Industrial hearing protection and communication assembly

[0001] The present application is a Continuation-In-Part application filed on Jan. 10, 2000 now abandoned and assigned Ser. No. 09/479,965, which to patent application having Ser. No. 08/965,557 filed Nov. 6, 1997, also incorporated herein by reference, which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,812 on Jan. 11, 2000.

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to an industrial hearing protection and communication assembly that includes an effective incorporation of eye protection, hygienic hearing protection, and a means for effective communication in a single, compact assembly that enables a worker in an industrial setting to maintain maximum safety and sanitary conditions while increasing productivity through communicability.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] In many industrial, mining, or construction related applications, employees are generally required to wear various types of protective gear, such as boots, hard hats, or gloves. Still, however, possibly the most important parts of the body to be protected are the eyes and ears of a worker. In particular, most industrial settings are quite loud such that prolonged exposure to the noise can result in permanent hearing loss. Also, because of the risk of small particles or potentially corrosive fluids being emitted from heavy machinery, a worker's vision can be at great risk if not properly protected. To this end, worker's are commonly required to wear some form of eye protection and/or hearing protection. Indeed, the need for eye and hearing protection frequently go hand-in-hand such that workers will often carry some form of safety goggles in addition to some form of ear coverings or plugs.

[0006] Often, the vision and hearing safety equipment is issued to a worker by the company in the form of a pair of protective glasses and a pair of disposable ear plugs. With regard to the ear plugs, although larger, exterior ear coverings which completely encase the ears are available, small, disposable plugs are highly preferred. In particular, the small ear plugs are less bulky, and therefore more comfortable, and are much more sanitary as each individual has their own plugs which are discarded after use. Further, the small ear plugs are much less expensive than the larger external ear covers. As such, if a company does choose to utilize external ear covers it will usually collect them at the end of a shift, and re-issue them immediately to another worker on the next shift, a practice which is not favorable as perspiration and contaminants from a previous user make the previously used external covers uncomfortable to wear and highly un-hygienic as the contaminants may easily be transferred from one worker to the next. As a result, whether to keep employees happy or to meet health guidelines, a business that chooses to use external ear coverings must often have a set of external ear covers available for every employee, an added expense that further dissuades the use of the external covers.

[0007] In addition to hearing and vision protection, another important safety consideration at an industrial work sight is communicability. Generally, workers carry a radio, or have some form of communication, such as a computer or a telephone near their work station. Unfortunately, however, workers can become quite isolated in the working environment, as their hearing protection blocks out all exterior noise including the phone or radio. Still, in an emergency it is very important that all of the workers communicate with one another so as to properly alert one another of dangers or shut downs, and so as to be aware of evacuations or other safety related notices.

[0008] Safety, however, is not the only reason businesses require communicability with their workers. Businesses also desire communicability to increase worker efficiency and productivity. In particular, if a worker is not informed, and/or cannot inform others of line shut downs, supply deliveries, and many other circumstances, a great deal of money can be lost in down time or defective production. For those reasons it is often vital that a worker be in communication with other workers at all times.

[0009] Presently in the art, businesses address the various safety and communicability considerations by issuing their employees separate radios, protective glasses, and ear plugs. Alternatively, some facilities attempt to use a computer work station monitor to communicate a visual signal to workers. Still, however, communication is a great inconvenience as workers must often remove their hearing protection to properly communicate. Further, even though some external head phone type ear covers, which provide for some communicability, are available, due to the previously described, expense, inconveniences and un-hygienic conditions associated with their use, those types of devices are not favored in the art and businesses must look to any available alternatives.

[0010] Accordingly, safety glasses, hearing protection, and communication devices are still commonly provided to workers separately, and the worker is called upon to manage all of the separate, and often incompatible devices as well as possible. Unfortunately, users who are able to simultaneously wear two or three separate devises find the combined use of the often incompatible apparatuses very inconvenient, bulky, and awkward for use on a day to day basis. Further, to ensure that a worker does not forget or misplace the often expensive equipment, in many instances some or all of the safety equipment, and especially the more expensive equipment such as the communication equipment and exterior head phone type covers, must be turned in each day and reissued the following morning. This practice frequently results in safety glasses, microphones, transmitters, and ear covers being lost, misplaced, or damaged during storage, as the use of several separate devices does not allow for easy convenient storage in one central location. As such, it is very difficult to keep track of all of the various types of safety equipment and a user still has no assurance that they are using all of their own equipment from day to day, a circumstance that is not only un-sanitary, but also can be quite inconvenient to a user who may have to re-size or otherwise adapt their equipment to their comfort requirements.

[0011] In the past, others in the arts relating to communication have attempted to provide devices which can transmit audible signals, while dampening exterior noise. These devices, however, tend to be adapted for a single user, do not provide precise communicability in loud industrial environments, and are quite expensive, making them ineffective for an industrial use wherein every worker is protected. For example, the patent to Woods (U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,364) discloses an ear acoustical attenuating device including a spiral type insert portion or a custom molded ear insert. Similarly, the patent to Wilcox, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,491) discloses an ear-mic headset which contains interior earplugs that fit into a user's ears. Such devices, however, are generally complex, are not suited for a multiple user situation wherein the same device must be shared, and are not cost effective to provide to each individual worker. Also, in the communication field, earphones such as the one provided in the patent to Yoshimi (U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,563) which include an elastic vibration generator/excitor coupled with a sound insulating plug that is structured to propagate the elastic wave therethrough are provided. This device, which has as a primary application the race car industry, does not disclose or suggest efficient, sanitary multi-person use, as the sound transmitting portion, namely the elastic wave propagating plug coupled with the excitor, is to be inserted completely into a user's ear cavity and is not contained such that all of it may become subject to perspiration or contamination. Indeed, such a device requires secure and precise configuration so as to ensure that the waves are effectively propagated through the plug, and as such does not provide for any disposability. Also, despite the generally loud race car environment, industrial environments can often be much louder with may more varied exterior noises such that a device such as Yoshimi's can tend to muffle the audio signal and may not provide sufficient clarity to contrast a large variety of exterior noises. Further, none of these communication devices truly address all of the safety needs in an industrial setting by providing a single, ergonomically oriented, sanitary multi-user safety device.

[0012] Similarly, other devices in the past, such as the audio eyeglasses of da Silva (U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,345) and the ear protector of Sygnator (U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,526) have attempted to combine some devices. Unfortunately, however, such devices do not fully address an industrial wearer's safety needs, do not address the sanitary considerations associated with a multi-user environment, and are not adapted for comfortable use in a multi-user environment as they are not easily adaptable for a precise fit on user's of different sizes. Specifically, most devices in the art relating to communication devices do not have to be structured around other types of protective equipment and can therefore be secured as part of an over the head mount which can be easily adjusted to a wearer's size without concern as to the position of the overhead mount so long as it supports the assembly.

[0013] Accordingly, there is still a need in the specialized art relating to industrial safety equipment for a safety unit which will ensure that worker always has all of the necessary safety devices in a convenient to use array that may be easily and efficiently labeled and re-distributed to assigned employees, thus reducing waste, loss and inconvenience. Further, there is a need for a safety unit which ensures that a user is wearing all of the necessary hearing, vision and communication safety devices and which enables workers in a multi-user/multi-shift environment to effectively and safely share or pass on the safety unit as it is structured to provide quick and precise fitting on user's of varying sizes, complete safety protection and maximum hygiene from user to user as all reusable portions are concealed from direct contact with a wearer.

[0014] The present invention is directed towards an improved, multi-user, industrial hearing protection and communication assembly which combines eye protection, hearing protection, and communicability into one lightweight, fully integrated, self-contained unit. The safety assembly includes primarily a frame assembly that is structured to be supportably disposed on a wearer, such as over a wearer's ears. Further, a front frame member of the frame assembly includes at least one substantially transparent shatterproof eye panel. The eye panel is structured and disposed to shield the front of wearer's eyes from flying particulate.

[0015] Also included with the frame assembly is a receiver assembly. The receiver assembly is preferably mounted to the frame assembly and is structured to receive an audio signal from a remote source. Connected with the receiver assembly, so as to audibly transmit the audio signal received by thereby, is a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly includes primarily a speaker head, which is structured to be inserted into one of the wearer's ears such that the audio signal can be clearly heard in a loud industrial environment. The speaker head is flexibly and communicably secured to the speaker assembly, preferably by a generally elongate, flexible speaker connection assembly.

[0016] As such, the speaker connection assembly variably positions the speaker head relative to the frame assembly in accordance with a location of the wearer's ears, thereby providing for a precise fit despite a specific position of the wearer's ear relative to the frame assembly.

[0017] The industrial safety assembly further includes at least one pair of disposable, protective ear inserts which are structured to be inserted into the wearer's ears in order to substantially muffle any exterior noise. A first of the protective ear inserts includes a bore extending axially therein. The bore is configured such that the speaker head is removably inserted therein and such that the audio signal is substantially audible to the wearer while the exterior noise is substantially muffled in the loud industrial environment. As such, the ear inserts can easily be removed and replaced to preserve maximum hygiene for a subsequent user. Moreover, the protective ear insert is structured to substantially shield the speaker head from contact with the wearer and from perspiration or other body contaminants of the wearer.

[0018] The assembly of the present invention further includes a flexible insert connection assembly extending from the frame assembly. The flexible insert connection assembly is structured and disposed to removably secure a second of the protective ear inserts to the frame assembly such that the second protective ear insert is variably positionable relative to the frame assembly. Accordingly, the second protective insert is conveniently and adjustably fitted into the wearer's ears.

[0019] It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-user industrial safety assembly which combines eye protection, disposable hearing protection, and communication devices into one lightweight fully integrated self-contained unit.

[0020] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an industrial safety assembly which can be hygienically utilized by a number of wearers.

[0021] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a moderate cost, self contained, safety assembly which facilitates and thereby ensures that a worker's vision and hearing are protected while they are still in safe communication with others.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide an industrial safety assembly which is structured to provide multiple types of protection in an easily adaptable unit that may be effectively worn by different size users without requiring alteration or re-sizing.

[0023] An object of the present invention is to provide hearing protection with communicability in a non-cumbersome, well fitting unit which also provides complete front and side vision protection.

[0024] An additional object of the present invention is to provide a unique and comprehensive combination of needed safety equipment into a single, ergonomically arranged assembly.

[0025] Another object of the present invention is to provide a comprehensive combination of needed safety equipment such as vision and hearing protection into a single, ergonomically arranged assembly that is structured to enable partial removal of one aspect of safety protection, such as when a wearer wishes to wipe their eyes or brow, without removing other necessary safety features.

[0033] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

[0034] Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed towards an industrial hearing protection and communication assembly generally indicated as 10. The safety assembly 10 is structured primarily to be worn on a workers head in a substantially loud industrial type environment wherein particulate or corrosive fluids may inadvertently affect a worker's eyes and wherein communicability with workers is a vital safety and productivity concern. The main types of safety equipment which are ergonomically combined into the single, easy to wear and use, self-contained safety assembly 10 relate to eye protection, hearing protection, and communicability, a comprehensive combination which solves a previously unaddressed, industry wide problem of workers not implementing all of the necessary safety equipment.

[0035] The safety assembly 10 includes a frame assembly 15 which is to be worn on the wearer's head. In particular, the frame assembly 15 includes a front frame member 20, and preferably a first leg 21 and a second leg 22. The front frame member 20, which is preferably constructed of durable, lightweight plastic or a similar lightweight generally rigid material, includes at least one, but preferably a pair of eye segments 23 and 24. The eye segments 23 and 24 are structured and disposed to fit over each of the wearer's eyes and are connected with one another by a bridge segment 25. As with conventional glasses, the bridge segment 25 fits over the wearer's nose and functions to substantially supportably maintain the front frame member 20 thereon. Also, so as to provide comfort, a nose pad 30 constructed of soft, pliable material such as rubber or latex can be disposed in the bridge segment 25. Of course, however, it is noted that the above-described description may also be seen to include an open eye segment so as to have a shield like configuration, or a variety of different support means such as straps, clips, helmets and the like, so long as the frame assembly is supported on the wearer and the front frame member is maintained generally in a vicinity of the wearer's eyes sufficient for the proper disposition of the front eye panel 40, to be described.

[0036] Specifically, disposed in the front frame member 20 is at least one transparent, preferably shatterproof front eye panel 40. The front eye panel is structured and disposed to substantially shield the front of the wearer's eyes while permitting clear vision therethrough. Further, the eye panel 40 may include two separate panels, each disposed in one of the eye segments 23 and 24 of the front frame member 20 so as to cover/shield a corresponding eye of the wearer. Alternatively, however, the front eye panel 40 may include one continuous segment or shield, and in the preferred embodiment frame assembly may extend across both eye segments 23 and 24, thereby functioning to shield the front of both of the wearer's eyes. Also, for industrial applications where bright lights are expected such as those produced by welding torches, the front eye panel 40 may be tinted or polarized. Of course, tinted panels may also be desirable for outdoor use in bright sunlight. Further, an individual worker may wish to replace the front eye panel 40 with prescription safety lenses.

[0037] Turning to the preferred means of supportably positioning the frame assembly on the wearer, the first and second legs 21 and 22 are structured to extend from opposite sides of the front frame member 20 towards a rear thereof. Further, the legs 21 and 22 are preferably disposed in a generally perpendicular relation to the front frame member 20 so as to extend over the wearer's ears upon the front frame member 20 being disposed in front of the wearer's eyes. In the preferred embodiment, each of the legs 21 and 22 have a curved free end and are structured to curve over the wearer's ears so that the front frame member 20 is effectively retained and positioned in front of the wearer's eyes during activity by the worker. The first and second legs 21 and 22 may also be formed of a durable, lightweight plastic or in an alternative may be made of a resilient, bendable plastic material with a bendable metal core to allow the user to adjust the contour of the legs 21 and 22 to provide a precise comfortable fit.

[0038] In addition to the risk of particulate or contaminants entering a wearer's eyes from the front, many industrial eye injuries involve particles or contaminants entering the wearer's eyes from a side. Although the front panel or shield may wrap around, in the preferred embodiment, the sides of the wearer's eyes are shielded by a pair of side eye panels 50. The side eye panels 50, which are preferably formed of transparent, shatter proof material so as to provide effective protection without limiting a peripheral vision of the wearer, are preferably secured to the first leg 21 and the second leg 22 of the frame assembly 15. Further, the side eye panels 50 are preferably gradually tapered back towards the wearer's ears in order to ensure full protection without impeding a comfortable fit over the wearer's ears. Although the side eye-panels are preferably permanently secured to the legs 21 and 22, such as by a pair of screws, an alternative embodiment the side panels can be structured to “snap-on” so that they may be removed in instances where side eye protection is not needed.

[0039] In addition to eye protection, the safety assembly 10 of the present invention is also structured to provide effective and properly fitting protection against hearing loss. As such, the safety assembly 10 includes at least one, but preferably a pair of protective ear inserts 61 and 62. The first and second protective ear inserts 61 and 62 are structured to substantially muffle loud exterior sounds when inserted into the wearer's ears. Preferably, the first and second ear inserts 61 and 62 are formed of a sound-deadening, compressible, and inexpensive material such as high density urethane form, although a variety of insert materials may be effectively incorporated. As such, the protective ear inserts 61 and 62 are preferably disposable, thereby maintaining sanitary conditions and ensuring that each individual only inserts their own protective inserts 61 and 62 into their ears. Of course, inserts of varying materials and configurations could also be utilized, such as from solid, pre-molded or formed materials, such as silicone, and/or inserts having separate disposable, protective covers may be employed if desired.

[0040] So as to ensure an appropriate protective fit, despite the precise size of the wearer, and to ensure that the protective inserts 61 and 62 are maintained with the safety assembly 10 and readily disposed for use if the wearer temporarily removes it, the protective inserts 61 and 62 are preferably removably secured to the frame assembly 15 by flexible insert connection assemblies 64 and 66. The flexible insert connection assemblies 64 and 66 are removably secured to each of the protective ear inserts 61 and 62, in a manner to be described subsequently, so as to permit the protective ear inserts 61 and 62 to be variably positionable relative to the frame assembly 15, in accordance with the location of the wearer's ears. Further, the flexible insert connection assemblies 64 and 66, are preferably generally elongate, thereby facilitating proper manipulation and introduction into the wearer's ears regardless of the wearer's head size or ear location. Also, the elongate nature of the flexible insert connection assemblies 64 and 66 permits the frame assembly 15 to be partially removed from a wearers face, such as if a wearer must wipe their eyes or brow, while not removing the protective ear inserts 61 and 62 and subjecting the wearer to loud noises. In the preferred embodiment, the flexible insert connection assemblies 64 and 66 extend from the frame assembly and preferably from the first and second legs 21 and 22, however they can also be effectively secured to the front frame member 20 if necessary by extending a length of the connection assemblies 64 and 66.

[0041] As a supplement to the hearing and vision protection provided by the present invention, the safety assembly 10 of the present invention is also structured to provide substantial communicability between a wearer and other wearers or a control station. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, the safety assembly 10 further includes a receiver assembly 68. The receiver assembly 68 is structured to receive an audio signal from a remote location, and in the preferred embodiment is substantially small and compact so as to be mounted directly to the frame assembly 15. Also in the preferred embodiment, the receiver assembly 68 is mounted to an inside surface of the second leg 22, preferably near the front frame member 20, as that area of the leg 22 is generally spaced from the wearer due to a normal configuration of the frame assembly 15. Further, because the audio signal is received within an industrial setting, a generally large antenna is not required as the signals are usually transmitted from close by.

[0042] Connected with the receiver assembly 68 is a speaker assembly. The speaker assembly is structured and disposed to audibly communicate the audio signal to the wearer. As such, the speaker assembly includes a speaker head 63. The speaker head 63 is structured to be introduced into a wearer's ear such that the audio signal is substantially audible and clear to the wearer in the loud industrial environment. The speaker head 63 is flexibly and communicably secured to the speaker assembly by a generally elongate, flexible speaker connection assembly 64. The speaker connection assembly 64 is structured and disposed to variably position the speaker head 63 relative to the frame assembly 15 in accordance with a location of the wearer's ears, thereby ensuring that the speaker head 63 is effectively positionable in the wearer's ear despite the location of the wearer's ear relative to the receiving assembly. Further, the flexible speaker connection assembly 64 is generally elongate so as to permit the speaker head 63 to be maintained in the wearer's ears if the frame assembly 15 is partially removed. In a preferred embodiment, the flexible speaker connection assembly 64 includes a generally hollow sound tube. As such, the receiver assembly 68 will preferably include an isolated internal speaker to which the sound tube is connected in order to transmit the sound therethrough to the speaker head 63, which in this embodiment includes a sound emitting opening. Alternatively, the flexible speaker connection assembly 64 may include an elongate, sound transmitting wire which transmits the audio signal to the speaker head 63 for conversion into audible sound. Of course, a wireless system can also be incorporated.

[0043] In the safety assembly 10 of the present invention, the flexible insert connection assembly 64 preferably includes the flexible speaker connection assembly 64, when provided. As such, the first protective ear insert 61 is structured to include a bore 61′ which extends axially through the first protective insert 61. Preferably the bore 61′ extends substantially or completely through the protective ear insert 61 and is structured to receive the speaker head 63 snugly, yet removably therein. Accordingly, once the speaker head 63 is inserted into the protective insert 61, and the protective insert 61 is inserted into the wearer's ear, the protective insert 61 substantially shields the speaker head 63 from contact with the wearer and from perspiration or other body contaminants of the wearer, and substantially muffles the exterior noise, while still permitting the audio signal to be heard and understood by the wearer in a clear and precise manner. Specifically, because of the configuration of the present invention, the speaker head 63 extends into the wearer's ears and is not distorted or muffled in any way by the protective inserts themselves. As such, the audio signal is crisp and focused without disruption from loud and varied exterior noises. For example, an industrial environment often includes a large number of different noises which must be eliminated. These noises, however, are all at different volumes, pitches, rates, etc. and can make it very difficult to hear an audio signal with precision. By directing the audio signal into the wearer's ears as is achieved by the present invention, and only muffling those exterior noises, a great degree of precision and focus is achieved. Also, such focus can be of particular importance in an industrial environment wherein a wearer is not always expecting to hear an audio signal but rather has their attention spread over a variety of tasks.

[0044] Similarly, the second protective ear insert 62 includes a bore 62′ which extends axially therethrough. As such, the protective inserts 61 and 62 can be identically manufactured and are interchangeable with one another. Returning to the flexible insert connection assembly 66, it will preferably include an elongate chord 66. The elongate chord 66 is connected at one end thereof to the frame assembly 15, preferably at the first leg 21, and at an opposite end to a connector head 65. Specifically, the connector head 65 is structured to be removably, yet snugly inserted into the bore 62′ in the second protective ear insert 62. As such, both the first and second protective ear inserts 61 and 62 may be effectively and easily introduced into the ears during use, with minimal risk of loss when removed and with maximum hygiene. Of course, two of the elongate chord 66 and connector head 65, or two of the flexible speaker connection assemblies 64 may be provided if necessary for a particular design.

[0045] Additionally, to allow hands-free communication, the receiver assembly 68 of an alternative embodiment of the present invention may be structured to include a transmitter assembly separately or integrally therewith. Specifically, the transmitter assembly is structured to transmit an outbound audio signal initiated by the wearer to a remote location. As such, in this alternative embodiment a microphone assembly 70 is also included. The microphone assembly 70 of the preferred embodiment is structured to be positionable within the vicinity of the wearers mouth by means of an adjustable elongate segment 71. Preferably the elongate segment 71 extends from the first leg 21 of the main assembly. Further, the elongate segment 71 may be constructed of a bendable, resilient plastic material which contains a light metal core so that the elongate segment 71 is adjustable to comfortably remain in front of the user's mouth. As such the microphone assembly 70 allows for communication by the user while keeping his hands free to simultaneously work on other tasks. Of course, a variety of different microphone designs can also be incorporated.

[0046] In yet another embodiment, a heads up display transmitter 80 may be included in addition to or instead of the receiver assembly 68. The heads up display transmitter is preferably disposed relative to the front frame member 20 (as shown on FIG. 2) so as to provide a visual image, such as on the eye panel 40, in front of the wearer's eyes, that appears to be a visible distance away from the wearer. This allows the wearer to view visual images such as machinery gauge readings and safety alerts without having to look away from his immediate task. Such a heads up display is very valuable in industrial applications where a short lapse of attention or a break in concentration may lead to mistakes or accidents.

[0047] The heads up display transmitter 80, as well as the receiver/transmitter assembly 68 will preferably receive power from a battery pack 90. Preferably, the battery pack, which can be rechargeable, is mounted to the second leg 22 in an out of the way location.

[0048] While this invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be a practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention which should, therefore, not be limited except as set forth in the claims which follow and within the doctrine of equivalents.

[0049] Now that the invention has been described,