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(11) | EP 1 973 378 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Secure mount for a hearing instrument electronics module |
| (57) Receptacle tongues and complementary grooves provides a secure mount for an electronics
module in the faceplate of a hearing instrument. The receptacle tongues and grooves
may assume a variety of cross-sectional profiles.
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Background of the Invention
[0001] As shown in U.S. Patent No. 6,816,601, incorporated here by reference, various components of a hearing instrument can be mounted on a module that resides in the faceplate of the instrument.
[0002] If the faceplate is fabricated using a rapid prototyping technology such as stereo lithography, the dimensional tolerances of the faceplate receptacle will be somewhat less precise than those of the module. Given these differences, the module may not reside securely within the receptacle and damage may occur to either the faceplate or the module.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0003]
Figure 1 is drawing of a faceplate with a rectangular electronics module;
Figure 2 is an elevation view of a hearing instrument faceplate attached to a shell;
Figure 3 illustrates the faceplate of Figure 1 with the electronics module removed;
Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the faceplate of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electronics module;
Figure 6 is a top view of the electronics module;
Figures 7-9 are side views of the electronics module;
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of an electronics module having grooves with internal ridges; and
Figures 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views of electronics modules having grooves with semi-circular and triangular cross-sections, respectively.
Description of the Invention
[0004] A faceplate 10 having a rectangular faceplate receptacle 12 holding an electronics module 20 is shown in Figure 1. The faceplate 10 is depicted here as an oval, but it may likely assume some other shape, depending on the shape of the hearing instrument, determined in part by the shape of the ear canal. The faceplate 10 is shown again in the elevation view of Figure 2, attached to a shell 30, the portion of the hearing instrument inserted at least partially into the user's ear canal.
[0005] The faceplate 10 is shown without the electronics module 20 in Figure 3, exposing the rectangular opening that serves as the faceplate receptacle 12. Also visible are two receptacle tongues 14 on the long sides 16 of the faceplate receptacle 12, shown again in partial cross-section in Figure 4. As shown in the figure, the receptacle tongues 14 extend part way along the sides 16 of the faceplate receptacle 12.
[0006] The electronics module 20 is shown in a cross-sectional view in Figure 5, with complementary grooves 22 that mate with the receptacle tongues 14 when the module 20 is inserted into the receptacle 12. Together, the receptacle tongues 14 and the complementary grooves 22 provide a secure mount for the electronics module 20 within the faceplate receptacle 12.
[0007] Another view of the electronics module 20 is presented in Figure 6 (viewed from the top), illustrating the module's outer contour 24 that conforms to the faceplate receptacle 12. Although the grooves 22 are shown as running the length of the module 20 (see the side view in Figure 7), they need only be sufficiently long to accommodate the receptacle tongues 14, as suggested by the shorter dashed lines 26. A side elevation view of an electronics module 20 with shorter grooves 28 is shown in Figure 8.
[0008] To ease the insertion of the module 20 into the faceplate receptacle 12, the grooves 22 may be provided with a flare 40 at the end 42 of the module 20, as shown in Figure 9. To hold the module 20 in place in the faceplate receptacle 12, the module grooves 22 may be provided with one or two ridges 44, as illustrated in Figure 10. When the module 20 is inserted, the ridges 44 will cut into the receptacle tongues 14, providing a more secure registration. The grooves may also have cross-sectional shapes other than rectangular, such as semi-circular 46 in Figure 11 or triangular 48 in Figure 12.
a shell and a faceplate, where the faceplate comprises a faceplate receptacle that accepts and retains an electronics module, the faceplate receptacle comprising opposing receptacle tongues; and
an electronics module, for insertion in the faceplate receptacle, comprising grooves conforming to the opposing receptacle tongues, where the grooves engage the receptacle tongues when the module is inserted into the faceplate receptacle.
the faceplate receptacle is rectangular and the electronics module comprises a rectangular outer contour conforming to the faceplate receptacle; and
the receptacle tongues are located on opposing sides of the faceplate receptacle.
opposing receptacle tongues in the faceplate receptacle; and
grooves, located on the electronics module and conforming to the opposing receptacle tongues, where the grooves engage the receptacle tongues when the module is inserted into the faceplate receptacle.
the faceplate receptacle is rectangular and the electronics module comprises a rectangular outer contour conforming to the faceplate receptacle; and
the receptacle tongues are located on opposing sides of the faceplate receptacle.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description