Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/610,449, filed Jun. 30, 2003, and titled “Feedback Reducing Receiver Mount and Assembly,” No. 10/945,704, filed Sep. 21, 2004, and titled “Feedback Reducing Receiver Mount and Assembly,” and No. 12/060,494, filed Apr. 1, 2008, and titled “Composite Receiver Tube for a Hearing Instrument,” and U.S. Pat. No. 7,054,457, issued May 30, 2006, and titled “Hearing instrument receiver mounting arrangement for a hearing instrument housing,” all incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    A receiver tube for a hearing instrument receiver, the component that generates the sound heard by the user of the hearing instrument, connects the output of the receiver with the outside of the shell, conveying the sound from the receiver to the user&#39;s inner ear. Some receivers, such as the kind shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/182,151, filed Jul. 15, 2005, and titled “Shock resistant and vibration isolated electroacoustical transducer assembly,” incorporated herein by reference, have an opening on one face of the unit from which sound exits and the receiver tube is positioned over that opening. To provide a secure attachment for such a receiver tube to the receiver, a retaining clamp may be provided to hold the receiver tube in place. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is a drawing of a receiver, a receiver tube, and a retaining clamp; 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a drawing of the receiver and the receiver tube of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0005]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are drawings of the receiver tube of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0006]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are drawings of the retaining clamp of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0007]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are side and elevation views of the receiver, the receiver tube, and the retaining clamp of  FIG. 1 , further illustrating the attachment of the retaining clamp to the receiver; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 9  illustrates the receiver, the receiver tube, and the retaining clamp of  FIG. 1  within a shell residing in the ear canal of the user. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    A receiver  10  for a hearing instrument is shown together with a receiver tube  20  and a U-shaped retaining clamp  40  in  FIG. 1 . The receiver tube  20  abuts the receiver  10  adjacent a receiver opening  12 , shown in phantom, that allows the audio output generated by the receiver  10  to pass to the receiver tube  20 . The receiver  10  and the receiver tube  20  are illustrated apart in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0010]    The receiver tube  20  has a flange  22  that mates with the receiver  10 . One side of the flange  22  is a mating surface  24  that meets the surface  14  of the receiver  10  where the receiver opening  12  is located. The flange  22  also has an opposing surface  26  upon which the retaining clamp  40  rests. 
         [0011]    As discussed below, the receiver tube  20  may have an optional stopper flange  28  for positioning the receiver  10  and the receiver tube  20  within the hearing instrument. Also shown in  FIG. 2  is an optional curved section  30  that extends from flange  22  to cover the receiver opening  12 , which as here may be positioned near the edge of the surface of the receiver  10  abutting the flange  22 . 
         [0012]    A gasket  50  may be positioned between the receiver  10  and the receiver tube  20  to help hold and seal the receiver tube  20  to the receiver  10 . For clarity of presentation, the gasket  50  is shown in the figures slightly apart from the adjacent components. Nevertheless, in actual construction, the retaining clamp  40 , the receiver tube  20 , the gasket  50 , and the receiver  10  would be abut one another, providing a seal between adjacent elements of the hearing instrument. 
         [0013]    The gasket  50  may be fabricated from pressure-sensitive adhesive material such as a plastic tape with adhesive on two sides. Alternatively, if desired, one surface of the gasket  50  could be attached to the receiver tube  20  by gluing or otherwise affixing it to the mating surface  24  of the flange  22 , while the other surface  52  (see  FIG. 4 ) of the gasket  50  would have an adhesive thereon. A disposable, removable covering (not shown), provided on that other surface  52  to prevent the inadvertent collection of dust or dirt particles, would be removed and discarded, and this other (adhesive) surface  52  would then be attached to the receiver  10 . 
         [0014]    The U-shaped retaining clamp  40 , shown by itself in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , encircles the receiver tube  20  and rests upon the opposing surface  26  of the flange  22 . During assembly, the tube  10  is deformed such that the flange  22  can pass through the opening  42  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ). A securing mechanism is provided on the receiver  10  to receive and hold the retaining clamp  40 . One suitable arrangement is illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . As shown there, the retaining clamp  40  has two legs  44  received by receptacles or sleeves  16  located on opposing sides  18  of the receiver  10 . Each leg  44  has a detent  46  that releasably engages the sleeves  16 . The legs  44  slip through the sleeves  16  and then the detents  46  catch and secure the retaining clamp  40  in place. 
         [0015]    In lieu of the sleeves  16  and the detents  46  on the clamp  40 , the legs  44  of the clamp  40  could be secured to the opposing sides  18  of the receiver  10  with an adhesive material, such as glue or a pressure-sensitive material. 
         [0016]    The receiver  10 , receiver tube  20 , and the retaining clamp  40  are shown within a shell  60  (shown in phantom), residing in the user&#39;s ear canal  70  in  FIG. 6 . A barrier  62 , anchored within the shell  60 , encircles the receiver tube  20  and abuts the stopper flange  28  when the tube  20  is inserted into the shell  60 . After the receiver tube  20  has been installed in the shell  60 , the end  32  of the tube  20  protruding from the shell  60  is typically trimmed flush with the outer surface  64  of the wall  66  of the shell  60 . 
         [0017]    The tube  20  may be fabricated from a synthetic material such as an elastomer or any other suitable material. One such elastomer is marketed by DuPont Dow Elastomers, L.L.C. under the trademark Viton. If Viton is used, such material having a hardness rating of 50 on the Shore A scale will be suitable. 
         [0018]    The retaining clamp  40  may be fashioned from any suitable material such as metal including steel.

Technology Category: 5