Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices – Hearing aids – electrical – Specified casing or housing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-17
2004-03-02
Ni, Suhan (Department: 2643)
Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices
Hearing aids, electrical
Specified casing or housing
C381S324000, C381S330000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06700983
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a hearing aid comprising a housing containing a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver and a battery for power supply, the housing comprising a front end and a rear end, a top area and a bottom area, where at the top area a hook is placed for transmittal of acoustic signals from the receiver into the ear of the user.
Such hearing aids are well known within the art as so-called BTE hearing aids. The front end is the end, which abuts the ear of the user. The manufacturing of such hearing aids is normally carried out by a manual assembling process. It is obvious that the assembling process is a cost and time-consuming process, as the many tiny parts require a significant accuracy.
Usually the hearing aid of this type comprises a housing, which has lines of separation extending at the front end and at the rear end. This type of housing makes the assembling process rather cumbersome and time consuming since the inner housing is poorly accessible. This means that the initial price of the hearing aid becomes high as well as the cost of the subsequent repair necessitating a separation of the two housing parts.
A further previously known hearing aid comprises a frame, which carries the operating parts of the hearing aid. It is clear that such a frame applies more weight to the hearing and therefore in undesirable.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a hearing aid, which facilitates the assembling process and furthermore makes an at least partly automated assembly possible without increasing the weight of the hearing aid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention this is obtained by a hearing aid of the type described in the introductory part of the description and which is characterized in that the housing comprises two connectable and detachable parts having lines of separation extending at least partly between top and bottom at both sides of the housing between the front area and the rear area, where in the front part means are provided for holding at least the amplifier circuitry board.
Since the front part is separated as suggested and since this part comprises means for holding the microphone, the amplifier and the receiver it has been made possible to access the holding means much easier using manual assembly methods and also using automated assembly machinery such as industrial robots. The result of this is a significant decrease in time consuming by manual assembly hereby obtaining a more cost effective assembly process and furthermore the possibility of using a assembly machinery hereby also obtaining a more cost effective assembly. In both cases the final product will be producible with lower costs hereby increasing the competiveness of the hearing aid. The self-sustaining character of the hearing aid housing maintains the desirable low weight.
In a preferred embodiment part further comprises means for holding the microphone possibly in a microphone suspension.
In a further preferred embodiment the front part further comprises means for holding the receiver, possibly in a receiver suspension.
Preferably the means for holding the circuitry board comprises at least one slot for receiving a side edge of the circuitry board. A further possibility consist in that the front part comprises mutually separated protruding holding means for receiving a side edge of the circuitry board.
The rear part is adapted to hold the side edge opposite the one received in the front part.
The invention will be explained more detailed in the following with reference to the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4354065 (1982-10-01), Buettner
patent: 5062138 (1991-10-01), Schmid
patent: 5204917 (1993-04-01), Arndt et al.
patent: 6041128 (2000-03-01), Narisawa et al.
Bøgeskov-Jensen Tom
Nørgård Jesper Bach
Severin Bent
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Ni Suhan
Oticon A/S
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