Patent ID: 9313568
Filing Date: 2016-04-12
CPC Classification: B29C,H04L,H04R,H04W

Claim Text:
1. A method comprising: establishing a representation of a shape of an ear concha and an ear canal cavity, including outer and inner canal cavities; removing an inner ear canal portion of the shape and replacing it with a custom earmold having an integrally formed stem and dome member, the stem and dome member dynamically configured to fit into at least a portion of the inner canal cavity by sizing the dome member to have an outer diameter larger than a cross-sectional dimension of the ear canal cavity; establishing a custom earmold by forming a body portion with multiple internal cavities; forming the stem and dome member integral with the body portion, the stem extending from the body portion and having opposing first and second ends, the first end integrally formed to the body portion and the dome member integrally formed around the second end of the stem, the dome member having a substantially mushroom-like shape with a substantially flat top surface and a rounded peripheral side edge extending downward from the top over at least a portion of the stem to define a space between the stem and an underside of the peripheral side edge, the body portion, stem and dome being a single integral unit; forming a hollow interior channel in the stem having a tapered diameter along its length, the interior channel at the second end having a diameter greater than a diameter of the interior channel at the first end; creating a mold for producing the custom earmold, the creation of the mold comprising creating an interior cavity shaped to correspond to that of an exterior of the earmold and integral stem and dome member; establishing an earmold custom cover plate by designing and forming a custom panel shaped to cover the internal cavities of the earmold; selecting attachment locations on the panel for securing the cover plate to the earmold; forming a plurality of locking pins at the attachment locations, the locking pins extending substantially perpendicular from a side of the panel; forming a cavity in the panel, the cavity being adapted such that electrical components can be routed therethrough; and securing the cover plate to the earmold by inserting the locking pins into corresponding recesses in the body of the earmold, the locking pins having a barbed end portion opposite the panel, when the locking pins are inserted into the corresponding recesses in the earmold, the barbed end portions removably snapping the cover plate into place on the earmold.