A hearing protection device and a method for manufacturing said hearing protection device. TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a hearing protection device comprising a headband, two ear units, each being attached to an end section of said headband, and a support element being attached to said headband. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a hearing protection device comprising a headband and two ear units, said method comprising attaching each one of said ear units to an end section of said headband and attaching a support element to said headband. The invention can be used in connection with hearing protection devices or alternatively a set of headphones or audio ear muffs, and similar devices.

BACKGROUND

In many fields of industry and in many types of workplaces, it is common to use hearing protection devices due to excessive levels of noise and sound in the environment. A hearing protection device can for example be in the form of a pair of ear units, i.e. cup-shaped elements which are connected by means of a connecting element, i.e. an arc-shaped headband or a helmet, wherein each cup- shaped element comprises a generally circular or oval sealing ring which is configured to cover an ear of the user. During use, the ear units are intended to be in contact with the head of a user in a manner so that the ears are enclosed.

Furthermore, each cup-shaped element can be provided with noise-attenuating material, for example foam material which is designed to absorb sound. Also, a hearing protection device can be configured so that the cup-shaped element with the sealing ring is used so as to form a set of headphones or audio ear muffs. There are different kinds of audio ear muffs, e.g. with built-in radio, communication facilities or active volume technology. In such cases, the cup-shaped element accommodates a loudspeaker.

With regard to a hearing protection device of the above-mentioned type, it is important to design it with a high level of sound attenuation and also a high degree of comfort so as to allow a user to wear it for long periods of time. For this purpose, today ^' s hearing protection devices are normally formed with a soft support element which is in contact with the user ^' s head. Such a support element can for example be provided by means of a shaped foam element covered with a suitable textile material and being glued to a plastic element. The support element must also be attached to the headband. Alternatively, a hearing protection device can be manufactured by using a headband and a soft foam cushion which is glued onto the headband. However, the process of gluing, and also the process of cutting and shaping the foam cushion, is complex and inefficient.

Consequently, the above-mentioned known solutions for manufacturing hearing protection devices has obvious disadvantages in the form of a complex

manufacturing process and a high production cost. Furthermore, there are demands for an efficient manufacturing process in which one particular type of hearing protection device can be easily adapted to various requirements as regards its colour and the possibility of printing, attaching or forming logotypes or particular designs on different parts of the device. In particular, there exists a requirement to use a very few number of different elements for the hearing protection device while still having the possibility to adapt the finished product to different brands by using logotypes and design elements in a suitable manner. Also, as mentioned, there is a general requirement for a hearing protection device to be comfortable and convenient to wear for long periods of time. It is also important that the hearing protection is durable and is resistant against wear and degradation due to different types of influence from the environment.

A previously known hearing protection device is disclosed in the design patent document US D 663902. This document teaches a hearing protection device comprising a headband and two ear cups which are arranged for hearing protection.

Even though there exist well-functioning known hearing protection devices, such as the above-mentioned one, there is still a disadvantage with today ^' s technology for manufacturing a hearing protection device that it comprises a high number of manufacturing steps and that it is unnecessarily complex, time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, known manufacturing processes often involve many different components and alternative designs, which is costly and complex.

Consequently, there is a continuing need for improved ways of manufacturing hearing protection devices in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, but also to adapt the manufacturing and the finished product to different brands and also to improve the comfort and durability.

SUMMARY

Consequently, an object of the invention is to provide a hearing protection device and a method for manufacturing such a hearing protection device which solves the above-mentioned problems related to prior art and provides a solution which is cost-effective to manufacture and which offers a high level of comfort even after long periods of use.

The above-mentioned object is achieved by a hearing protection device

comprising a headband and two ear units, each being attached to an end section of said headband, and a support element being attached to said headband.

Furthermore, the headband is formed by injection molding. Also, said support element comprises two end sections being attached to said headband and said support element is arranged for resting on top of a user ^' s head during use of said hearing protection device.

The invention provides certain advantages over previously known technology, primarily due to the fact that it relates to a process involving one or more injection molding steps which define a simple and cost-efficient manufacturing process. The invention also has advantages since it can be easily adapted to different brands by using logos and design elements in an efficient manner. The invention can be used in an acoustic device such as a hearing protection device, or alternatively in other forms of acoustic devices such as headphones.

According to an embodiment, the support element is manufactured as a separate element being attached to said headband. Alternatively, the end sections of the support element can be formed integrally with the headband.

According to a further embodiment, the support element is configured for supporting a logotype or a visual marking or design element. According to a further embodiment, the headband is connected to said end sections via a first hinge and a second hinge. Finally, the headband can be formed in one piece by injection molding.

A further object of the invention is to provide a manufacturing process in which the above-mentioned problems are solved.

This object is obtained by means of a method for manufacturing a hearing protection device comprising a headband and two ear units, said method comprising: attaching each one of said ear units to an end section of said headband; and attaching a support element to said headband. Furthermore, the method comprises: forming said headband in one single piece by injection molding; and attaching said support element in each end section to said headband, said support element being arranged for resting on top of a user ^' s head during use of said hearing protection device.

Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a more detailed description of embodiments of the invention cited as examples.

Fig. 1 shows a hearing protection device according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 shows the hearing protection device in an exploded view.

Fig. 3 shows a hearing protection device according to a second embodiment of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS:

Different embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The device and method disclosed herein can, however, be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below.

Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the disclosure only, and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

With initial reference to Fig. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of an acoustic device in the form of a hearing protection device 1 which is formed of two generally similar ear units 2, 3 which are connected by means of a headband 4. The headband 4 is suitably of a flexible but relatively stiff material which is configured so that the ear units 2, 3 are positioned in a defined position upon each ear of a user during use. According to an embodiment, the headband 4 is manufactured from polyoximethylene (POM), but other materials are also possible.

The ear units 2, 3 are generally known as such, i.e. they are arranged so as to provide sound-attenuation in order to protect the user ^' s ears. The principles for such hearing protection devices are known as such, and for this reason they are not described in detail here.

Furthermore, the headband 4 is formed in one single piece by means of injection molding. This process will be described in greater detail below. As indicated in Fig. 1 , each ear unit 2, 3 is attached to a corresponding end section 6, 7 of the headband 4. According to an embodiment, each end section 6, 7 of the headband 4 is shaped generally as an inverted "U" with a pair of slits 8, 9 (of which one slit only is visible for each end section) having a shape and dimensions which fit with corresponding protrusions (not shown in Fig. 1 ) of each ear unit 2, 3. It should be noted that the invention can be implemented with a headband having other forms than the inverted "U" design shown in Fig. 1 . For example, the headband can alternatively comprise end sections each being formed with a single fastening point arranged to be attached on a given position on an ear unit.

Furthermore, a support element 5 is provided as a part of the hearing protection device 1 . The support element 5 is injection molded from a relatively soft material. According to an embodiment, a thermoplastic elastomer material is used. Other suitable materials are polyethylene (PE), or polyethylene combined with textile or leather covering, or polyurethane (PUR). The support element 5 is formed by means of injection molding in the form of a thin and relatively narrow band which is formed with two slightly wider end sections 5a, 5b. These end sections 5a, 5b are configured for inserting by snapping into correspondingly shaped slits or similar recesses (not shown in Fig. 1 ) in the headband 4. Furthermore, the support element 5 is arranged to rest against the top of the head of the user of the hearing protection device 1 . The complete hearing protection device 1 forms a unit with very few different parts and which is also very easy to manufacture and assemble.

Also, the headband 4 is formed generally as an arc which is divided along its length into two bands 4a, 4b which extend generally parallel to each other. The support element 5 is positioned between these bands 4a, 4b and is fastened in their end sections 5a, 5b in a manner which will be described below.

Fig. 2 discloses a hearing protection device 1 which corresponds to Fig. 1 but in an exploded view. As regards the support element 5, it can particularly be noted that this element can be used to carry a design element such as a logotype, trademark or some other visual mark or element. Purely to demonstrate an example, such a design element is represented with a "plus" sign and having reference numeral 10 in Fig. 2. The design element can be in the form of a printed element or a three-dimensional element (as indicated in Fig. 2), i.e. having a height or thickness which differs from an otherwise flat surface of the support element 5. Such a three-dimensional design element can be implemented by means of an injection molding process. Other methods can also be used, for example embossing, which is a technique for creating elements or patterns which are raised with regard to its support and which is suitable for example for plastic materials and for leather.

This means that the support element 5 can be used for different purposes. Firstly, the support element 5 can constitute a decorative strip which can be adapted to different brands in a manner wherein the support element 5 can be manufactured separately and carries said design element 10, whereas the headband 4 can be the same regardless of brand and regardless of whether the support element 5 has a design element 10 or not. This leads to a cost-effective manufacturing process of the hearing protection device 1 while still allowing it to be adapted with different brand names or designs which are integrated with, or attached to, the support element 5.

The invention is described herein in connection with an embodiment in which it is used in a hearing protection device. It should be noted, however, that the principles of the invention can alternatively be used in other forms of acoustic devices.

According to an embodiment, the headband 4 is manufactured as one single piece by means of injection molding. This means that the support element 5 is manufactured as a separate part, according to an embodiment also by injection molding. The support element 5 is subsequently mounted on the headband 4 by inserting the slightly wider ends 5a, 5b of the support element 5 into corresponding slits 1 1 in the headband (see Fig. 2).

The manufacturing of the headband 4 is implemented by means of an injection molding tool (not shown in the drawings). A tool of this type, which is previously known as such, is formed with a recess or cavity. The internal shape of this cavity corresponds to the final shape of the above-mentioned headband 4. As shown in the drawings, the headband 4 has a design which is particularly suitable for being formed by injection molding. As mentioned above, the headband 4 is suitably manufactured from a material such as polyoximethylene (POM).

The support element 5 is also manufactured by means of injection molding, but with a second injection molding tool having a recess, the internal shape of which corresponds to the outer final shape of the support element 5.

Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the invention, the ear cups 2, 3 are formed as a stiff shell from a suitable plastic material, for example acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or another suitable material. Each one of the ear cups 2, 3 suitably contains a generally circular or oval sealing ring which is configured to cover an ear of the user. Each ear cup also contains sound-attenuating material such as foam material, in order to optimize the attenuating properties of the complete hearing protection device 1 . The ear cups 2, 3 can also be configured with, for example, built-in radio devices or communication facilities. According to a further embodiment, the invention can be implemented with the use of one single tool, a two-component molding tool, which is designed to

accommodate cavities for both the above-mentioned headband 4 and support element 5. In this case the support element 5 is formed as an integral part of the headband, i.e. the support element 5 is not a separate element which is mounted on the headband.

According to embodiments, the materials and components of the invention may vary. For example, the material of the support element can be a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polyethylene (PE) or another soft thermoplastic material.

Alternatively, other materials such as polyurethane (PUR), textile or even leather are possible. Furthermore, the material of the headband can be of a material as mentioned above, i.e. a relatively stiff material such as polyoximethylene (POM), but other materials are also possible, for example metal or plastic-coated metal wires.

Furthermore, the shape of the ends 5a, 5b of the support element 5 may be varied for allowing easy, automated assembly of the relatively soft support element 5 in the corresponding slits 1 1 of the relatively stiff headband 4. The complete device is particularly suitable for manufacturing by means of injection molding, in particular since it comprises a support element which can be injection molded, instead of having for example a cushion attached to the headband by gluing. In other words, by replacing such a conventional cushion with an element made from TPE or other soft thermoplastic material, a device suitable for injection molding is obtained. Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of a hearing protection device according to the invention and comprising a headband 4 ^' which is pivotally connected to a first end section 6 ^' and a second end section 7 ^' . This is obtained by means of a first hinge 12 connecting the headband 4 ^' and the first end section 6 ^' , and a second hinge 13 connecting the headband 4 ^' and the second end section 7 ^' . The remaining parts of the hearing protection device are similar to the embodiment as shown with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, for example as regards the support element 5 with its end sections 5a, 5b. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.