Enhanced band earplug

A noise blocking band earplug has a band (12) with outer portions (44, 46) that are bent to prevent the ear-engaging pods (20, 22) from touching the ground, whether placed right-side-up or upside-down on the ground. When the middle region (32) of the band rests on a horizontal surface (64), a band inner end part (70) extends at an upward incline (C) with its outer end forming a second bend (80) so the outer end part (72) extends at a downward incline (D), with the second bend preventing the pods from touching the ground when the earplug is laid upside-down. At the second bend (80), the largely vertical height (J) of the band is increased and its outer surface (102) is made convex to provide pods for more readily pressing the pods against the outside of the ear canals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
My earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,691 entitled "SOILING RESISTANT BANDED 
EARPLUG" describes a band earplug that avoids soiling of the earplug 
devices, or pods that actually press against the outside of a person's ear 
canals. The patent describes the band outer portions as angled to extend 
at an upward-outward incline when the middle portion of the band rests on 
a horizontal surface. If a worker places the band right-side-up even on a 
dirty surface, the band holds the pods away from the surface so they will 
not be soiled. Such soiling of the pads could lead to dirtying the 
worker's ears, or require a new clean band earplug. 
Workers often lay a band earplug on a dirty surface without taking care to 
make sure that the band is laid right-side-up to protect the pods from 
dirt. It would be desirable if a band earplug were constructed to avoid 
soiling of the pods, no matter what orientation the band earplug was laid 
onto a dirty surface. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a band earplug 
is provided, which avoids soiling when laid right-side-up or upside-down 
on a largely horizontal dirty surface. The band earplug includes a band of 
largely U-shape with a middle region and with opposite end portions, and 
with pods mounted on each band outer end. Each outer end portion has parts 
that are angled to extend at upward and downward inclines from the 
horizontal when the middle portion extends horizontally. As a result, when 
the band earplug is laid right-side-up or upside-down on a horizontal 
surface, the ends of the inclined portions will prevent the pods from 
touching the surface. 
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the 
appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following 
description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates a band earplug 10 which includes a resilient band 12 
designed to extend about halfway around the head of a person P, and which 
has opposite outer ends 14, 16. A pair of pods 20, 22 are each attached to 
a different one of the band outer ends. The resilient band 12 urges the 
pods towards the person's ears, so each pod presses against the entrance 
to a person's ear canal to form a seal therewith which minimizes the 
passage of noise to the person's inner ear. 
Band earplugs of this general type are well known, and are commonly used in 
work places such as factories, where they are reused many times before 
disposal. Workers commonly remove the earplugs for extended periods such 
as during coffee and lunch breaks, when the band earplugs must be stored. 
Such storage is commonly achieved by merely laying the band earplug on an 
easily available surface such as an unused region of a table, which may be 
referred to as a ground surface. Since surfaces in manufacturing plants 
often become dirty from oil, bits of metal that have been ground or 
machined from work pieces, and other soiling material, the pods often 
become soiled. If a workman places a soiled pod against one of his ears, 
the soiling material may harm the worker, or at least feel uncomfortable. 
An alternative is for the worker to request another banded earplug, which 
results in additional expense. 
In my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,691, I describe a band earplug which can 
be laid on a surface but which holds the pod away from the surface to 
avoid soiling it. However, that band earplug requires that the band be 
laid in a right-side-up orientation on the surface. Workers often do not 
pay attention as to which side is down, and may lay the band earplug 
upside-down, causing the pod to become soiled. Also, band earplugs 
sometimes fall from the worker onto a bench, and initially reach the bench 
surface in an uncontrolled orientation. 
In accordance with the present invention, the band earplug 10 is 
constructed so that when laid in almost any orientation on a largely flat 
and horizontal surface, as in the right-side-up orientation of FIG. 3 and 
the upside-down orientation of FIG. 4, the pods such as 22 will not touch 
that surface and become soiled. Also, if the band earplug is placed so it 
leans against an object while its outer end 14, 16 lies against a soiled 
surface, or the band earplug drops so its outer end 14, 16 encounters a 
soiled surface, the pods generally will not be soiled. 
The band 12 of FIG. 2 has a middle region 32 with a middle 34 and opposite 
middle portions 40, 42 on opposite sides of the middle. The earplug also 
has a pair of opposite end portions 44, 46 with outer pod-holding ends 14, 
16 at the outer ends of the band. Each end portion 44, 46 merges with a 
middle portion at a mid-end, or far location 50 which is the outermost 
part (in direction O) of the corresponding middle portion. The band is 
substantially symmetrical about an imaginary horizontal centerline 60 that 
passes through the middle 34 and halfway between the outer ends 14, 16. As 
shown in FIG. 3, the band has a horizontal center plane 62 that extends 
through the horizontal center line 60 and that extends substantially 
horizontal (within 10.degree. and preferably 5.degree. of horizontal) when 
the earplug lies in its right-side-up position shown in FIG. 3 and lies on 
a horizontal surface 64. 
Each of the outer end portions such as 46 has inner and outer end parts 70, 
72 that are positioned with respect to the inward and outward arrows I, O. 
The inner end part 70 is closest to the middle portion 42 and is joined to 
a far location 50 at the inner end 74 of the inner end part 70. The 
locations 50, 74 are joined near a first bend 76 whose lower surface is 
convex and whose upper surface is concave. The bend 76 results in most 70A 
of the inner end part 70 extending at an upward-outward incline at an 
angle C of about 30.degree.. The inner and outer end parts 70, 72 are 
joined at a second bend 80 of about 70.degree. whose upper surface is 
convex and whose lower surface is concave in FIG. 3. Most 72A of the outer 
end part 72 extends at a downward-outward incline at an average angle D of 
about 30.degree. as seen in the side view at FIG. 3. The outer end such as 
16, shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, includes an outer shaft section 82 with a post 
84 at its end, which is fixed to the corresponding pod 20, 22. Each pod 
includes a cylindrical section 90 with a hole that receives the post, and 
a flange section 92 that actually engages the wearer's ear. Both are 
preferably of foam plastic. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the middle region 32 extends along most of the length 
of the band and generally has the greatest weight, so the band earplug 
rests with the band middle region 32 lying almost "flat" against the 
horizontal surface. The first bend 76 results in the outer end portion 46 
extending generally at an upward-outward incline to keep the pod 22 raised 
above the horizontal surface 64. In the event that the band is laid 
upside-down on the horizontal surface 64, as shown in FIG. 4, the second 
bend 80 prevents the pod 22 from touching the surface. The second bend 80 
results in the outer part 72 extending at an upward-outward incline B in 
the upside-down position of the band earplug so the pod 22 is again held 
above the surface 64 and is not soiled even when the earplug is laid 
upside-down on a horizontal surface. 
FIG. 2 shows that the outer shaft sections 82 extend at angles A to the 
lateral direction L so the shaft sections 82 extend inwardly (I) and 
towards the opposite side of the earplug, to position the pods 20, 22 so 
even if the band is laid on a surface so the band outer ends 14, 16 are 
supported on the surface, the pads 22 will not touch that surface. 
The outer end portion 46 of the band has a region 100 of increased largely 
vertical height at the bend 80. As shown in FIG. 7, each region 100 has 
largely flattened and slightly convex laterally distal surface 102 and a 
convex laterally proximal surface 104. The surface 102 is angled about 
45.degree. from the horizontal, which is accomplished by "twisting" the 
band along each end portion. The terms distal and proximal are relative to 
a vertical center plane 106 that extends through the middle of the band. 
The distal surfaces 102 provide pads where the wearer's fingers can rest 
to press the pods against the outsides of his ear canals. It is noted that 
applicant prefers to form the pod flange sections 92 of slow recovery foam 
material. While the band presses the pods towards each other with a force 
of about seven ounces, it requires a few more ounces to seat the pods 
against the outside of the ear canal so they seal well thereat. The wide 
finger-pressed pad surfaces 102 enhance this. 
For the band earplug illustrated, FIG. 8 shows that at the middle 34 the 
band has a height E of 9.3 mm and a width F of 3.8 mm. At the far 
locations 50, FIG. 9 shows that the height G is 7.3 mm and the width F is 
still about 3.8 mm. The average height along the middle region is about 
8.3 mm. FIG. 7 shows that at the bend 80, the band has a largely (but 
inclined) height J of 10.5 mm and a width K of 3.4 mm. FIG. 6 shows that 
along the shaft 82 of FIG. 2, the shaft is largely circular, with a 
diameter of about 9.8 mm. 
Thus, the invention provides a band earplug that resists soiling of the 
pods when the band is laid on a horizontal surface, either right-side-up 
or upside-down. This is accomplished by providing two bends in the outer 
portions of the band to form two inclined end parts, with the inner end 
part extending at an incline in one direction and the outer end part 
extending at an incline in the opposite direction, to provide bends where 
the band holds the pods above the ground surface. At the outermost one of 
the two bends, the band has an increased largely vertical height which is 
preferably flat or concave, to serve as pressing surfaces or pads where a 
person can press against the earplugs to seat them against the outer 
surfaces of his ear canals. 
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and 
illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may 
readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is 
intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and 
equivalents.