The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 2001
Filed:
Feb. 10, 2000
Beltone Electronics Corporation, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
Hearing aids having housings formed as standardized shapes include electronic components. The components can be separate or integrated into a single unit. The housings can be formed as one or more spheroidal-like surfaces of revolution which are symmetrical along an axis. Alternately, the housings can be formed by lofting ellipses along a central axis. Representative housing shapes include egg-shaped and pear-shaped surfaces. An insertion and extraction element is fixedly attached to an end of the housing which extends toward the outer ear when the aid is inserted into an ear canal. The insertion/extraction member can be formed as either a rigid or a flexible element. The housing can carry a soft, deformable outer layer to improve performance and user comfort when installed in an ear canal.