Inverted balloon system and inflation management system
View Patent ↗At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an earpiece having a balloon and a stent where the balloon is mounted on the stent and the stent incorporates two or more channels including at least an inflation channel and an acoustic channel. In some embodiments the stent is configured to pass audio signals through the acoustic channel where the acoustic channel is independent of the inflation channel of the balloon. Other embodiments are disclosed.
1. An earpiece, comprising:
a balloon; and
a stent, wherein the balloon is mounted on the stent and the stent incorporates two or more channels including at least an inflation channel and an acoustic channel, where the stent is configured to pass audio signals through the acoustic channel that is independent of the inflation channel of the balloon;
wherein the balloon comprises a sheath balloon having a first surface and a second surface, wherein a bond exists at a first bond location between the stent and a portion of the first surface, where the first surface faces the stent and wherein the sheath balloon is pulled from an unbounded end over the first bond to a chosen second bond location so that the first surface faces away from the stent forming an inverted bond at the first bond location, and a second bond location where a bonding at the second bond location is between the stent and a portion of the second surface.
2. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic channel is coupled to at least one of a microphone or a receiver at one end of the acoustic channel.
3. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the stent is configured to provide or carry one of air or liquid to and from the balloon.
4. The earpiece according to claim 1 , where the stent is configured to provide or carry air or fluids to and from the balloon via the inflation channel that is pneumatically coupled to the balloon.
5. The earpiece according to claim 1 , wherein the acoustic channel is connected at one end to a microphone.
6. The earpiece according to claim 1 , wherein the acoustic channel is connected at one end to a receiver.
7. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein the stent passes through the balloon.
8. The earpiece according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressure management system for the earpiece.
9. The earpiece according to claim 8 , wherein the pressure management system comprises:
a first valve, where the first valve allows air to pass from a first side of the valve to a second side more readily than from the second side to the first side;
the inflation channel, wherein the inflation channel is embedded; and
the balloon.
10. The earpiece according to claim 9 , wherein the pressure management system further comprises a pressure release mechanism, a pump, and the stent.
11. The earpiece of claim 10 , wherein the first valve, the inflation channel, the pressure release mechanism, the pump, and the balloon are operatively connected, where the first valve is positioned so that air from the pump passes through the first valve to inflate the balloon.
12. The earpiece of claim 11 , where the leak rate of the air from the balloon back to the pump is less than 1% by volume per minute and where the pressure release mechanism is configured to release pressure from the balloon to the environment upon actuation, and where the pressure management system is configured to manage the inflation pressure of the balloon in an orifice.
13. The earpiece according to claim 12 , where the inflation channel is in the stent, inflation channel inner diameter is less than 2 mm, and where the stent outer diameter is less than about 4 mm.
14. The earpiece according to claim 13 , further comprising a second valve, where the second valve is configured to release pressure when the balloon pressure exceeds a threshold pressure value.
15. The earpiece according to claim 14 , where the threshold value is in the range of about 0.15 bar gauge pressure to 0.30 bar gauge pressure.
16. The earpiece according to claim 14 , where the pressure in the balloon upon detachment from another element of the pressure management system maintains its pressure by use of at least a third valve operatively connected to the stent.
17. The earpiece according to claim 10 , where the pump is at least one of a manual pump and an automatic pump.
18. The earpiece according to claim 9 , where the stent and balloon are detachable from the remaining elements of the pressure management system.
19. A closed pressure management system, comprising:
a balloon;
a restoring membrane; and
a stent having an inflation channel of the balloon and an acoustic channel, where the stent is configured to pass audio signals through the acoustic channel that is independent of the inflation channel of the balloon and where the balloon and restoring membrane are pneumatically coupled so that when the balloon is inflated and depressed the restoring membrane will expand supplying a restoring force to counter the depression, and where the balloon, stent and restoring membrane are operatively and pneumatically coupled in a closed system;
wherein the balloon comprises a sheath balloon having a first surface and a second surface, wherein a bond exists at a first bond location between the stent and a portion of the first surface, where the first surface faces the stent and wherein the sheath balloon is pulled from an unbounded end over the first bond to a chosen second bond location so that the first surface faces away from the stent forming an inverted bond at the first bond location, and a second bond location where a bonding at the second bond location is between the stent and a portion of the second surface.