Earpiece intra-auricular support system
An earpiece including an intra-auricular support, a projection element coupled thereto, and a flexible body disposed thereon and inside an external ear canal of an ear, and a moldable earpiece material moldable about the intra-auricular support to conform to the auricle of an ear and curable to provide a fixed configuration of the earpiece.
1. An earpiece, comprising:
an intra-auricular support, said intra-auricular support including:
an outer surface opposite an inner surface each extending to an intra-auricular support peripheral edge; and
an intra-auricular support conduit open between said inner surface and said outer surface of said intra-auricular support, said intra-auricular support conduit configured to releasably retain an in-ear device;
a moldable earpiece material moldable about said intra-auricular support to conform to said auricle of said ear, said moldable earpiece material curable in a fixed configuration of said earpiece; and
an in-ear device releasably retained in said intra-auricular support conduit of said intra-auricular support.
2. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein said in-ear device is selected from the group consisting of: earphones, earplugs, earbuds, ear tips, ear tubes, ear-sealing balloons, and in-ear hearing aids.
3. The earpiece of claim 2 , wherein said in-ear device comprises a part of an apparatus which resides outside of said ear.
4. The earpiece of claim 3 , further comprising selecting said apparatus which resides outside of said ear from the group consisting of: headsets, head phones, telephones, BLUETOOTH® headphones, wireless headphones, and hearing aids.
5. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein said moldable earpiece material comprises a one-part moldable earpiece material.
6. The earpiece of claim 5 , wherein said one-part moldable earpiece material is selected from the group consisting of: ethyl vinyl acetate, polycaprolactone, and room temperature vulcanization silicone.
7. The earpiece of claim 5 , wherein said one-part moldable earpiece material comprises an amount of polycaprolactone polymer having a number average molecular weight of about 37,000 grams per mole to 80,000 grams per mole.
8. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein said moldable earpiece material comprises a moldable agent combinable with a curing agent, said moldable agent combined with said curing agent curable to establish said fixed configuration of said earpiece.
9. The earpiece of claim 8 , wherein said moldable agent and said curing agent comprises a crosslinkable polymer and a catalyst.
10. The earpiece of claim 9 , wherein said crosslinkable polymer comprises a polymer containing at least one hydrosylable silane group and wherein said catalyst comprises one or more of a metallic salt of an organic carboxylic acid.
11. The earpiece of claim 10 , wherein said crosslinkable polymer is selected from the group consisting of: a silane-modified olyoxyalkylene, a polyolefin, a poly(meth)acrylate, a polyurethane, a polyamide, and a polysiloxane and said metallic salt of an organic carboxylic acid, wherein said metallic salt of said organic carboxylic acid comprises one or more of a platinum, a tin or a copper salt of said organic carboxylic acid.
12. The earpiece of claim 11 , wherein said crosslinkable polymer comprises polydimethylsiloxane and wherein said catalyst comprises platinum (0)-1,3-divinyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane.
13. The earpiece of claim 12 , wherein said moldable agent comprises SILPURAN 8020® and wherein said curing agent comprises SILPURAN CURING AGENT M®.
14. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein said intra-auricular support further comprises:
a projection element extending outward of said inner surface of said intra-auricular support; and
a flexible body disposed about said projection element, said flexible body configured to insert inside of an external ear canal of said ear concurrent with said intra-auricular support engaged to said auricle of said ear.
15. The earpiece of claim 1 , wherein said intra-auricular support conduit extends a distance outward of said outer surface of said outer surface of said intra-auricular support.
16. A method, comprising:
pressingly engaging a moldable earpiece material to an intra-auricular support, said intra-auricular support including:
an outer surface opposite an inner surface each extending to an intra-auricular support peripheral edge; and
an intra-auricular support conduit open between said inner surface and said outer surface of said intra-auricular support, said intra-auricular support conduit configured to releasably retain an in-ear device;
moldably forming said moldable earpiece material about said intra-auricular support or said intra-auricular support conduit;
conforming said moldable earpiece material to an auricle of an ear;
curing said moldable earpiece material to provide a fixed configuration of said earpiece; and
releasably retaining an in-ear device in said intra-auricular support conduit.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said moldable earpiece material comprises a one-part moldable earpiece material.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein said moldable earpiece material comprises a moldable agent and a curing agent, further comprising:
combining said moldable agent and said curing agent; and
curing said moldable earpiece material to establish said fixed configuration of said earpiece.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein said intra-auricular support further comprises:
a projection element extending outward of said inner surface of said intra-auricular support; and
a flexible body disposed about said projection element, said flexible body configured to insert inside of an external ear canal of said ear concurrent with said intra-auricular support engaged to said auricle of said ear.