Patent Publication Number: US-2015059775-A1

Title: Earplug

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an earplug, and particularly to an earplug for noise reduction. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An earplug is used to protect human&#39;s ear from loud noise, it can block external sounds which may enter the internal acoustic meatus. Although the earplugs may have many different appearances, all the earplugs are made with the soft filler and modeled to a shape to stuff into the ear canal easily. When the user using the earplugs, the user can squeeze the earplug slightly and insert the earplug into the ear canal. Thus, the earplugs are produced by the soft filler which has the characteristics in good elastic and good plasticity to insert into the ear canal tightly. 
     However, when the user inserts the earplug into the ear canal, the earplug may changes the comfortable environment of the ear because of the ear canal has been block completely. It may induce the tinnitus to the user, and let the user feel uncomfortable. Moreover, if the user inserted the earplug into the ear canal, the user may worry about that he/she can not perceive the emergencies immediately, because the earplug blocks external sounds completely, and let the user have no peace of mind to sleep. It may affect the quality of sleeping to the user. 
     SOME EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The object of this invention is to prevent the tinnitus of a user and let the user still can perceive if something is happening around himself/herself when the user is using an earplug. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, an earplug comprises an earplug body and at least one tube. The earplug body is made from a soft moldable material, and has a first end and a second end. The tube is placed inside the earplug body surrounded by the soft moldable material, and having a very small diameter, each tube has a first opening and a second opening, wherein the first opening is placed to a surface of the first end of the earplug body and the second opening is placed to a surface of the second end of the earplug body. The tube is configured for communicating outside air to maintain the balance of the air pressure 
     Accordingly, through the tube which is placed in the earplug body, the present invention can prevent the tinnitus of the user by the external air to balance the air pressure in the ear canal. Furthermore, although the earplug of the present invention blocked most of the external sounds which may enter the ear canal, the earplug of the present invention still allows a thimbleful of the external sounds enter the ear canal through the tube, thus, the user does not need to worry about he/she may lost contact with the outside, so the user may feel more relieved when he/she is sleeping. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a structure view of an earplug; and 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the earplug. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The embodiments of the structure and/or methods are disclosed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the disclosure. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. 
     The embodiments of the present disclosure are able to apply in an earplug which is used to be inserted in the ear canal to protect the user&#39;s ears from loud noises. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 1  is a structure view of an earplug and  FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the earplug. The earplug comprises an earplug body  1  and at least one tube  2 . The earplug body  1  is made from a soft moldable material (ex: a Silicone or a Silicone Putty), and the earplug body  1  has a first end  10  and a second end  12 , wherein the first end  10  is a portion of the earplug body  1  which may be inserted to an ear canal, and the second end  12  is the rest of the earplug body  1  which is exposed to the outside of the ear canal when the user using the earplug. 
     The tube  2  has a very small diameter in a range from 0.03 centimeter (cm) to 0.15 centimeter (cm), and is placed inside the earplug body  1  surrounded by the soft moldable material. The tube  2  has a first opening  20  and a second opening  22 , wherein the first opening  20  is placed to a surface of the first end  10  and the second opening  22  is placed to a surface of the second end  12 , so the tube  2  can extend from the first end  10  to the second end  12 , and let the first end  10  connected to the second end  12 . Therefore, when the user using the earplug of the present invention, the earplug may allows a thimbleful of the external air passes through the earplug body  1  by the tube  2  to enter the ear canal. 
     Further, the cross sectional view of the tube  2  is in a circle, an oval, a triangle, a rectangle, or a rhombic shape, and the two openings  20 ,  22  of the tube  2  are selectively formed at the surface of the earplug body  1 . In other words, the first opening  20  of the tube  2  may aligned with the surface of the first end  10  of the earplug body  1  and the second opening  22  of the tube  2  may aligned with the surface of the second end  12  of the earplug body  1 . 
     In another embodiment, the tube  2  is protruded outwardly from the earplug body  1  which makes either one of the two openings  20 ,  22  outside of the earplug body  1  or both. In other words, the first opening  20  of the tube  2  may protruded outwardly from the first end  10  of the earplug body  1  and the second opening  22  of the tube  2  may protruded outwardly from the second end  12  of the earplug body  1 , or the first opening  20  of the tube  2  is protruded outwardly from the first end  10  of the earplug body  1  but the second opening  22  of the tube  2  is aligned with the surface of the second end  12  of the earplug body  1 , or the first opening  20  of the tube  2  is aligned with the surface of the first end  10  of the earplug body  1  but the second opening  22  of the tube  2  is protruded outwardly from the second end  12  of the earplug body  1 . 
     Furthermore, the first opening  20  of the tube  2  and/or the second opening  22  of the tube  2  are/is formed in a trumpet-shaped. As the result, the diameter of the first opening  20  is bigger than the diameter of the second opening  22 , or the diameter of the first opening  20  is smaller than the diameter of the second opening  22 , or the diameter of the first opening  20  is equal to the diameter of the second opening  22 . 
     Therefore, through the tube  2  which is placed in the earplug body  1 , the earplug of the present invention can prevent the tinnitus of the user by the external air to balance the air pressure in the ear canal. Furthermore, although the earplug of the present invention blocks most of the external sounds (i.e., external environment sound or noise) which may enter the ear canal, the earplug of the present invention still allows a thimbleful of the external sounds enter the ear canal through the tube  2 , thus, the user do not need to worry about he/she may lost contact with the outside, so the user may feel more relieved when he/she is sleeping.