Claims
- 1. A band earmuff apparatus comprising:
- a pair of earmuffs that each has a cushion with an aperture for receiving the top and middle of the outer ear of a person;
- a connecting device that fits partially around the head of the person and that holds said earmuffs at the opposite ears of the person;
- each of said apertures has an axis and has four concave corner segments that lie at the corner of an imaginary square that is centered on said axis, with each concave corner segment having a middle and constructed to receive about the same amount of the ear when turned about 90.degree. clockwise or counterclockwise from an initial position as when in said initial position, and with said aperture having four connecting segments that each joins two of said concave corner segments, with each connecting segment having a middle lying closer to said axis than said middles of said concave corner segments.
- 2. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:
- the aperture in each of said earmuffs is largely square, with said connecting segments forming four substantially straight perpendicular sides of about equal length and with said concave corner segments forming four rounded corners.
- 3. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:
- each of said concave corner segments has a radius of curvature that is at least 25% of the distance from said axis to the middle of the concave corner segment.
- 4. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:
- each of said connecting sections is convex, to form an aperture of largely cloverleaf shape.
- 5. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:
- each of said earmuffs includes a rigid shell having inner and outer surfaces, with said cushions each fixed to the inner surface of one of said shells;
- the outer surface of each shell has a pair of primarily vertical grooves, and said connecting device has opposite ends that each includes a pair of mounts with lower ends lying in a pair of grooves of a shell and pivotally connected to the shell.
- 6. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:
- each of said earmuffs includes a rigid shell having inner and outer surfaces, with each cushion fixed to one of said inner surfaces;
- each shell outer surface has a periphery with eight sides arranged in a largely octagonal shape, but with short sides lying outside said cushion concave corner segments and with longer sides that are longer than said short sides and that lie outside said cushion connecting segments.
- 7. A band earmuff apparatus which includes a pair of earmuffs that each has a cushion with an aperture for receiving most of the outer ear of a person, and a connecting device that fits partially around the head of the person to hold said earmuffs at the person's ears, wherein:
- each of said earmuff apertures has an axis, with each earmuff aperture having four concave corner segments spaced 90.degree. apart about said axis and having concave corner segment middles radially spaced from said axis, and with each earmuff aperture having four connecting segments that each connects two of said concave corner segments and that each has a connecting segment middle radially spaced from said axis, with said concave corner segment middles spaced further from said axis than said connecting segment middles.
- 8. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein:
- each of said earmuff apertures is of largely square shape, with said connecting segments forming sides of the square and said concave corner segments forming rounded corners of the square, with each of said sides of the square having a radius of curvature that is at least twice the radius of curvature of one of said concave corner segments.
- 9. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein:
- the radius of curvature at each of said concave corner segments is about one-half the distance between said axis and the middle of the concave corner segment.
- 10. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein:
- each of said connecting segments is convex, to form a largely cloverleaf aperture.
- 11. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein:
- each of said earmuffs includes a shell with inner and outer surfaces, with each of said cushions mounted on the inner surface of one of said shells;
- each of said shell outer surfaces has a pair of horizontally-spaced grooves that each extends vertically in an initial orientation of said apertures wherein said connecting device extends around the top of the head of the person, and including a pair of vertically elongated mounts lying at least partially in each pair of grooves of a shell and pivotally connected to the shell.
- 12. The apparatus described in claim 11 wherein:
- the outer surface of each of said shells has a center surface portion that faces primarily outwardly, as seen when viewed along said axis of said aperture toward said center surface portion, and with said outer surface having a radially outer area which lies radially outside said center surface portion and within said periphery, and that has top and bottom surface parts that are angled about 45.degree. from said axis, and with opposite side parts and with said grooves being formed in said opposite side parts.
- 13. A band earmuff apparatus comprising a pair of earmuffs that each has a cushion and a holding device that fits partially around the head of a person to hold said earmuffs at the person's ears, wherein:
- each of said earmuffs includes a shell with inner and outer ends, with one of said cushions mounted on the shell inner end;
- each of said shell outer ends has a pair of horizontally-spaced grooves that each extends substantially vertically in an initial orientation of said apertures wherein said holding device extends around the top of the head of the person, and including a pair of vertically elongated mounts with lower portions lying in said grooves and pivotally connected to said shell.
- 14. The apparatus described in claim 13 wherein:
- each of said shells has an even and primarily outwardly-facing center surface and has a periphery, as viewed along an axis of an aperture in said cushion toward said shell, and with a radially outer area of said shell which lies radially outside said center surface and within said periphery, having top and bottom parts that are angled from said axis, and with opposite sides and with said grooves being formed in said opposite sides.
CROSS-REFERENCE
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/306,324 filed May 6, 1999 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (20)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2706382 |
Feb 1976 |
DEX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
306324 |
May 1999 |
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