INVERTED FLANGE EARBUD

摘要

An earbud for use in conjunction with receiver-in-canal and similar hearing aids is described. A wax reservoir and a torturous path for wax ingress are provided by the earbud. A controlled acoustic path is also provided. The molded design of the earbud allows torturous paths for wax ingress to be designed into the earbud.

主权项

1. An earbud for insertion into an external ear canal, comprising:
a cylindrically shaped body having proximal and distal ends and having a cavity located at its distal end for receiving and connecting to a hearing aid's receiver; a flange made of resilient material extending radially and longitudinally from the circumference of a portion of the body and terminating in a relatively more rigid retainer ring, wherein the circumference of the flange increases with longitudinal distance from the distal end of the body up to a maximum value at an apex and then decreases to the circumference of the retainer ring; wherein the flange is adapted to be inverted so that the retaining ring is located proximally from the proximal end of the body to form a debris reservoir between the flange and the body for collecting wax as the earbud is inserted into the external ear canal; and, one or more acoustic ports located at the proximal end of the body for conducting sound produced by the hearing aid receiver into the external ear canal.