Claims
- 1. A flexible tip for a hearing aid comprising:
a mushroom shaped tip; an inner portion defining a bore having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the bore adapted to be disposed adjacent an eardrum; and a receiver mounted within the bore.
- 2. The flexible tip of claim 1 further comprising a sealing layer formed between the receiver and the inner portion, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 3. The flexible tip of claim 1 further comprising a receiver housing integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 4. The flexible tip of claim 3 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 5. The flexible tip of claim 1 further comprising a receiver housing and spring assembly integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 6. The flexible tip of claim 5 wherein the spring is compliant along a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis to provide flexibility in the tip.
- 7. The flexible tip of claim 5 wherein the spring comprises a radial stiffness to provide support from radial loads placed on the flexible tip.
- 8. The flexible tip of claim 5 wherein the spring comprises a hearing aid securing portion for securing the flexible tip to a hearing aid.
- 9. The flexible tip of claim 5 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path.
- 10. The flexible tip of claim 5 wherein the inner portion and the mushroom shaped tip are formed of a compliant material.
- 11. The flexible tip of claim 1 wherein the inner portion is formed of a first material and the mushroom shaped tip is formed of a second material, the second material having a greater compliance than the first material.
- 12. A hearing aid comprising:
a hearing aid base unit having a housing, a microphone, a battery and electronics; and a flexible tip connected to the base unit, the flexible tip having a mushroom shaped tip, an inner portion defining a bore having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end adapted to be disposed adjacent an eardrum, and a receiver mounted within the bore.
- 13. The hearing aid of claim 12 further comprising a sealing layer formed between the receiver and the inner portion, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 14. The hearing aid of claim 12 further comprising a receiver housing integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 15. The hearing aid of claim 14 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 16. The hearing aid of claim 12 further comprising a receiver housing and spring assembly integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 17. The hearing aid of claim 16 wherein the spring is compliant along a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis to provide flexibility in the tip.
- 18. The hearing aid of claim 16 wherein the spring comprises a radial stiffness to provide support from radial loads placed on the flexible tip.
- 19. The hearing aid of claim 16 wherein the spring comprises a hearing aid securing portion for securing the flexible tip to a hearing aid body.
- 20. The hearing aid of claim 16 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path.
- 21. The hearing aid of claim 16 wherein the inner portion and the mushroom shaped tip is formed of a compliant material.
- 22. The hearing aid of claim 12 wherein the inner portion is formed of a first material and the mushroom shaped tip is formed of a second material, the second material having a greater compliance than the first material.
- 23. A method for placing a receiver adjacent to an eardrum comprising:
providing a hearing aid having a flexible tip formed of a mushroom shaped tip and an inner portion defining a bore, the flexible tip having a receiver mounted within the bore; placing the hearing aid within an ear of a user; and placing the flexible tip adjacent to the eardrum within the ear of the user.
- 24. The method of claim 23 comprising decreasing the amount of power required by the receiver.
- 25. A flexible tip for a hearing aid comprising:
a tip portion for sealing an ear canal; an inner portion defining a bore having a proximal end and a distal end, the inner portion formed of a flexible material adapted to conform to the geometry of an ear canal and the proximal end of the bore adapted to be disposed adjacent an eardrum; and a receiver mounted within the bore.
- 26. The flexible tip of claim 25 further comprising a sealing layer formed between the receiver and the inner portion, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 27. The flexible tip of claim 25 further comprising a receiver housing integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 28. The flexible tip of claim 27 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 29. The flexible tip of claim 25 further comprising a receiver housing and spring assembly integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 30. The flexible tip of claim 29 wherein the spring is compliant along a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis to provide flexibility in the tip.
- 31. The flexible tip of claim 29 wherein the spring comprises a radial stiffness to provide support from radial loads placed on the flexible tip.
- 32. The flexible tip of claim 29 wherein the spring comprises a hearing aid securing portion for securing the flexible tip to a hearing aid.
- 33. The flexible tip of claim 29 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path.
- 34. The flexible tip of claim 25 wherein the inner portion is formed of a first material and the tip portion is formed of a second material, the second material having a greater compliance than the first material.
- 35. A hearing aid comprising:
a hearing aid base unit having a housing, a microphone, a battery and electronics; and a flexible tip connected to the base unit, the flexible tip having a tip portion for sealing an ear canal, an inner portion defining a bore having a proximal end and a distal end, the inner portion formed of a flexible material adapted to conform to the geometry of an ear canal and the proximal end of the bore adapted to be disposed adjacent an eardrum, and a receiver mounted within the bore.
- 36. The hearing aid of claim 35 further comprising a sealing layer formed between the receiver and the inner portion, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 37. The hearing aid of claim 35 further comprising a receiver housing integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 38. The hearing aid of claim 37 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path within the flexible tip.
- 39. The hearing aid of claim 35 further comprising a receiver housing and spring assembly integrally formed with the bore of the flexible tip, the receiver mounted within the receiver housing.
- 40. The hearing aid of claim 39 wherein the spring is compliant along a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis to provide flexibility in the tip.
- 41. The hearing aid of claim 39 wherein the spring comprises a radial stiffness to provide support from radial loads placed on the flexible tip.
- 42. The hearing aid of claim 39 wherein the spring comprises a hearing aid securing portion for securing the flexible tip to a hearing aid body.
- 43. The hearing aid of claim 39 further comprising a sealing layer between the receiver and the receiver housing, the sealing layer minimizing the presence of an acoustical feedback path.
- 44. The hearing aid of claim 35 wherein the inner portion is formed of a first material and the tip portion is formed of a second material, the second material having a greater compliance than the first material.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/188,736, filed on Mar. 13, 2000. The entire teachings of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] This application is related to copending U.S. application Ser Nos.:
1ATTORNEYDOCKET NO.application Ser. No.TITLESMI-13459pA09/524,666Disposable ModularHearing Aid2506.1005-00109/524,043Mass Produced HearingAid With a Limited Setof Acoustical Formats2506.1013-00109/524,040One-Size-Fits-All Uni-Ear Hearing Instrument2506.2008-00109/524,501Hearing Aid2506.2012-00060/188,997Hearing Aid WithFlexible Shell2506.2013-00060/188,996Hearing Aid PrescriptionSelector2506.2014-00060/188,721Through-Hole andSurface MountTechnologies forHighly-AutomatableHearing Aid Receivers2506.2019-00060/188,857Remote Programmingand Control Means for aHearing Aid
[0003] all filed Mar. 13, 2000, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60188736 |
Mar 2000 |
US |