FI87729C - OERONPROPPAR - Google Patents

Description

χ 87729

This invention relates generally to earplugs, and more particularly to a resilient multi-flange earplug construction that can be used as a hearing protector.

In the United States, there is one of the better known earplugs of the type discussed in this invention called the "V-51 R", the design details of which are set forth in 10 DT Blackstock and HE Von Gierke's report "Development of an Extra Small and Extra Large Size for the V-51 R Earplug, April 1956, Aero Medical Laboratory, Wright Air Development Center, Air Research and Development Command, United States Air Force, WADC Tech-15 nical Report 56-142 This earplug was developed during World War II to protect the hearing of soldiers exposed to shocking sounds, such as for cannon fire or explosions, or operate in very loud work environments such as airports or aircraft maintenance sites 20. The V-51 R earplug is made of a resilient elastomer, such as neoprene rubber, and includes a single rearwardly bent flange extending from the tip of the tubular rubber arm. from the tip of the horny rubber arm and is separate from the arm, • 25 so that a free annular space is formed between them.

In use, the earplug is pressed into the ear canal, whereby the rearwardly extending flange compresses at least partially into the free annular space below it and converts said flange into an acoustic seal with respect to the delimiting walls of the ear canal 30.

U.S. Patent 2,427,664 to J. Y. Dundar and J. S. Knight, issued September 23, 1947, and J. S. Knight, issued September 13, 1974.

: * U.S. Patent 2,717,596, issued in 1955, discloses earplugs similar to the aforementioned Blackstock and 35 other report. Figures 2 and 3237729 of U.S. Patent 2,427,664 further illustrate an earplug comprising four disc-shaped flanges that increase in diameter and extend substantially perpendicular to the support arm. As best seen in Figure 3, all four flanges are shown to be inserted into the ear canal, the boundary walls of which bend the flanges somewhat backwards.

Unfortunately, there are often many downsides to the earplugs disclosed in the aforementioned publications, and of the other ones known to this applicant. First, a particular significant user population often experiences discomfort when using such plugs properly. This discomfort is generally perceived as excessive pressure on the ear canals, which can even grow into pain. The average user responds to such discomfort by pulling the annoying earplug out of the ear canal to such an extent that the perceived excess pressure is relieved, and in most cases the acoustic barrier between the plug and the ear canal disappears or weakens, so that the earplug's intended hearing protection function is lost or at least impaired. This is a particularly dangerous defect because the person in question may look suitably hearing-protected from the outside, but in fact he may be completely unprotected. Secondly, due to the well-known anatomical variation in the size and shape of the ear canals in the general population, including frequent variations in the ear canals of individual users and natural variations in the size of individual ear canals, flanged earplugs usually have to be made in different sizes 30 and carefully adapted by trained personnel. to achieve adequate hearing protection. For example, the aforementioned V-51 R plug is currently manufactured in five different sizes that, according to Blackstock and others in the aforementioned report, fit properly for 80-85 percent of male-35 users. It is obvious that the need to manufacture 3 87729 several sizes greatly increases the cost of earplugs and complicates their manufacture. However, according to the present invention, there is provided a multi-flange earplug which can be made in one size and which still fits comfortably for the majority of the population and provides effective hearing protection.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a new and unprecedented multi-flange earplug.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel multi-flange earplug construction which is comfortable to hold properly and which provides an adequate acoustic closure of the ear canals.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel multi-flange earplug construction that can be made in a single size and that fits the earplug properly and comfortably to about 89 percent of the entire adult user population.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel multi-flange earplug construction in which flanges can be easily manipulated to expose normally used portions of the earplug, for example for cleaning.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part apparent, and in part will become apparent,.

The invention thus relates to an earplug of resilient polymer comprising a stem portion having a tip end, a flange array comprising at least three stem portions integrally connected to each other along at least a portion of a hollow, transversely extending flange extending transversely along the length of the stem portion. and which increase in diameter so that the smallest diameter flange is fitted to said tip end, characterized in that each flange is generally hemispherical in shape and comprises a thin skirt having a thickness of about 0.20 to 1.27 mm, 4 87729 substantially constant and formed of a resilient polymer having a shore A hardness of about 10 to 90, the diameter of each portion below each skirt of the shank being such that an annular free space is formed between the inner surface of the skirt and the shank.

The drawing forming part of this description is a schematic longitudinal section of an earplug according to the invention comprising its various preferred embodiments.

Referring to the drawing, the earplug of the invention comprises, generally speaking, a stem portion 1 and a string of at least three rearwardly spaced and spaced apart flanges 10, 20 and 30, each of which is generally circular in cross-section. Each flange of the row preferably extends backwards convexly curved from the point where they are attached to the arm part 1 and is preferably generally hemispherical in shape. By "generally hemispherical" is meant that the flange constitutes at least 45% and at most 55% of the hollow spherical body 20 cut at the tendon, the outer surface of which is substantially at the same distance from its only geometric center. The earplug of the invention can be made by any method of polymer molding, for example by injection molding. to seizures. Essential to achieving the advantages of the invention is the choice of the resilient polymer used to make the beads 12, 22 and 32 of the flanges 10, 20 and 30 at least. The shore A hardness of said material (by the grain method ASTM 2240-81) should be about 10-90, preferably about 30-60. The arm part 1 can, of course, be made of the same. 30 type of resilient polymer, such as flange skirts 12, 22 and 32, or, if desired, may be made of an elastic material having a slightly shore-A hardness - greater, for example up to 100. In one aspect of the invention. In that embodiment, the material of the shank portion 1 has a shore A hardness of about 50-70. However, in another preferred embodiment, it is preferred to use a single polymer for the entire construction to facilitate fabrication.

It will be appreciated that there are many resilient polymers which can be used effectively in the manufacture of the earplugs of the invention. For example, natural rubber, neoprene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, silicone rubber, EPDM rubber, polybutadiene rubber, polyurethane elastomers, ethylene vinyl acetate elastomers, elastomers which are generally available as can be suitably combined (for example by plasticizing them internally and / or externally) so as to obtain the desired hardness. Particularly popular polymers are thermoplastic silicone rubber blends, exemplified by a group of thermoplastic injection moldable elastomers sold under the trademark C-FLEX Concent Polymer Technologies, Inc., 20 Cearwater, Florida. These silicone rubber compounds are available in a remarkably wide range of shore hardness, can be thermoformed into complex shapes by any conventional thermoplastic molding process, and the products made from them can be generally sterilized and cleaned without deterioration. Another popular material for making the earplugs of the invention is a thermoplastic styrene-butadiene rubber block copolymer, such as sel-; by Shell Chemical Company Synthetic Rubber «·

Division, NY, NY sells under the trademark KRATON.

• 30 The first flange 10 extends outwards and backwards from the tip 3 of the arm part 1, thus forming a uniformly thick * · skirt 12 separated along its entire length from the arm part 1. The second flange 20 extends outwards and backwards from the first intermediate point along the length 1 of the arm part 1. thereby forming a uniformly thick skirt 22 spaced 6 87729 apart along its entire length from the stem portion 1 therein. Similarly, a third flange 30 extends outwardly and backward from the second intermediate portion of the stem portion 1, thereby forming a uniformly thick skirt 32 separated along its entire length from that portion of the stem 1, which is under the hem. As can be seen from the drawing, the root portions 16, 26 and 36 of the flange beads 12, 22 and 32, i.e. the joints of the inner surfaces of said beads to the arm portion 1, are preferably shaped so as to minimize the radius between them to allow thickening of the material. and the resulting stiffening would be kept to a minimum at said points. In addition to this design feature of the construction ensuring the maximum flexibility of the beads 12, 22 and 32 at these root points, the beads can be turned upside down "over the center" as desired, allowing each skirt to be easily manipulated to turn from the backward position forward position. Turned forward, the inner surfaces of said beads and the parts of the shaft 1 normally below said beads are exposed so that the user can easily inspect and / or clean the normally invisible areas of the earplug.

It can also be seen that the diameters of the hollow flanges 10, 20 25 and 30 increase in series and that in the preferred embodiment of the invention said flanges are spaced along the length of the arm part 1 such that a single straight construction line L can be drawn in the finished earplug. 30 with all flanges in the queue. In this preferred embodiment, said diameters and distances are selected such that the angular half Θ formed between said construction line L and the forward continuous centerline CL of the arm part 1 is 10 to 16 °, preferably about 12 to 14 °. When Py-35 is used, these measurement criteria ensure that the majority of the 7,872,729 user population can effectively use the earplug made according to them. For example, if the angle half Θ is 13 °, the flanges are generally hemispherical, and the radius of the first flange 10 is about 4.19 mm, it has been found that the earplug of the invention can provide up to 98% effective acoustic closure for all adult users, including women. It is also preferred that the distances between the flanges 10, 20, 30 along the arm part 1 are such that the trailing edges of the flanges 12 10 and 22 of the flanges 10 and 20 are at least flush with or to some extent over the leading edge of the next flange.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many of the functional advantages of this invention are due, at least in part, to the ability to resiliently deform the flanges of the structure in use to the extent required by relatively small and substantially linear forces applied or reflected to the ear canal walls. Therefore, a complex interaction between the specific geometries and elements of the earplug construction prevails, involving the hardness (ies) of the elastic polymer (s) used in the construction. Accordingly, it is not only important that the shore-A hardness of the construction material used in each skirt 12, 22, 32 is about 10-90, but it is also important that the thickness of each of said skirts 12, 22 and 32 Although no absolute design rule can be given in this respect, the softer the thickness of the skirt 12, 22 30 and 32, the softer the construction material may be. If the construction materials are preferred to be in the thickness range, it is about 0.20 to 1.27 mm. , using shore hardnesses of about 30 to 60, it was found that the advantages of the invention are generally remarkably apparent when the thickness of each skirt 12, 22 and 32 is 0.30 to 0.76 mm. 87729 The correct balance between the thickness 12, 22 and 32 and the shore-A hardness of the resilient construction polymer can be readily determined empirically In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it has been found that each skirt has a nominal thickness of about 0.50 mm and For them, a resilient construction polymeric material having a shore A hardness of about 40 results in an earplug construction that has an excellent overall combination of effective acoustic barrier and is comfortable to hold.

As previously mentioned, the diameter of the part of the shaft part below the beads 12, 22, 32 of the flanges 10, 20 and 30 is selected, respectively, so that there is a free space 11, 21 or 31 under the beads into which the skirt can bend when the earplug inserted into the ear canal. The nominal dimensions of each of said free spaces 11, 21 and 31 are not particularly critical, provided, of course, that each of them is sufficient to perform the above-mentioned function. However, it is generally desirable that the transverse dimension of each of said annular free spaces be obtained by subtracting the diameter of the underlying shank portion from the inner diameter of the free end of the skirt and dividing the difference by two, or at least twice the thickness of its particular skirt 12, 22 or 32. By "annular free space" is meant that the annular space 11, 21 or 31 does not contain any elements or material that could tend to es-. to restrict or restrict the movement of the associated hem to the free space.

Bearing in mind what has been said above, it is within the scope of the invention to form the arm part 1 so as to have a single uniform diameter. In doing so, however, V .: it is clear that due consideration of the annular free space under each flange skirt usually dictates that the uniform diameter chosen for stem 1 is based on 35 the smallest skirt, i.e. the skirt 12 of the cam flange 10 9 87729, annular free space. Therefore, unless the considered constant diameter stem portion is made of a relatively rigid resilient polymer, such as one having a shore-A hardness greater than about 5,50, it may be noted that the resulting earplug construction may be somewhat slack along the stem portion 1. and that said arm portion does not sufficiently support the second and third flanges 20 and 30 to be easily inserted into the ear canal by handling the arm portion 10 alone. Therefore, for these reasons, it is generally preferred that the diameter of the arm part 1, especially if it is made of a material with a shore-A hardness of less than 50, increase backwards from one flange to another in order to progressively stiffen said flange-supporting member.

15 It is often desirable to use pairs of earplugs tied together with a flexible band. The function of such a connected earplug construction may be to prevent the earplugs from being accidentally dropped and lost. This may be important, for example, if the earplug has to be used in an environment where food is processed industrially or in an environment where a dropped earplug is likely to become dirty so that it becomes unusable or completely lost. In order to provide such an interconnected earplug construction, the free end 40 of the arm part 1 can be provided with an axial channel. or an opening 41 sized to accommodate a piece of flexible strip (not shown). Said '* strip may be attached to the channel or opening 41 by any suitable means, such as a solution or heat weld 30 or a suitable adhesive or by using a strip having an end diameter somewhat larger than the diameter of the receiving channel or aperture 41, whereby the resilient polymer surrounding said channel or aperture 41 resiliently adheres to the ends of the strip in a secure manner.More general details of interconnected earplug constructions can be found and U.S. Patent D-241,881 to others, U.S. Patent 4,193,396 to Wacker, U.S. Patent 4,219,018 to Draper, Jr., and U.S. Patent D-245,202 to Asker.

In addition, although the earplugs of the present invention may, as indicated above, be used as separate earplugs, they may also be used as plugs in a hearing protection device comprising a generally U-shaped headband to which the plugs are attached to the free ends. point inward. In this embodiment, the earplugs of the invention are inserted into the ear canals of the user and are continuously pushed inwardly by the flexible headband. In general, more details of these types of hearing protectors can be obtained from Gardner,

Jr. et al., U.S. Patent 4,461,290 and Metal Box Company, Ltd, GB Patent 1,355,052.

Using the above design principles, for illustrative, non-limiting purposes, a thermoplastic silicone rubber (C-FLEX elastomer) having a shore-A hardness of about 40 was molded into a plurality of three-flange earplugs that substantially corresponded to the drawing herein. With reference to the drawing is shown. . . 25 The following are the dimensions of the earplugs thus prepared.

The total length of the arm part is 30.05 mm

The diameter of the shank end 40 is 5.15 mm

Diameter of shank part under hem 32 5.15 mm 30 Diameter of shank part under hem 22 4.78 mm Diameter of shank part under hem 12 3.40 mm Radius of hemispherical flange 10 4.19 mm

The radius of the hemispherical flange 20 is 5.15 mm

The radius of the hemispherical flange 30 is 6.48 mm 35 il 87729

The axial length of the hemispherical flange 10 is 4.42 mm

Axial length of the hemispherical flange 20 5.23 mm 5 Axial length of the hemispherical flange 30 6.65 mm

The thickness of each skirt 12, 22, 32 is 0.48 mm

Length from tip 3 to tip 24 9.78 mm

Length from tip to tip 34 16.48 mm 10 Annular space 11 2.16 mm

Annular space 21 2.28 mm

Annular space 31 3.43 mm

Corner half θ 13 °

The earplugs were tested according to the test method ANSI 15 S3.19-1974 using ten subjects. In the first series of tests (hereinafter referred to as the "Maximum Comfort Test"), subjects were instructed to insert the earplugs into their ear canals only until the user's best comfort was experienced. In the second series of tests (after this 20 "Maximum damping test"), a trained technician individually fitted the earplugs to the subjects in the ear canals to the point where the greatest acoustic closure was achieved. The NRF value of 22 was obtained in the maximum comfort test, while the NRR value of 25 was obtained in the maximum damping test. During the maxima -... 25 comfort test, subjects were asked to rate the relative comfort of the fitted earplugs on the following scale.

HEARING PROTECTION EQUIPMENT COMFORT SCALE 30 ___ r--

Very Can't Painful Comfortable Nice to say Uncomfortable linen 01 234567 8 9 10 35 ___-___ »· 12 87729

The average comfort rating of the earplugs of the invention given by the subjects was about 3.

For comparison, a similar set of experiments was performed on the same group of subjects using commercially available prior art earplugs. The noise attenuation value of the maximum comfort test was only 16. The noise attenuation value of the maximum attenuation test was about 23. During the maximum comfort test, the average grade given to these commercial earplugs by the subjects was about 4.

10 A second maximum comfort test was performed on the same group of subjects using yet another commercially available prior art multi-flange earplug. The noise reduction value obtained by the earplugs was about 13 and the average comfort rating was about 6.

Since many embodiments, modifications, and variations of the present invention can be made in accordance with the foregoing teachings without departing from the spirit of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above within the scope of the appended claims. 1 ♦ * ♦ ·

Claims (17)

An earplug of resilient polymer comprising a stem portion (1) having a tip end (3), a flange of flanges 5 comprising at least three hollow, rearwardly extending flanges spaced apart along at least a portion of the length of the stem portion (10,20). , 30) which are substantially circular in cross-section and which increase in diameter 10 in series so that the smallest diameter flange (10) is fitted to said tip end (3), characterized in that each flange (10, 20, 30) is generally hemispherical in shape. and comprises a thin skirt (12,22,32) having a substantially constant thickness, about 0.20 to 1.27 mm, and formed of a resilient polymer having a shore A hardness of about 10 to 90, a stem portion ( 1) the diameter of each part below each skirt (12, 22, 32) being such that an annular free space (11,21,31) is formed between the inner surface of the skirt and the shaft part. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the distances and diameters of the flanges (10,20,30) are such that a straight construction line (L) can be drawn which is at least in point contact with each flange (10,20, 30) 25 and that the construction line (L) intersects the arm part (1): the forward extended center line (C ^) to form a relatively small gold half between them. An earplug according to claim 2, characterized in that said corner half is. 30 about 10-16 °. An earplug according to claim 2, characterized in that said corner half is. , about 12-14 °. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the shore-A hardness of the construction material of each flange: T: (10,20,30) of said string is about 30-60. 14 87729 An earplug according to claim 5, characterized in that the flange (12, 22, 32) of each flange (10, 20, 30) has a thickness of about 0.30 to 0.76 mm. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the shore-A hardness of the construction material of each skirt (12, 22, 32) is about 40 and that the thickness of the skirt is about 0.50 mm. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that each diameter of the stem portion (1) below each skirt (12, 22, 32) increases backwards from one flange to another. Earplug according to Claim 8, characterized in that the shore A hardness of the resilient polymeric construction material of the arm part (1) is less than 50. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the shore A hardness of the resilient polymeric construction material of the stem portion (1) is about 50-70. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimension across each annular free space (11, 21, 31) is at least twice the thickness of the associated skirt (12, 22, 32). An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the stem portion (1) extends far enough backwards from the last flange (30) to form a handle (42) by means of which the earplug can be handled. An earplug according to claim 12, characterized in that the free end of the stem part (1) comprises an axially oriented channel (41) of a size suitable to receive the end of a flexible strip which acts as a fastening strip for the stem part. 13 87729 An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the radius between the inner surface of the skirt (12, 22, 32) 35 of each flange (10, 20, 30) of said string in the joint (16, 26, 36) is as small as possible. - • · · »· · is 87729 ni, so that the thickness of the material in the joint is as small as possible and that the skirt can be turned forward, thus exposing the inner surface of the skirt (12,22,32) and the part below it from the arm part (1). Earplug according to Claim 1, characterized in that it is made of thermoplastic silicone rubber. An earplug according to claim 1, characterized in that the distances between the generally hemispherical flanges (10, 20, 30) along the stem portion (1) are such that each flange (10, 20, 30) of each skirt (12, 22,32) the trailing edge (14,24,34) is at least flush with the leading edge of the flange following it. Earplug according to Claim 1, characterized in that the distances between the generally hemispherical flanges (10, 20, 30) along the arm part (1) are such that each flange (12, 22, 32) of each flange (10, 20, 30) ) the trailing edge (14,24,34) to some extent overlaps the leading edge of the flange following it. 16 87729 1. Öronpropp av elastisk polymer omfattande en skaftdel (1), med en spetsdel (3), en flänsrad, som omfat-5 tar ätminstone tre account skaftdelen enhetligt anslutande ätskilt frän varandra utmed ätminstone en del av skftdel-ens längd anordn ihäliga, bakät sig sträckande flänsar (10,20,30), vilka account sitt tvärsnitt är väsentligen Runda och vilka till sin diameter växer i serie sä att den account 10 diametern minsta flansen (10) är anordnad vid nämnda spetsdel (3), kännetecknad därav, att var och en fläns (10,20,30) uppvisar en generellt missfärisk form oc omfattar en tunn skört (12,22,32), arm tjocklek, un-gefär 0,20 - 1,27 mm, är väsentligen constant and light 15 are utilized by an elastic polymer having a shore A-shape of 10-90, a color diameter of the color of the color (1) under the color of the color (12,22,32) This is the case when it comes to the image and the image of the ring format (11,21,31). 2. A propellant according to claim 1, which comprises a flange (10, 20, 30) of a variety of diameters and diameters in which the construction line (L) is connected to a point contact with a flange (10, 20,30) i nämnda rad och att construct-25 tionslinjen (L) skär skaftdelens (1) framät förlängda mittlinje (CT) fördning av en relativt liten vinkel-: halva mellan dem. 3. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 2, k ä n n e -; t e c k n a d därav, att nämnda vinkelhalva är ungefär. · 30 10-16 °. • * 4. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 2, känne tecknad därav, att nämnda vinkelhalv är ungefär 12-. . 14 °. '*' · 5. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 1, kännne - '35 tecknad därav, att construction materials host var och en fläns (10,20,30) i nämnda rad har en shore-A-härd- ". Het av ungefär 30-60.17 87729 6. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 5, känne-t ecknad därav, att skörten (12,22,32) hos var och en fläns (10,20,30) har en tjocklek av ungefär 0,30-0 , 76 mm 5 7. gyonpropp enligt patentkravet 1, känne- tecknad därav, att construction materials host var och en skört (12,22,32) har en shore-A-härdhet av unfefär 40 och att skörten har en tjocklek av ungefär 0 , 50 mm 8. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 1, känne-10 tecknad därav, att var och en en diameter hos skft- delen (1) under var och en skört (12,22,32) Växer bakät fr & n en fläns account en annan. 9. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 8, känne-tecknad därav, att skaftdelens (1) elastic poly- 15 construction material with shore A-shape under 50. 10. öronpropp enligt patentkravet 1, k ä n n e -tecknad därav, att skaftdelens (1) elastic poly-mercury construction material with a shore A-weight of 50-70. 20 11. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 1, känne- tecknad därav, att mättet genom vart and et ring-format fritt utrymme (11,21, 31) is not used as a long-term jet-leak in the first instance (12,22,32) . 12. The propeller according to claim 1, känne-25 tecknad därav, att skaftdelen (1) sträcker sig tillräckligt längt bakät frän den sista flänsen (30) för att bilda ett handtag (42) Raed hjälp av vilket öronproppen kan maneuver. 13. Öronpropp enligt patentkravet 12, reversible. 30 a second step is shown, (1) on the other side of the axle of the rigid channel (41) up to a large number of strokes of the upper channel (41). '· / 14. öronpropp enligt patentkravet 1, känne- 35 tecknad därav, att radien hos en anlutlutning 18 87729 (16,26,36) mellan innerytan av skörten (12,22,32) hos var och en fläns (10,20 , 30) and in this case the material is used as a material and in the case of a material which can be used, the color of which is 5 (11,21,31) interspersed and under the conditions of the blank (1) blotted. 15. Oronpropp enligt patentkravet 1, kän n e -t e c k n a därav, att den är utförd i thermoplastic silicone rubber. 10 16. A proprietary propeller according to the invention, the reverse of which is provided by means of a number (1) of generic low-cost form flanges (10, 20, 30) and having a shelf (14,24,34) which can be used (12,22,32) hos var och en fläns (10,20,30) är 15 ätminstone vid samma nivä i förhällande till en framkant hos en därpä följande fläns. 17. A propellant according to claim 1, which can be used as a guide (1) in addition to the generally low-cost form of the flange 20 (10,20,30) and which can be used (14,24,34) to vary skört (12,22,32) hos var och en fläns (10,20,30) i nä-gon män placerar sig över en framkant pä en därpä följande fläns. • · 4 · *