Back to results
US 4,905,322 AGranted
Energy-absorbing earcup assembly
AssigneeGentex Corporation
InventorsJackson A. Aileo, Richard J. Long
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeGentex Corporation
InventorsJackson A. Aileo, Richard J. Long
Estimating the term…
An energy-absorbing sound-attenuating earcup comprises a rigid shell of an ABS terpolymer that is about 0.090 inch thick so as to crush upon impact at an applied force less than that required to crush the skull of the wearer. The shell has an inner coating of a sound-deadening rubber material to compensate for the reduced sound-attenuating capability of the thinner-than-normal shell. Spaced flanges defining a peripheral channel for receiving a cord of a helmet suspension are formed as staggered series of tabs rather than as circumferentially continuous members to facilitate crushing of the shell upon impact. Resilient earseals disposed between the shells and the wearer's ears comprise first thicknesses of standard polyurethane foam and second thicknesses of slow-recovery polyurethane foam to provide additional impact absorption while permitting the earseals to conform to the wearer's head in cold weather when the helmet is first put on. The earcup may alternatively be releasably secured to the helmet by means of mating hook and loop fastener strips rather than being secured through the staggered tabs.
A sound attenuating earcup assembly for insulating the ear of a wearer from ambient sound while inhibiting the transmission to the wearer's head through the assembly of shocks of impact from severe bumps or he like which might otherwise injure the head of the wearer including in combination a discrete hollow rigid cup-shaped crushable shell forming a cavity for receiving the wearer's ear, said shell having a periphery, a seal extending around said periphery, means mounting said shell on the wearer's head for movement of said seal into engagement with the wearer's head around his ear and with the wall of the shell spaced from the wearer's ear to form a sound attenuating chamber around the ear, said shell being formed of such a material and of such a thickness as to maintain its rigidity in ordinary use and to collapse upon impact from such severe bumps or the like to dissipate energy at an applied force less than that required to crush the skull of the wearer and a layer of sound-deadening material on the inside of said shell.
An earcup comprising a shell adapted to fit over a wearer's ear and means forming a channel extending circumferentially along the outer surface of said shell, said channel-forming means comprising respective pluralities of circumferentially spaced outwardly extending tabs defining the sides of said channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.