Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 6th Sept., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th Oct., 1887
1 ARCHIBALD YOUNG, of 61, Forrest Road, in the City and County of Edinburgh,
Surgical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
--
My invention comprises an improved construction of hearing or ear trumpet for
being applied to the head and made adjustable to the shape of head and position of
the ears, to assist the hearing of people who are so deaf that they require the assistance
of such instruments, and which will be more convenient and efficient than such
instruments have been as heretofore constructed.
The improvements of my invention consist in forming and uniting two trumpets,
one for each ear, of thin sheet copper or other metal, or it might be vulcanite, or other
suitable material, concave on the under side to suit the top of the head, and semi-
circular or arched on the upper side, and secured close together on their under side on,
and to a narrow spring band preferably of thin elastic metal or other equivalent spring
suitable for the said purpose, all so as to fit the top and front part of the head, the
band coming down and embracing the head at the temples on each side a little in front
of the ears so as to secure the whole steadily to the head with the wide trumpet mouths
opening out forwards over the forehead. Each trumpet in front recedes backwards
over the head beyond the ears and forwards in a U shape gradually reducing in size,
and descends in a vertical tube, form a little in front of the ears. The vertical tubes
are fitted at their lower ends with small telescopic branch nipples to slide up and down
in them, the lateral ear nipples at their lower ends being made to swivel also as well
as to move telescopically to enter and suit the position of the ears. The back U upper
parts of the trumpets would preferably have a large looped fine wire attached to them,
to pass down over the back of the head, through which the back part of the hair may
be passed through it so as to hold the trumpets steady and in the position they are set
on the head. But other equivalent means might be used to secure this semi-detached
trumpet to ladies or gentleinen's heads such as tapes or cords passed through the bow
loop and brought down round the back of the head and under the ears.

page_text: The adjustable spring although described as made of thin elastic metal, might be
made of vulcanite, or the spring might be covered with india-rubber or gutta-percha,
or fitted with other soft or low heat conducting covering which would do away with
the hot or cold feeling of the metal pressing against the sides of the head.
This improved trumpet does away with the stiffness of forming the two trumpets in
one, as heretofore, which prevented them from being well adjusted to the various
shapes of heads, and this new more perfect adjustment now does away with the former
complication of ball and socket joint on the ear branches or nipples. And the arrange-
ment also admits of one trumpet only being used when the person has only one ear
deaf, and desires this.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
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 invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon that, is to say:
My Invention comprises an improved construction of hearing or ear trumpet for
being applied to the head and made adjustable to the shape of head and position of
the ears to assist the hearing of people who are so deaf that they require the assistance
of such instruments, and which will be more convenient and efficient than such
instruments have been as heretofore constructed.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. Figure 1 is a perspective
elevation from the front showing my improved hearing trumpet as applied to the head
of a young lady in the position in which it is used. Figure 2 is a sectional side
elevation of the ear trumpet to an enlarged scale, and taken on the line 1 - - - 1 in
Figure 4 to show one of the hollow sound conveying tubes A, A', in section right
down to the ear nipple a'. While Figures 3 and 4 are a front elevation and plan
respectively of my improved hearing trumpet.
Referring to these Drawings: the improvements of my invention consist in forming
and uniting two trumpets A, A¹, one for each ear, of thin sheet copper or other metal,
or it might be vulcanite, or other suitable material, concave on the under side c to suit
the top of the head, and semicircular or arched on the upper side c', and secured close
together at their under side c, c, on, and to a narrow spring band C C¹, preferably of
thin elastic metal or other equivalent spring suitable for the said purpose, all so as to
fit the top and front part of the head, the ends C₁ of the band CC₁, extending down
and embracing the head at the temples on each side a little in front of the ears as seen
in Figures 1 and 3, so as to secure the whole steadily to the head with the wide
trumpet mouth parts A opening out forwards over the forehead. Each trumpet A, A¹
in front recedes backwards over the head beyond the ears and forwards and down-
wards in an inverted U shape gradually contracted or reduced in size at A', and
descends in a vertical tube form at a, a¹ a little in front of the ears. The vertical
tubes a are fitted at their lower end with small telescopic branch nipples a² to slide up
and down in the branches a the lateral ear nipples a² at their lower ends being made
to swivel also as well as to move telescopically in the end tubes a, to enter and suit the
position of the ears. The back inverted U upper parts A', A' of the trumpets would
preferably have a large looped fine wire 6 attached to them, to pass down over the
back of the head, through which the back part of the hair may be passed so as to hold
the trumpets steady and in the position they are set on the head. But other equivalent

page_text: b
means might be used to secure this semi-detached trumpet A A', to ladies' or gentle-
men's heads, such as tapes or cords passed through the bow loop 6 or other additional
loops and brought down round the back of the head under behind the ears. This
instrument whether made double or single may easily be hid by dressing the hair over
it or by the lace and flower trimming of ladies' caps and bonnets.
The adjustable spring C, although described as made of thin elastic metal, might
be made of vulcanite, or the spring might be covered with india-rubber or gutta-
percha, or fitted with other soft or low heat conducting covering, which would
do away with the hot or cold feeling of the metal pressing against the sides of
the head.
This improved trumpet does away with the stiffness of forming the two trumpets AA',
in one, as heretofore, which prevented them from being well adjusted to the various
shapes of heads, and this new more perfect adjustment now does away with the former
complication of ball and socket joint on the ear branches or nipples a, a, a². And the
arrangement also admits of one trumpet only being used when the person has only
one ear deaf, and desires this.
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 :-
First. The construction and use of hearing trumpets formed in two parts or separate
trumpets A, A, one for each ear, united together by a spring band CC, or equivalent
yielding or adjustable spring, all substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In hearing trumpets, the fitting of an elastic band or equivalent spring (C",
for securing them over the head, all substantially as herein described in reference to
and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In hearing trumpets the forming of their vertical sound conveying tubes A¹
with telescopic joint a a' at their lower ends, so that the branch and ear nipples a³ can
be adjusted by simple telescopic movement without a ball and socket or equivalent
joint, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Dated this 6th day of September 1887