Patent Publication Number: US-2007116318-A1

Title: Hearing protection and communication assembly

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY  
      The present application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/090,443, filed on Mar. 25, 2005, which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 7,133,532 on Nov. 7, 2006, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/339,026, filed on Jan. 9, 2003, which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,531 on Sep. 27, 2005, which is a Continuation-In-Part of application filed on Jan. 10, 2000 and assigned Ser. No. 09/479,965, now abandoned, which claims priority to patent application having Ser. No. 08/965,557 filed Nov. 6, 1997, which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,812 on Jan. 11, 2000, which is Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/709,359, filed Sep. 6, 1996, which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,479 on Feb. 10, 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a hearing protection and communication assembly that includes an effective incorporation of eye protection, hygienic hearing protection, and a means for effective communication in a single, compact assembly that enables a worker in an industrial setting to maintain maximum safety and sanitary conditions while increasing productivity through communicability.  
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
      In many industrial, mining, or construction related applications, employees are generally required to wear various types of protective gear, such as boots, hard hats, or gloves. Still, however, possibly the most important parts of the body to be protected are the eyes and ears of a worker. In particular, most industrial settings are quite loud such that prolonged exposure to the noise can result in permanent hearing loss. Also, because of the risk of small particles or potentially corrosive fluids being emitted from heavy machinery, a worker&#39;s vision can be at great risk if not properly protected. To this end, workers are commonly required to wear some form of eye protection and/or hearing protection. Indeed, the need for eye and hearing protection frequently go hand-in-hand such that workers will often carry some form of safety goggles in addition to some form of ear coverings or plugs.  
      Often, the vision and hearing safety equipment is issued to a worker by the company in the form of a pair of protective glasses and a pair of disposable ear plugs. With regard to the ear plugs, although larger, exterior ear coverings which completely encase the ears are available, small, disposable plugs are highly preferred. In particular, the small ear plugs are less bulky, and therefore more comfortable, and are much more sanitary as each individual has their own plugs which are discarded after use. Further, the small ear plugs are much less expensive than the larger external ear covers. As such, if a company does choose to utilize external ear covers it will usually collect them at the end of a shift, and re-issue them immediately to another worker on the next shift, a practice which is not favorable as perspiration and contaminants from a previous user make the previously used external covers uncomfortable to wear and highly un-hygienic as the contaminants may easily be transferred from one worker to the next. As a result, whether to keep employees happy or to meet health guidelines, a business that chooses to use external ear coverings must often have a set of external ear covers available for every employee, an added expense that further dissuades the use of the external covers.  
      In addition to hearing and vision protection, another important safety consideration at an industrial work sight is communicability. Generally, workers carry a radio, or have some form of communication, such as a computer or a telephone near their work station. Unfortunately, however, workers can become quite isolated in the working environment, as their hearing protection blocks out all exterior noise including the phone or radio. Still, in an emergency it is very important that all of the workers communicate with one another so as to properly alert one another of dangers or shut downs, and so as to be aware of evacuations or other safety related notices.  
      Safety, however, is not the only reason businesses require communicability with their workers. Businesses also desire communicability to increase worker efficiency and productivity. In particular, if a worker is not informed, and/or cannot inform others of line shut downs, supply deliveries, and many other circumstances, a great deal of money can be lost in down time or defective production. For those reasons it is often vital that a worker be in communication with other workers at all times.  
      Presently in the art, businesses address the various safety and communicability considerations by issuing their employees separate radios, protective glasses, and ear plugs. Alternatively, some facilities attempt to use a computer work station monitor to provide worker&#39;s with a visual signal that they are being communicated with. Still, however, communication is a great inconvenience as workers must often remove their hearing protection to properly communicate. Further, even though some external head phone type ear covers, which provide for some communicability, are available, due to the previously described, expense, inconveniences and un-hygienic conditions associated with their use, those types of devices are not favored in the art and businesses must look to any available alternatives.  
      Accordingly, safety glasses, hearing protection, and communication devices are still commonly provided to workers separately, and the worker is called upon to manage all of the separate, and often incompatible devices as well as possible. Unfortunately, users who are able to simultaneously wear two or three separate devises find the combined use of the often incompatible apparatuses very inconvenient, bulky, and awkward for use on a day to day basis. Further, to ensure that a worker does not forget or misplace the often expensive equipment, in many instances some or all of the safety equipment, and especially the more expensive equipment such as the communication equipment and exterior head phone type covers, must be turned in each day and reissued the following morning. This practice frequently results in safety glasses, microphones, transmitters, and ear covers being lost, misplaced, or damaged during storage, as the use of several separate devices does not allow for easy convenient storage in one central location. As such, it is very difficult to keep track of all of the various types of safety equipment and a user still has no assurance that they are using all of their own equipment from day to day, a circumstance that is not only un-sanitary, but also can be quite inconvenient to a user who may have to re-size or otherwise adapt their equipment to their comfort requirements.  
      In the past, others in the arts relating to communication have attempted to provide devices which can transmit audible signals, while dampening exterior noise. These devices, however, tend to be adapted for a single user, do not provide precise communicability in loud industrial environments, and are quite expensive, making them ineffective for an industrial use wherein every worker is protected. For example, the patent to Woods (U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,364) discloses an ear acoustical attenuating device including a spiral type insert portion or a custom molded ear insert. Similarly, the patent to Wilcox, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,491) discloses an ear-mic headset which contains interior earplugs that fit into a user&#39;s ears. Such devices, however, are generally complex, are not suited for a multiple user situation wherein the same device must be shared, and are not cost effective to provide to each individual worker. Also, in the communication field, earphones such as the one provided in the patent to Yoshimi (U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,563) which include an elastic vibration generator/excitor coupled with a sound insulating plug that is structured to propagate the elastic wave therethrough are provided. This device, which has as a primary application the race car industry, does not disclose or suggest efficient, sanitary multi-person use, as the sound transmitting portion, namely the elastic wave propagating plug coupled with the excitor, is to be inserted completely into a user&#39;s ear cavity and is not contained such that all of it may become subject to perspiration or contamination. Indeed, such a device requires secure and precise configuration so as to ensure that the waves are effectively propagated through the plug, and as such does not provide for any disposability. Also, despite the generally loud race car environment, industrial environments can often be much louder with may more varied exterior noises such that a device such as Yoshimi&#39;s can tend to muffle the audio signal and may not provide sufficient clarity to contrast a large variety of exterior noises. Further, none of these communication devices truly address all of the safety needs that could be achieved by providing a single, ergonomically oriented, sanitary multi-user safety device.  
      Similarly, other devices in the past, such as the audio eyeglasses of da Silva (U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,345) and the ear protector of Sygnator (U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,526) have attempted to combine some devices. Unfortunately, however, such devices do not fully address a wearer&#39;s safety needs, do not address the sanitary considerations associated with a multi-user environment, and are not adapted for comfortable use in a multi-user environment as they are not easily adaptable for a precise fit on user&#39;s of different sizes. Specifically, most devices in the art relating to communication devices do not have to be structured around other types of protective equipment and can therefore be secured as part of an over the head mount which can be easily adjusted to a wearer&#39;s size without concern as to the position of the overhead mount so long as it supports the assembly.  
      Accordingly, there is still a need in the specialized art relating to safety equipment for a safety unit which will ensure that worker always has all of the necessary safety devices in a convenient to use array that may be easily and efficiently labeled and re-distributed to assigned employees, thus reducing waste, loss and inconvenience. Further, there is a need for a safety unit which ensures that a user is wearing all of the necessary hearing, vision and communication safety devices and which enables workers in a multi-user/multi-shift environment to effectively and safely share or pass on the safety unit as it is structured to provide quick and precise fitting on user&#39;s of varying sizes, complete safety protection and maximum hygiene from user to user as all reusable portions are concealed from direct contact with a wearer.  
      Moreover, it would be beneficial to provide such a device that provides the wearer with all of the associated benefits, including safety and hygiene, in an attractive appearing device that can be worn by the user in virtually any environment where protection of the eyes, such as from the sun, and protection of the hearing from external noises coupled with the ability to hear a particular desired audio signal clearly, is desirable.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is directed towards an improved, multi-user, hearing protection and communication assembly which combines eye protection, hearing protection, and communicability into one lightweight, fully integrated, self-contained unit. The safety assembly includes primarily a frame assembly that is structured to be supportably disposed on a wearer, such as over a wearer&#39;s ears. Further, a front frame member of the frame assembly includes at least one substantially transparent shatterproof eye panel. The eye panel is structured and disposed to shield the front of wearer&#39;s eyes from flying particulate and/or the sun.  
      Also included with the frame assembly is a receiver assembly. The receiver assembly is preferably mounted to the frame assembly and is structured to receive an audio signal from a remote source. Connected with the receiver assembly, so as to audibly transmit the audio signal received thereby, is a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly includes primarily at least one speaker head, which is structured to be inserted into one of the wearer&#39;s ears such that the audio signal can be clearly heard in a loud environment. The speaker head is flexibly and communicably secured to the speaker assembly, preferably by a generally elongate, flexible speaker connection assembly. As such, the speaker connection assembly variably positions the speaker head relative to the frame assembly in accordance with a location of the wearer&#39;s ears, thereby providing for a precise fit despite a specific position of the wearer&#39;s ear relative to the frame assembly.  
      The safety assembly further includes at least one pair of disposable, protective ear inserts which are structured to be inserted into the wearer&#39;s ears in order to substantially muffle any exterior noise. A first of the protective ear inserts includes a bore or open area defined therein. The bore or open area is configured such that the speaker head is removably inserted, at least partially therein and such that the audio signal is substantially audible to the wearer while the exterior noise is substantially muffled in the loud environment. As such, the ear inserts can easily be removed and replaced to preserve maximum hygiene for a subsequent user. Moreover, the protective ear insert is structured to substantially shield the speaker head from contact with the wearer and from perspiration or other body contaminants of the wearer.  
      The assembly of the present invention further includes a flexible insert connection assembly extending from the frame assembly. The flexible insert connection assembly is structured and disposed to removably secure a second of the protective ear inserts to the frame assembly such that the second protective ear insert is variably positionable relative to the frame assembly. Accordingly, the second protective insert is conveniently and adjustably fitted into the wearer&#39;s ears. Of course, if desired, a second speaker head could be provided and inserted at least partially into the second protective insert so as to provide for effective communication of the audio signal to the user via both ears.  
      It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-user safety assembly which combines eye protection, disposable hearing protection, and communication devices into one lightweight fully integrated self-contained unit.  
      It is a further object of the present invention to provide a safety assembly which can be hygienically utilized by a number of wearers.  
      It is also an object of the present invention to provide a moderate cost, self contained, safety assembly which facilitates and thereby ensures that a worker&#39;s vision and hearing are protected while they are still in safe communication with others.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety assembly which is structured to provide multiple types of protection in an easily adaptable unit that may be effectively worn by different size users without requiring alteration or re-sizing.  
      An object of the present invention is to provide hearing protection with communicability in a non-cumbersome, well fitting unit which also provides complete front and side vision protection.  
      An additional object of the present invention is to provide a unique and comprehensive combination of needed safety equipment into a single, ergonomically arranged assembly.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a comprehensive combination of needed safety equipment such as vision and hearing protection into a single, ergonomically arranged assembly that is structured to enable partial removal of one aspect of safety protection, such as when a wearer wishes to wipe their eyes or brow, without removing other necessary safety features.  
      These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more clear when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective side view of the industrial hearing protection and communication assembly of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a view showing the front of the assembly of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the first ear insert showing the speaker head and sound tube;  
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the second ear insert with the attachment cord;  
       FIG. 5  is an interior view of the second leg of the assembly;  
       FIG. 6  is a cross section illustration of the connector head having a generally increased diameter relative to the cord;  
       FIG. 7  is an isolated view of another embodiment of the protective ear insert including a speaker head therein; and  
       FIG. 8  is an isolated view of a further embodiment of the protective ear insert including a speaker head therein.  
      Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed towards a hearing protection and communication assembly generally indicated as  10 . The safety assembly  10  is structured primarily to be worn on a workers head in a substantially loud industrial type environment wherein particulates or corrosive fluids may inadvertently affect a worker&#39;s eyes and wherein communicability with workers is a vital safety and productivity concern, although it may be worn in a variety of other situations as well. The main types of safety equipment which are ergonomically combined into the single, easy to wear and use, self-contained safety assembly  10  relate to eye protection, hearing protection, and communicability, a comprehensive combination which solves a previously unaddressed, industry wide problem of workers not implementing all of the necessary safety equipment.  
      The safety assembly  10  includes a frame assembly  15  which is to be worn on the wearer&#39;s head. In particular, the frame assembly  15  includes a front frame member  20 , and preferably a first leg  21  and a second leg  22 . The front frame member  20 , which is preferably constructed of durable, lightweight plastic or a similar lightweight generally rigid material, includes at least one, but preferably a pair of eye segments  23  and.  24 . The eye segments  23  and  24  are structured and disposed to fit over each of the wearer&#39;s eyes and are connected with one another by a bridge segment  25 . As with conventional glasses, the bridge segment  25  fits over the wearer&#39;s nose and functions to substantially supportably maintain the front frame member  20  thereon. Also, so as to provide comfort, a nose pad  30  constructed of soft, pliable material such as rubber or latex can be disposed in the bridge segment  25 . Of course, however, it is noted that the above-described description may also be seen to include an open eye segment so as to have a shield like configuration, or a variety of different support means such as straps, clips, helmets and the like, so long as the frame assembly is supported on the wearer and the front frame member is maintained generally in a vicinity of the wearer&#39;s eyes sufficient for the proper disposition of the front eye panel  40 , to be described.  
      Specifically, disposed in the front frame member  20  is at least one transparent, preferably shatterproof front eye panel  40 . The front eye panel is structured and disposed to substantially shield the front of the wearer&#39;s eyes while permitting clear vision therethrough. Further, the eye panel  40  may include two separate panels, each disposed in one of the eye segments  23  and  24  of the front frame member  20  so as to cover/shield a corresponding eye of the wearer. Alternatively, however, the front eye panel  40  may include one continuous segment or shield, and in the preferred embodiment the frame assembly  20  may extend across both eye segments  23  and  24 , thereby functioning to shield the front of both of the wearer&#39;s eyes. Also, for industrial or other applications where bright lights are expected such as those produced by welding torches, the front eye panel  40  may be tinted or polarized. Of course, tinted panels may also be desirable for outdoor use in bright sunlight. Further, an individual worker may wish to replace the front eye panel  40  with prescription safety lenses.  
      Turning to the preferred means of supportably positioning the frame assembly on the wearer, the first and second legs  21  and  22  are structured to extend from opposite sides of the front frame member  20  towards a rear thereof. Further, the legs  21  and  22  are preferably disposed in a generally perpendicular relation to the front frame member  20  so as to extend over the wearer&#39;s ears upon the front frame member  20  being disposed in front of the wearer&#39;s eyes. In the preferred embodiment, each of the legs  21  and  22  have a curved free end and are structured to curve over the wearer&#39;s ears so that the front frame member  20  is effectively retained and positioned in front of the wearer&#39;s eyes during activity by the worker. The first and second legs  21  and  22  may also be formed of a durable, lightweight plastic or in an alternative may be made of a resilient, bendable plastic material with a bendable metal core to allow the user to adjust the contour of the legs  21  and  22  to provide a precise comfortable fit.  
      In additional to the risk of particulate or contaminants entering a wearer&#39;s eyes from the front, many industrial eye injuries involve particles or contaminants entering the wearer&#39;s eyes from a side. Although the front panel or shield may wrap around, in the preferred embodiment, the sides of the wearer&#39;s eyes are shielded by a pair of side eye panels  50 . The side eye panels  50 , which are preferably formed of transparent, shatter proof material so as to provide effective protection without limiting a peripheral vision of the wearer, are preferably secured to the first leg  21  and the second leg  22  of the frame assembly  15 . Further, the side eye panels  50  are preferably gradually tapered back towards the wearer&#39;s ears in order to ensure full protection without impeding a comfortable fit over the wearer&#39;s ears. Although the side eye-panels are preferably permanently secured to the legs  21  and  22 , such as by a pair of screws, is an alternative embodiment the side panels can be structured to “snap-on” so that they may be removed in instances where side eye protection is not needed.  
      In addition to eye protection, the safety assembly  10  of the present invention is also structured to provide effective and properly fitting protection against hearing loss. As such, the safety assembly  10  includes at least one, but preferably a pair of protective ear inserts  61  and  62 . The first and second protective ear inserts  61  and  62  are structured to substantially muffle loud exterior sounds when inserted into the wearer&#39;s ears. Preferably, the first and second ear inserts  61  and  62  are formed of a sound-deadening, compressible, and inexpensive material such as high density urethane foam, although a variety of insert materials may be effectively incorporated. As such, the protective ear inserts  61  and  62  are preferably disposable, thereby maintaining sanitary conditions and ensuring that each individual only inserts their own protective inserts  61  and  62  into their ears. Of course, inserts of varying materials and configurations could also be utilized, such as from solid, pre-molded or formed materials, such as silicone as seen in  FIG. 7 , and/or inserts having separate disposable, protective covers may be employed if desired. Furthermore, the protective inserts can be sized to be inserted merely into the exterior of the ear and/or directly into the ear canal so long as a degree of shielding of exterior sound waves from traveling into the ear canal is achieved.  
      So as to ensure an appropriate protective fit, despite the precise size of the wearer, and to ensure that the protective inserts  61  and  62  are maintained with the safety assembly  10  and readily disposed for use if the wearer temporarily removes it, the protective inserts  61  and  62  are preferably removably secured to the frame assembly  15  by flexible insert connection assemblies  64  and  66 . The flexible insert connection assemblies  64  and  66  are removably secured to each of the protective ear inserts  61  and  62 , in a manner to be described subsequently, so as to permit the protective ear inserts  61  and  62  to be variably positionable relative to the frame assembly  15 , in accordance with the location of the wearer&#39;s ears. Further, the flexible insert connection assemblies  64  and  66 , are preferably generally elongate, thereby facilitating proper manipulation and introduction into the wearer&#39;s ears regardless of the wearer&#39;s head size or ear location. Also, the elongate nature of the flexible insert connection assemblies  64  and  66  permits the frame assembly  15  to be partially removed from a wearers face, such as if a wearer must wipe their eyes or brow, while not removing the protective ear inserts  61  and  62  and subjecting the wearer to loud noises. In the preferred embodiment, the flexible insert connection assemblies  64  and  66  extend from the frame assembly and preferably from the first and second legs  21  and  22 , however they can also be effectively secured to the front frame member  20  if necessary by extending a length of the connection assemblies  64  and  66 .  
      As a supplement to the hearing and vision protection provided by the present invention, the safety assembly  10  of the present invention is also structured to provide substantial inbound and/or inbound/outbound communicability between a wearer and other wearers or a control station, such as a broadcast station. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, the safety assembly  10  further includes a receiver assembly  68 . The receiver assembly  68  is structured to receive an audio signal, preferably from a remote location, and in the preferred embodiment is substantially small and compact so as to be mounted directly to the frame assembly  15 . Also in the preferred embodiment, the receiver assembly  68  is mounted to an inside surface of the second leg  22 , preferably near the front frame member  20 , as that area of the leg  22  is generally spaced from the wearer due to a normal configuration of the frame assembly  15 . Further, because the audio signal is often received within an industrial setting, a generally large antenna is not required as the signals are usually transmitted from close by. Of course, compact antennas to permit receipt of more remotely originating signals could also be achieved.  
      Connected with the receiver assembly  68  is a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly is structured and disposed to audibly communicate the audio signal to the wearer. As such, the speaker assembly includes at least one speaker head  63 . The speaker head  63  is structured to be introduced into a wearer&#39;s ear such that the audio signal is substantially audible and clear to the wearer in the loud industrial environment. The speaker head  63  is flexibly and communicably secured to the speaker assembly by a generally elongate, flexible speaker connection assembly  64 . The speaker connection assembly  64  is structured and disposed to variably position the speaker head  63  relative to the frame assembly  15  in accordance with a location of the wearer&#39;s ears, thereby ensuring that the speaker head  63  is effectively positionable in the wearer&#39;s ear despite the location of the wearer&#39;s ear relative to the receiving assembly. Further, the flexible speaker connection assembly  64  is generally elongate so as to permit the speaker head  63  to be maintained in the wearer&#39;s ears if the frame assembly  15  is partially removed. In a preferred embodiment, the flexible speaker connection assembly includes a generally hollow sound tube. As such, the receiver assembly  68  will preferably include an isolated internal speaker to which the sound tube is connected in order to transmit the sound therethrough to the speaker head  63 , which in this embodiment includes a sound emitting opening. Alternatively, the flexible speaker connection assembly  64  may include an elongate, sound transmitting wire which transmits the audio signal to the speaker head  63  for conversion into audible sound. Of course, a wireless system can also be incorporated.  
      In the safety assembly  10  of the present invention, the flexible insert connection assembly  64  preferably includes the flexible speaker connection assembly  64 , when provided. As such, the first protective ear insert  61  is structured to include an open area or bore  61 ′ disposed therein, and which may extend axially through and/or into the first protective insert  61 . Preferably the bore  61 ′ extends substantially or completely through the protective ear insert  61  and is structured to receive the speaker head  63  snugly, yet removably therein. As such, the protective insert can be said to include a semi-rigid, as in the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , or soft, sound tube or channel through which the sound passes out into the wearer&#39;s ear canal. Furthermore, an end of the open area or bore could be covered by a semi-porous material, as in  FIG. 8 , that permits the audio signal to pass generally un-impeded therethrough to the wearer, thereby shielding the open area from contaminants. Accordingly, once the speaker head  63  is inserted into the protective insert  61 , and the protective insert  61  is inserted into the wearer&#39;s ear, the protective insert  61  substantially shields the speaker head  63  from contact with the wearer and from perspiration or other body contaminants of the wearer, and substantially muffles the exterior noise, while still permitting the audio signal to be heard and understood by the wearer in a clear and precise manner. Specifically, because of the configuration of the present invention, the speaker head  63  extends into the wearer&#39;s ears and is not distorted or muffled in any way by the protective inserts themselves. As such, the audio signal is crisp and focused without disruption from loud and varied exterior noises. For example, an industrial environment often includes a large number of different noises which must be eliminated. These noises, however, are all at different volumes, pitches, rates, etc. and can make it very difficult to hear an audio signal with precision. By directing the audio signal into the wearer&#39;s ears as is achieved by the present invention, and only muffling those exterior noises, a great degree of precision and focus is achieved. Also, such focus can be of particular importance in an industrial environment wherein a wearer is not always expecting to hear an audio signal but rather has their attention spread over a variety of tasks.  
      Similarly, the second protective ear insert  62  includes an open area or bore  62 ′ therein. As such, the protective inserts  61  and  62  can be identically manufactured and are interchangeable with one another. Returning to the flexible insert connection assembly  66 , it will preferably include an elongate chord  66 . The elongate chord  66  is connected at one end thereof to the frame assembly  15 , preferably at the first leg  21 , and at an opposite end to a connector head  65 . Specifically, the connector head  65  is structured to be removably, yet snugly inserted into the bore  62 ′ in the second protective ear insert  62 . As such, both the first and second protective. ear inserts  61  and  62  may be effectively and easily introduced into the ears during use, with minimal risk of loss when removed and with maximum hygiene. Of course, two of the elongate chords  66  and connector heads  65 , or two of the flexible speaker connection assemblies and speaker heads may be provided if necessary for a particular design.  
      Additionally, to allow hands-free communication, the receiver assembly  68  of an alternative embodiment of the present invention may be structured to include a transmitter assembly separately or integrally therewith. Specifically, the transmitter assembly is structured to transmit an outbound audio signal initiated by the wearer to a remote location. As such, in this alternative embodiment a microphone assembly  70  is also included. The microphone assembly  70  of the preferred embodiment is structured to be positionable within the vicinity of the wearer&#39;s mouth by means of an adjustable elongate segment  71 . Preferably the elongate segment  71  extends from the first leg  21  of the main assembly. Further, the elongate segment  71  may be constructed of a bendable, resilient plastic material which contains a light metal core so that the elongate segment  71  is adjustable to comfortably remain in front of the user&#39;s mouth. As such the microphone assembly  70  allows for communication by the user while keeping his hands free to simultaneously work on other tasks. Of course, a variety of different microphone designs can also be incorporated.  
      In yet another embodiment, a heads up display transmitter  80  may be included in addition to or instead of the receiver assembly. The heads up display transmitter is preferably disposed relative to the front frame member  20  (as shown on  FIG. 2 ) so as to provide a visual image, such as on the eye panel  40 , in front of the wearer&#39;s eyes, that appears to be a visible distance away from the wearer. This allows the wearer to view visual images such as machinery gauge readings and safety alerts without having to look away from his immediate task. Such a heads up display is very valuable in industrial applications where a short lapse of attention or a break in concentration may lead to mistakes or accidents.  
      The heads up display transmitter  80 , as well as the receiver/transmitter assembly  68  will preferably receive power from a battery pack  90 . Preferably, the battery pack, which can be rechargeable, is mounted to the second leg  22  in an out of the way location.  
      While this invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be a practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention which should, therefore, not be limited except as set forth in the claims which follow and within the doctrine of equivalents.  
      Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiment of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.  
      Now that the invention has been described,