Custom elastomeric earmold with secondary material infusion
AssigneeGN Hearing A/S
InventorsRussell L. Schreiner, Gustavo A. Morales
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making a mold, the mold having an interior cavity for containing a first material and a second material, wherein the mold comprises a first port configured to receive the first material, a second port configured to receive the second material, and a first channel for directing the second material to within the first material, the method includes: determining an electronic file having data representing a shape of an ear; processing the electronic file to create an electronic model of the mold, the electronic model of the mold having sprue features; and creating the mold based on the electronic model of the mold.
Claims34
An apparatus for forming a component for a hearing device, the component comprising an earpiece having a wall made from a first material and a second material, the apparatus comprising:
- a mold having an interior cavity for containing the first material and the second material;
- wherein the mold comprises a first port configured to receive the first material;
- wherein the mold comprises a second port configured to receive the second material, and a first channel for directing the second material to displace some of the first material while the first material is in uncured form;
- wherein the mold is configured to form the wall that surrounds and defines an earpiece channel, the wall having a first layer and a second layer opposite from the first layer, wherein the mold is configured to form the first and second layers using at least some of the first material, wherein the wall further has a core layer disposed between the first layer and the second layer, the core layer formed by at least some of the second material, and wherein the wall that has the first layer, the core layer, and the second layer surrounds and defines the earpiece channel.
An apparatus for forming a first component for a first hearing device, the first component comprising an earpiece having a wall made from a first material and a second material, the apparatus comprising:
- a mold having a first interior cavity for containing the first material and the second material, wherein the mold comprises a first port configured to receive the first material;
- wherein the mold is configured to couple to a first source of the first material;
- wherein the mold is configured to couple to a second source of the second material, wherein the mold is configured to receive the second material to displace some of the first material while the first material is in uncured form;
- and
- wherein the mold is configured to form the wall that surrounds and defines an earpiece channel, the wall having a first layer and a second layer opposite from the first layer, wherein the mold is configured to form the first and second layers using at least some of the first material, wherein the wall further has a core layer disposed between the first layer and the second layer, the core layer formed by at least some of the second material, and wherein the wall that has the first layer, the core layer, and the second layer surrounds and defines the earpiece channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.