Ornamental Ear Insert and Hearing Aid

This invention relates to an ornamental ear insert and to a combination of an ornamental ear insert and a hearing aid.

The ornamental ear insert comprises a mesh screen, which particularly consists of metal and is formed with pleats, which are preferably curved. The ornamental ear insert in accordance with the invention is adapted to be inserted into an external ear and is adapted to be resiliently retained behind projecting portions of the external ear and/or may be provided at one end or at both ends with hooks for insertion into folds between the external ear and the skull of the wearer. Such an ornamental insert may be used merely as an ornament or as an ornamental covering for a hearing aid or a component thereof and may be designed to leave free the ear lobe for an attachment of conventional ear ornament.

The pleats form in the mesh screen may be similar to the flutes of messel shells or may radiate. Beadlike arches may be provided between the pleats to ensure a high flexibility in combination with an adequate stability.

FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, show an ornamental ear insert consisting of a mesh screen before and after it has been inserted into the external ear.

FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, show different mesh screens before and after they have been inserted into the external ear.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show various ornamental mesh screens inserted into the external ear.

Preferred embodiments of the ornamental ear insert in accordance with the invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the drawings.

The ornamental ear insert shown in the drawings comprises a mesh screen 1, particularly a metal mesh screen, which is formed with pleats 2, which are preferably curved. Beadlike arches 3 are formed in the screen 1 between the pleats and ensure that the screen has a high flexibility and an adequate stability. As a result, the mesh screen can be radially compressed and can be inserted into the external ear in the resulting shape and can then be released for a resilient expansion behind the projecting portions 4 of the external ear so that the ornamental ear insert will be retained in the external ear as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show two other embodiments of mesh screens 1a and 1b, respectively, which are formed with pleats 2a or 2b and with arches 3a or 3b. In FIGS. 3 and 4 said ornamental ear inserts are respectively shown before and after they have been inserted into the external ear. The flexibility of the ornamental ear inserts 1a and 1b shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has been increased by a mesh lug 5a, 5b, which generally conforms to a portion of the external ear.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show two additional embodiments of mesh screens 1c and 1d, respectively, which are formed with pleats 2c and 2d and with arches 3c and 3d and are shown after they have been inserted into the external ear. The mesh screen 1c shown in FIG. 5 is provided with top and bottom hooks 6c, which have been inserted into the folds 7c between the external ear and the skull. The mesh screen 1d shown in FIG. 6 is provided with top and bottom hooks 6d, which have been inserted into the folds 7d between the external ear and the skull.

The mesh screens 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d may be used merely for ornamental purposes but may also be used as an ornamental covering to conceal a hearing aid or part thereof and may be secured to the latter. The volume control device of the hearing aid may be operable by a coupling pin, which extends through the mesh screen and outside the latter carries an ornamental knob or a pearl knob for rotating the coupling pin. This is not shown here.

A battery for powering such hearing aid may be worn behind the external ear and may be electrically connected to the hearing aid in the external ear by leads which may be concealed by end portions of the mesh screen and/or by hooks which are connected to the mesh screen and inserted into folds between the external ear and the skull. In a hearing aid comprising a speaker inserted into the external ear and a unit worn behind the ear, a lead between said unit and the speaker may be concealed by end portions of the mesh screen and/or by hooks which are connected to the mesh screen and inserted into the folds between the external ear and the skull. The mesh screen may be secured to a hearing aid to form a unit which is inserted into the external ear and can be removed from the external ear by means of the mesh screen.

The mesh screen formed with pleats may particularly consist of a fine-mesh screen and may be formed at its edge with an inturned bead or with a plastic rim. The ornamental ear device may comprise a mesh screen consisting of metal-coated plastic, particularly if the mesh screen is combined with a hearing aid or part thereof.

The ornamental ear insert in accordance with the invention permits hearing aids to be worn inconspicuously and permits additional and novel features to be embodied in hearing aids, e.g., in that parts of the hearing aid are worn behind the external ear and the lead from said parts behind the ear to the parts worn in the external ear may be concealed and such parts worn behind the ear may be larger than parts which could be inserted into the external ear.

The surface of the mesh screen is increased by the beadlike arches so that the mesh screen will not adversely affect the transmission of sound to the ear in which the ornamental ear insert is worn.