US3000462A - Air-conduction hearing aid clamps - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 19, 1961 A. L. SMITH AIR-CONDUCTION HEARING AID CLAMPS Original Filed Jan. 1a, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A/or/zo A. 501/? INVENTOR. M

ATTORNEYS A. L. SMITH AIR-CONDUCTION HEARING AID CLAMPS Sept. 19, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 18, 1954 /2 W L mm a QZZZAFMA ATTOfF/VE Y6 m J L 0 Z n A AIR-CONDUCTION HEARING AID CLAMPS Alonzo L. Smith, R0. Box 6252, Houston, Tex. Original application Jan. 18, 1954, Ser. No. 404,672, new Patent No. 2,946,394, dated July 26, 1960. Divided and this application May 19,. 1960,.Ser. No. 30,279

9"Claims.. (Cl. 181-23) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in air-conduction hearing aid clamps.

This application is adivision of my co-pending United States patent application Serial No. 404,672 filedJanu ary 18, 1954, now Patent No. 2,946,394, which was a continuation-impart of United States patent application Serial No. 343,631 filed March 20,1953, now abandoned.

It is well known that the majority of people who wear hearing aids also wear eye glasses. There are two basic types of hearing. aids, namely, the bone conduction type and the air conduction type. In the past, hearing aids of the boneconduction type have beenincorporated with eye glasses. Examples of such use are illustrated in the US. patent to Benway, No. 1,897,833, US. Patent No. 2,207,705 to Cox, and US. Patent No. 2,613,282 to Scaife. In the bone conduction type of hearing aid, a vibrating member must be held next to abone in-close proximity to the hearing nerve behind the ear.

In many cases, however, the defective condition of a persons hearing is such that an air conduction type of United States Patent 6 hearing aid is prescribed rather than the bone conduction type. With the conventional hearing aids using air conduction, the receiver is held in the car by a wax mold made to fit-the contour of the inside of the ear. The receiver is attached to the opening in'the mold to trans.- mit the vibration from the receiver through the mold opening tothe ear drum. With suchconventional hear.- ing aidusing air conduction, the-receiver-projects from the. center of the ear and'is. very conspicuous. Inaddition, the electrical wirewhich extends from thereceiver to the amplifier and control mechanism located in the persons shirt or coat pocket is very conspicuously dangling from the receiver and is subject to beingv inadvertently caught and pulled'loose from the receiver.

It is therefore an object of'this invention to provide a clamping frame which is adapted to have connected therewith an airconduction type hearing aid receiver assembly, whichmay be either integral therewith or, separate therefrom inthe form of an attachment, the electrical wire or conductor tube whichis normally attached to the receiver being positioned behind the ear so that it can extend down the back of the neck of the user and thereby be substantially concealed.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a frame which is adapted to'be supported on the head of a user to have connected therewith any conventional air conduction type hearing aid receiver, wherein the vibrations from the receiver are transmitted through the frame column to at least one of the. users ears.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clamping frame adapted to be supported onthe head of a user and which is capable of conducting sound to the ear cavities of both ears of a user whereby a single air conduction receiver may be connected tosaid frame column for transmitting sound to both of the ears of the user.

3,000,462 Patented Sept. 19, 1961 A further object of this inventionis to provide a combined clamping frame and eyeglass construction wherein the frame is adapted to conduct sound therethrough to an ear cavity member mounted on a side temple member of the frame, the side temple member being longitudinally adjustable to accommodate various distances from a persons ear to the front portion of the. frame to which the eyeglasses are attached, said side temple member also being. adjustable to correctlyposition the ear cavity member in the ear cavity, and said frame having .a means for urgingthe side temple toward the head of the user so as to maintain the ear cavity member in the ear cavity.

.Still another. object of this inventionis to provide a frame which is adapted to be supported upon a persons nose and ears, wherein the frame includes aside. temple member having an ear cavity member, with the side temple member bing rotatable so that the ear cavity member can be rotated from a position within the ear cavity to a position thereabove to leave the ear cavity exposed for the use of-a telephone or similar instrument.

A specific object is to providea hearing aid assembly which lends itself to manufacture as an attachment, whereby the assembly may be constructed as a unitwhich is readily combined with the standard front lens frame of the usual eyeglass frame.

Another object ofthis invention is to provide a hear? ing aid clamp having a mounting for an air conduction receiver, wherein the clamp is resilient, is formed in one piece and is. adapted to urge ear cavitymembers firmly into the ear cavities of a user, said clamp beingsupported on the nose of the user and by. the clamping pressure applied to the ear cavity members.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frame adapted to be supported on the head of the user, wherein the frame is capable of conducting sound to both years of a user, and wherein means are provided for adjusting the volume of the sound received in both ears so that the hearing will be substantially balanced with respect to bothears, giving dimensional hearing or perception to the user.

The construction designed to .carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be morereadily understoodfrom a reading of the following specifications and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein examples of the invention are shown, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the clamping frame of this invention with the eyeglasses connected thereto and one type of air conduction hearing aid connected therewith.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of a portion of one of, the side temple members of the clamping frame, illus trating the relationship of such member to theear of a user.

FIGURE 2A is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but illustrating the side temple member after rotation to ex.- pose the ear cavity of the ear for the use of a telephone or similar instrument.

FIGURE 3- is a sectional view taken online 3-3 of FIGURE '2 and illustrates the mounting of an air conduction hearing aid receiver on the rear surface of the side temple member.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken'on line 4-4 of FIGURE 1 and illustrates the hollow tube construction of the frame and particularly the hinged connection between the front member of the frame and each of the side temple members of the frame.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view illustrating a portion of one of the side temple members of the frame with an air conduction tube connected to the frame instead of the receiver illustrated in the preceding figures.

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view illustrating a portion of one of the sidemembers of the frame wherein the hearing aid receiver is located on the side memberwhich extends over the ear.

FIGURE 7 is an isometric view of a modified form of the frame illustrated in FIGURE 1, and illustrating in particular a one-piece resilient clamping frame.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the construction of FIG- URE 7, illustrating the position thereof on the head of a user.

FIGURE 9 is an isometric view illustrating a portion of the construction of this invention, and illustrating a hinged connection of the clamping frame to the eyeglasses frame.

FIGURE 10 is a sectional .view illustrating a preferred type of ear cavity member, and

FIGURE 11 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating a modified constructionof the side temple members of the clamping frame. 3

In the drawings the letter F designates generally a clamping frame which includes a central or front member 10 which has pivotally connected thereto side temple members 11 and 12. The central or front frame member 10 may have connected therewith a pair of eyeglasses or lenses 14 and .15. The eyeglasses or lenses 14 and 15 may be connected or mounted with respect to the front frame member 10 in any suitable manner, but as illustrated in the drawings, the lenses 14 and 15 each have an annular support ring 16 and '17, respectively, which are connected together by a bridge 18 having nose pieces 19 and 20 for resting upon the nose of a user. The .upper end of each of the'rings 16 and 17 is secured to the front frame member 10 but obviously said rings could be integral therewith.

Referring now to FIGURE'l and the side member 11 shown therein, it can be seen that such member 11 is divided into two sections, a forward section 22 which is pivotally connected to the front frame member 10 and the rear portion 23 which is adjustably connected to the forward member or section 22. The rear section 23 of the side member 1 1 has an arcuate or curved ear support 24 which extends upwardly and behind the ear of the user. The ear support 24 after extending upwardly and behind the ear E of the user (FIGURE 2) is curved downwardly at its rear extremity 25 so that substantially the entire ear support 24 is concealed behind the ear B. As shown in FIGURES 1-3 the rear extremity 25 is preferably enlarged as compared to the size of the rest of the ear support 24 and is adapted to have mountedtherewith an air conduction hearing aid receiver 26 of the usual construction having electrical wires 27. leading therefrom to the amplifier, microphone and other mechanism (not shown). As is well known, air conduction hearing aids pick up sound, amplify same, and then transmit the amplified sound therefrom to the receiver. In the form of this invention, the vibrations from the rewith the bore or inner passage 30a of the ear tube 30-and also with the bore or inner passage 24a of the ear support 24. The ear cavity plug 31 also has a hollow bore 31a and is adapted to extend into the cavity of the ear B so that there is a communication to the ear drum of the user. Thus, there is a direct sound communication from the receiver 26 through the bore 24a of the curved ear support 24 to the bore 30a of the ear tube 30 which communicates with the bore 31a of the ear cavity member 31, so that sound vibrations from the receiver 26 are conducted to the ear drum of the user. Ear cavity tube member 31 may be flexible and made of plastic if desired.

There is also sound communication from the rear section 23 through its bore 23a to the forward section 22 which is hollow and thence through the hollow pivot connection 3 5 to the hollow front frame member 10 and then through the other hollow pivot connection 36 to the right side temple member 12. The right side temple member 12 is substantially identical with the leftside temple member 11 except that it is unnecessary to pro vide for the receiver'2'6, since,,as will be explained, the

single receiver 26 provides for hearing in both of the ears of the user.

The right side temple member 12 has a forward section 38 and a rear section 39 which correspond with the forward section 22 and rear section 23 of the member 11, respectively. The right side member 12 also has the arcuate or curved ear support 40 which corresponds with the ear support 24. The end extremity 41 of the ear support 40 may be enlarged to correspond with the enlarged end 25 of the ear support 24, and, depending upon the condition of hearing of the user, it may be desirable to position a hearing aid receiver on the enlarged portion 41 in some cases instead of, or in addition to, the one shown on the enlarged portion 25. The right side temple member 12 also has an ear tube 42 which is provided with an ear cavity plug 43 which is identical with and faces toward the plug 31 on'the ear tube 30. The sections 38 and 39 as well asthe ear tube 42 and the plug 43 are hollow as are their corresponding parts on the left temple member 11, so that the sound from the ceiver 26 are transmitted through the opening 26a thereof into the bore or hollow passage 24a insideof the ear support'24. The receiver is mounted on the inner surfaceof the enlarged portion 25, preferably, in aire'cess such as 25a, by the use of a snap ring.

The rear section 23 of the sidetemplemember 11 also i has a,downwardly curved ear tube 30 which has .at its lower end a. tapered inwardly extending ear cavity member or plug 31. As best seen in FIGURE 2, thebore or inner passage 23a of the rear section 23 communicates receiver 26 will be transmitted to the right'ear aswell as to the left ear. Although it is unnecessary to provide a hollow passage through the ear support 40, such canbe provided if desired so that the receiver 26 can be disposed on the enlarged portion 41 if preferred. By reason of this construction employing an ear plug in each of the ears of the user, a more balanced sense of hearing is possible. A substantially equal intensity of sound may be transmitted to both ears by providing a slightly smaller inner passage or bore through the sections of the left temple member 11 which has the receiver 26 connected thereto. Of' course, if the receiver 26 is disposed on the right temple member 12, then such member 12 wouldhave the reduced inner passage. a

The details of the hollow pivoted connection 35 are shown in FIGURE 4. The forward section 22 of the left temple member 11 is threaded or otherwise secured to a lower cylinder 45, which has a closed lower end 45a and an open upper end 455. An upper cylinder 46 is disposed above the lower cylinder 45 and it has a closed upper end 46a and an open lower end 46b which establishes, communication between the cylinders 45 and 46.1 {The front frame member10 is connected to the side of the upper cylinder 46 so that sound communication is established from the bore 22a of the forward section 22 through the cylinders 45 and 46 to the bore 10a of the fron t'frame member 10. The cylinders 45 and 46 have inter-fitting shoulders 45c and 46c which prevent lateral displacement of the cylinders but permit relative rotational movement betweenthe cylinders. A pin or bolt 47 extends axially or vertically through both of the cylinders 45- and 46' to prevent vertical separation of the cylinders, A resilient means such as a coil spring 48 encircles thepin 47 and has its lower end 48a extending into the bore 22:: of the for Wardsection 22. The. upper end 48b of the spring 48 extends at substantially right' anglestothe lower end 48a and projectsinto the bore 10:: of thefron't framemembfer 10. The spring .48 is under torsion so-that theend 48a is forced into contact with the inner side of-the bore 22a and the innerside of the frame member bore 10a whereby the forward section 22"offithe side member 11 is urged inwardly in a'direction toward the front frame member 10. Since the rear section 23 f the sidelme'mber 11 'is connected to the forward section 22,,th'e urging of the spring .48 also tends to move the entire side member 11 inwardly, so that when the frame F is disposed on the head of a user, the side temple member 11. is urged against the side of the persons head. This holds the ear plug 311 firmly within theear. cavity. The right side member 12 is similarly urged against the head of the user by the pivotal connection 36 which is identical with thepivotal connection 35, bubhas the spring action in reverse.

As best seen in FIGURE 1, theforwand section 22 ,is

of a lesser external diameterthanthe bore 232: of the rear section 23 so that the sections .22 and23 have a telescoping. fit whereby the: rear, section .23 is longitudinally slidable on the forward section 22' and is rotatable relative thereto. This permits arr-adjustment for the distance from the nose of the user to hisfears, so that the earsupport 24 can be extendedover the eanof the user when the nose pieces 19 and 20am resetting upon the nose of the user. Similarly the sections -38-jand '39 are adapted to be moved longitudinally and rotatably relative to each other so that the ear, support 40 will'fit uponthe other car of the user in-its proper position. Additionally, because .of the slidable and rotatable features. of the rear sections 23and 39, it is possible to accurately locate the ear plugs 31 and 43 respectively, in the ears of the user, while. at. the same time permitting rotation of the rear sleeve or section 23 to a raised position (FIGURE 2A) wherein the ear support 24 still rests upon the inner portion. of the ear but theear plug ,31 is moved outof the theear cavity so that the ear is open for the use of a telephone or similar instrument. Thus, therotatable connection betweenthe sections 22 and '23 permits a rapid removal of-the plug Blfrom the ear'cavity without the necessity for removing the glasses or the receiver 26 from the head of the user. This is a distinct advantage over the-conventional air conduction hearing aids which employ ianear mold which is difficultly removable, from the ear cavity. It will also be evident that the plugs 31 and.43, each of whichis an elongate tapered cylindrical member, are much more comfortableto the user when positioned in the ear cavity as compared to the ear molds used with the conventional hearing aids.

The operation or use of the frame F-fortransmitting sound to both ears of the user is believed evident from the foregoing description. The receiver 26 transmitsamplifiedsoundvibrations to the inner passage 24a of the ear support '24 from whence the sound travels to theear plug 31 through the ear tube .30. The. sound is also conducted through the bore of the rear section or tube 23 to theforward section or tube 22, then through the hollow connection 35, through the. hollow front frame member 10, through the hollow connection 36, .and thence through the hollow side member 12 to the hollow ear plug 43. Hearing withboth cars is: thus obtained with the use of a singlereceiver. It will be appreciatedthat if only one ear is desired to be connected to the receiver, the bore 23a could .be closed off forward of the junction between the .bore 24m and the bore 30a. In fact, the'entire frame could bernade substantially, solid except for the hollow passages establishing communicationfrom the receiver 216 to the ear plug 31; In such case the spring 4 8 and a similar ,spring (not shown) for the pivotal connection 36 might be placed on the exterior ratherthan on the interior of the frame. In FIGURE 5', a modification of the rear tube or section of the tube 23.

6 23 of the side member 11 is illustrated. This form of the invention is constructed for connection to a hearing aid of the air conduction type which has areceiver adapted to be" located in theusers shirt pocket or coat pocket and with a tube extending to the frame F. All of theparts of the rear section or tube 23* are identical except that the ear support 24 has an open end 49 whereby the flexible hollow tube 50fmay be connected thereto. Such tube 50 extends to the receiverwhichxis disposed in the users coat or shirt pocket. This form of the invention has all of the advantages of the form previously explained Wherein the receiver is attached to the enlarged portion 25, since the tube 50, like the wires 27, is disposed behind the ear and is concealedlby the back of the users neck and the use of the special ear mold is likewise eliminated.

In some instances it may be desirable .to locate the receiver 26 at some point on the frame F other than the enlargedend 25. An example of this'type of modificationis illustrated in FIGURE 6,. wherein the receiver 26 is disposed on the inner surface of the rear section or tube 23; It will be appreciated that the position of the receiver 26 in FIGURE 6 is merely illustrative and such receiver may be positioned at some other point on the tube 23, or in some cases on the tube 30. The curved ear support 24'" illustrated'in FIGURE 5 is utilized in the modification of FIGURE 6 to provide the open end 49 so that the electrical wire 27 can be extended there through tothe receiver 26. The opening 26a in the receiver 2'6 communicates with the bore or inner passage 23a which in turn communicates with the bore 30a and the bore 31a of the plug 31. Although the receiver 26 may not be entirely concealed in this form of the invention, itis very easy to completely conceal such receiver by enlarging the size of the tube 23 so that the receiver 26 is entirely hidden behind the tube 23. The receiver may also be located on either the top or bottom surfaces In this form of the invention the receiver 26 could be mounted or connected to the tube 23 in any desired manner so long as the opening 26a is in communication with the passage 23a, but preferably it would be securedwith an adhesive in substantially the same manner as when the receiver 26 is disposed on the enlarged portion 25' (FIGURE 3). As will be appreciated, the modification shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 .could be used with either or both ears in the same manner as the form of the invention shown in the FIGURES 1-3. In FIGURES 7-8, a modified clamping. frame G is illustrated which is formed of a resilient material such as spring steel, aluminum alloy, or the like so that there will be inherent resiliency in the frame G, and therefore the spring construction shown particularly in FIG- URE 4 is eliminated in this modification. Preferably, the frame G is formed of one piece of tubing or. tubular material, whereby the front or central member and the side temple members 111 and 112 are integral and a hollow passage is provided -through the frame for conducting the sound by air-conduction from the hearing aid receiver 126 to both ear cavity members 131 and 14-3.

The mid-portion of the central member 110'is connected to the bridge member 118' and the nose pieces 119 and 120'by a bracket 70 which is securedto the member 110' and bridge member 118 by clamping, welding, brazing, screws or other similar securing means. The nose pieces 119 and 120 and the bridge member 118 may be connected to the eyeglasses. 114 and 115 (shown in dotted lines) by extensions 71. Thus,.when the eyeglasses are so mounted, with theframe G, the bridge member 118 and extensions 71 constitute the eyeglasses frame to which the clamping frame G is attached. Of course, the front portions of other types of eyeglasses frames could be utilized; for example, the type that completely surrounds the. eyeglasses (FIGURE 1) could also be .used in the form of the invention of FIGURES-7 and 8. In fact, it will be evident that the frame F of FIGURE 1 could be con :bodiment.

. 7 nected to the bridge member 18 70 (FIGURE 7). Aside from the several differences above explained, the construction of FIGURES 7 and 8 is substantially identical with that of FIGURE 1. The ear cavity members 131 and 143 are mounted on downwardly curved ear tubes 130 and 142, respectively; curved ear supports 124 and 140 which are adapted to extend above and bebind the ears are provided with enlargements 125 and ,141, respectively, and as explained in connection with FIGURE 1, one or both of the enlargements 125 and 141 may have hearing aid receivers 126 connected thereto, or the receiver or receivers may be connected as illustrated in either the modification of FIGURE or FIG- ,URE 6. 1

As illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 8, the clamping pressure of the frame G urges the ear cavity members 131 and 143 firmly into the ear cavities of the ears, which is effected by the inherent resiliency of 'the frame G and by normally positioning the ends of the frame G, including the ear tubes 130 and 142, spaced apart a distance less than the width of the heady H of the user. With such construction, the ends of the frame G are spaced from each other a distance less than the width of the head of the user when the frame G is off the head, but when the frame G is on the head H (FIG- URE 8), substantially equal pressure or inward urging of the ear cavity members is effected automatically, with the support of the midpoint of the front portion 110 on the nose of the user by the nose pieces 119 and 120 serving as a fulcrum point for the inward movement of the .side members 111 and 112. In FIGURE 9, a modified connection of the clamping .frame G to the bridge member 118 is illustrated wherein a bracket section 72 is secured to the mid portion of the front or central member 110 of the frame G and a similar bracket section 73 is secured to the bridge member 118. A hinge 75 joins the bracket sections 72 and 73 by screws 76 or similar securing means. The hinge 75 .is constructed to permit the swinging of the eyeglasses from a position in front of the eyes of the user to a position above the line of vision of the user when the user desires to clean the glasses or to otherwise continue to use the hearing aid without using the glasses. It will be by a bracket such as appreciated that the hinged connection of FIGURE 9 'could be used for attaching the eyeglasses 14 and 15 to the frame F in the FIGURE 1 construction.

In FIGURE 10, a detailed sectional view of the ear cavity member 143 is illustrated in its preferred em- The portion 80 which extends into the ear cavity is substantially ball-shaped and it has formed integral therewith or connected thereto a sleeve 81 which is internally threaded at 81a for threaded connection with the hollow ear tube 142 having external threads 82 thereon. The ball-shaped portion 80 has a passage 85 therethrough which establishes sound or air communication with the bore 86 of the tube 142. At the end of the passage 85 adjacent to the bore 86, a reduced opening 851: is provided to form an annular shoulder 87. Packing material 88 is placed in the passage 85 and is confined between the shoulder 87 and an annular retainer 90. The retainer 90* has an opening 90a therethrough Which is preferably about the same size as the opening 85a and the bore 86. External threads 90b on the retainer 90 engages with internal threads 85b in the inner end of the passage 85 so that upon rotation, the retainer 90 can be moved toward the packing 88 to compress same; the more that the packing 88 is compressed, the denser it becomes, thereby dampening or reducing the volume of the sound passing therethrough to the ear drum of the user. Rotation of the retainer 90 can be accomplished by having a notch (not shown) in the exposed end thereof for the reception of a screwdriver, or

similar means can'be provided. The packing material "must be capable of having air or sound pass therethrough v 8 V and must be compressible to reduce the volume of the sound passing therethrough from the bore 86 to the .ear cavity. Preferably, the packing material 88 is felt, although it may be cotton, wool or similar materials. 7

It was previously pointed out in connection with the form of the invention of FIGURE 1 that a balanced sense of hearing is obtainable by reason of the air-conduction of the sound from the receiver through the bore of the frame to the two ear cavity members. It was also mentioned that the volume of sound transmitted to the two ears may be varied by reducing the size of the inner pas.- sage of the frame on the side to which the hearing aid receiver is attached so that substantially equal hearing may be obtained with both ears. The sound dampening means of FIGURE 10 is particularly suitable for such regulation since it is adjustable and may be relatively closely controlled. For example, if a person has one ear in which hearing is 70% normal and the other ear in which hearing is 30% normal, the hearing aid receiver would usually be attached to the frame on the side adjacent the more defective ear (30% normal) and the packing material in the ear cavity member for the better ear (70% normal) would be compressed so that the volume of the sound passing to the better ear is reduced as compared to the volume of the sound passing to the more defective ear. The sound volume to the better ear is reduced to the extent necessary for the user to have a substantially equal sense of hearing in both ears. The foregoing example is, of course, not intended to be limiting, as in actual use the sound volume may be dampened on the side adjacent the hearing aid receiver; the particular relationship of the receiver and the dampener depends on the relative condition of the hearing of the user. Materials of different densities may be used instead of using compression by inserting same in the sound passages to dampen the sound whereby the same purpose can be accomplished as by compression.

It is believed evident that the sound dampening structure of FIGURE 10 could also be used with the ear cavity member 131 of FIGURE 7, or with the ear cavity members 31 and/ or 43 of FIGURE 1.

'In FIGURE 11, a modified construction of the side temple members is illustrated which may be used for either the clamping frame of FIGURE 1 or that of FIG- URE 7. As pointed out in connection with FIGURE 1, the side temple member 11 is preferably formed in a forward section 22 and a rear section 23 so that both longitudinal and rotational movement of the section 23 relative to the section 22 can be obtained. Similarly, the side member :12 is preferably formed in the two relatively movable sections 38 and 39 for such adjustment. In FIGURE 11, a portion of the side temple member such as 111 of FIGURE 7 is shown wherein a forward section 122 is connected to a rear section 123 for rotational and longitudinal movement of the sections 122 and 123 relative to each other. The sections 122 and 123 may be connected with a non-threaded telescoping fit, but to prevent the rear section 123 from inadvertently slipping from the forward section 122 a threaded connection therebetween is provided by the engagement of the external threads on the forward section 122 and the internal threads 96 on the rear section 123. The side temple member 112 could, of course, be made the same as the side member 111. Also, the sections of the side temple members of the clamp o-f FIGURE 1 could be formed with threads as shown in FIGURE 11.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that in all forms of the invention a frame for positioning on the head of a user has been provided which is adapted to be connected to any conventional type of air conduction hearing aid receiver, whereby sound can be conducted to either or both ears of the user. The hearing aid receiver is substantially concealed by the frame, and the wires or tube leading to the frame are positioned behind the ears of the user so that the wire or tube can be led downzthe back :ofi'the-neck :of the men forrconcealment. Whemrtherfr'anreeRiorthetframe Gisuse'd with the eye? glasses? and :15; ther-fact that :the person wearing the glassesciszalsmusingza :hearingzaid is not readily ascertain ableerby a"causual=.observer.c In? addition, the various forms of the clamping frame of this invention eliminate the necessityof-the special plastic ear'moldnow used with the hearingaid receivers, so that the user is more comfortable and the ear cavity can-be readily exposed for the use :ofa telephone or other hearing.- without the hearing-gaid.

What-I claim is:

1. A clamping frame comprising, a front frame member radaptedv to extendvacross the brow o-f the user, means for 'connectingsaid frame member to.an eyeglasses lens frame; a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member and adapted to extend along the side of the head of the user for support on the users ears, each of said side temple members carrying an ear cavity plug member which is adapted to extend into the ear cavity of the ear adjacent thereto, each of said side temple members adjustable longitudinally to properly position the ear cavity member within its respective ear cavity, a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted upon the rear portion of one of the side temple members of the frame, said frame having an air passage therein extending from the point at which the receiver is mounted to the ear cavity members whereby sound may be conducted from the receiver through said passage of frame to both ears of the user so that a balanced hearing is obtained.

2. A clamping frame comprising, a front frame member adapted to extend across the brow of the user, means for connecting said frame member to an eyeglasses lens frame, a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member and adapted to extend along the side of the head of the user for support on the users ears, each of said side temple members carrying an ear cavity plug member which is adapted to extend into the ear cavity of the ear adjacent thereto, said connections between the side members and the front frame member being hollow and including resilient means for urging the side temple members toward the head of the user so that the ear cavity members are maintained within the ear cavities with a slight pressure, a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted upon the rear portion of one of the side temple members of the frame, said frame having an air passage therein extending from the point at which the receiver is mounted to the ear cavity members whereby sound may be conducted from the receiver through said passage of frame to both ears of the user so that a balanced hearing is obtained.

3. A clamping frame comprising, a front frame member adapted to extend across the brow of the user, means for connecting said frame member to an eyeglasses lens frame, a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member and adapted to extend along the side of the head of the user for support on the users ears, each of said side temple members carrying an ear cavity plug member which is adapted to extend into the ear cavity of the ear adjacent thereto, each of said side temple members having a forward section and a rear section, said sections having a rotatable connection whereby the rear section may be rotated relative to the forward section for rotating the ear cavity member out of the ear cavity while maintaining the side temple member supported by the ear, whereby the ear cavity may be exposed for the use of a telephone or for hearing without a hearing aid, a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted upon the rear portion of one of the side temple members of the frame, said frame having an air passage therein extending from the point at which the receiver is mounted to the ear cavity members whereby sound may be conducted from the receiver through said passage:of frame to: bothrears: of; the user sot-thatla balanced hearing-is obtained.

4; A frame adaptedito conduct sound'therethrough and adapted to be mounted on :the head of auser, comprising; a .front: framezmember, .a' pair: of: side temple members, .a pivotal 'connectionbetween eachof the side temple: memberszandith'e front frame member, an ear cavity plug on each of the side temple members adapted to project lIltOTthG ear cavities ofithe ears of the user, said ear cavity plugs,1 sideztemple' members, pivotal coninections and front frame member being hollow and interconnected whereby. sound may be" conducted there'- through, meansicon'necting .an airconduction hearing aid receiverto one of said sidetemplemembers, the hollow passage inlsaid .side temple: member having the receiver connected thereto being smaller than thehollow passage in the other sidezt'emplefimember:whereby the; sound in; tensity in both ear cavities is substantially the same.

5. Apparatus including a front lens frame having nose pieces therewith adapted to rest on the nose of the user, a front frame member adapted to extend across the face of the user above the eyeglasses lens frame, a hinged connection joining said front lens frame with the mid portion of the front frame member to permit a swinging of said front lens frame from a position in front of the eyes of the user to a position the-reabove whereby the eyeglasses may be removed from the line of vision of the user without disturbing the front frame member, a side temple member extending from. each end of said front frame member adapted to extend along the side of the head of the user, an ear cavity member on each of said side temple members adapted to extend into the ear cavity of the users ear adjacent thereto, a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted on the rear portion of one of the side temple members of the frame, said frame having an air passage therein extending from the point at which the receiver is mounted to the ear ca'vity members whereby sound from the receiver may be conducted through the frame to both ears of the user, and means resiliently urging said ear cavity members inwardly toward the users head to firmly seat said ear cavity members in the ears of the user.

6. An eyeglass frame comprising, a front frame member including means for supporting lenses, a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member, one of said side temple members carrying an ear cavity plug member, each of said side temple members comprising a front section and a rear section releasably interfitting with each other and adjustable longitudinally relative to each other to properly position the ear cavity member within an ear cavity, and a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted upon the rear section of said one side temple member and having operative connection with said plug member.

7. An eyeglass frame comprising, a front frame member including means for supporting lenses, a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member, one of said side temple members carrying an ear cavity plug member, each of said side temple members comprising a front sect-ion and a rear section releasably interfitting with each other and adjustable longitudinally relative to each other to properly position the ear cavity member within an ear cavity, a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted upon the rear section of said one side temple member and having operative connection with said plug member, and means securing the front and rear sections of each side temple member to .gether at a selected relative position.

8. An eyeglass frame comprising, a from frame member including means for supporting lenses, a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member, one of said side temple members cafrying an ear cavity plug member, each of said side temple members comprising a front section and a rear section releasably interfitting with each other and adjustable longitudinally relative to each other to properly position the ear cavity member within an ear cavity, and a receiver of an air conduction hearing aidmounted upon the rear section of said one side temple-member and having operative connection with said plug member, said operative connection bet-ween said receiver and ear plug member provided by a conduitpand means in said conduit to dampen sound passing thereth-rough.

'9. An eyeglass frame comprising, a front frame member including means for supporting lenses, a side temple member connected to each end of said front frame member, one of said side temple members carrying an ear cavity plug member, each of said side temple members comprising a frontsection and a rear section having respectively male and female-parts at one end thereof interfitting with each other to provide a temple member having-a length to properly position the ear cavity mem- 12 ber within an ear cavity, means seouring said front and rear sections together in interfitting relationship-and a receiver of an air conduction hearing aid mounted upon the rear section' of said oneside'ttemple member and having operative connection with said plug member.

I 1 References Cited in the file of this'p'atent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,215,585 Huenlich a Sept. 24,;1940 2,437,490 Watson et a1 Mar. 9, 1948 2,503,275 Kleinrnan Apr. 11, 1950 2,566,313 Cates Sept. 4, 1951 2,640,390 Muncy June 2, 1953 2,792,457 Zapelloni May-14, 1957 2,849,533

Mattia Aug. 26, 1958

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