Patent ID: 7367422

Claim:
A passive noise reduction apparatus, comprising: a headset; at least one ear cup attached to the headset, the ear cup having an ear side and a shell side; an inner shell having a cup side and an outer side, the inner shell mounted to and substantially covering the shell side of the ear cup wherein the cup side of the inner shell faces the shell side of the ear cup; an outer shell having an inner side and a distal side, the outer shell mounted to and substantially covering the inner shell, wherein the inner side of the outer shell is in substantially contiguous contact with the outer side of the inner shell; a speaker mounted within the ear cup; a microphone mounted to the ear side of the ear cup; an opening formed through and extending from the inner shell to and through the outer shell and in communication with the microphone; and an active noise reduction circuit electronically connected to the microphone and the speaker to receive an ambient noise signal from the microphone and cancel out the ambient noise signal using the speaker.