HK1093886B - Hearing protection earplug - Google Patents

Description

Hearing protection earplug

Technical Field

The invention relates to a hearing protection earplug for insertion in an ear canal, which is composed of a soft material, in particular a foam material, and has a chamber which is open towards the outside.

Background

Hearing protection earplugs of this type are known from US 5044463. The known longitudinal chamber (in this earplug) is used to increase the comfort of wearing.

From WO 02/43633 a1 a hearing protection earplug is known, which is provided with a handle of a harder, more dimensionally stable material, wherein a notch for fixing a cord is provided at the end of the handle.

WO 2005/023147 a2 also describes a hearing protection earplug having a body portion made of a soft foam material and a relatively stiff core for assisting insertion. An X-shaped groove provided at the front end serves to remove the harder end of the core to increase the comfort of the wearer.

Disclosure of Invention

To this end, the object of the invention is to improve the known hearing protection earplug as described in the preamble, so that not only can the wearing comfort be additionally improved, but also handling is facilitated, in particular when inserting into and removing from the ear.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that a hearing protection earplug for insertion in an ear canal is provided, which hearing protection earplug is composed of a soft material, in particular a foam material, and has a chamber which is open to the outside, wherein the chamber, viewed in cross section, has a substantially cruciform configuration.

Due to the inventive configuration of the chamber, the flat upper or outer end of the earplug with the harder edge has a higher softness and elasticity, thereby further increasing the wearing comfort compared to a cylindrical longitudinal chamber, as the edge of the earplug according to the invention becomes softer as a whole. The outer contour of the chamber is rounded in cross-section.

Due to the cruciform configuration, the earplug may be optimally compressed upon insertion, thereby facilitating insertion. If removal is desired, the earplug may be grasped and held securely in the chamber area with a fingernail.

Extending from the bottom of the chamber is an additional longitudinal chamber which allows the damping characteristics to be adjusted in a targeted manner, for example in order to be able to hear sound despite the damping of the general sound volume.

Drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail below according to preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a hearing protection earplug of the invention, viewed from above at an angle;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the hearing protection earplug;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the outer end face of the hearing protection earplug; and

fig. 4 shows a cross section along the line a-a in fig. 3.

Detailed Description

The hearing protection earplug 1 shown in the drawings is made of a slowly reconstitutable polyurethane foam and is made by casting.

The hearing protection earplug 1 includes a body portion 2 that tapers inwardly, a rounded inner end 3 and a flat outer end 4.

At the flat outer end 4, a chamber 5 is provided, the basic shape of which is a cross with rounded transitions, as is evident from fig. 3.

The shallower chamber 5 is adjoined by a longitudinal chamber 6 which extends along a longitudinal axis 7 of the main body 2.

The cruciform chamber 5 serves to make the edge region 8 of the end face of the end portion 4 more flexible and thus to increase the comfort of wearing. At the same time, due to the configuration of the chamber 5, the end 4 can be easily compressed when inserting the earplug, thereby facilitating insertion and ensuring a smooth and positive fit in the ear after insertion. The chamber 5 is also useful when removing the hearing protection earplug 1, since it is very advantageous to grip the earplug.

Claims (4)

1. A hearing protection earplug, consisting of a soft material and comprising a body portion (2), a rounded inner end portion (3) and a flat outer end portion (4), wherein,

the body portion (2) tapers conically from an outer end (4) of the hearing protection earplug to an inner end (3) of the hearing protection earplug,

wherein the inner end portion (3) is formed to be inserted into the ear canal first,

the earplug has a chamber (5) at an outer end (4), which chamber opens outwards,

wherein a cross-section through the chamber (5) perpendicular to the axis of the hearing protection earplug has a cruciform configuration.

2. The hearing protection earplug of claim 1, wherein the cruciform configuration has rounded transitions.

3. Hearing protection earplug according to claim 1, characterised in that a longitudinal cavity (6) extends axially inwards from the bottom of the shallower cross-shaped cavity (5).

4. The hearing protection earplug of claim 1, wherein the soft material is a foam material.