Abstract: A banded earmuff for protecting a worker's hearing, includes a band (12) formed of a wire frame (34) and a flexible polymer sheath (32) around much of the wire frame and a pair of pods (14,16) that press around the wearer's ears. The wire frame includes parallel wire lengths (50, 52) with opposite end parts joined by loops (70, 72). Each pod that seals around the ear has a mount (40) that is coupled to the wire length end parts. Each mount has a groove (42) with opposite sides that receive the pair of wire length end parts. This allows the pod to pivot on the wire length end parts, and to also slide along them. The sheath is molded with a pair of slits (114, 116), and middle length parts of the wire frame are installed through the slits into passages (54, 56) in the sheath.

Abstract: A banded earmuff for protecting a worker's hearing, includes a band (12) formed of a wire frame (34) and a flexible polymer sheath (32) around much of the wire frame and a pair of pods (14,16) that press around the wearer's ears. The wire frame includes parallel wire lengths (50, 52) with opposite end parts joined by loops (70, 72). Each pod that seals around the ear has a mount (40) that is coupled to the wire length end parts. Each mount has a groove (42) with opposite sides that receive the pair of wire length end parts. This allows the pod to pivot on the wire length end parts, and to also slide along them. The sheath is molded with a pair of slits (114, 116), and middle length parts of the wire frame are installed through the slits into passages (54, 56) in the sheath.