The patent world continues to turn, pandemic notwithstanding. You won’t find patent #10607258 listed in this month’s table. However, you just find its handiwork up in the sky, if airlines start flying again. For those on the ground, looking up or out their windows, IBM has a plan to capture our skyward-directed attention and perhaps our privacy: System, method, and recording medium for fixed-wing aircraft advertisement using locally sampled word listening.
Last month made mention of the proliferation of “binaural” as a concept in recent times. Just to note in passing that this month’s list contains 9 patents assigned to Philip Scott Lyren or one of his companies or associates (C Matter Limited and Glenn A Norris, respectively). Mr Lyren is a Texas patent attorney who seems to have latched on to binaural with a vengeance from afar (Thailand). In 2014, Mark Cuban of Shark Tank fame, described Mr Lyren as a patent troll in a movie download lawsuit. It is a bit surprising that IBM beat Mr Lyren to the fixed wing airplane idea. But IBM didn’t specify binaural in its patent, so Mr Lyren may claim a couple wings yet.
Who knew that hearing science could be so sexy and exciting?
The March 2020 Patent List
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
In-ear electrical potential sensor |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Selected simultaneous stimulation |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/03/2020 |
|
System and method for configuring an external device using operating parameters from an implanted device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Implanted magnet management in the face of external magnetic fields |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Cochlear implant fitting via efferent nerve fibers |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Device and methods for directing agents to the middle ear and the inner ear |
University of Maryland (College Park, MD) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Hearing aid battery packaging |
Energizer Brands LLC (St. Louis, MO) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Ear based contextual environment and biometric pattern recognition system and method |
Bragi GmbH (Munich, DE) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Method and apparatus for binaural rendering audio signal using variable order filtering in frequency domain |
Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University (Seoul, KR); Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc (Seoul, KR); Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (Daejeon, KR) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Ear-worn electronic device incorporating annoyance model driven selective active noise control |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Auditory interpretation device with display |
Auditory Labs LLC (Westlake, OH) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Voice activity detection unit and a hearing device comprising a voice activity detection unit |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Hearing device incorporating conformal folded antenna |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
3/03/2020 |
|
In-ear headphone |
Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Wireless hearing device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Hearing aid and a method for audio streaming |
Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system |
Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Hearing device comprising a wireless receiver of sound |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Feedback canceller and hearing aid |
Rion Co Ltd (Tokyo, JP) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Ear-worn electronic device incorporating motor brain-computer interface |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Hearing device including an external antenna part and an internal antenna part |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Magnet positioning in an external device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Hearing assistance device incorporating system in package module |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Canal hearing device sizer apparatus, systems and methods |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Method and apparatus for automatically identifying and annotating auditory signals from one or more parties |
Eolas Technologies Inc (Tyler, TX) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Earbud case |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
3/03/2020 |
|
Cochlear implant system including an implantable battery |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Ear interface detection |
Cirrus Logic Inc (Austin, TX) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Hearing device with active noise control based on wind noise |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Ear tip with anti-tragus stabilizer |
Plantronics Inc (Santa Cruz, CA) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Hearing aid comprising a directional microphone system |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Apparatus and method to compensate for asymmetrical hearing loss |
Applicant: Patel, Malini B (Orland Park, IL) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Interactive wireless control of appliances by a hearing device |
iHear Medical Inc (San Leandro, CA) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Adaptable hearing device charging port for a hearing device charger |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Method for fitting and/or operating a hearing device, a system for fitting a hearing device, a set of associated hearing devices, and a use of a set of associated hearing devices |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Headphones that provide binaural sound and receive head gestures |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Electronic glasses that provide binaural sound |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Headphones that provide binaural sound |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Playing binaural sound clips during an electronic communication |
Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Providing HRTFs to improve computer performance of electronic devices providing binaural sound for a telephone call |
C Matter Limited (Kowloon, CN) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Pair of in-ear appliances |
Earos Inc (New York, NY) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Pair of earbud headsets |
Skullcandy Inc (Park City, UT) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Wireless earbud |
Shenzhen Ginto E-Commerce Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Hearing aid antenna |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Hearing aid antenna |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/10/2020 |
|
Systems and methods for creating and using sound processing program templates |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Inner ear therapy device and method for operating inner ear therapy device |
Yonsei University Wonju Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation (Wonju-si, KR) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Vehicle warning system for hearing-impaired person and control method thereof |
Hyundai Motor Company (Seoul, KR), Kia Motors Corporation (Seoul, KR) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Acoustical battery charging |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Earbud frame for acoustic driver and complimentary ear tip |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Seamless earbud structures and methods for making the same |
Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Systems and methods for detecting and reacting to system noise generated by a cochlear implant system |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Hearing evaluation and configuration of a hearing assistance-device |
Concha Inc (San Carlos, CA) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Method for operating a hearing device and hearing device system |
Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Method of exchanging data packages of different sizes between first and second portable communication devices |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Hearing aid with an antenna |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Cochlear hearing device with cable antenna |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Electronic frame for maintaining electronic components of a hearing aid, hearing aid and kit for a hearing aid |
Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
3/17/2020 |
|
DACS actuator |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Hearing instrument and method of providing such hearing instrument |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Wearable electronic device selects HRTFs based on eye distance and provides binaural sound |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Apparatus for secure hearing device communication and related method |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Earbud |
Shenzhen Ginto E-Commerce Co Limited (Shenzhen, CN) |
3/17/2020 |
|
Method and process for quantitative evaluation of pharmacokinetics, therapeutic effects and safety of delivery of drug compounds to the inner ear for treatment of auditory disease |
The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc (Cambridge, MA), Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Boston, MA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Device and method using a parasitic antenna element to substantially isolate or decouple first and second antennas respectively operating in first and second frequency bands |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Sub tragic ear unit |
Freebit AS (Oslo, NO) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Noise blocking bluetooth earset with integrated in-ear microphone |
Orfeo SoundWorks Corporation (Anyang KR) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Hearing device comprising switched capacitor DC-DC converter with low electromagnetic emission |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Transducer management |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University NSW, AU) |
3/24/2020 |
|
System and method for automated hearing aid profile update |
III Holdings 4 LLC (Wilmington, DE) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Designating a sound localization point (SLP) for binaural sound at a location of a handheld portable electronic device (HPED) |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Method to expedite playing of binaural sound to a listener |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Switching binaural sound from head movements |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Displaying a location of binaural sound outside a field of view |
Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP) & Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) |
3/24/2020 |
|
Ear shape analysis method, ear shape analysis device, and ear shape model generation method |
Yamaha Corporation (Hamamatsu-shi, JP) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Hearing aid |
Rion Co Ltd (Tokyo, JP) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Anatomically customized ear canal hearing apparatus |
Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Method for adjusting hearing aid configuration based on pupillary information |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Method for operating a hearing device and hearing device |
Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Hearing aid |
Rion Co Ltd (Tokyo, JP) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Canal hearing device with retainer |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Audio signal processing method and apparatus for binaural rendering using phase response characteristics |
Gaudi Audio Lab Inc (Seoul, KR) |
3/31/2020 |
|
Hearing aid battery package |
Energizer Brands LLC (St. Louis, MO) |
3/31/2020 |
**featured image, Bose In-ear electrical potential sensor patent #10575777
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