Method and device for acoustic sealing and occlusion effect mitigation
First Claim
1. A system for insertion in an ear canal comprising:
- an expandable device configured for placement within an ear canal to seal and isolate an ear canal volume and the expandable device configured to face a tympanic membrane when placed in an ear having a sidewall which acts as a reflective surface to reflect internal body conducted sounds away from the ear canal volume to reduce sound from coupling to the ear canal volume through the body when the ear canal volume is sealed; and
a medium filling the expandable device placing the expandable device under tensile stress.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a system configured to occlude an ear canal. The system comprises a support structure, an expandable device, a housing, a resilient reservoir, and a threaded device. Resilient reservoir resides within housing and is filled with a medium. The threaded device couples to a threaded region of support structure. Threaded device fits in an opening of housing. Rotating threaded device reduces an interior volume of housing thereby transferring the medium from resilient reservoir to expandable device. Threaded device is rotated to displace sufficient medium within resilient reservoir to expand expandable device to occlude the ear canal. Resilient reservoir is passively filled when expandable device is in an un-expanded state.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system for insertion in an ear canal comprising:
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an expandable device configured for placement within an ear canal to seal and isolate an ear canal volume and the expandable device configured to face a tympanic membrane when placed in an ear having a sidewall which acts as a reflective surface to reflect internal body conducted sounds away from the ear canal volume to reduce sound from coupling to the ear canal volume through the body when the ear canal volume is sealed; and a medium filling the expandable device placing the expandable device under tensile stress. - 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. An earpiece, comprising:
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an expandable device configured for placement within an ear canal to isolate a sealed ear canal volume and the expandable device configured to face a tympanic membrane when placed in an ear having a sidewall which acts as a reflective surface to reflect bone or body conducted sound away from the ear canal volume, the expandable device comprising at least one membrane configured to face the tympanic membrane and configured to mitigate an occlusion effect; and a medium filling the expandable device placing the expandable device under tensile stress and causing ambient sound to reflect from a proximal surface of the expandable device.
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23. An earpiece, comprising:
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a stressed membrane configured for placement within an ear canal to seal and isolate an ear canal volume and causing a reduction of body or bone conducted sound from coupling to the ear canal volume and thereby mitigating an occlusion effect when the ear canal volume is sealed; a medium filling an expandable device formed from the stressed membrane placing stressed membrane under tensile stress, the tensile stress further mitigating the occlusion effect and wherein the expandable device includes a sidewall acting as a reflective surface to reflect bone or body conducted sound away from the ear canal volume.
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Specification