US3968334A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Audiometric method and apparatus for testing the effectiveness of hearing protective devices
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-10-10
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Granted: 1976-07-06
•
Expires: 1994-10-10
Abstract
Abstract A novel method and apparatus is disclosed for audiometrically testing the effectiveness and fitting of insert-type hearing protective devices whereby each ear is enclosed in a separate and portable audiometric enclosure having a telephonic earphone arrangement, the interior of each enclosure being freely spaced from the respective pinna of the ear to avoid any physical contact therebetween that may otherwise distort the ear canal supporting the protective device to be tested. Predetermined audiometric signals may be transmitted to each ear separately, both with and without the protective device, to obtain the difference of hearing thresholds and thereby determine separately, if needed, the fitting of each protective device, and its "real ear attenuation".
Inventors
- 👤 Miguel Padilla
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 04:52
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/12; A61F; A61F11/00; A61F11/06; A61F11/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
An audiometric method for testing the effectiveness of insert-type hearing protective devices in a user's ear canals comprising the steps of: enclosing each ear with a separate portable acoustical enclosure; positioning the enclosure so that each ear pinna is freely spaced from the respective enclosure to avoid distortion of the ear canals by physical contact therewith, attaching and sealing the enclosures to the user's head to provide a free field condition for each ear without the need to restrict movement of the head, applying predeterimed audiometric signals to each of said ears within the enclosures in two conditions, namely with the protective devices removed and with the protective devices present, ascertaining the user's hearing threshold levels in both conditions to determine the relative noise attenuation of the protective devices.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
An audiometric method for testing the effectiveness of insert-type hearing protective devices in a user's ear canals comprising the steps of: enclosing each ear with a separate portable acoustical enclosure; positioning the enclosure so that each ear pinna is freely spaced from the respective enclosure to avoid distortion of the ear canals by physical contact therewith, attaching and sealing the enclosures to the user's head to provide a free field condition for each ear without the need to restrict movement of the head, applying predeterimed audiometric signals to each of said ears within the enclosures in two conditions, namely with the protective devices removed and with the protective devices present, ascertaining the user's hearing threshold levels in both conditions to determine the relative noise attenuation of the protective devices.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The audiometric method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined signals are of a pure tone.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The audiometric method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined signals are of a "pink" noise tone.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The audiometric method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined signals are of a narrowband sound.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The audiometric method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined signals are introduced to each ear separately.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
148 words
A headset for testing audiometrically the effectiveness of insert-type hearing protective devices in a user's ear canals comprising: a pair of ear enclosures, one for each ear; each enclosure comprising an outer shell; resilient means disposed about the periphery of each enclosure for sealably engaging the head of the user around the respective ear; a telephonic earphone centrally mounted in each enclosure; each of said outer shells having an annular space between the earphone and the resilient means provided with sound-absorbing acoustical material; each of said enclosures including earphone, resilient means and acoustical material all being spaced from the pinna of the ear to avoid physical distortion of the ear canals and to provide a free space volume of no less than 300 cubic centimeters; and means for connecting each of said earphones to a suitable sound source to enable each ear to be tested separately or together.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
148 words
A headset for testing audiometrically the effectiveness of insert-type hearing protective devices in a user's ear canals comprising: a pair of ear enclosures, one for each ear; each enclosure comprising an outer shell; resilient means disposed about the periphery of each enclosure for sealably engaging the head of the user around the respective ear; a telephonic earphone centrally mounted in each enclosure; each of said outer shells having an annular space between the earphone and the resilient means provided with sound-absorbing acoustical material; each of said enclosures including earphone, resilient means and acoustical material all being spaced from the pinna of the ear to avoid physical distortion of the ear canals and to provide a free space volume of no less than 300 cubic centimeters; and means for connecting each of said earphones to a suitable sound source to enable each ear to be tested separately or together.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-07-06 | 1980-01-05 | 1980-07-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-07-06 | 1984-01-05 | 1984-07-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-07-06 | 1988-01-05 | 1988-07-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |