Integrated Ear Muff and Safety Glasses with Adjustable Hearing Doors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hearing and eye protection systems face issues such as being time-consuming to use, uncomfortable, difficult to combine effectively, and prone to loss or misplacement, with ear plugs being incompatible with safety glasses and ear muffs interfering with their effectiveness.

Innovation Solution

A combined ear and eye protection system featuring ear muffs with slots for safety glasses arms and adjustable doors for hearing protection, allowing for easy movement of glasses in and out of sight and selective hearing, while maintaining comfort and preventing glasses from being lost.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ear plugs are used for hearing protection, then hearing protection is provided, but they are time consuming to insert, difficult to remove, easily lost or misplaced, and incompatible with safety glasses

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehearing protection efficacyVSAvoidease of insertion and removal

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The ear protection system is segmented into removable ear muffs that can be independently attached and detached, eliminating the difficulty of inserting and removing ear plugs while maintaining hearing protection efficacy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The ear protection system is merged with safety glasses by integrating slots into the ear muffs that accommodate the arms of safety glasses, allowing both protective devices to be worn simultaneously without interference or incompatibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If ear muffs are used for hearing protection, then effective hearing protection is provided, but they interfere with safety glasses making it difficult or impossible to use both together

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehearing protection efficacyVSAvoidcompatibility with safety glasses

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The ear muffs are designed with universal slots that can accommodate the arms of various safety glasses configurations, making the ear protection system adaptable and compatible with multiple types of eye protection equipment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The safety glasses arms are nested within the slots of the ear muffs, with the glasses positioned between the ear muffs and the user's head, allowing both protective devices to coexist without interference

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Adaptability or versatility

If safety glasses arms are placed above ear muffs, then both can be worn, but safety glasses are at an awkward angle, protectiveness is reduced, and they can fall off

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to wear both protectionsVSAvoidsafety glasses protectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of placing safety glasses above ear muffs, the design inverts the arrangement by providing slots in the ear muffs that receive the glasses arms, positioning the glasses between the ear muffs and head for proper alignment and protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Adaptability or versatility

If safety glasses arms are placed under ear muffs, then both can be worn, but it is incredibly uncomfortable and reduces ear muff noise blocking ability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to wear both protectionsVSAvoidcomfort and noise blocking

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The slots in the ear muffs serve as an intermediary structure that accommodates the safety glasses arms, preventing direct contact between the glasses arms and the ear muffs, thereby eliminating discomfort and maintaining noise blocking effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9827145B2Ear and eye protection system

Publication Date: 2017.11.28 HAUKAP WYATT R

AI summary

An eye and ear protection system includes a pair of ear muffs connected together by a strap, the ear muffs include a slot in their forward side that is connected to a cavity within the ear muffs. The arms of a pair of glasses are positionable within the slots and allow a user to move the glasses between an in the line-of-sight position and an out of the line-of-sight position. The ear muffs also include one or two doors that can be opened, to allow the user to hear sounds in the environment, and closed to protect the user from loud noises in the environment. This system improves comfort and allows the user to selectively deploy hearing protection and/or eye protection without the need to remove the system from their head which saves time and reduces the potential for losing or misplacing either the hearing or eye protection.