Hearing aid apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A HEARING AID HAVING AN INPUT TRANSDUCER RESPONSIVE TO RECEIVED ACOUSTIC ENERGY HAVING FREQUENCY COMPONENTS EXTENDING OVER A GIVEN FREQUENCY RANGE, AND AN OUTPUT TRANSDUCER, MOUNTED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID INPUT TRANSDUCER, FOR DEVELOPING AMPLIFIED ACOUSTIC ENERGY HAVING FREQUENCY COMPONENTS EXTENDING OVER SUBSTANTIALLY SAID SAME GIVEN RANGE, COMPRISING: AN EAR MOLD FOR ACOUSTICALLY SEALED INSERTION IN A HUMAN EAR AND HAVING A SOUND PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING WITH THE AUDITORY CANAL; AN ACOUSTIC CONNECTING DEVICE COUPLED TO SAID OUTPUT TRANSDUCER AND TO SAID EAR MOLD FOR EXTENDING SAID SOUND PASSAGEWAY TO SAID OUTPUT TRANSDUCER; SAID EAR MOLD HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE VENTING SAID SOUND PASSAGEWAY DIRECTLY TO THE OUTSIDE ATMOSPHERE EFFECTIVELY TO ATTENUATE THE RELATIVELY LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENTS OF SAID AMPLIFIED ACOUSTIC ENERGY WITHIN SAID FREQUENCY RANGE, THEREBY TO PERMIT PRIMARILY THE RELATIVELY HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENTS WITHIN SAID RANGE TO REACH THE AUDITORY CANAL; AND A LOW-PASS FILTER ELEMENT INSERT DISPOSED IN SAID APERTURE FOR PERMITTING THE TRANSLATION THROUGH SAID APERTURE OF SAID LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENTS WHILE PREVENTING THE TRANSLATION OF SAID HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENTS THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN ORDER TO PRECLUDE ACOUSTIC FEEDBACK OF SAID HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENTS FROM SAID OUTPUT TO SAID INPUT TRANSDUCER.