Among the many interesting patents in this month’s list, Oticon’s #11297444 for a Hearing Aid System is a standout for all its sensor-laden activity, as described here. Reading the description, it’s hard to envision how to know that the device is properly inserted in the ear, but the sensors probably tell you.
… at least one surface electrode located at a surface of ear canal …at least one surface electrode to pick up a low voltage electric signal from the user’s skin. The sensor arrangement further comprises a light sensor … to allow emitting light through skin proximate to the light sensor and capturing reflected and/or scattered light …. further comprises a sensor signal processing unit … configured to generate one or more sensor signals … The hearing aid system further comprises or is connected to an evaluation unit … to generate an electrocardiogram-representing signal (ECG) …and a plethysmographic-curve-representing signal from an output signal of the light sensor.
The April 2022 Patent List
| Description | Patent Number | Assignee | Issued |
| Mastoid bone start drill bit | 11291462 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/05/2022 |
| Earplug and method for attenuating sound | 11291586 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/05/2022 |
| 6′-sialyllactose for use in the treatment of hearing loss | 11291675 | Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn (Bonn, DE) | 4/05/2022 |
| Measurement of facial muscle EMG potentials for predictive analysis using a smart wearable system and method | 11294466 | Bragi | 4/05/2022 |
| Hearing device system, devices and method of creating a trusted bond between a hearing device and a user application | 11295002 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/05/2022 |
| Electronic collaboration and communication method and system to facilitate communication with hearing or speech impaired participants | 11295720 | Mitel Networks Inc (Mesa AZ) | 4/05/2022 |
| Trusted listening | 11295758 | Seagate technology LLC (Cupertino, CA) | 4/05/2022 |
| In-ear earpiece retaining structure | 11297408 | Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) | 4/05/2022 |
| Earbud stability anchor feature | 11297410 | Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA)e | 4/05/2022 |
| Hearing assistance using active noise reduction | 11297443 | Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) | 4/05/2022 |
| Hearing aid system | 11297444 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/05/2022 |
| Hearing device and method of updating a hearing device | 11297447 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/05/2022 |
| Portable system for gathering and processing data from EEG, EOG, and/or imaging sensors | 11297448 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/05/2022 |
| Method for operating a hearing system, a hearing system and a fitting system | 11297450 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/05/2022 |
| Pairing information for wireless communication | 11297451 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/05/2022 |
| Method for live public address, in a helmet, taking into account the auditory perception characteristics of the listener | 11297454 | Augmented Acoustics (Bonnelles, FR) | 4/05/2022 |
| Hearing aid case | D947532 | Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) | 4/05/2022 |
| Charger for hearing aids | D947777 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/05/2022 |
| System for inner ear drug delivery via trans-round window membrane injection | 11298267 | The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc (Cambridge, MA) | 4/12/2022 |
| Implantable device having one or more screws | 11298554 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/12/2022 |
| Small earpiece enhanced on-ear detection with multiple cap sense | 11303990 | Plantronics Inc (Santa Cruz, CA) | 4/12/2022 |
| Beamforming using an in-ear audio device | 11303991 | Amazon Technologies Inc (Seattle, WA) | 4/12/2022 |
| Hearing device with sound impulse suppression and related method | 11304010 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/12/2022 |
| Assistive listening device systems, devices and methods for providing audio streams within sound fields | 11304013 | Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) | 4/12/2022 |
| Hearing aid device for hands free communication | 11304014 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/12/2022 |
| Concept for attaching a sound processor to the head via an interchangeable magnet | 11304015 | Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/12/2022 |
| Method for configuring a hearing-assistance device with a hearing profile | 11304016 | Concha Inc (San Carlos, CA) | 4/12/2022 |
| Enhanced hearing system | 11304023 | Applicant: Tran, Bao (Saratoga, CA) | 4/12/2022 |
| Apparatus and method for treating or/and refreshing an ear canal | 11304850 | Earways Medical Ltd (Rosh Haayin, IL) | 4/19/2022 |
| Monitoring stimulating assembly insertion | 11305109 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/19/2022 |
| Wireless communication device for communicating with multiple external devices via a wireless communication unit | 11310171 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/19/2022 |
| Securely sharing data between a hearing device, hearing device user, and data storage | 11310211 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/19/2022 |
| Methods and devices for radio frequency (RF) mitigation proximate the ear | 11310580 | Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL) | 4/19/2022 |
| 11310581 | Amazon Technologies Inc (Seattle, WA) | 4/19/2022 | |
| Optical electro-mechanical hearing devices with separate power and signal components | 11310605 | Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) | 4/19/2022 |
| Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system | 11310607 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 4/19/2022 |
| Method for training a listening situation classifier for a hearing aid and hearing system | 11310608 | Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG) | 4/19/2022 |
| Hearing aid user account management | 11310609 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 4/19/2022 |
| Antenna configuration for a hearing aid system | 11310610 | Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/19/2022 |
| Hearing aid connector | 11310611 | Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) Corporation | 4/19/2022 |
| System and method for validation of hearing aids for infants using a speech signal | 11310612 | Interacoustics A/S (Middelfart, DK) | 4/19/2022 |
| Headphone | D949130 | Bragi GmbH (Munich, DE) | 4/19/2022 |
| Combined wireless otoscope ear spoon and charging storage base | D949335 | Wudaopu (Shenzhen) Technology Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) | 4/19/2022 |
| In-ear headphone | 11317186 | Merry Electronics (Shenzhen) C0 Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) | 4/26/2022 |
| Method and apparatus for in-ear acoustic readout of data from a hearing instrument | 11317221 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/26/2022 |
| Method of determining a status of an acoustic feedback path of a head wearable hearing device and a head wearable hearing device | 11317222 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/26/2022 |
| Hearing device with active feedback control | 11317223 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/26/2022 |
| High fidelity and reduced feedback contact hearing apparatus and methods | 11317224 | Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) | 4/26/2022 |
| In-ear housing with customized retention | 11317225 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/26/2022 |
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.
