first section applies a first pressure at the second diameter and the second section applies a second pressure, the second pressure being less than the first pressure, and

wherein the second section has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the ear canal and is configured to be compressed upon insertion into the ear canal, to seal the ear canal.

2. The earpiece device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid includes at least one of a liquid and a gel.

3. The earpiece device according to claim 1, wherein the second section includes a probe tip having a flexible material, wherein when the probe tip is removed from the ear canal the probe tip removes a material from the ear canal.

4. The earpiece device according to claim 1, wherein the sealant element is spiral in shape, wherein when the earpiece device is inserted into the ear canal the earpiece device is corkscrewed in, and where the sealant element varies in at least one material property along a longitudinal axis of the earpiece device.

5. The earpiece device according to claim 1, wherein the second material has an equal or lower durometer than the first material.

6. A sealant element comprising:

an expandable first section including a first material, the expandable first section coupled to an element that actively fills the first section with a fluid, to expand the expandable first section; and

a second section including a second material different from the first material, the first section and the second section being coupled via a conduit, the first section and the second section arranged to be at different depths of an ear canal when inserted into the ear canal, the second section extending farther into the ear canal than the first section,

wherein the first section of the sealant element has a length such that the first section is configured to be inserted into a cartilaginous region of the ear canal, without extending into a bony region of the ear canal, such that at least the first section of the sealant element seals the cartilaginous region, the first material providing a different acoustic isolation than the second material,

wherein the first section is configured to be expanded via the element from a first diameter to a second diameter greater than the first diameter to seal the ear canal, each of the first section and the second section being configured to press against an ear canal wall of the ear canal such that the first section applies a first pressure at the second diameter and the second section applies a second pressure, the second pressure being less than the first pressure, and

wherein the second section has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the ear canal and is configured to be compressed upon insertion into the ear canal, to seal the ear canal.

7. The sealant element according to claim 6, wherein the ear canal is irregularly shaped.

8. The sealant element according to claim 6, wherein the fluid is at least one of a liquid or a gas.

9. The sealant element according to claim 6, wherein the first section firms up the cartilaginous region, reducing an occlusion effect.

10. The sealant element according to claim 6, wherein the second material has an equal or lower durometer than the first material.

11. The sealant element according to claim 6, wherein the second section is detachably coupled to the conduit.

12. An inflatable sealant element comprising:

an inflatable first section coupled to an element that actively fills the first section with a fluid, to inflate the inflatable first section; and

a second section, where the first section and the second section are coupled via a conduit, the first section and the second section arranged to be at different depths of an ear canal when inserted into the ear canal, the second section extending farther into the ear canal than the first section,

wherein the first section of the inflatable sealant element has a length such that the first section is configured to be inserted into a cartilaginous region of the ear canal, without extending into a bony region of the ear canal, such that at least the first section seals the cartilaginous region, where the first section is configured to increase from a first diameter to a second diameter greater than the first diameter, responsive to being at least partially filled with the fluid via the element, to seal the ear canal, where the first section is designed to absorb acoustic energy when at least partially filled with the fluid, and

wherein the second section has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the ear canal and is configured to be compressed upon insertion into the ear canal, to seal the ear canal.

13. The sealant element according to claim 12, wherein the ear canal is irregularly shaped.

14. The sealant element according to claim 12, wherein the first section reduces the occlusion effect when inserted into the ear canal and is at least partially filled with the fluid.

15. The sealant element according to claim 14, wherein the fluid is at least one of a gas or a liquid.

16. The sealant element according to claim 15, wherein the first section is inflated to different pressure values to provide different sound isolation values.

17. The sealant element according to claim 12, wherein the first section is pressurized to a gauge pressure between 0.1 bar and 0.3 bar.

18. The sealant element according to claim 12, wherein the second section is detachably coupled to the conduit.

19. A method of mitigating an occlusion effect in a sealing system comprising:

inserting an expandable first section and a second section of the sealing system into an ear canal such that the expandable first section and the second section are at different depths of the ear canal when inserted into the ear canal, the second section extending farther into the ear canal than the expandable first section, the expandable first section and the second section being coupled via a conduit, where the expandable first section has a length such that the expandable first section is configured to be inserted into a cartilaginous region of the ear canal, without extending into a bony region of the ear canal, the second section having a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the ear canal;

compressing the second section of the sealing system upon insertion into the ear canal, to seal the ear canal; and

actively filling the expandable first section with a fluid via an element coupled to the expandable first section, to expand the expandable first section from a first diameter to a second diameter greater than the first diameter—

, the element configured to expand the expandable first section to a pressure greater than or equal to a sealing pressure such that at least the expandable first section seals the cartilaginous region, where, at the sealing pressure there is at least a 5 dB drop in acoustic energy between a first side of the expandable first section to a second side of the expandable first section.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the expandable first section provides a sound isolation value greater than 5 dB from the first side to the second side.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the sound isolation value is varied by varying the pressure of the expandable first section.