INDUSTRIAL FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to an ear plug usable for prevention of noise, acoustic instruments such as hearing aids, and so on.[0001]
1. Prior Art[0002]
FIG. 1 shows the prior art ear plug wherein a sponge-[0003]like sleeve member2 is fixed on an exterior of acore member1 in a body. An external enlarged portion la of thecore member1 has ashallow vent3 formed therethrough to loose a pressure difference between an interior of the external auditory canal and the external atmosphere when the ear plug is inserted into the external auditory canal. Thecore member1 is formed as a part of ahearing aid12.
It is required that the ear plug is superior in prevention of noise of high frequency when inserted into the external auditory canal. However, if the degree of prevention of noise is improved at that time, there occurs a pressure difference between the external atmosphere and an inside of the external auditory canal, accompanied by problems such as feeling of oppression with clogging of the ear. The pressure difference can be avoided by manufacturing the[0004]core member1 in a straight form, however, sound generated from thehearing aid12 having an external portion la of thecore member1 is easy to leak outward due to the short length of the vent in thecore member1. This causes so-called howling to remarkably decrease the performance of the ear plug.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONConsequently, an object of the present invention is to lengthen a communicating passage or vent to an effective degree for remarkably decreasing the pressure difference between the inside of the external auditory canal and the external atmosphere as well as preventing leakage of sound causing so-called howling.[0005]
CONSTITUTION OF THE INVENTIONIn order to realize this object, the present invention provides an ear plug to be interted into the external auditory canal, having a compressible sleeve member and a core member attached therein, the improvement in which plural projections or a single projection are formed intermittently or continuously on an exterior of the core member, and vent is formed through or along the projection to make the external auditory canal communicate with the external atmosphere when inserted into the external auditory canal.[0006]
According to the present invention, the projections are formed on the exterior of the core member and the vent is defined through or along the projection to make the external auditory canal communicate with the external atmosphere, so as to lengthen a communicating passage or vent to an effective degree for remarkably decreasing only the pressure difference between an inside of the external auditory canal and the external atmosphere as well as preventing leakage of sound causing so-called howling.[0007]
In the present invention, it is preferable that an innermost vent is formed through an innermost projection of the intermittently formed projections or through an inner end portion of the core member to open into the external auditory canal, other vents are formed through other respective projections, and an outermost vent is formed through an outer end portion of the core member to open into the external atmosphere.[0008]
In this case, the vents are preferably formed at different positions of adjacent projections, and each of the projections can be ring-shaped.[0009]
It is also preferable that a continuous vent or groove is formed along the continuously formed projection to make an outermost vent communicate with the external auditory canal, and an outermost vent is formed through an outer end portion of the core member to open into the external atmosphere.[0010]
In this case, an additional vent is preferably formed through an inner end potion of the core member, and the continuously formed projection can be spiral-shaped.[0011]
It is further preferable that the sleeve member is composed of a sponge like material such as polyurethane and the core member is composed of a flexible material such as polyethylene, so as to be deformed to meet the shape of the external auditory canal, and that a penetrating lumen is formed through an inside of the core member from one end to another end.[0012]
A hearing aid can has the core member in one body.[0013]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the prior art ear plug.[0014]
FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an ear plug of a first embodiment of the present invention.[0015]
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a core member of the ear plug of FIG. 2.[0016]
FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the ear plug with a hearing aid when inerted into the external auditory canal.[0017]
FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an ear plug of a second embodiment of the present invention.[0018]
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a core member of the ear plug of FIG. 5.[0019]
FIG. 7 shows a front view of a core member of an ear plug of a third embodiment of the present invention.[0020]
FIG. 8 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an ear plug with a hearing aid.[0021]
In these drawings,[0022]
[0023]1,21 . . . core member
[0024]2 . . . sleeve member
[0025]3,4,6,7,8,9,11 . . . vent or hole
[0026]5,10 . . . projection
[0027]12 . . . hearing aid
[0028]13 . . . external auditory canal
[0029]14 . . . lumen
[0030]15,25 . . . ear plug
[0031]20 . . . sound amplifier portion
EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTIONPreffered embodiments of the present invention will be now described with reference to attached drawings.[0032]
FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention.[0033]
FIG. 2 shows an improved[0034]ear plug15 of the present invention comprising acore member1 composed of a flexible material such as polyethylene having a penetratinglumen14 formed inside from one end to another end, plural disc-like or ring-shaped projections5 formed intermittently on an exterior of thecore member1, and acompressible sleeve member2 composed of a sponge-like material such as polyurethane. Thesleeve member2 is attached to thecore member1 through an adhesive agent (not shown) adhered particularly between the circumference of theprojections5 and thesleeve member2 so as to maintain respective spaces betweenadjacent projections5.
The[0035]projections5 havevents6 and7 penetrating through each wall portion. Among these vents, aninnermost vent6ais formed through aninnermost projection5aof the projections5 (or another vent4 (see FIG. 5 ) can be formed instead through an inner end portion of the core member1) to open into the external auditory canal,other vents5 are formed through otherrespective projection5, and anoutermost vent3 is formed as a penetrating hole through an enlarged outer end portion1aof thecore member1 to open into the external atmosphere. Thevents6 and7 are formed at different positions (or at an angular interval of 180°) ofadjacent projections5 and thevent7 at the left end communicates with theoutermost vent3.
When the[0036]ear plug15 with ahearing aid12 in one body is inserted into the external auditory canal13 as shown in FIG. 4, thesleeve member2 composed of a sponge-like material is elastically compressed by an inner wall surface of the external auditory canal13 while thecore member1 is flexibly deformed so as to meet the shape of the external auditory canal13.
According to this construction of the[0037]ear plug15, theprojections5 are formed on the exterior of thecore member1 as well as thevents6 and7 are defined through theprojections5 to make the external auditory canal13 communicate with the external atmosphere, so as to lengthen a communicating passage or vent to an effective degree for remarkably decreasing only the pressure difference between an inside of the external auditory canal13 and the external atmosphere as well as preventing leakage of sound causing so-called howling.
The positions of the[0038]vents6 and7 serve to effectively lengthen the communicating passage. These vents can be formed as notchedportions8 and9 at different positions ofrespective projections5, particularly at an angular interval of 180° according to a second embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Theoutermost vent3 can be easily formed when it is groove-shaped instead of the penetrating hole of FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of a core member of an ear plug wherein a continuous vent or[0039]groove11 is formed along a continuously formed spiral-shaped projection10 like a single projection to make theoutermost vent3 communicate with the external auditory canal.
Also in this construction of the ear plug of FIG. 7 having the[0040]core member21 with the spiral-shaped projection10 and thesleeve member2 as already shown in FIG. 2, thecontinuous vent11 extending along theprojection10 serves to make the external auditory canal13 communicate with the external atmosphere so as to lengthen a communicating passage or vent to an effective degree for remarkably decreasing only the pressure difference between the inside of the external auditory canal13 and the external atmosphere as well as preventing leakage of sound causing so-called howling. Besides, the spiral-shaped projection10 can be easily formed on thecore member21 like an external thread.
FIG. 8 shows a[0041]further embodiment25 of an ear plug with ahearing aid12 having thesleeve member2 attached to thecore member21 as shown in FIG. 7.
The above-described[0042]ear plug15 or25 comprises thehearing aid12 having asound amplifier portion20 and asound guide portion1 or21 which functions also as a core member, theplural projections5 or the spiral-shaped projection10 formed on the exterior of thesound guide portion1 or21 wherein thevent6 or11 is defined inrespective projections5 or10 and theoutermost vent3 is defined in the enlargedportion1aor21aof the core member, and thecompressible sleeve member2 adhered to the circumference of theprojection5 or10.
The[0043]ear plug25 can be easily manufactured as well as theear plug15 because the core member is a part of thehearing aid12 and so it is not necessary to attach a separate hearing aid to the core member.
Moreover, the afore-said embodiments shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 can be variously modified, for example, a separate hearing aid can be attached to the[0044]outer end portion1aor21aof thecore member1 or21. If only ear plug is required, thehearing aid12 should be omitted in which the penetratinglumen14 can be closed or can not be formed.