IMPROVEMENTS IN HEARING TRUMPETS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ARCHIBALD YOUNG, of 61 Forrest Road, in the city and county of Edinburgh,
Surgical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HEARING TRUMPETS," to be as follows :-
:-
My invention has reference to a new or improved construction of hearing or ear
trumpet, for assisting the hearing of people who are so deaf that they require the
assistence of such instruments, and which for elderly ladies and other people will
be much more convenient and be quite as effective if not considerably more so than `
those heretofore in use.
:
The nature and novelty of my invention consist in forming a duplex or twin
instrument, having one large trumpet for being placed on the top of the head, and
for this purpose made in the form of an arch or invert crescent to lie comfortably
to the shape of the head, with its open-mouth looking forward over the forehead,
and diverging at the back into two small trumpets leading down at each side of
the head and above each ear, where the contracted end of each trumpet is jointed
to a small straight tube, having an outer sliding and swivelling tube on it, with
the lateral ear nipple fitted on its lower end, whereby the tubes can be lengthened
to the position of the ears, and the nipples turned to enter the ears; all so that
when this duplex trumpet is placed on the top of the head, the two wide ends of
the small trumpet parts converging into the large open crescent-shaped trumpet
forms a dividing angled or inclined feather directing the sound into the two
branches or trumpets through their tubes to each ear. This instrument might be
made of light sheet metal or of vulcanite or other material, with ivory or other
nipples to enter the ears, and they might be ornamented on the outside or covered
with silk or other notting or ornamental fabric.
A bow of light wire or other equivalent may be attached to the central part of
the trumpet and bent down to the shape of the head through or over which the
whole or a portion of a lady's hair might be passed in dressing it, which would
hold the instrument firmly in position. Other equivalent means might be used to
enter and secure the instrument to gentlemen's hair or to the ears. The instrument
might be covered over and nearly hid under ladies' caps or bonnets, not being larger
than many of the borders and flowers inserted under these by way of embellishment,
or the instrument might be obscured under the wigs of barristers and other
gentlemen requiring to use it, or under skull-caps, and other caps, hats, or head-
dresses of gentlemen.

page_text: Improvements in Hearing Trumpets.
I, ARCHIBALD YOUNG, of 61 Forrest Road, in the city and county of Edinburgh,
Surgical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HEARING TRUMPETS," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has reference to a new or improved construction of hearing or ear
trumpet, for assisting the hearing of people who are so deaf that they require the
assistance of such instruments, and which for elderly ladies and gentlemen or other
people will be much more convenient, and be quite as effective or more so than
those heretofore in use.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a half front and side elevation of one
modification of my new or improved hearing trumpet shown to a small scale as
applied to the head of a person as it is to be used; and Figure 2 is a sectional
side view of the ear trumpet nearly corresponding to Figure 1, but to a large
scale and taken on the irregular line 1 1 in Figure 4, to show the hollow
tube in section right down to the ear on one side. Figures 3 and 4 are a front
elevation and a plan both to the same large scale as and corresponding to Figure 2,
all to show the improved features of construction more clearly than is seen in
figure 1.
Referring to these figures, the nature and novelty of my invention consist in
forming a duplex or twin instrument having one large open trumpet A for being
placed on the top of the head, and for this purpose made in the form of an arch or
invert crescent to lie comfortably on and fit the shape of the head, with its open
mouth A, looking forward over the forehead, as seen in figure 1; and diverging and
contracting towards the back into two smaller trumpets A', A¹, leading down to
separate tubes a over each side of the head and in front of each ear, where the
contracted end of each trumpet A¹ is jointed by a hollow ball or socket joint a to
the short telescopically sliding and swivelling end tubes a¹, a², which latter has a
lateral ear nipple a³ formed or secured on its lowest end; whereby the tubes a³, a³,
on each side can be lengthened to suit the position of the ears, and then have the
end nipples a turned to enter the holes in the ears. This improved duplex trumpet
is so shaped that when placed on the top of the head as shown and described, the
two wide ends of the small trumpet parts A¹ A¹ converge at the centre into the
large open crescent-shaped trumpet A, and form a dividing angled or inclined
feather A', which directs the sound equally into the two branches or trumpets A¹
and through their small jointed tubes a¹ a³ and nipples a³ to each ear.
instrument might be made of light sheet metal or of vulcanite or other material,
with ivory or other nipples a³ to enter the ears, and they might be ornamented on
the outside or covered with silk or other netting or ornamental fabric or work.
Bows of light wire, or other equivalent 6 or 6' may be attached to the back or
side parts of the trumpet, and bent down to the shape of the head, so that when
used by a lady a portion of the back or side hair might be passed through these
loops b, or b¹, in dressing it, so as to hold the instrument firmly in position. Other
This

page_text: equivalent means might be used to secure the instrument to ladies' or gentlemen's
heads, such as tapes or cords passed through these loops and brought down round
the back of the head or under the ears. This instrument might also be secured by
hair pins and be covered over and nearly hid under ladies' caps or bonnets, not
being larger than many of the ornamental frillings, borders, and flowers worn on
the head. The instrument might also be hid or obscured under the wigs of
barristers, or under skull caps and other caps, hats, or head dresses of other persons
requiring to use it.
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. The construction or combination of a duplex hearing or ear trumpet to be
worn on the head of deaf persons for assisting their hearing, all substantially as
herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. The making of stationary ear trumpets of a duplex construction for con-
ducting the sound to both ears, substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
3. In stationary ear trumpets, the making or jointing of their tubes and ear
nipples to bend, slide, and swivel substantially as and for the purposes herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.