US 5,455,994 AGranted

Method of manufacturing an in-the-ear hearing aid

AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation

InventorsPetrus J. J. Termeer, Rudi A. M. Claes

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Abstract

In a method of manufacturing an in-the-ear hearing aid an auxiliary element, whose cross-section is larger than that of an auditory canal, is introduced into the auditory canal. As a result, the auditory canal is expanded. Subsequently, a hollow vent tube is inserted into the auditory canal, after which the auditory canal is filled with a viscous material. After the viscous material has solidified the mold is removed from the auditory canal. The vent tube insures that air is admitted to a space behind the mold. The mold thus formed has a cross-section larger than the cross-section of the auditory canal. Subsequently, a housing for the hearing aid is made, the mold being used as a template. Consequently, the heating aid will fit tightly in the auditory canal, which improves the wearing convenience. The auxiliary element used in this method has a cylindrical wall formed with a plurality of apertures to allow the passage of the viscous material to spaces between the auxiliary element and the wall of the auditory canal. The auxiliary element further comprises a sleeve for guiding the vent hose.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing an in-the-ear hearing aid to be worn in an auditory canal of a user and in proximity to a tympanic membrane, wherein the hearing aid comprises a first part which, when the hearing aid is present in an auditory canal, is situated near the tympanic membrane in a first part of the auditory canal, which first part of the auditory canal has a substantially non-deformable wall, and wherein the hearing aid comprises a second part which, when the hearing aid is present in the auditory canal, is situated near an auricle in a second part of the auditory canal, which second part of the auditory canal has an elastic wall, said method comprising:

as a first step, making a mold of the auditory canal, then making a housing for the hearing aid using the mold as a template, and subsequently mounting components in the housing, the first step further comprising, filling the auditory canal with a viscous material in order to make the mold of the auditory canal, removing the mold from the auditory canal after solidification of said material, wherein, before the viscous material is introduced into the auditory canal, introducing an auxiliary element into the second part of the auditory canal so as to fit tightly therein, and wherein, when the auxiliary element is present in the second part of the auditory canal at the location of a cross-section of the auditory canal, the auxiliary element, taken perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the auditory canal, has at least one cross-sectional dimension thereof which is larger than a corresponding cross-sectional dimension of the second part of the auditory canal in the absence of the auxiliary element in the auditory canal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.