Hybrid shell for hearing aid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11277699-B2
Application number	US-201916551343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2019
Priority date	Oct 1, 2015
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A method is a described for constructing a hearing aid shell that comprises a combination of hard and soft materials. In one embodiment, 3D printing is combined with conventional mold/casting methods so that a first shell portion made of a hard material and a mold for a second shell portion are 3D printed. The mold is then filled with a soft material which is allowed to set to form the second shell portion, and the first and second shell portions are adhesively attached.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for constructing a hearing aid shell, comprising:
3D priming a first shell portion made of a hard material;
3D printing a mold for a second shell portion;
filling the mold with a soft material which is allowed to set to form the second shell portion; and,
adhesively attaching the first and second shell portions wherein one of the first or second shell portions forms an anterior surface of the hearing aid shell that contacts an anterior surface of a user's ear canal when the hearing aid shell is inserted therein while the other of first or second shell portions forms a posterior surface of the hearing aid shell that contacts a posterior surface of the user's ear canal when the hearing aid shell is inserted therein.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first shell portion forms the posterior surface of the hearing aid shell and the second shell portion forms the anterior surface of the hearing aid shell.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the soft material is silicone.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising 3D printing alignment features on the edges of the first and second shell portions to assure that the first and second shell portions fit together.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising 3D printing textured surfaces on the surfaces of the first and second shell portions that are adhesively attached.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the textured surfaces of the first and second shell portions increase the surface area of contact between the first and second shell portions.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the textured surfaces of the first and second shell portions comprise rough and irregular portions that increase the surface area of contact.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the textured surfaces of the first and second shell portions comprise overlapping portions that increase the surface area of contact.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disposing one or more acoustic seal rings around a portion of the hearing aid shell that is adapted to be inserted into a patient's external ear canal.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adhering the first shell portion to the soft material in the mold and, after setting, removing the mold.

11. A hearing aid comprising:
a receiver to convert an output signal produced by processing circuitry into an audio output;
a heating aid shell to contain the receiver;
wherein the hearing aid shell is constructed by:
3D printing a first shell portion made of a hard material;
3D printing a mold for a second shell portion;
filling the mold with a soft material which is allowed to set to form the second shell portion; and,
adhesively attaching the first and second shell portions wherein one of the first or second shell portions forms an anterior surface of the hearing aid shell that contacts an anterior surface of a user's ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted therein while the other of first or second shell portions forms a posterior surface of the hearing aid shell that contacts a posterior surface of the user's ear canal when the hearing aid is inserted therein.

12. The hearing aid of claim 11 , wherein the first shell portion forms the posterior surface of the hearing aid shell and the second shell portion forms the anterior surface of the hearing aid shell.

13. The hearing aid of claim 11 , wherein the soft material is silicone.

14. The hearing aid of claim 11 , wherein the first and second shell portions further comprise alignment features on the edges of the first and second shell portions to assure that the first and second shell portions fit together.

15. The hearing aid of claim 11 , further wherein the first and second shell portions further comprise textured surfaces on the surfaces of the first and second shell portions that are adhesively attached.

16. The hearing aid of claim 15 , wherein the textured surfaces of the first and second shell portions increase the surface area of contact between the first and second shell portions.

17. The hearing aid of claim 15 , wherein the textured surfaces of the first and second shell portions comprise rough and irregular portions that increase the surface area of contact.

18. The hearing aid of claim 15 , wherein the textured surfaces of the first and second shell portions comprise overlapping portions that increase the surface area of contact.

19. The hearing aid of claim 11 , further comprising one or more acoustic seal rings disposed around a portion of the hearing aid shell that is adapted to be inserted into a patient's external ear canal.

20. The hearing aid of claim 11 , wherein the hearing aid is a completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid or receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid.

Assignees

• Starkey Labs Inc

Inventors

• Sacha Michael Karl
• Stewart Jay
• Gentry Wes
• Feldsien Craig

Classifications

• H04R25/652 Primary

  Ear tips; Ear moulds (hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659) · CPC title

• H04R25/658 Primary

  Manufacture of housing parts · CPC title

• H04R2225/025

  In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R2225/77

  Design aspects, e.g. CAD, of hearing aid tips, moulds or housings · CPC title

• H04R2225/023

  Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids · CPC title