GN Hearing’s two distinct lines of business have long covered diverse hearing needs, ranging from medical devices for hearing loss to head-worn devices for communications and streaming. Its newly proposed device (Fig 1, right) may like a molar tooth but GN remains firmly situated in the ear (#114 in the illustration). True to its history of wide-ranging innovation for auditory diversity, the patent specifies many options, including:
Optionally, the hearing device is a hearing aid…a hearing protection device…. includes a processing unit configured to perform signal processing based on a hearing loss characteristic of a user of the hearing device.
The February 2021 Patent List
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
Hearing and monitoring system |
Applicant: Tran, Bao (Saratoga, CA) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Perception change-based adjustments in hearing prostheses |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Ear protection device, communications system and protective helmet |
Pfanner Schutzbekleidung GmbH (Koblach, AT) |
2/02/2021 |
|
In-the-ear hearing aid device, a hearing aid, and an electro-acoustic transducer |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Hearing device with adaptive binaural auditory steering and related method |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Modularization of components of an ear-wearable device |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Speech processor cases |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Method for determining distance between ears of a wearer of a sound generating object and an ear-worn, sound generating object |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Custom fit in-ear monitors utilizing a single piece driver module |
Logitech Europe SA (Lausanne, CH) |
2/02/2021 |
|
Connection joints for joining wires and pads constructed of different conductive materials and methods of making the same |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
2/09/2021
|
|
User-interfaces for audio-augmented-reality |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Sound adjustment method for hearing protection and sound adjustment device performing the same |
Pixart Imaging Inc (Hsin-chu County, TW) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Intelligent hearing aid |
International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Earbud system |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Flanged earbud and hearing device including same |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Neutralizing the effect of a medical device location |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Retention magnet system for medical device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Defining a zone with a HPED and providing binaural sound in the zone |
Applicant: C Matter Limited (Wadsworth, OH) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Method and apparatus for automatically identifying and annotating auditory signals from one or more parties |
Eolas Technologies Inc (Tyler, TX) |
2/09/2021 |
|
Speech extraction method, system, and device based on supervised learning auditory attention |
Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, CN) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Charging system with compressible contacts |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Acoustic device |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/16/2021 |
|
In-ear headphone |
Merry Electronics (ShenZhen) Co Ltd (ShenZhen, CN) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Use of periauricular muscle signals to estimate a direction of a user’s auditory attention locus |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Acoustic feedback event monitoring system for hearing assistance devices |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Method for the identification of an earpiece, hearing aid system and earpiece set |
Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Augmented hearing system |
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Implantable stimulating assembly |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Implantable electrode array |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Charger |
Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Earbud |
Applicant: Shenzhen Humboldt Technology Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) |
2/16/2021 |
|
Hearing device incorporating a primary antenna in conjunction with a chip antenna |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Universal charging and drying station for hearing aid |
Serene Group Inc (Norwalk, CA) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Hearing device comprising a beamformer filtering unit for reducing feedback |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Head-wearable hearing device with impact enabled reboot |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Power and signal transmission devices for auditory prosthesis |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Acoustic valve for hearing device |
Knowles Electronics LLC (Itasca, IL) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Hearing device with receiver back-volume and pressure equalization |
GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Methods and systems for loading hearing instrument parameters |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Automatic control of binaural features in ear-wearable devices |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Acoustical listening area mapping and frequency correction |
Harman International Industries Inc (Stamford, CT) |
2/23/2021 |
|
Headtracking for pre-rendered binaural audio |
Dolby Laboratory Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA) |
2/23/2021 |
*featured image credit: Cochlear patent #10926081
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.