Year: 1897

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act,
being date of first Foreign Application (in 22nd Oct.. 1895
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 9th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
I, JAMES ALFRED LAKIN, of 91 Court Street in the Town of Westfield, County
of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by
the following statenient :-
This invention relates to vocalizing audiphones and similar devices for amplifying
speech-sounds, which are adapted to be applied directly to the ear of a person for
said purpose, the object being to provide an improved construction and arrangement
of the devices of said instrument whereby articulate speech is rendered distinct
and clear; and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the
sound-receiving and transmitting elements of the device, all as hereinafter fully
described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings forming part of this specification,―
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vocalizing audiphone embodying
my improvements.
Figure 2 is a front end view; and
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1, but illustrating the internal sound
receiving and transmitting elements of the instrument from other points of view to
the illustration thereof of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail part hereinafter described.
Referring to the drawings, A indicates the main case part of the instrument,
which is of circular concave form, and B the ear-tube, extending from said case.
C is the perforated cover of the said part A.
The said parts A, B, and C, are made, preferably, of hard rubber, and said cover
has a border 3, which has a tight spring-like engagement with a similar border on
said case part A, whereby said cover is retained thereon. A dome-shaped element D
is secured rigidly by its apex to the interior of the cover C, preferably by a rivet 4.
Said element D, I term the "vocalizing-chamber dome," and it is preferably of
thin sheet metal of a dense or hard nature, whereby a resonant quality is imparted
thereto.
The herein-described audiphone may consist simply of said case parts A, B,
and C and said dome D, whereby good vocal effects are produced, or may comprise
another element, below described, whereby said effects are intensified. A receiving-
chamber E, for reflected sounds is provided within a hollow sound-receiver E², of
conical form. Said receiver is also preferably made of thin sheet metal of a dense
and resonant quality, and has its larger end secured to the inner surface of said
dome D, and its opposite or smaller end extending toward and preferably slightly

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within the end of the ear-tube B, where it joins said case part A. Said receiver E
while secured to said dome, as aforesaid, has in practice its border adjoining said
dome standing away about ne-sixteenth of an inch, more or less, from said dome,
as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and is supported in such position of separation by two
narrow projections or posts 5, 5, extending between said receiver and dome and
secured by their extremities to the latter by soldering, or other suitable means,
whereby said receiver is maintained permanently in said separated position, as
shown.
The above described audiphone construction and the arrangement of the parts of
the same are found to amplify sounds to a great degree, which are received through
the perforated cover C. The space inclosed by the case part A, and the cover C,
is the vocalizing chamber, and D is the said vocalizing dome, and within said
conical element E2, is said sound-reflecting chamber E. Thus within said case, as
described, are provided said dome D and sound-receiver E2, interconnected and
both supported in said case by a single connection 4, with the said cover C, and
thereby said parts D and E², are free for most advantageous resonant action induced
by sound-waves passing through said cover thereagainst. Said resonant action is
due to the movement of sound-waves substantially in the directions indicated by the
several arrows shown in Figure 3. That is to say, the sounds passing through the
said cover C, are received mainly against the outer side of said dome D and against
the concave surface of the said bowl-shaped part of the case A, from whence sound-
waves are reflected upwardly into said dome and from there back into said
receiving-chamber E, and thence into the ear-tube B. Certain of said sound-waves
received in said case A, may pass by the dome D, into said ear-tube, as indicated
by certain of said arrows, amplified more or less by the action of said dome; but
the sharpest and most distinct tones are produced by their passage between the
inner wall of the dome and the receiver E2 and thence through the receiving-
chamber E.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A vocalizing audiphone comprising a hollow case having an ear-tube extending
from one side and a perforated cover applied to the opposite side thereof, combined
with a dome of resonant material secured by its apex to the inner side of said cover,
and a hollow cone-shaped sound-receiver connected by one end to the inner surface
of said dome, but mainly separated therefrom, substantially as set forth.
2. A vocalizing audiphone comprising a hollow case having an ear-tube
extending from one side and a perforated cover applied to the opposite sidé thereof,
combined with a dome of resonant material attached by its apex, only, to the inner
side of said cover, whereby the body thereof is free for resonant action, and a
hollow cone-shaped sound-receiver of resonant material connected by one end to
the inner surface of said dome, but mainly separated therefrom, substantially as set
forth.
3. A vocalizing audiphone comprising a hollow case having an ear-tube extending
from one side and a perforated cover applied to the opposite side thereof, combined
with a dome of resonant material secured by its apex to the inner side of said cover,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of January 1897
JAMES ALFRED LAKIN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.