Thanks, Pearl Jam
Even from casual observation of our hearing behavior most of us connect the presence of two ears with our ability to locate sounds. (Schubert, 1980)1
Fig 1. Growth of binaural terminology in patent titles
We take our two-ear arrangement for granted, which is probably why the “binaural” moniker rarely populated the titles of scientific studies until recent times.2 There were early pioneers: a binaural stethoscope was referenced in an 1899 Boston medical journal. Binaural hearing made it to the title of a 1959 CID study which went so far as to call out the binaural hearing aid. Binaural masking effects entitled studies from the 1960s onward (e.f., Levitt & Rabiner, 1967; Wightman, 1970; Townsend & Goldstein, 2005).
In short, binaural was a esoteric term that we hearing professionals had it to ourselves for well for over a century. Indeed, binaural beats were described in the early 1800s and remained our exclusive study topic into this century.
At the same time, binaural effects in the music industry were sold as stereo, which didn’t sound so wonky. Pearl Jam made binaural sexy in 2000 with the release its “experimental” studio album Binaural Beats. In the course of a decade, binaural shot from obscurity to ubiquity in hipsters’ lingo and in Google searches on the term (see feature image).
Binaural Patents
Fig 2. Snap Inc 10567898 binaural audio setup
Add in the introduction of wireless binaural synchronization in ear level devices and the AR/VR needs of gamers and you can see how binaural has gone from a wonky lab set up to a fun “experimental” music recording method to a concept worth patenting from every design aspect (see Fig 1).
Which brings us to current efforts on the current patent list. For example, consider Snap Inc’s patent for a glasses frames with multiple mics to generate binaural audio (Fig 2), or Panasonic’s “binauralization” patent for rendering of multiple moving audio sources.
The February 2020 Patent List
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
|
Method and device for continuous in-ear hearing health monitoring on a human being |
EERS Global Technologies Inc (Montreal, Quebec, CA) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
DNP and DNP prodrug treatment of neuromuscular, neurodegenerative, autoimmune, developmental, traumatic brain injury, concussion, dry eye disease, hearing loss and/or metabolic diseases |
Mitochon Pharmaceuticals Inc (Radnor, LA) & Bioventures LLC (Little Rock, AR) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Method and system for rapid acquisition of evoked compound action potential recordings |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Event detection in an implantable auditory prosthesis |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Binaural cochlear implant system |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Directional noise-cancelling and sound detection system and method for sound targeted hearing and imaging |
Stewart, Michael A (Sparks, NV) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
|
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Hearing aid |
Nitto Denko Corporation (Osaka, JP) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Power management features |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Hearing device with adaptive sub-band beamforming and related method |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Hearing aid adapter |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Antenna unit |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
RF antenna and hearing device with RF antenna |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Hearing device including an external antenna part and an internal antenna part |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Hearing aid system with an aligned auditory perception |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Round window coupled hearing systems and methods |
Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Binaural decoder to output spatial stereo sound and a decoding method thereof |
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (Suwon-si, KR) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Binaural rendering apparatus and method for playing back of multiple audio sources |
Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Torrance, CA) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Generating binaural audio in response to multi-channel audio using at least one feedback delay network |
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Charging base station |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Earbud case attachable to smartphone |
Applicant: Anderson, Jerry P (Columbus, OH) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Earbud cover |
Applicant: Davis, Lorenzo Young (Las Vegas, NV) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
Hearing protector |
3M Innovative Properties Company (St Paul, MN) |
2/04/2020 |
|
|
External unit of an implanted medical device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Feedthrough arrangement for medical device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Interleaving power and data in a transcutaneous communication link |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
In-ear noise dosimeter |
WiSys Technology Foundation Inc (Madison, WI) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Hearing device comprising an amplifier system for minimizing variation in an acoustical signal caused by variation in gain of an amplifier |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Hearing device with sound impulse suppression and related method |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Systems and methods for self-fitting an electroacoustic stimulation system to a patient |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Method and a hearing device for improved separability of target sounds |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Hybrid electrically- and mechanically-stimulating cochlear implant |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Table microphone |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
2/11/2020 |
|
|
Hearing device comprising electrodes for picking up a physiological response |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Method and device for examining the faculty of hearing |
Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen (Tubingen, DE) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Method of retrofitting a hearing protector, and a hearing protector |
3M Innovative Properties Company (St Paul, MN) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating sensorineural hearing loss or tinnitus including platelet-rich plasma and method using the same |
Shim, Min Bo (Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Apoptosis inhibitor formulations for prevention of hearing loss |
Spiral Therapeutics Inc (San Francisco, CA) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
System and method for configuring audio signals to compensate for acoustic changes of the ear |
RevX Technologies Inc (Austin, TX) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Directional hearing aid |
Nuance Hearing Ltd (Tel Aviv, IL) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Binaural hearing system and method |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Audio accessory for auditory prosthesis system that includes body-worn sound processor apparatus |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Ear-wearable device having tunnel with receiver coil |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie MN) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Speaker unit for a hearing aid device system, and hearing aid device system |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Head-wearable apparatus to generate binaural audio |
Snap Inc (Santa Monica, CA) |
2/18/2020 |
|
|
Hearing diagnosis device and hearing diagnosis method |
National Tsing Hua University (Hsinchu, TW) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Compositions, systems, and methods for generating inner ear hair cells for treatment of hearing loss |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) & The Brigham and Women’s Hospital Inc (Boston, MA) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Personalized auditory-somatosensory stimulation to treat tinnitus |
The Regents of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Methods and devices for radio frequency (RF) mitigation proximate the ear |
Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Universal adjustable ear tip |
Piearcings LLC (Kansas City, MO) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Connector for in-ear systems |
Banzai Defense Group LLC (Weatherford, TX) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Combination of immersive and binaural sound |
DTS Inc (Calabasas, CA) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Method for operating a hearing aid apparatus and hearing aid apparatus |
Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Neural network-driven frequency translation |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie MN) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Binaural hearing device system with a binaural impulse environment detector |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Method for characterizing a receiver in a hearing device, hearing device and test apparatus for a hearing device |
Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Modular hearing aid |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Hearing aid device having wireless communication |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Prosthesis functionality control and data presentation |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
2/25/2020 |
|
|
Audio listening system |
Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA) |
2/25/2020 |
References & Footnotes
1 Schubert, E.D. Hearing: Its Function and Dysfunction. in Arnold, Winckel & Wyke (Eds) Disorders of Human Communication. Springer-Verlag: NY. 1980.
2 Which is not to say that binaural effects were not studied. They just didn’t make it into the titles of the reports. c.f. Stevens & Newman, The localization of actual sources of sound. Am J Psychol 48, 297-306, 1983. And see Wayne Staab’s historical of binaural summation of loudness here at hearinghealthmatters.org
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
Holly:
As usual, great job in putting this together in ways that it not just good, but useful information.