IP Library Granted Patent US 12707210
Granted Patent B2
US 12707210 · App. 17/868,470 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Ear piece for a hearing device

Inventor: Markus Leuthold (Staefa, CH)
Assignee: Sonova AG
H04R25/652H04R1/1058H04R2225/023H04R2225/025
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12707210
App. No.
17/868,470
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ear piece for a hearing device includes one of two, three four or more shapes, wherein the ear piece comprises a tube having a first bend separating two essentially straight sections of the tube which smoothly merge into one another at the first bend, wherein each section has a respective centerline, wherein the centerlines enclose an angle between them, wherein the angle is in a range of 41° to 58°, wherein the centerlines meet at an intersection point lying within an bend plane having a plane area confined by the tube, and wherein the bend plane bisects the angle with a tolerance range of 5% and/or is rotated within the tube about the intersection point so as to minimize the plane area.

Claims (35)

1 . A set comprising four or more ear pieces for a hearing device for one ear of a user, wherein each ear piece has one of two, three, four or more shapes different from the shape of any other ear piece of the set, wherein the ear pieces comprise a tube having a first bend separating two essentially straight sections of the tube which smoothly merge into one another at the first bend, wherein each section has a respective centerline,

wherein the shapes of each of the four or more ear pieces are determined based on a statistical shape model,

wherein the centerlines enclose an angle between them, wherein the angle is in a range of 41° to 58°,

wherein the centerlines meet at an intersection point lying within a bend plane having a plane area confined by the tube,

wherein the bend plane bisects the angle with a tolerance range of 5% and/or is rotated within the tube about the intersection point so as to minimize the plane area,

wherein the plane area is in the range of

44 mm 2 to 53 mm 2 for a first shape,

53 mm 2 to 67 mm 2 for a second shape,

65 mm 2 to 83 mm 2 for a third shape, and

73 mm 2 to 92 mm 2 for a fourth shape, and

wherein the angle is in the range of

42° to 47° for the first shape,

51° to 58° for the second shape,

41° to 46° for the third shape, and

41° to 46° for the fourth shape.

2 . The ear piece of claim 1 , wherein the bend plane is oval and has a major axis and a minor axis, wherein a length of the major axis is

8 mm to 10 mm for the first shape,

10 mm to 13 mm for the second shape,

10 mm to 13 mm for the third shape, and

12 mm to 15 mm for the fourth shape.

3 . The ear piece of claim 2 , wherein a length of the minor axis is

6.2 mm to 7.2 mm for the first shape,

6.2 mm to 7.2 mm for the second shape,

7.6 mm to 8.8 mm for the third shape, and

7.5 mm to 8.7 mm for the fourth shape.

4 . The set according to claim 2 , wherein the major axis is at least approximately perpendicular to a plane spanned by the centerlines.

5 . The set according to claim 4 , wherein the minor axis is perpendicular to the major axis (MA).

6 . The set according to claim 1 , wherein the ear piece comprises an elastic material.

7 . The set of claim 6 , wherein the material is silicone.

8 . The set of claim 6 , wherein the material has a shore A hardness of at most 70.

9 . The set according to claim 1 , having a wall thickness of at most 1.5 mm.

10 . The set according to claim 9 , having a wall thickness of at most 0.7 mm.

11 . The set according to claim 1 , made by molding, casting or thermoforming.

12 . Use of the set according to claim 1 as a temporary solution for a customer.

13 . The use of claim 12 , wherein the set of four or more ear pieces is provided to the customer while producing a customized ear piece.