In-ear monitors and methods of manufacturing
AssigneeWizard Audio Industries, LLC
InventorsJohn Moulton, Brannan Mason
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An in-ear monitor and a method for manufacturing the in-ear monitor from a block of solid medium made from a combination of wood and acrylic and finished with an acrylic coating. The manufacturing process utilizes computerized numerical control techniques to subtractively manufacture the in-ear monitor from the block of solid medium. Acrylic pieces are embedded into the wood randomly or in a desired pattern so that each block has a unique design pattern. Each in-ear monitor is manufactured from a block of solid medium, will therefore, have a unique design pattern as well.
Claims12
A method for manufacturing a custom in-ear monitor, comprising:
- a. obtaining an ear mold impression of a user;
- b. preparing a reverse cast of the ear mold impression using a silicon gelatin;
- c. pouring an acrylic liquid into the reverse cast;
- d. exposing the acrylic liquid in the reverse cast to UV light to create an acrylic shell;
- e. removing the acrylic shell from the UV light and draining any excess acrylic liquid from the acrylic shell;
- f. sanding the surface of the acrylic shell to create a matte-finished scannable surface and further applying a white powder to the scannable surface of the acrylic shell;
- g. scanning the matte-finished acrylic shell to create a digital image, wherein the digital image has a resolution of 160,000 points of data per square inch, wherein the scanning is performed at a 10 degree tilt and comprises scanning across a plane, rotating the matte-finished acrylic shell approximately 22.5 degrees, re-scanning across the plane, and repeating the rotating and re-scanning step until the matte-finished acrylic shell has been rotated 360 degrees;
- h. modifying the digital image to create a final image having a final image data, wherein modifying the digital image comprises removing images not relevant to the inner ear monitor;
- i. processing the final image to be incorporated into a virtual solid medium, the virtual solid medium mimicking parameters of a real solid medium;
- j. passing data regarding the virtual solid medium to a computerized numerical control machine having four or more axes;
- k. placing the real solid medium on the computerized numerical control machine, wherein the real solid medium comprises wood and acrylic;
- l. configuring the computerized numerical control machine to mill the solid medium according to the final image data to create an earpiece, the earpiece comprising a base and an auditory canal member extending from the base and configured to fit inside an auditory canal of the user;
- m. hollowing out the earpiece to create an earshell defining a cavity;
- n. placing components of the in-ear monitor into the earshell;
- o. sealing the earshell with excess solid medium;
- p. finishing the earshell by applying instant glue to an exposed surface of the earshell to create a glued surface, sanding the glued surface, and applying acrylic to the glued surface to create a finished earshell;
- q. applying lacquer to the finished earshell, whereby the custom in-ear monitor is manufactured.
A method for manufacturing an in-ear monitor earshell, comprising:
- a. preparing a reverse cast of an ear mold impression using a silicon gelatin;
- b. pouring an acrylic liquid into the reverse cast;
- c. exposing the acrylic liquid in the reverse cast to UV light to create an acrylic shell;
- and
- d. removing the acrylic shell from the UV light and draining any excess acrylic liquid from the acrylic shell;
- e. milling a solid medium with a computerized numerical control machine to create an earpiece based on the shape of the acrylic shell, wherein the solid medium comprises wood and acrylic, the earpiece comprising a base, and an auditory canal member extending from the base and configured to fit inside an auditory canal of a user;
- f. hollowing out the earpiece to create an earshell;
- g. finishing the earshell by applying a coating of acrylic to an exposed surface of the earshell, whereby the in-ear monitor earshell is made.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.