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US 5,488,961 AGranted
Hydrophobic ear plugs
OwnerDaniel O. Adamsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Ear plugs for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and other water related activities form a watertight seal within an individual's outer ear canals. The ear plugs have a lumen extending along the ear canal. A hydrophobic membrane extending across the lumen, which admits air into or out of the ear canal but blocks water, seals the ear against water but transmits air. This passage of air equalizes pressure across the plug, improves hearing with the ear plug in place, and prevents water contaminants, such as harmful infectious agents and pollutants, from entering the ear canal.
Claims13
An ear plug comprising:
- a) a body having a proximal end and a distal end, being sized and shaped to sealingly fit within an ear canal with the proximal end at the outer end of the ear canal and the distal end within the ear canal at the opposite end therefrom, said body further having a lumen extending from the proximal end to the distal end such as to extend within and through the ear canal when the body is mounted therein;
- and
- b) means for preventing the transmission of water and permitting the transmission of air, said means being attached to said body within, extending across and sealing said lumen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.