Got Ear?
The pinna, concha and external meatus are wonderful things for hands-free carry, fitness, entertainment and environment awareness. The cochlea is a wonderous thing for hearing, no matter how you get to it. In distal order of anatomy:
- Pinna as carrying case: consider patent #10382851 for an “Ear-wearable wireless communication flashlight,” when hearing is just not enough. (feature image, shown above).
- Bragi may have left the device building, but it continues churning out patents to repurpose the ear canal space for connectivity in the IoT. This month’s patent #10342428 depicts:
“wireless earpieces… within the ear with … partially enclosed support structure that hous(ing) electronic components [which may] play music or audio, receive and make phone calls or other communications, determine ambient environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, altitude, location, speed, heading, etc.), read user biometrics (e.g., heart rate, motion, sleep, blood oxygenation, calories burned, etc.), and receive user input, feedback, or instructions.”
- In patent #10362415, The Regents of UofMinn revisit and perhaps resusitate an old idea of using ultrasound to receive and deliver sound to the cochlea:
“a modulated signal to the body…activates the auditory system via vibration of cerebrospinal fluids that vibrate cochlear fluids, bypassing the normal conductive pathway that uses middle ear bones and minimizing bone conduction and distortion through the skull.”
The July 2019 List
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
|
Auditory signal processing |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/02/2019 |
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|
Personal device for hearing degradation monitoring |
International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) |
7/02/2019 |
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Non-invasive wearable brain interface systems including a headgear and a plurality of self-contained photodetector units configured to removably attach to the headgear |
HI LLC (Los Angeles, CA) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Visual light audio transmission system |
Wave Sciences LLC (Charleston, SC) |
7/02/2019 |
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Radio receiver with smart listening mode |
Ali Corporation (Hsinchu, TW) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Wearable sound equipment |
LG Electronics Inc (Seoul, KR) |
7/02/2019 |
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Electronic ear protection devices |
IP Holdings Inc. (Grand Prairie, TX) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Hearing assistance system incorporating directional microphone customization |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device comprising a low-latency sound source separation unit |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/02/2019 |
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|
Hearing aid device for hands free communication |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid adapted for wireless power reception |
PogoTec Inc. (Roanoke, VA) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid battery drawer with a thin film |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Implantable auditory prosthesis with floating mass transducer |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Self-fitting of a hearing device |
iHear Medical Inc (San Leandro, CA) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Hearing augmentation systems and methods |
K/S HIMPP (Lynge, DK) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Ear bud headset |
Kanoa Inc (San Francisco, CA) |
7/02/2019 |
|
|
Monitoring pulse transmissions using radar |
Bragi GmbH (Munchen, DE) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Hormone treatment for age-related hearing loss-presbycusis |
University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) |
7/09/2019 |
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|
Micro-charge stimulation |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Systems and methods for facilitating interaural time difference perception by a binaural cochlear implant patient |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for scoring shooting events using hearing protection devices |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Method of instant sharing invoked from wearable devices |
International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) |
7/09/2019 |
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|
System for real time, remote access to and adjustment of patient hearing aid with patient in normal life environment |
Manchester, Deborah M (Studio City, CA) |
7/09/2019 |
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|
Accessibility for the hearing-impaired using keyword to establish audio settings |
Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP) |
7/09/2019 |
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|
Battery compartment solution for a hearing protection device |
Honeywell International Inc (Morris Plains, NJ) |
7/09/2019 |
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|
Method and acoustic system for determining a direction of a useful signal source |
Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
7/09/2019 |
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|
Hearing device with model control and associated methods |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Binaural gearing system and method |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Antenna with flared cross-feed in a hearing assistance device |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Interface device, a cellular phone protection shell and an arrangement thereof |
Sonova AG (Stafa, CH) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Auditory masking for a coherence-controlled calibration system |
Facebook Technologies LLC (Menlo Park, CA) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
7/09/2019 |
|
|
Cartilage conduction hearing device using an electromagnetic vibration unit, and electromagnetic vibration unit |
Finewell Co Ltd (Osaka, JP) |
7/16/2019 |
|
|
Earpiece and method for forming an earpiece |
Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) |
7/16/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device comprising an own voice detector |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/16/2019 |
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|
Hearing aid having a classifier for classifying auditory environments and sharing settings |
Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) |
7/16/2019 |
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|
Auditory prosthesis system including sound processor apparatus with position sensor |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
7/16/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
7/16/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
7/16/2019 |
|
|
Agent for regenerating tympanic membrane or external auditory canal |
Nobelpharma Co Ltd (Tokyo, JP) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Bone bed drilling template |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Frequency-dependent focusing systems and methods for use in a cochlear implant system |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Hearing prosthesis programming |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Implantable auditory prosthesis usage restriction |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Implant charging protection |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Wearable health interface for controlling Internet of Things devices |
Koninklijke Philips NV (Eindhoven, NL) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Wireless microphone and/or in-ear monitoring system and method of controlling a wireless microphone and/or in-ear monitoring system |
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co KG (Wedemark, DE) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Methods and devices for radio frequency (RF) mitigation proximate the ear |
Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Ear hanging type music player |
Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (Shenzhen, CN) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid having combined antennas |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
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|
Hearing device with fixation arrangement |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
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|
Hearing device comprising a dynamic compressive amplification system and a method of operating a hearing device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
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|
Hearing device with suppression of sound impulses |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Hearing assistance system comprising an EEG-recording and analysis system |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Ultrasonic hearing system and related methods |
Regents of the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Mn) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Binaural level and/or gain estimator and a hearing system comprising a binaural level and/or gain estimator |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Adjustable fixation device having reduced infection |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Mounting assembly for a bone conduction hearing device |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid with electronics frame and antenna integrated therein |
Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Implant fixation and impact displacement protection systems |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Active telemetry responsive for hearing implants |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Always on headwear recording system |
Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Microphone arrangement |
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co KG (Wedemark, DE) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Voltage regulator and control circuit for silver-zinc batteries in hearing instruments |
Zpower LLC (Camarillo, Ca) |
7/23/2019 |
|
|
Systems and methods for minimizing an effect of system noise generated by a cochlear implant system |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Distributed phase locked loop in hearing instruments |
Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (Phoenix, AZ) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device comprising a feedback detection unit |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Earpiece for coupling a hearing aid to a users’ ear canal and a method for manufacturing such an earpiece |
Sonova AG (Stafa, CH) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Rite style hearing aid |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/30/2019 |
|
|
Rite style hearing aid |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
7/30/2019 |
Holly Hosford-Dunn, PhD, owned and operated a dispensing audiology practice in Tucson and was active in management of HearingHealthMatters.org through 2017. She holds BA degrees in Communication Sciences, Psychology and Economics; MA in Communication Disorders; PhD in Hearing Sciences. Following post-doctoral work at Max Planck Institute (Munich, DE) and Eaton-Peabody Auditory Physiology Lab (Boston), she joined the Stanford medical school faculty as director of audiology. She has authored/edited numerous text books, chapters, journals, and articles and taught Marketing and Practice Management in a variety of academic settings. She continues to consult and write on topics related to hearing health care vis-à-vis consumer demands, professional training, technological advancement, capital investment, industry consolidation, regulatory control, product and service distribution, and strategic pricing.
