AN INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO THE EAR TO ASSIST IN HEARING
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALPHONSUS
WILLIAM WEBSTER, late of Regent Street, but now of New Bond Street, in
the County of Middlesex, Aurist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of March, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alphonsus William Webster, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority that I, the said Alphonsus William Webster, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alphonsus William Webster, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS
TO BE APPLIED TO THE EAR TO ASSIST IN HEARING;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Alphonsus William Webster.
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Maj
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imm
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alphonsus William Webster, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being
had to the Drawing in the margin, that is to say:-
My Invention or apparatus consists in the application of a support to the
back of the ear in order to cause it to stand off from the head, and in the
application of a flexible india-rubber or other tube to be inserted into the
auditory passage of the ear. These two parts of the apparatus may be used
separately or together. In order to construct that part of my apparatus which
is to support the ear, and cause it to project forward to intercept as much of the
vibration of the air as possible, it is desirable to have the support formed as
nearly as can be to the conture of the back of the ear,and in order to accom-
plish this object, I take a cast of plaster of Paris, or other material, and bend
or curve a thin plate of silver or other suitable material to the same figure,
one to each ear, forming the upper part of such support into a bend or hook,
as shewn at a, Figure 1, which, resting on the upper part of the ear, retains
the support in its proper position; and it will be evident by curving the part
of the apparatus more or less which is supported by the hook, the ear may be
caused to stand off from the head to any degree required. I would remark,
that although I prefer that the support at the back of the ear should be as
nearly as possible of the same figure as the back of the ear itself, when the
depressed parts are made to stand out, I would wish it to be understood that
I do not confine myself to the support being so formed, provided the same is
capable of causing the ear to stand more off from the head than it does natu-
rally, in order to the same intercepting more of the sound than when nearer to
the head.
In using this part of the apparatus, the part a is placed on the upper part
of the ear and suspended therefrom; the other part is pressed behind the ear,
which will cause the outer circumference of the ear to be forced outwards, and
thus intercept more of the vibration.
The second part of the apparatus, which may be used conjoined with the
support to the back of the ear, or separately, consists in the application of a
flexible tube in the place of a metal or other rigid tube, such as have hereto-
fore been employed, for insertion into the auditory passage, thereby causing
the vibration to pass with more force to the membrane of the tympanum.
Figure 2 shows one of those tubes, c being a short tube of india-rubber,
which I consider the best material for the purpose; but I do not confine
myself thereto provided the tube is flexible. d is a bell-mouthed cap or end of

page_text: ivory or other material, to which the tube c is affixed by cement or otherwise.
The object of using flexible material for the tube c is that it may readily
accommodate itself to the passage of the ear, and will be found more useful
than those heretofore employed.
Having thus described my Invention, I would have it understood that what
I claim as my Invention, and the apparatus secured by the present Letters
Patent, consists of an external support to the back of the ear, in order to cause
it to project from the head, and thus be suitable for intercepting more of the
vibration; and also the application of a flexible tube into the auditory passage
of the ear, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphonsus William Webster, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the