Let’s launch the New Year with an exciting list of new patent approvals, in the tradition of previous posts, continuing the momentum started by E.G. Hyde in 1855 with the first US hearing aid patent (#12,951 shown above).
If “exciting” doesn’t sound like the right word, how about “contentious” or at least “competitive”? The numbers tell the story of the fight for the right to control ideas and technologies: The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reports more than 576,000 applications in 2012, compared to 176,000 in 1990. The overwhelmed USPTO stands accused by its own government of granting intellectual property patents that are “overly broad or vague.”
Unclear ownership rights, coupled with the dual realizations that intellectual patents are more valuable assets than previous thought and can bring big bucks with infringement judgments, are the main reasons given for a sudden annual increase of 1/3 in patent infringement federal lawsuits in 2011. Congress revved up at the end of 2013, with bills in the House and in the Senate aimed at reducing abusive patent practices, though neither takes on the bedrock problem of vague, broad patents. Hearing Economics will keep watching in 2014 to see if the slings and arrows of patent practices touch our tiny patch of technology.
Today’s list features Panasonic as the winner in the Patent-for-Ideas-With-Very-Long-Names category. Panasonic could care less (their profits these days come from building houses and making Tesla car batteries), except that old patent applications are valuable assets to KKR, which is in the process of acquiring Panasonic Healthcare. Advanced Bionics wins and sets a new record in the Fastest-Application-to-Patent-Approval category– less than 8 months unless it’s a typo. And, back by popular demand, another patent awarded to Medizinische Hochschule for the fabled “light activated hearing device,” which is already in human tests and more interesting than you’d think (hints: think TV Ears for your ear canals, with mineral oil assistance).
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Filed |
Issued |
| Signal Processing Using Spatial Filter | 8565459 | Rasmussen Digital APS (Charlottenlund, DK) |
10/05/2007 |
10/22/2013 |
| Determining Operating Parameters for a Stimulating Medical Device | 8571675 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
4/20/2007 |
10/29/2013 |
| System for Estimating Sound Pressure Levels at the Tympanic Membrane Using Pressure-Minima Based Distance | 571224 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
8/07/2009 |
10/29/2013 |
| Method for Suppressing Feedback and for Spectral Extension in Hearing Devices | 8571243 | Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Erlangen, DE) |
5/03/2007 |
10/29/2013 |
| Bone Conductive Devices for Improving Hearing | 8568291 | Vibrant Med-El Hearing Technology GmbH (Innsbruck, AT). |
6/26/2012 |
10/29/2013 |
| Hearing Assistance Suitability Determining Device, Hearing Assistance Adjustment System, and Hearing Assistance Suitability Determining Method | 8571245 | Panasonic Corporation (Osaka, Japan) |
6/15/2010 |
10/29/2013 |
| Open Ear Canal Hearing Aid | 857067 | ARIA Innovations Inc (Palo Alto, CA) |
4/18/2013 |
11/05/2013 |
| Method and Hearing Aid for Enhancing the Accuracy of Sounds Heard by a Hearing-Impaired Listener | 8582792 | Yang: Kuo-Ping (Taipei, TW) |
4/06/2011 |
11/12/2013 |
| Hearing Aid and Computing Device for Providing Audio Labels | 8582790 | Audiotoniq Inc. (Austin, Texas) |
2/08/2011 |
11/12/2013 |
| Hearing Aid Circuit for Detecting a Connector | 8582791 | Audiotoniq Inc. (Austin, Texas) |
4/07/2011 |
11/12/2013 |
| Hearing Enhancement Systems | 8582789 | IpVenture, Inc. (Los Altos, CA) |
6/06/2008 |
11/12/2013 |
| Systems, Methods, and Articles of Manufacture for Configuring Hearing Prostheses | 8583248 | Cochlear Limited (AU) |
7/05/2011 |
11/12/2013 |
| Methods and Systems for Providing Visual Cues to Assist in Fitting a Cochlear Implant Patient | 8583247 | Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH) |
7/30/2010 |
11/12/2013 |
| Methods and Systems for Archiving Patient Data Used to Fit a Cochlear Implant System to a Patient | 8583245 | Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH) |
7/30/2010 |
11/12/2013 |
| Methods and Systems for Selectively Performing a Quick Initialization of a Sound Processor | 8583244 | Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH) |
7/30/2010 |
11/12/2013 |
| Robust Diaphragm for an Acoustic Device | 8582795 | The Research Foundation of State University of New York (Binghamton, NY) |
1/25/2011 |
11/12/2013 |
| Method and Hearing Device for Feedback Recognition and Suppression with a Directional Microphone | 8588444 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
12/22/2010 |
11/19/2013 |
| Spectral Profile Adjustment of Incoming Audio Signals for Cochlear Implant Patients | 8588923 | Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH) |
2/22/2013 |
11/19/2013 |
| Hearing Aid Processing Apparatus, Adjustment Apparatus, Hearing Aid Processing System, Hearing Aid Processing Method, and Program and Integrated Circuit | 8588445 | Panasonic Corporation (Osaka, Japan) |
1/08/2009 |
11/19/2013 |
| Methods and Systems for Presenting Audible Cues to Assist in Fitting a Bilateral Cochlear Implant Patient | 8588922 | Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH) |
7/30/2010 |
11/19/2013 |
| Shielding of Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids | 8588446 | Daniel D. Brunda (Ewing, N.J.) |
12/29/2008 |
11/19/2013 |
| Multipurpose Antenna Unit and a Hearing Aid Comprising a Multipurpose Antenna Unit | 8587488 | Oticon A/S (Smoerum, Denmark) |
8/13/2008 |
11/19/2013 |
| Automatic Gain Control | 8587376 | NXP, B.V. (Eindhoven, NL) |
7/26/2011 |
11/19/2013 |
| Methods and Apparatus for Transmitting Vibrations | 8588447 | Sonitus Medical Inc. (San Mateo, Calif.) |
7/17/2012 |
11/19/2013 |
| Hearing Aid and Method of Estimating Dynamic Gain Limitation in a Hearing Aid | 8594354 | Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) |
9/29/2008 |
11/26/2013 |
| Hearing Aid with Occlusion Suppression and Subsonic Energy Control | 8594353 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) |
9/22/2011 |
11/26/2013 |
| Method for Controlling the Directionality of the Sound Receiving Characteristic of a Hearing Aid and a Signal Processing Apparatus | 8600086 | Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) |
3/10/2011 |
12/03/2013 |
| Hearing Aid and In-the-Ear-Device | 8600090 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) |
3/13/2009 |
12/03/2013 |
| Light Activated Hearing Device | 8600089 | Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (Hannover, Germany) |
2/01/2010 |
12/03/2013 |
| Hearing Aid Positioning System and Structure | 605927 | IntriCon Corp. (Arden Hills, Minn.) |
9/27/2011 |
12/10/2013 |
| Right/left Detection in Hearing Aids | 8605913 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte.Ltd.(Singapore) |
9/16/2009 |
12/10/2013 |
| Implantable Actuator for Hearing Aid Applications | 8602964 | Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, Australia) |
11/30/2005 |
12/10/2013 |
|
Acoustic Processing Method and Apparatus |
8605925 | Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, Australia) |
5/29/2009 |
12/10/2013 |
| Hook for a Hearing Aid | 8605928 | Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) |
10/30/2007 |
12/10/2013 |
| Hearing Aid with Audio Shoe | 8611573 | Siemens Medical Instruments Pte.Ltd.(Singapore) |
4/11/2011 |
12/17/2013 |
| Data Storage System, Hearing Aid, and Method of Selectively Applying Sound Filters | 8611570 | Audiotoniq Inc. (Austin, Texas) |
5/16/2011 |
12/17/2013 |
| Method and Apparatus for Audio Processing | 8611557 | J. Craig Oxford (Nashville, Tenn.) and D. Michael Shields (St. Paul, Minn.). |
8/17/2008 |
12/17/2013 |
| Device and Method for Controlling the Step Size of an Adaptive Filter | 8611572 | Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Erlangen, Germany) |
6/26/2007 |
12/17/2013 |
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
