Soft Concha Ring Behind-The-Ear Hearing Aid
AssigneeIntriCon Corporation
InventorsRobert J. Fretz, Vincent Joseph Mako
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hearing aid has hearing aid electronics including the microphone, battery and amplifier in a behind-the-ear housing, with a flexible tube extending from the behind-the-ear housing to a concha-based suspension structure. The concha-based suspension portion is flexible and bears off a tragus contact area, an antitragus contact area and an antihelix contact area. Based on forces generated from these concha bowl contact areas, the tube is suspended in a centered position within the ear canal in an unoccluded fashion making little or no contact with the wall of the ear canal. An annulus of the suspension portion provides an open concha skin surface, which can naturally reflect sound down the generally open ear canal.
Claims20
A hearing aid comprising:
- a behind-the-ear portion including a housing containing hearing aid electronics, the hearing aid electronics at least a microphone and a hearing aid amplifier receiving a signal from the microphone;
- a ring suspension portion having three areas of concha contact, such that the ring suspension portion can be held in place in a user's ear by contact with three main points of concha anatomy, the ring suspension portion having substantial flexibility between the three areas of concha contact;
- a flexible tube leading from the behind-the-ear portion to the ring suspension portion such that a sound outlet port of the hearing aid is positioned at a central location within the user's ear canal, an end of the flexible tube being cantilevered in a suspended position within the user's ear canal with forces from the three areas of concha contact of the ring suspension portion.
A process of forming and assembling a hearing aid, comprising:
- forming a selection of ring suspension portions to be received in a user's ear concha, each ring suspension portion having three areas of concha contact including a tragus contact area, an antitragus contact area and an anti-helix contact area, the selection of ring suspension portions having different sizes;
- assembling electronics including at least a microphone and a hearing aid amplifier into a behind-the-ear shell;
- and
- having a user select a ring suspension portion and assemble a flexible tube from the behind-the-ear shell to the ring suspension portion, such that when the user wears the hearing aid a sound outlet port of the hearing aid is positioned at a central location within the user's ear canal, an end of the flexible tube being cantilevered in a suspended position within the user's ear canal with forces from the three areas of concha contact of the ring suspension portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.