Abstract: Occlusion devices, earpiece devices and methods of forming occlusion devices are provided. An occlusion device is configured to occlude an ear canal, but other biological and non-biological conduits or chambers can be occluded using the devices and methods herein. The occlusion device includes an insertion element and at least one occluding member or element (which can be expandable) disposed on the insertion element. The occluding member is configured to receive a medium via the insertion element and is configured to expand, responsive to the medium, to contact the ear canal. Alternatively, the occluding member is made of a non-Newtonian fluid and can be enclosed by a balloon or not. Physical parameters of the occlusion device are selected to produce a predetermined sound attenuation characteristic over a frequency band. Use of a non-Newtonian fluid provides additional options or variables in customizing or designing a predetermined sound attenuation characteristic.

Abstract: Earpieces and methods of forming earpieces for radio frequency (RF) mitigation are provided. An earpiece is configured to be inserted in an ear canal. The earpiece includes an insertion element and a sealing section disposed on the insertion element and configured to conform to the ear canal. The sealing section is configured to substantially mitigate radio frequency (RF) transmission and to substantially isolate the ear canal from an ambient environment.

Abstract: A noise-cancelling earplug assembly is provided, having an ear piece for insertion into the ear canal and a housing removably attached to the ear piece. A hollow core is defined in the housing to receive a sound-selective sound barrier that contains at least one sound filtering element to attenuate sounds reaching the ear drum. An end cap is provided and is attachable to the housing to enclose the sound-selective sound barrier inside the housing. The sound selective sound barrier can be removed from the housing of the earplug and replaced with a different sound selective sound barrier with different sound attenuation characteristics.

Abstract: An aural water removal suction apparatus for removing water from within ears includes a mouthpiece that has a principal opening extending into a mouth portion and a stem aperture extending from the principal opening through a stem portion. A tubing is coupled to the mouthpiece. A pair of ear tubes comprising a right ear tube and a left ear tube is coupled to the tubing. A pair of ear buds that is configured to be inserted into a user's ears is coupled to the pair of ear tubes. The canal aperture of each of the pair of ear buds, the pair of ear tubes, the tubing, and the stem aperture of the mouthpiece are all in fluid communication. The user creates suction through the canal aperture of the pair of ear buds with her mouth on the principal opening of the mouthpiece to draw water from her ears.

Abstract: An aural iris includes a lumen and an actuator coupled on or in or to the lumen for at least partially attenuating sound traversing through the lumen by selectively actuating the actuator on and off. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A hearing aid, in particular a BTE hearing aid, includes an ear insert having an earpiece and an attachment part being linked to a receiver. The earpiece includes an elongate adapter and a plurality of shields. The adapter is mounted on the attachment part and extends in a longitudinal direction. The earpiece is in a modular form and the at least one shield is exchangeably fitted onto the adapter. The adapter has a head with a rear abutment contour against which at least one of the shields abuts. In this way, the earpiece is particularly variably and flexibly configurable. A corresponding earpiece is also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus preventing hearing loss having a body made of soft compliant material having first and second ends and a channel extending therethrough, an acoustically limp material adjacent one end of the body with the acoustically limp material having a hole therein aligned with the channel extending through the body, component film, or other structure covering or sealing the opening in the acoustically limp material. The film may be a high-strength polymer less than 10 micrometers thick. A plurality of channels may extend through the body and a plurality of corresponding holes may be provided in the acoustically limp material. The film covers or seals the holes in the acoustically limp material. The film may behave like a flap to close in response to high energy sound waves. The flap shuts from the high intensity shock wave. The body may have shape to fit in an ear canal.

Abstract: An eye and ear protection system includes a pair of ear muffs connected together by a strap, the ear muffs include a slot in their forward side that is connected to a cavity within the ear muffs. The arms of a pair of glasses are positionable within the slots and allow a user to move the glasses between an in the line-of-sight position and an out of the line-of-sight position. The ear muffs also include one or two doors that can be opened, to allow the user to hear sounds in the environment, and closed to protect the user from loud noises in the environment. This system improves comfort and allows the user to selectively deploy hearing protection and/or eye protection without the need to remove the system from their head which saves time and reduces the potential for losing or misplacing either the hearing or eye protection.

Abstract: An apparatus include an earpiece including a chamber. The chamber has a passageway. The apparatus includes a valve configured to relieve acoustic pressure in the chamber. The valve control assembly is configured to control the valve based on acoustic pressure in the chamber.

Abstract: A body compatible and resorbable prosthesis has a tubular body incorporating denatured gelatin sponge material, either as a unitary gelatin sponge or as fragmented or powdered sponge material dispersed throughout a structurally self supporting medium. One version of the prosthesis uses the fragmented or powdered form of the gelatin sponge and is substantially homogeneous. An alternative prosthesis employs an inner tubular layer of gelatin film. The gelatin film layer is surrounded by an outer tubular layer, formed either of the gelatin sponge or the fragmented medium incorporating the gelatin sponge dispersion.

Abstract: A headphone may include a driver assembly and a headphone cup having an adjustable airflow valve assembly and/or an adjustable headphone interior cup volume adjustment assembly. Headphone cups and/or other elements may be printed with a 3D printer, and may be tailored to a particular headphone driver element.

Abstract: The present invention is a switchable hearing protection ear plug. In one position, the ear plug provides substantial sound attenuation and hearing protection. In the second position, an opening in the ear plug permits sounds to enter the ear of the user relatively unobstructed. A deformable barrier in an interior chamber of the ear plug controls the passage of sound through the ear plug.

Abstract: An earplug includes a sleeve, a resonance tube, and a tip. The sleeve has a plurality of slits, and the resonance tube is connected between the sleeve and the tip. When the sleeve is pressed to deform, the slits are opened to allow sound to enter the sleeve, and pass through the resonance tube and the tip.

Abstract: The present invention is a switchable hearing protection ear plug. In one position, the ear plug provides substantial sound attenuation and hearing protection. In the second position, an opening in the ear plug permits sounds to enter the ear of the user relatively unobstructed. A deformable barrier in an interior chamber of the ear plug controls the passage of sound through the ear plug.

Abstract: An earplug insertion device can include a housing that is configured to hold a first earplug and a second earplug. The device can also include an ejection mechanism that can be configured to respond to a first user force by ejecting the first earplug from the device in a first ejection motion. The ejection mechanism can also being configured to respond to a second user force by ejecting the second earplug from the device in a second ejection motion.

Abstract: An adjustably attenuating ear plug adapted for use in an ear canal, includes a flexible body, and a valve assembly further comprising a disk and knob translatable relative to the disk, wherein the knob defines at least one inlet, the disk alternately defines at least one shield and hole, and the inlet is alternatively aligned with the hole and shield to varying degrees, so as to selectively and variably expose the canal to the environment.

Abstract: A selective attenuating earplug is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a selective attenuating earplug includes a switch adjustable between a first position and a second position, and the switch includes at least one cantilever spring arm.

Abstract: An earplug includes a body, insertable into an ear canal, where the body defines a channel having at least two ends. The channel can house a movable structure configured to allow passage of sound around the movable structure in a rest position, and to block at least a portion of the channel in a deflected position. The movable structure moves from the rest position to the deflected position based on receiving, at one of the at least two ends of the channel, a pressure wave having at least a threshold amplitude pressure to block at least a portion of the pressure wave from reaching the other end of the channel.

Abstract: An ear canal pressurization device optimized for aural acoustic immittance testing is disclosed. Changes in volume of a first flexible chamber, due to motor movement, produce changes in ear canal pressure based on Boyle's law. A vent may be opened to allow ear canal pressure to gently equalize to ambient air pressure or to generate ear canal pressure sweeps free of pressure baseline offset. The vent may be closed to set a static ear canal pressure or to generate ear canal pressure sweeps with an incidental baseline offset. The vent may be controlled to generate ear canal pressure sweeps with an intended baseline offset. The device produces ear canal pressure proportional to drive voltage, so any desired pressure versus time function can be generated by applying a coil driving voltage with the appropriate amplitude versus time function.

Abstract: A respirator mask has a removably mounted support frame that adjustably and removably mounts a corrective lens frame. The corrective lens frame further has a molded bridge with a biasing member embedded therein. A pivotal tab on the support frame is received in one of a plurality of detents on the lens frame for releasably securing the lens frame in the desired position on the support frame. Laterally disposed mounting lugs on the support frame are received in integrally molded pockets in the respirator mask.

Abstract: Methods and devices for sealing an orifice are provided. A sealing element is inserted into an orifice. A fluid is transferred into the sealing element. Fluid transfer into the sealing element is restricted when a pressure in the sealing element is greater than a threshold value.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a pivotal disc is pivotally coupled to a first brace and a second brace. The pivotal disc has a motion-limit member and a positioning member limiting the angle by which the second brace rotates with respect to the first brace with the pivotal disc being the axis and fixing the angle between the first and second braces. The present invention is characterized in that the motion-limit member uses a range-adjust member to push a slide block and determine the range that a block portion of the second brace is blocked by the slide block, and that the positioning member uses a switch knob actuates on end of a positioning rod to engage with or depart from a positioning notch on the pivotal disc, and that the pivotal disc has two limit elements to define the maximum movement range of the first brace and the second brace.

Abstract: A passive level dependent hearing protection device for insertion into an ear canal is made of a flexible bladder attached to a frame and where the bladder utilizes valves to evacuate air from the ear canal. The device thereby causes transmission loss of acoustic waves wherein low frequency steady state and impact noises are attenuated but soft noises such as speech are attenuated to a lesser degree. The device incorporates a safety feature for preventing creation of too low an air pressure in the ear canal. Finally, the device may incorporate a transducer.

Abstract: An earplug comprising a foam composition containing a polyvinyl chloride resin and less than about 5 wt % monomeric phthalate, based on the total weight of the foam composition, is described. The foam composition may include a plasticizer containing less than or equal to about 2 wt % monomeric phthalate, based on the total weight of the plasticizer. The earplugs have slow recovery times from 60 percent compression to 10 percent compression of about 10 to about 60 seconds.

Abstract: A patient respiratory mask having a shell and a patient cushion for supplying oxygen during an endoscopic or bronchoscopic procedure. The mask has a first port for accepting an endoscope, a second port for accepting oropharyngeal suction, and an optional third port for carbon dioxide monitoring. The first and second ports are covered by preferably flexible, perforated diaphragms for maintaining the seal integrity during oxygen therapy.

Abstract: The present invention provides a prophylactic for the ear during activities in and around water or other liquid medium where the ear is subject to infection and barotraumas. It has an outer ear section that fits tight in a user's outer ear and a watertight downwardly extending flexible protrusion that extends into the outer part of the ear canal. A non-collapsing, flexible sleeve with a hollow interior is concentrically positioned within the outer ear section and flexible protrusion. A diaphragm with elastic and water-resistant properties is attached across one end of the sleeve with watertight sealing means. An optional protuberance and/or lanyard may be attached to the outer ear section to assist in prompt invention removal after use, and an external barrier is optional where sudden impact can occur. For water depths below thirty-three feet, the diaphragm should be positioned near or within the flexible protrusion portion of the device.

Abstract: An earphone with coverings comprises two opposite coverings and a covering connection. The covering connection connects with these two opposite coverings at both ends thereof. Each covering provides current leads for transmitting signals. A projection extends outward from a lateral side of each covering facing the corresponding ear for plugging into the ears during the earphone being worn. The projection has a size corresponding to the external acoustic meatus of the respective ear and provides at least a sound opening so as to transmit the sound into the meatus.

Abstract: An earplug has a rotationally adjustable gating mechanism for adjustable attenuation of treble sounds. The plug includes a conventional earplug foam body for conforming to and wedging in the ear canal. This earplug foam body includes at least a partial aperture axially of the plug leading from the exterior of the ear canal toward the interior of the car canal with its hearing sense. A two-part counter rotating gating member fits to the aperture of the earplug. One part of the two part counter rotating gating member has a conical through aperture concentric to the earplug and ear canal. This conical through aperture is partially obstructed by an eccentrically mounted gate. The remaining part of the two part counter rotating gating member defines a rotating cover over the conical aperture and defines at least one and preferably a plurality of sound apertures enabling sound to pass from the exterior of the earplug into the conical aperture.

Abstract: Acoustic valve capable of selective and non-linear filtering of sound and placeable in a perforated ear plug. The acoustic valve consists of a tube enclosing two rigid disks axially spaced opposite each other, each of the disks containing at least one perforation. The total perforated surface of at least one disk is between 0.03 and 0.5 mm.sup.2.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing improved protection for the auditory systems of persons who may be subjected to excessive sound pressures or concussive shock waves or who may have certain disorders of the ear which require the exclusion of foreign matter or fluids from the auditory canal, comprising an earplug or an earplug set in which auditory canal inserts may be pneumatically expanded into positive sealing engagement with the auditory meatus by the application of orally-blown pneumatic pressure developed by the human pulmonary system.

Abstract: A passive ear protector device for positioning in the ear of the user for protecting the ear from sounds of high intensity. The device attenuates sound in a manner which tends to preserve the natural quality of the incoming sound, in particular with respect to the natural resonance of the ear canal.