US 6,981,504 B2
Core stiffened earplug
John Allen Jenkins, Jr., San Marcos, Calif. (US)
Assigned to Bacou-Dalloz USA Safety, Inc., San Diego, Calif. (US)
Filed on Jun. 16, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/869,331.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/497377, filed on Aug. 21, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2005/0039761 A1, Feb. 24, 2005
Int. Cl. A61F 11/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 128—864 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An earplug comprising:
an earplug body of elastomeric material with a body front portion of a size to enter a human ear canal and block sound, said body front portion having a body front end, said body having a body rear portion with a body rear end;
a core that is elongated in a front-to-rear direction, that lies in said body, and that is stiffer than said body, said core having front and rear ends;
said core is bonded to said body, said core rear end lies forward of said body rear end and said core front end lies rearward of said body front end, and material of said body lies directly behind said core rear end.