The list of hearing device patents approved in the last two months is longer than the last list, which was longer than the one before that, etc. There seem to be more players and the time from application to approval may be getting shorter, though I’m not tracking either metric methodically.
Kudos to GNResound for pushing a patent through in just 18 months (#8520875).
For past lists, click on May-June 2013, Mar-April 2013, Jan-Feb 2013 and Nov-Dec 2012.
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Filed |
Issued |
| Insertion Tool System for an Electrode Array | 8460315 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 10/31/2005 | 6/11/2013 |
| Apparatus for Transmitting and Receiving Sound | 8462974 | LG Electronics Inc. (Seoul, KR) | 2/04/2008 | 6/11/2013 |
| Ear mold with adapter seal | 8462971 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) | 5/15/2008 | 6/11/2013 |
| Tinnitus Rehabilitation Device and Method | 8465411 | Neuromonics Pty Limited (Chatswood, New South Wales, AU) | 11/05/2010 | 6/18/2013 |
| Methods and Systems for Representing Different Spectral Components of an Audio Signal Presented to a Cochlear Implant Patient | 8467881 | Advanced Bionics, LLC (Valencia, CA) | 9/29/2009 | 6/18/2013 |
| Method, Hearing Device and Configuration for Calibrating an Acoustic Tuning System | 8467554 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) | 11/10/2010 | 6/18/2013 |
| Observer-Based Cancellation System for Implantable Hearing Instruments | 8472654 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 10/30/2007 | 6/25/2013 |
| Automatic gain control with out of band blocking signal compensation | 8472573 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 7/28/2011 | 6/25/2013 |
| Hearing Assistance System with Own Voice Detection | 8477973 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/30/2010 | 7/02/2013 |
| Portable electronic device and antenna | 8477069 | Mediatek Inc,. (Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, TW) | 11/24/2009 | 7/02/2013 |
| Hearing device with supporting hook recognition | 8477971 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) | 2/09/2010 | 7/02/2013 |
| Open fit canal hearing device | 8477978 | Anova Hearing Labs Inc. (Springfield, Mass.) | 5/05/2011 | 7/02/2013 |
| Middle ear direct action improved hearing aid and related installation method | 8475530 | Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innbruck, Austria) | 5/11/2011 | 7/02/2013 |
| Audio system with feedback detection means | 8477952 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 4/07/2011 | 7/02/2013 |
| Differential Amplifier and Method for the Operation of a Differential Amplifier | 8476974 | AMS AG (Unterpremstaetten, AT) |
3/22/2011 |
7/02/2013 |
| Methods and Systems for Providing near Real Time Messaging to Hearing Impaired User during Telephone Calls | 8478316 | Mobile Captions Company LLC (San Diego, CA) | 8/09/2012 | 7/02/2013 |
| Implant power control | 8478416 | Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) | 11/09/2010 | 7/02/2013 |
| System and Method for Adaptive Stimulus-Response Signal Filtering | 484270 | Vivosonic Inc. (Etobicoke, ON., CA) | 7/12.2008 | 7/09/2013 |
| Open ear hearing aid system | 8483419 | Auditory Licensing Company, LLC (Westport CT) | 7/02/2010 | 7/09/2013 |
| Antenna system with parasitic element for hearing aid compliant electromagnetic emission | 8483415 | Motorola Mobility LLC (Libertyville, Ill.) | 6/18/2010 | 7/09/2013 |
| Use of a sacrificial anode for corrosion protection of a portable device, e.g. a hearing aid | 8491761 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 1/20/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Method for designing audio signal processing system for hearing aid, audio signal processing system for hearing aid, and hearing aid | 8488823 | Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan) | 8/03/2009 | 7/16/2013 |
| Hearing aid and hearing aid system | 8488825 | Panasonic Corp. (Osaka, Japan) | 9/14/2011 | 7/16/2013 |
| Antennas for custom fit hearing assistance devices | 8494197 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 12/19/2008 | 7/23/2013 |
| Hearing aid microphone protective barrier | 8494200 | InSound Medical Inc. (Newark, Calif.) | 12/15/2010 | 7/23/2013 |
| Stability improvements in hearing aids | 8494199 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/08/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Integrated circuit with configurable output cell | 8494173 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 11/28/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Methods for Inlet and Outlet Modelling of Vent as Large as Possible for Hearing Aid Devices | 8494814 | Siemens Corporation (Iselin, NJ) | 10/13/2010 | 7/23/2013 |
| Replaceable hearing protection membrane for hearing devices | 8494202 | Phonak AG (Stafa, Switzerland) | 8/10/2010 | 7/23/2013 |
| Input converter for a hearing aid and signal conversion method | 8493256 | Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) | 9/23/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Hearing Aid | 8494194 | Panasonic Corp. (Osaka, Japan) | 7/22/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Hearing aid with occlusion suppression | 8494201 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 2/07/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Neckloop for teleloop hearing aid system | 8494191 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 2/17/2010 | 7/23/2013 |
| Method for operating a hearing system, hearing system and audio gateway devices | 8494198 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 12/07/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Audio device comprising a microphone | 8494204 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 1/25/2011 | 7/23/2013 |
| Electrical contacts using conductive silicone in hearing assistance devices | 8494195 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 2/06/2008 | 7/23/2013 |
| FSK receiver for a hearing aid and a method for processing an FSK signal | 8498434 | Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) | 5/11/2010 | 7/30/2013 |
| Hearing device with a conducting element, in particular a sound tube | 8498436 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) | 3/01/2011 | 7/30/2013 |
| Online anti-feedback system for a hearing aid | 8503705 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 6/04/2008 | 8/06/2013 |
| Automatic sound recognition based on binary time frequency units | 8504360 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 8/04/2010 | 8/06/2013 |
| Hearing aid systems | 8503703 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 8/26/2005 | 8/06/2013 |
| Signal transmission via body conduction | 8503930 | Sonitus Medical Inc. (San Mateo, Calif.) | 3/05/2009 | 8/06/2013 |
| Localisation in a bilateral hearing device system | 8503704 | Cochlear Ltd. (Australia) | 4/07/2009 | 8/06/2013 |
| Drug Retaining Surface Features in an Implantable Medical Device | 8504169 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 5/13/2011 | 8/06/2013 |
| Hearing device with user control | 503706 | Phonak AG (Stafa, Switzerland) | 3/28/2008 | 8/06/2013 |
| Hearing assistance device with programmable direct audio input port | 8503708 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 12/30/2010 | 8/06/2013 |
| Sealing retainer for extended wear hearing devices | 8503707 | InSound Medical, Inc. (Newark, CA) | 12/23/2009 | 8/06/2013 |
| Hearing-aid transducer having an engineered surface | 8506473 | SoundBeam LLC (Redwood City, Calif.) | 12/08/2009 | 8/13/2013 |
| Entrainment avoidance with a transform domain algorithm | 8509465 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 10/23/2007 | 8/13/2013 |
| Bone Conduction Devices Generating Tangentially-Directed Mechanical Force Using a Rotationally Moving Mass | 8509461 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 1/15/2010 | 8/13/2013 |
| Compensation Current Optimization for Cochlear Implant Systems | 8509907 | Advanced Bionics, LLC (Valencia, CA). | 3/21/2012 | 8/13/2013 |
| System and method for optimizing the strength and orientation of the inductive field of a hearing aid compatible device | 8509466 | AT&T Mobility II LLC (Atlanta) | 12/07/2010
|
8/16/2013 |
| Hearing Aid with Automatic Mode Change Capabilities | 8515110 | Audiotoniq Inc. (Austin, Texas) | 8/23/2011 | 8/20/2013 |
| Hearing Aid with Beamforming Capability | 8515109 | GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 11/19/2009 | 8/20/2013 |
| In-the-Ear Hearing Aid | 8515111 | Rion Co. Ltd. (Tokyo) | 5/23/2008 | 8/20/2013 |
| Method for Signal Processing in a Hearing Aid | 8515107 | Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Erlangen, Germany) | 7/17/2008 | 8/20/2013 |
| Wireless System for Hearing Communication Devices Providing Wireless Stereo Reception Modes
|
8515114 | Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) | 10/11/2011 | 8/20/2013
|
| Method of Determining a Gain Setting of a Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid | 8517910 | Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 9/13/2010 | 8/27/2013 |
| Hearing Aid with Improved Localization | 8520875 | GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 1/17/2012 | 8/27/2013 |
| Hearing Aid with an Operational Based Switch | 8520874 | Gary Beutler (Rancho Cordova, Calif.) | 7/26/2011 | 8/27/2013 |
| Method of Producing a Housing Shell or Ear Mold to Be Worn in the Ear | 8521319 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) | 9/28/2010 | 8/27/2013 |
editor’s note: The Patent Series is updated every two months. Click links for patents approved in Jan/Feb 2014, Nov/Dec 2013, September/October 2013, Jul/Aug 2013, May/Jun 2013, Mar/Apr 2013, Jan/Feb 2013, Nov/Dec 2012
