Patent ID: 8870558

Claim:
An apparatus for compressing a resilient earplug having an initial outer diameter, said apparatus comprising: a first member configured to rotate about a rotational axis, the first member having an outer surface for contacting the earplug, said outer surface being disposed around the rotational axis at a radial distance R 1 from and parallel to the rotational axis, where the radial distance R 1 continuously varies from a minimum value at a first location on the outer surface to a maximum value at a second location on the outer surface; and a second member having an inner surface for contacting the earplug, said inner surface disposed around the rotational axis at a substantially constant radial distance R 2 from and parallel to the rotational axis, where the radial distance R 2 is greater than the radial distance R 1 , such that there is a space defined by R 2 −R 1 for accommodating the earplug between the outer surface of the first member and the inner surface of the second member, wherein R 2 −R 1 at the first location is greater than the initial outer diameter of the earplug, and R 2 −R 1 at the second location is less than the initial outer diameter of the earplug, and wherein the earplug that is initially disposed at the first location within the space between the outer surface of the first member and the inner surface of second member is rolled and compressed between the two surfaces as the first member rotates about the rotational axis in relation to the second member, or as the second member rotates about the rotational axis in relation to the first member, and upon completion of rotation of the first or the second member with respect to the other, the earplug is disposed at the second location within the space between the outer surface of the first member and the inner surface of second member, resulting in a final outer diameter of the earplug that is less than the initial outer diameter.