Ears Gone Wild
With the proliferation of voice assistants talking to an even greater proliferation of IoT devices, not to mention everybody talking at once, it’s a jungle out there. Orion Labs, among others, considers the advantages of facilitated linking of user devices to other communication devices so wearers can figure out what’s up in group situations (#10402612).
In the midst of this wild jungle, the external ear remains a beacon of biometric calm as a means of identification and recognition. The University of South Florida’s patent #10423823 aims to capitalize on that by hunting and capturing ears on the go:
The ear is stable over time, less invasive to capture … there are fewer privacy issues for the ear than there are for the face.…With the advances in computer vision and pattern recognition techniques, research of ear recognition is shifting to a more challenging scenario whereby ear images are acquired from real-world settings, commonly referred to as “unconstrained ears” or “ears in the wild”.
The September 2019 List
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
|
Implantable auditory prosthesis having isolated components |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Wearable group communication device linking |
Orion Labs (San Francisco, CA) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Low-power, always-listening, voice command detection and capture |
Avnera Corporation (Beaverton, OR) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for fast recognition of a hearing device user’s own voice, and hearing aid |
Sivantos Pte. Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Near field magnetic induction communication over multiple channels |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Audio signal processing for hearing impairment compensation with a hearing aid device and a speaker |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid radio power supply |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Systems and methods for hearing assistance device antenna |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Radio frequency MEMS devices for improved wireless performance for hearing assistance devices |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Active occlusion cancellation |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
9/03/2019 |
|
|
Automated assessment and adjustment of tinnitus-masker impact on speech intelligibility during fitting |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/03/2019 |
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|
Active substances for preventing hearing deterioration, the composition containing the active substances, and the preparation method thereof |
Grape King Bio Ltd. (Taoyung, TW) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Treatment of the ear |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Input selection for an auditory prosthesis |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Headpieceless hearing assistance apparatus, systems and methods with distributed power |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Multi-factor control of ear stimulation |
Elwha LLC (Bellevue, WA) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Integrated wearable noise dosimeter |
Verily Life Sciences LLC (Mountain View, CA) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Digital identification of devices attached to serial communication cables |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Methods and systems for searching utilizing acoustical context |
Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Ear-borne audio device conversation recording and compressed data transmission |
SmartEar Inc (San Francisco, CA) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Determining contextual relevance in multi-auditory scenarios |
International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Personal audio assistant device and method |
Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Reproduction of ambient environmental sound for acoustic transparency of ear canal device system and method |
BRAGI GmbH (Munchen, DE) |
9/10/2019 |
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|
Wearable personal acoustic device having outloud and private operational modes |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Method for operating a hearing device, hearing device and binaural hearing device system |
Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Distortion free filter bank for a hearing device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Binaural hearing aid system with feedback suppression |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Bone conduction devices utilizing multiple actuatorsBone conduction devices utilizing multiple actuators |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid |
SRIS Tech Limited (Purley Surrey, GB) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Hearing device antenna with optimized orientation |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Fitting of hearing devices |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Blocked microphone detection |
Cirrus Logic Inc (Austin, Tx) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Switching binaural sound |
Applicants: Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) & Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Environment discovery via time-synchronized networked loudspeakers |
Harman International Industries Inc (Stamford, CT) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
9/10/2019 |
|
|
Apparatus, systems and methods for obtaining cleaner physiological information signals |
Valencell Inc. (Raleigh, NC) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
EEG monitoring system and method of monitoring an EEG |
Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Fast fitting for cochlear implants |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Hearing auxiliary device and hearing auxiliary processing method |
Silicon Motion Inc. (Hsinchu County, TW) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Electrocochleography testing in hearing prostheses |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Sound processing with increased noise suppression |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Systems and methods for wirelessly transmitting power and data from an active headpiece to a cochlear implant |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Retaining binaural cues when mixing microphone signals |
Cirrus Logic, Inc (Austin, TX) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Module for installation in a hearing aid |
Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Eye-mounted hearing aid |
International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Convertibility of a bone conduction device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Incus short process attachment for implantable float transducer |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Methods and systems for rendering binaural audio content |
The DIRECTTV Group Inc. (El Segundo, CA) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Augmented hearing system |
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA) |
9/17/2019 |
|
|
Unconstrained ear recognition using a combination of deep learning and handcrafted features |
University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Charging system with compressible contacts |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Ear bud or dome |
Sonion Nederland B.V. (Hoofddorp, NL) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Interposer stack inside a substrate for a hearing assistance device |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Hearing assistance system in a multi-talker acoustic network |
Sonova AG (Stafa, CH) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Adaptive binaural beamforming with preservation of spatial cues in hearing assistance devices |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Method for operating a hearing apparatus, and hearing apparatus |
Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid with spatial signal enhancement |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Antennas for standard fit hearing assistance devices |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Hearing instrument having an antenna system |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Prosthesis adapter |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Dual power supply |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid with plug connection for earpiece |
Sivantos Pte. Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Generating binaural audio in response to multi-channel audio using at least one feedback delay network |
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Earbud tip |
Applicant: Gordon, Robert (Orlando, FL) |
9/24/2019 |
|
|
Hearing aid for the deaf |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
9/24/2019 |
**featured image courtesy of Party City
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.
