Patent ID: 8085942

Claim:
A sound system for use within magnetic fields produced by magnetic resonance imaging equipment, comprising: a rigid housing and molded pliable material shaped such that said material is configured to form a channel when placed in contact with an ear; a microphone positioned to be within the channel and to be in fluid communication with a canal of the ear when the molded pliable material is placed in contact with the ear; a speaker positioned to be within the channel and to be in fluid communication with a canal of the ear when the molded pliable material is placed in contact with the ear; and an audio control circuit to alter a signal from the microphone by subtracting a signal used to power the speaker such that sound produced by the speaker is reduced, wherein the channel is a space defined by contours of the ear, the molded pliable material, the microphone and the speaker, and the rigid housing, the molded pliable material, the microphone and the speaker are constructed and arranged to be used in magnetic resonance imaging equipment.