US Patent 10536764 Integrating wax guards into earphone ear tips

An ear tip for an earphone includes an interior mating surface for attaching the ear tip to the earphone, the interior mating surface at least partially surrounding a cavity where the earphone will be located when the ear tip may be so attached, an outer surface including features corresponding to human ear anatomy, a nozzle extension providing a passageway from the interior cavity to space outside the ear tip, a wax guard in the nozzle extension, the wax guard blocking the passageway, and a plurality of holes through the wax guard, the holes sized and arranged to allow sound to pass along the passageway, while inhibiting ear wax from passing along the passageway.