Hearing aids having housings formed as standardized shapes include electronic components. The components can be separate or integrated into a single unit. The housings can be formed as one or more spheroidal-like surfaces of revolution which are symmetrical along an axis. Alternately, the housings can be formed by lofting ellipses along a central axis. Representative housing shapes include egg-shaped and pear-shaped surfaces. An insertion and extraction element is fixedly attached to an end of the housing which extends toward the outer ear when the aid is inserted into an ear canal. The insertion/extraction member can be formed as either a rigid or a flexible element. The housing can carry a soft, deformable outer layer to improve performance and user comfort when installed in an ear canal.

A hearing aid designed to be affixed to a pair of eyeglasses used by the wearer or suspended from an ear mold that is lodged in the ear of the wearer is disclosed. The hearing aid is cosmetically disguised and may be worn by either males or females. The hearing aid comprises a hemispherically shaped ornamental outer shell that covers all of the components and circuitry of a conventional hearing aid. The hearing aid components are housed inside a casing. Preferably, the hearing aid uses a rotatable clasp to mount to the wearer's eyeglass frames or earlobe. In an alternative embodiment, the hearing aid does not mount to the wearer's eyeglasses. In a first preferred embodiment, a clasp secures the hearing aid to the wearer's eyeglasses. In a second preferred embodiment, a clip mounts the hearing aid to the wearer's eyeglass frames. In a third preferred embodiment, a cable tie mounts the hearing aid to the eyeglass frames through width adjustment slots in a projecting tab. A volume control knob, tone controls, battery access door and a rotatable clasp or deflectable clip protrude from the rear surface of the casing. The outer shell gives the hearing aid the appearance of an earring or an eyeglass tether mount. The outer shell of my hearing aid may be quickly exchanged with any of several other ornamental shells to give the earring or eyeglass tether mount the desired coloration and shape.

Hearing aids having housings formed as standardized shapes include electronic components. The components can be separate or integrated into a single unit. The housings can be formed as one or more spheroidal-like surfaces of revolution which are symmetrical along an axis. Alternately, the housings can be formed by lofting ellipses along a central axis. Representative housing shapes include egg-shaped and pear-shaped surfaces. An insertion and extraction element is fixedly attached to an end of the housing which extends toward the outer ear when the aid is inserted into an ear canal. The insertion/extraction member can be formed as either a rigid or a flexible element. The housing can carry a soft, deformable outer layer to improve performance and user comfort when installed in an ear canal.

The present invention relates to switch or volume control assemblies, in particular to switch or volume control assemblies to be mounted in e.g. hearing aids, said assembly comprising a movable member, such as a wheel-like member positioned between at least two detachable parts defining the exterior of a housing, the movable member having a part extending out of the housing, the movable member engaging a contact member so as to move the contact member with the movable member.

A microphone is constructed to be more tolerant to a wide range of relative humidity conditions without adversely affecting the performance of the microphone. The microphone includes a housing with a sound port for receiving sound and an electret assembly for converting the sound into an output signal. The electret assembly includes a diaphragm and a backplate. The backplate is made of at least two layers, usually polymeric layers. The first layer of material has a first hygroscopic coefficient and a second layer of material has a second hygroscopic coefficient. The first and second layers cause the backplate to bend in response to higher humidity conditions, thereby minimizing the adverse effects on microphone performance caused by characteristic changes in the diaphragm at the higher humidity conditions.