초록 ▼

A disposable plug has a mask with an orifice aligned at the entry into the ear canal when the plug is inserted into the ear. A sealed envelope has a leading elastic tip that extends forward of the orifice into the ear canal and a trailing reservoir that extends rearward of the orifice. A super-coole

A disposable plug has a mask with an orifice aligned at the entry into the ear canal when the plug is inserted into the ear. A sealed envelope has a leading elastic tip that extends forward of the orifice into the ear canal and a trailing reservoir that extends rearward of the orifice. A super-cooled liquid salt substantially fills the envelope. The envelope is sized to contain a sufficient quantity of the liquid salt to deliver heat to the inner ear at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time period. A convex disk in the reservoir can be manually popped to concave after the tip of the envelope has been inserted into the ear canal to shrink the reservoir and expand the tip into deeper extension into and compliance with the ear canal and to activate solidification of the liquid salt to generate heat into the ear canal.

대표청구항 ▼

1. For generating heat to warm an ear canal, a disposable plug comprising a mask for abutment against a portion of the outer ear surrounding the entrance to the ear canal, a sealed envelope having a leading elastic tip extending forwardly of said mask for insertion into the ear canal and a trailing

1. For generating heat to warm an ear canal, a disposable plug comprising a mask for abutment against a portion of the outer ear surrounding the entrance to the ear canal, a sealed envelope having a leading elastic tip extending forwardly of said mask for insertion into the ear canal and a trailing reservoir extending rearwardly of said mask, a super-cooled liquid salt at approximately room temperature substantially filling said envelope and manually operable means disposed in said envelope reservoir for reducing a volume of said reservoir to expand said tip into deeper extension into said ear canal and for activating solidification of said liquid salt to generate heat.2. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said mask being rigid.3. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said envelope being made of polyurethane.4. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said liquid salt being a water solution of sodium acetate at approximately room temperature.5. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said tip of said envelope being symmetrical in relation to a vertical plane.6. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said mask and said tip of said envelope being symmetrical in relation to a vertical plane.7. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said envelope having walls of constant thickness.8. A disposable plug according to claim 1, walls of said envelope tip being thinner than walls of said envelope reservoir.9. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said envelope being hermetically sealed.10. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said envelope having thermochromatic pigmentation.11. A disposable plug according to claim 1, said envelope containing a sufficient quantity of said super-cooled liquid salt to maintain a temperature of approximately 104° F. for at least approximately 13 to 15 minutes after activation thereof.12. For generating heat to warm an ear canal, a disposable plug comprising a mask insertable into abutment against a portion of the outer ear with an orifice at an entry to the ear canal, a sealed envelope disposed through said orifice with a leading elastic tip extending forwardly of said orifice for insertion into the ear canal and a trailing reservoir extending rearwardly of said orifice and abutting said mask, a super-cooled liquid salt at approximately room temperature substantially filling said envelope and manually operable means disposed in said envelope reservoir for reducing a volume of said reservoir to expand said tip into deeper extension into said ear canal and for activating solidification of said liquid salt to generate heat.13. A disposable plug according to claim 12, said manually operable means comprising a convex disk disposed in said envelope reservoir and immersed in said liquid salt, means connecting said reservoir to approximately an apex of said disk and means clamping a periphery of said mask against a periphery of said disk with a periphery of said reservoir therebetween, whereby pressing said disk with said tip inserted into the ear canal and said mask abutting the outer ear causes said disk to pop from convex to concave, reducing a volume of said reservoir to expand said tip into deeper extension into and compliance with said ear canal and activating solidification of said liquid salt to generate heat.14. A disposable plug according to claim 12, said convex disk being metallic.15. A disposable plug according to claim 12, said convex disk having an opening at an apex thereof.16. A disposable plug according to claim 15 further comprising a cap insertable into said disk opening with a portion of a rear wall of said reservoir therebetween to fix said wall portion to said disk apex.17. A disposable plug according to claim 12, said mask having a second orifice.18. A disposable plug according to claim 17, said second orifice being above said orifice at the entry to the ear canal.19. A disposable plug according to claim 12, said mask having at least one groove extending rearwardly from a perimeter of said orifice.20. For generating heat to warm an ear canal, a disposable plug comprising a mask having a wall with an orifice therethrough, said wall being contoured for insertion into abutment with an outer portion of the ear with said orifice aligned with and at an entry to the ear canal, a sealed envelope having a leading tip extending forward of said orifice and a trailing reservoir extending rearward of said wall of said mask, said tip being contoured for insertion into the ear canal and being elastic and said envelope reservoir having a forward wall, a main body and a rear wall, said forward wall being contoured for compliance against said wall of said mask, a super-cooled liquid salt substantially filling said envelope, a convex disk disposed in said reservoir and immersed in said liquid salt, means connecting said rear wall of said reservoir to said disk and means clamping a periphery of said mask against a periphery of said disk with a periphery of said body of said envelope therebetween, whereby popping said disk from convex to concave with said tip inserted into the ear canal expands said tip into deeper extension into and compliance with said ear canal and activates solidification of said liquid salt to generate heat into the ear canal.