WO2016153393A1 - Ear corrector (variants) - Google Patents

Abstract

The group of inventions relates to devices for correcting deformations of an ear or auricle, in particular extreme protrusion or closeness of the auricle to the head, and is an aesthetic means for eliminating defects of the external part of an ear, i.e. auricle, with the aid of conservative correction. The problem addressed by the invention consists in providing structural strength for the ear corrector, and greater comfort and more reliable fastening, to the user's auricle, of elements attached to said auricle, with the possibility of leaving open areas of skin. The technical result is achieved by the construction of separate elements for attaching to the auricle, with a smaller area of attachment of said elements, and the possibility of arranging said elements on various sections of the auricle, which makes it possible to correct various defects and to increase the number of support points. Four design variants of an ear corrector are proposed which are united by the inventive concept, which allows the distribution of elements which are attachable to the user with the aid of a larger number of adhesive surfaces, and provides for the possibility of forming various gaps between all of the elements, and are characterized by the interconnection of the elements. All of the elements are formed from a plastics material, preferably silicone, and the surfaces of the elements for attaching to the head and auricle of the user have a biologically compatible adhesive coating, to which protective elements are applied up to the beginning of bringing the ear corrector into a working state.

Description

 EAR CORRECTOR (OPTIONS).

 The field of technology.

 The group of inventions relates to devices for correcting deformations of the ear or auricle, in particular, excessive protrusion or proximity of the auricle to the head, and is an aesthetic tool for eliminating defects in the outer part of the ear, that is, the auricle, using gentle correction.

 It is usually necessary to correct either excessive protrusion or the excessive proximity of the ears to the head, conditions, both of which are undesirable from an aesthetic point of view.

 Today, the aesthetic appearance of the ears is a very important topic, to improve which resort to cosmetic surgery. One of the most common interventions among children and adults is otoplasty, or ear surgery, through which 15 corrected ear defects such as drooping ears, or excessive protrusion of the ears from the head (hearing loss), or excessive proximity of the ears to the head.

 Surgery is resorted especially to correct the first of the defects mentioned. Nevertheless, there are cases in which 20, for economic or other reasons, it is impossible to carry out a surgical operation, therefore, other types of simpler mechanisms or correction systems are used.

 The prior art.

Known patented funds for ear correction without 25 surgical intervention. In the patent EP Νδ 1202686, published on 08.05.2002 by the IPC indices: A61F11 / 00 and A61F5 / 02, a device for non-invasive correction in the outer ear region is described, which comprises a flat device with glue for gluing strips in the form of a fold in the area of the auricle along the zone , which must be corrected with permanent deformation. The device is recommended for the use of ear correction in infants during the first few weeks after birth. This device is not very suitable for obtaining a correction result, because does not imply a sufficiently reliable fixation with long-term fixation on the problem areas of the auricle, which is associated with the size of the thin strips, their connection and the use of adhesive elements on them. The mentioned problems can be caused either by the type of glue used, or by insufficient distribution of stress on the surfaces with the said glue.

 The invention is known as the “Ear Corrector" described in patent EP Νδ2100574, published September 16, 2009 according to the IPC index A61F11 / 00. An aesthetic corrector is claimed to correct deformations of the ear or auricle, in particular excessive protrusion or proximity of the ears to the head, and basically consists of two elements: one for application to the user's ear and the other to the user's head. In the claimed device, the elements are three-dimensional of such a thickness that, when applied, an established separation of the ear from the head is achieved. The aesthetic corrector basically consists of a flexible or elastic three-dimensional element of considerable thickness, set in such a way as to separate the ear to a certain extent, which experts have set at about one centimeter.

The thickness of the corrector of the invention allows you to separate the ear from the head at a suitable distance in the event that the patient suffers from excessive protrusion, and in case of excessive proximity. This thickness can be further changed, depending on each specific case, as well as the distribution over the attached area, that is, to the same extent in both parts of the corrector, or to a greater extent in one of them, depending on the characteristics of each case, user preferences, etc. In addition, the said thickness together with the elasticity property helps to obtain a suitable stickiness of both parts of the corrector due to a more uniform distribution of stress, preventing the said parts from partially or completely peeling or peeling from the skin, ensuring correct and also uniform fixation. However, the design proposed in this device has drawbacks, since it is impossible to more accurately distribute the element over the problem areas of the auricle and retain it for the necessary fixation time, since it has one surface of attachment to the auricle, the same size as the element for application to the head. In this case, premature separation of various sections of the element attached to the auricle is possible due to the fact that there are only two points of support with one surface of application on the ear,

 In the case of prolonged use of this model, which is integral with a large area of application to the auricle, as well as to the head, infections can occur on the closed skin of a person, bacteria accumulate.

 Patent EP & 2100574 selected for the prototype of the proposed four options for ear corrector, combined by an inventive concept.

 Disclosure of the invention.

 The objective of the invention is to ensure the structural strength of the ear corrector, more comfortable and reliable fastening on the user's ear the elements attached to it with the possibility of leaving open skin areas.

 The technical result is achieved by performing separate application elements to the auricle with their smaller application area, the possibility of placing these elements in different parts of the auricle, which allows the correction of various defects. This provides an increase in the number of points of support.

 The first variant of the ear corrector contains three-dimensional elements for application by external flat surfaces to the ear and head of the user and a connecting element made of plastic material, preferably silicone, while it is possible to form a gap between the auricle and the head of the user, all external surfaces of three-dimensional elements

s preferably have a rounded shape and are made with a biocompatible adhesive coating, on which protective elements are applied before the ear corrector is brought into working condition, in contrast to the prototype, it contains at least one element for application to the user's head and at least at least two separate elements for application to the user's auricle, preferably not exceeding in total the area of the application for the application to the head, and the connecting element is Υ-shaped, about the base of which is located on the convex part of the element intended for application to the head, and the ends of each branch are connected to the convex part of the corresponding element intended for application to the user's auricle.

 The ear corrector according to the first embodiment, in which the elements for application to the user's auricle can be made with a slight difference from each other in size, ensuring the convenience of applying external surfaces in proportion to the contact portions of the user's auricle.

 In this embodiment of the ear corrector, all three-dimensional elements are preferably made in the form of spherical segments. It is also possible to perform the form of these elements in the form of a truncated cone or a truncated pyramid.

The ear corrector according to the second embodiment contains three-dimensional elements for application by external flat surfaces to the ear and the head of the user and an intermediate part providing the connection of three-dimensional elements and the possibility of the formation of a gap between the auricle and the head of the user, while all the constituent elements are made of plastic material, preferably from silicone, and all the outer surfaces of three-dimensional elements, preferably have a rounded shape and are made with biocompatible adhesive by covering, on which protective elements are applied before the ear corrector is brought into working condition, and, unlike the prototype, contains at least one element for application to the user's head and two separate elements for application to the user's ear, preferably not exceeding in total the area of the element for application to the 5 head in the area of the application to the user, the intermediate part being separate connections of each an element for attachment to the auricle with an element for attachment to the head.

 In the second embodiment of the ear corrector, all three-dimensional elements are preferably made in the form of spherical segments. It is also possible to execute the form of these elements in the form of a truncated cone or a truncated pyramid.

 The connecting elements are made of cylindrical shape, the length and thickness of which provides the necessary gap between the three-dimensional elements for application to the user, retention and

15 stretching this gap to create the necessary position of the ear corrector.

 Elements for application to the auricle are preferably made of the same shape and size.

 The third version of the ear corrector contains one element for

20 applications to the head and several elements, more than two, for application to the auricle, each of which is connected to the element for application to the head by means of connecting elements, preferably of a cylindrical small shape, with the possibility of creating gaps between all elements, when

25, all the elements are made of plastic material, preferably silicone, the surfaces of the elements for application to the user's head and auricle are made with a biocompatible adhesive coating, on which protective elements are applied before the ear corrector is brought into working condition.

In this embodiment of the ear corrector, the number of elements to be applied to the auricle is preferably three or four depending on the size and defects of the user's ear; all elements, in addition to connecting, have a three-dimensional shape in the form of spherical segments.

 The fourth version of the ear corrector, containing at least two elements for application to the head and several elements for application to the auricle, the number of which depends on the structure of the user's auricle and the need to correct candy defects, all elements being interconnected via a connecting element, having a central part, from which there are branches to each element intended for application to the user, with the possibility of the formation of various gaps in between all elements, all the elements are made of plastic material, preferably silicone, surface elements for application to the user's head and ear shell formed with a biologically compatible adhesive pofytiem, which are superposed on the protective elements prior to actuation aural corrector in the operating state.

 The best embodiments of the invention.

 The most successful is the manufacture of this version of the ear corrector, containing two elements for application to the head and three elements for application to the auricle, in which all the elements, Foma connecting, have a three-dimensional shape in the form of spherical segments.

 The inventive designs of the ear corrector provide at least three fulcrum when placed on the user. The ear is fixed in several dimensions at once. At the same time, the structural strength is obvious. Bonding of at least two surfaces in the auricle ensures reliable retention of the corrector. With the possible peeling off of one of the parts of the application, the remaining parts of the corrector remain in place of the application.

 Due to the fact that the ear corrector has at least three points of support, the degree of adhesion of glue or adhesive composition increases significantly, because all support points of the design of the ear corrector have less resistance, the separation resistance is differentiated by points

b supports, thereby increasing the strength of the structure itself when it is used.

 The ability to glue several surfaces to the auricle at different distances from each other forms a stronger bend of the cartilage 5 of the auricle, thereby creating the possibility of correcting, for example, hearing loss in a child under the age of 9 years much faster than in the prototype.

 According to the patent EP Na 2100574 (Otostik product), it is possible to fix the cartilage of the auricle and bend it only on the circumference of the adjoining silicone corrector.

 The proposed options for the ear corrector on several bases can fix, as well as bend the cartilage in a larger segment, as it has several support points that are attached to the auricle.

 For bonding, biocompatible hypoallergenic 15 glue is used, which is applied with a thin layer to all contact surfaces and protected inoperative with a thin protective film, which can be easily removed before applying the corrector to the user's head and auricle.

 The proposed options for ear corrector provide more than 20 wide correction possibilities associated with the correction of various defects, because the use of two elements for gluing to the auricle, which can be removed from each other or closer, creates the ability to make the ear more pressed and vice versa, which is especially important in especially difficult cases of defects.

25 The drawings show the design options for the ear corrector:

 In FIG. 1 shows the first version of the design of the ear corrector from the outer surfaces of the elements for application to the auricle, where 1-1 is an element for application to the user's head, 2-1 and 3-1 are elements for application to the auricle, 4 is a connecting element .

In FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ear corrector AA shown in FIG. 1. The three-dimensionality of elements 1-1, 2- is shown here. 1 and 3-1, which are made in the form of spherical segments. The connecting element 4 has a Υ-shaped form, the base of which is located on the top of the element 1-1.

 In FIG. Figure 3 shows the second version of the design of the ear corrector from the outer surfaces of the elements for application to the auricle, having the same functional elements: 1-2 - for application to the head, 2-2 and 3-2 - for application to the auricle.

 In FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the ear corrector is shown in a rotated position, showing connecting elements 5, which separately connect each element for application to the ear 2-2 and 3-2 with the element for application to the head 1-2.

 As seen in FIG. 1, all external surfaces are formed in the form of planes rounded along the contour, close to ovality or with small indentations along part of the contour (Fig. 3). Such forms are dictated by ease of use, associated with the specific structure of the human head and auricle.

 Design features are also associated with the use of correctors for people of different ages, including infants.

 In FIG. 5 shows a general view of the third variant of the design of the ear corrector, where 1-3 is the element for application to the user's head, the numbers 6, 7 and 8 denote the corresponding elements for application to the auricle, the numbers 9, ID and 11 indicate the connecting elements for connecting each element 6, 7 and 8 separately, respectively, with the element 1-3.

In FIG. 6 shows another view of the third embodiment of the ear corrector, in which four elements intended for application to the auricle are already connected to the element 1-4, intended for application to the head, indicated in the drawing by the numbers 12, 13, 14 and 15, each of which is connected to the element 1-4, respectively, by means of separate connecting elements 16, 17, 18 and 19. In FIG. 7 is a general view of a fourth embodiment of the ear corrector, which has two elements 20 and 21 for application to the head and three elements 22, 23 and 24 for application to the auricle. All these elements are connected by a connecting element 25.

 All the outer surfaces of three-dimensional elements intended for gluing to the user have an adhesive coating with protective films (not shown in the drawings), which have very small thicknesses.

 The drawings show the most convenient types of designs for the ear corrector. In principle, the number of elements for gluing to the head or auricle can be varied in order to more convenient and necessary correction of a particular ear defect.

 Industrial applicability.

 As already mentioned above, the basic principle laid down in the proposed designs of the ear corrector provides a more reliable fixation and a more comfortable principle for correcting defects with effective obtaining the necessary correction result.

 The ear corrector according to the proposed options must be made of plastic materials, of which silicone, used for medical purposes, is the most suitable. Silicone can be transparent, colorless or slightly colored, for example, in flesh color without violating the properties, including in compliance with hypoallergenicity.

 It is convenient to make the corrector in accordance with known technologies for silicone products. In this case, it is possible to manufacture various sizes and shapes of elements depending on the specific purpose and age of the user.

 All of the above confirms the novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability of the claimed variants of the ear corrector.

Claims

CLAIM  1. An ear corrector containing three-dimensional elements for application by external flat surfaces to the ear and head 5 of the user and the connecting element made of plastic material, preferably silicone, while it is possible to create a gap between the auricle and the head of the user, and all the outer surfaces of the three-dimensional elements are preferably rounded and made biologically Compatible adhesive coating on which protective elements are applied before the ear corrector is put into operation, characterized in that it contains at least one element for application to the user's head and at least two separate elements for application to the auricle user 15 preferably, not exceeding in total the area of the application, the area of the element for application to the head, and the connecting element is made of an Υ-shaped shape, the base of which is on the convex part of the element intended for application to the head, and the ends of each branch are connected to the convex part of the corresponding 20 elements intended for application to the user's auricle.  2. The ear corrector according to claim 1, in which the elements for application to the user's ear can be made different in size, providing the convenience of external 25 surfaces in proportion to the contact areas of the user's auricle.  3. The ear corrector according to claim 1, in which all three-dimensional elements are made in the form of spherical segments. 4. An ear corrector containing three-dimensional elements for 30 application of flat outer surfaces to the ear and head of the user and an intermediate part that provides the connection of three-dimensional elements and the possibility of the formation of a gap between the auricle and the head of the user, while all components the elements are made of plastic material, preferably silicone, and all the outer surfaces of the three-dimensional elements are preferably rounded in shape and are made with a biocompatible adhesive coating on which protective 5 elements are applied before the ear corrector is brought into working condition, characterized in that contains at least one element for application to the user's head and at least two separate elements for application to the user's ear, preferably not exceed their sum in the square area 10 for application to the element head, wherein the intermediate portion is a separate connection of each element for attachment to the auricle with an element for attachment to the head. 5. The ear corrector according to claim 4, in which all three-dimensional elements are made in the form of spherical segments. 15 6. The ear corrector according to claim 4, wherein the elements for application to the auricle are preferably made of the same shape and size. 7. An ear corrector containing one element for application to the head and several elements for application to the auricle, each 20 of which are connected to the element for application to the head by means of connecting elements, preferably of cylindrical small shape, with the possibility of the formation of gaps between all elements, while all elements are made of plastic material, preferably silicone, of the surface of the elements for 25 applications to the user's head and auricle are made with a biocompatible adhesive coating on which protective elements are applied before the ear corrector is brought into working condition. 8. The ear corrector according to claim 7, wherein the number of elements for application to the auricle is preferably three or four, depending on the size and defects of the user's ear. 9. The ear corrector according to claim 7, in which all the elements, except the connecting ones, have a three-dimensional shape in the form of spherical segments.  10. An ear corrector comprising at least two elements for application to the head and several elements for application to the auricle, the number of which depends on the structure of the user's auricle and the need to correct specific defects, all elements being interconnected via a connecting element, having a central part, from which branches go to each element intended for application to the user, with the possibility of the formation of various gaps between all ele In this case, all the elements are made of plastic material, preferably silicone, the surfaces of the elements for application to the user's head and auricle are made with a biocompatible adhesive coating, on which protective elements are applied before the ear corrector is brought into working condition.  11. The ear corrector of claim 10, which contains two elements for application to the head and three elements for application to the auricle.  12. The ear corrector of claim 10, in which all the elements except the connective have a three-dimensional shape in the form of spherical segments.