In-the-ear hearing aid

Claim 1

AN IN-THE-EAR HEARING AID COMPRISING: (A) A HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE FITTED INTO THE EAR OF THE USER, SAID HOUSING CONTAINING A MICROPHONE AND AMPLIFIER CONNECTED IN OPERABLE RELATIONSHIP; (B) A SORT RESILENT ELONGATED HOLLOW BOOT HAVING A FIRST APERTURE AT ONE END THEREOF AND A SECOND APERTURE AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF, SAID OPPOSITE END OF THE BOOT BEING TAPERED AND TERMINATING IN AN EXTERNAL LIP; (C) AN ELONGATED RECEIVER MEMBER CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AN ACOUSTIC OUTPUT FROM ONE END THEREOF, SAID RECEIVER BEING MOUNTED INSIDE OF SAID HOLLOW RESILIENT BOOT SO THAT THE ACOUSTIC OUTPUT END OF SAID RECEIVER IS ADJACENT THE FIRST APERTURE OF SAID BOOT, THE BOOT AND RECEIVER ADAPTED FOR INSERTION IN THE EAR CANAL OF THE USER WITH THE FIRST APERTURE ADJACENT THE EARDRUM OF THE USER; (D) A THIRD APERTURE THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID HOUSING, THE DIAMETER OF SAID THIRD APERTURE BEING LESS THAN THE NORMAL DIAMETER OF THE EXTERIOR LIP OF SAID BOOT, SAID OTHER END OF THE BOOT BEING POSITIONED THROUGH SAID THIRD APERTURE AND HELD THEREIN BY SAID EXTERIOR LIP; (E) A LOCKING MEMBER COMPRISING A KNOB PORTION SEPARATED FROM ONE FACE OF A PLATE BY MEANS OF A SHAFT PORTION, THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF THE KNOB PORTION BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMTER OF SAID THIRD APERTURE BUT GREATER THAN THE NORMAL DIAMETER OF SAID SECOND APERTURE, THE DIAMETER OF SAID SHAFT PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID SECOND APERTURE, AND THE DIAMETER OF SAID PLATE BEING LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID THIRD APERTURE, SAID LOCKING MEMBER HAVING A FOURTH APERTURE EXTENDING THROUGH THE PLATE AND SHAFT AND KNOB PORTIONS THEREOF, THE KNOB PORTION OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER BEING FORCED THROUGH THE SECOND APERTURE OF SAID BOOT TO LOCK THE OTHER END OF THE BOOT IN SAID THIRD APERTURE; (F) AND CONDUCTOR MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FOURTH APERTURE AND CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID AMPLIFIER TO SAID RECEIVER.