Starkey’s patent #12273683 (Self-fit hearing instruments with self-reported measures of hearing loss and listening) aims to implement intuitive strategies for self-fitting OTCs and other ear devices.
It describes direct or indirect mapping of an audiogram from responses to a questionnaire of hearing loss and listening perception (e.g., BHI Quick Hearing Check ). The derived audiogram is then used to perform an initial device fitting.
The April 2025 patent list
| Description | Patent Number | Assignee | Issued |
| Input selection for an auditory prosthesis | 12263340 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/01/2025 |
| Audio-based near field communication | 12265754 | Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) | 4/01/2025 |
| Voice assistant for wireless earpieces | 12265757 | Bragi GmbH (Munich, DE) | 4/01/2025 |
| Earphone device, compensation method thereof and computer program product | 12266336 | Rehear Audiology Company Ltd (Taipei, TW) | 4/01/2025 |
| Correction method of synthesized speech set for hearing aid | 12266339 | SPACE LIVE Inc (Tokyo, JP) | 4/01/2025 |
| Sound modification based on frequency composition | 12266378 | Harman International Industries Inc (Stamford, CT) | 4/01/2025 |
| Dome for hearing aids | 12267637 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/01/2025 |
| Hearing device | 12267642 | Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG) | 4/01/2025 |
| Handling tool for hearing aid | 12267651 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 4/01/2025 |
| Charging box for hearing aids | D1068657 | Kunwei Medical Electronics Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) | 4/01/2025 |
| Advanced electrode array insertion | 12268869 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/08/2025 |
| Hearing device with beam-steerable antenna arrangement | 12272880 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/08/2025 |
| Systems and methods for selective storing of data included in a corrupted data packet | 12273249 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/08/2025 |
| Wireless listening device
|
12273677 | Listening Wisdom (Nanjing) Technology Co Ltd (Nanjing, CN) | 4/08/2025 |
| Noise reduction method and system | 12273678 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/08/2025 |
| Self-fit hearing instruments with self-reported measures of hearing loss and listening | 12273683 | Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) | 4/08/2025 |
| Acoustic spot identification | 12273684 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/08/2025 |
| Hierarchical environmental classification in a hearing prosthesis | 12273685 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/08/2025 |
| Encapsulation of electronic components on substrate for hearing device | 12273688 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/08/2025 |
| Earbud | D1069762 | Inova Design Solutions Ltd (London, GB) | 4/08/2025 |
| In-ear device | D1069763 | Strand Industries LLC (Woodland Hills, CA) | 4/08/2025 |
| Wireless earbud | D1069766 | Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) | 4/08/2025 |
| Hearing aid | D1070091 | GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK) | 4/08/2025 |
| Hearing device comprising a low complexity beamformer | 12277952 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/15/2025 |
| Earpiece with GPS receiver | 12279083 | Bragi GmbH (Munich, DE) | 4/15/2025 |
| Speaker, headphone, and hearing aid | 12279086 | Wada, Hideki (Hiroshima, JP) | 4/15/2025 |
| Hearing aid and a method of operating a hearing aid | 12279091 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 4/15/2025 |
| Interactive system for hearing devices | 12279092 | Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) | 4/15/2025 |
| Hearing device chargers and hearing devices for use with same | 12279093 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/15/2025 |
| Acoustic valve, and hearing device including such an acoustic valve | 12279094 | Sonion Nederland BV (Hoofddorp, NL) | 4/15/2025 |
| Language-dependent adjustment of the signal processing of hearing systems | 12279095 | Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG) | 4/15/2025 |
| Estimating user location in a system including smart audio devices | 12279100 | Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA) | 4/15/2025 |
| Hearing protection method capable of blocking external high-sound-pressure-level energy | 12279930 | Shenzhen Dancing Future Technology Ltd (Shenzhen, CN) | 4/22/2025 |
| Ossicular prostheses for middle ear reconstruction | 12279947 | The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK) | 4/22/2025 |
| Glasses for the hearing impaired | 12282205 | Thorn, David (Gaithersburg, MD) | 4/22/2025 |
| Signal processing device, system and method for processing audio signals | 12283286 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/22/2025 |
| In-ear headphone | 12284475 | Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA) | 4/22/2025 |
| Hearing aid device comprising a sensor member | 12284485 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/22/2025 |
| Hearing aid having a sensor | 12284487 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/22/2025 |
| Computer program product | 12284488 | Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG) | 4/22/2025 |
| RF antenna and hearing device with RF antenna | 12284489 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/22/2025 |
| Speaker unit for a hearing aid device system, and hearing aid device system | 12284490 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) | 4/22/2025 |
| Augmented hearing via adaptive self-reinforcement | 12284499 | Meta Platforms Technologies LLC (Menlo Park, CA) | 4/22/2025 |
| Bioactive agent distribution | 12285590 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/29/2025 |
| Electromagnetic transducer with specific internal geometry | 12289581 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU) | 4/29/2025 |
| Antenna for a hearing assistance device | 12289582 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 4/29/2025 |
| Wireless earbud | D1072792 | LG Electronics Inc (Seoul, KR) | 4/29/2025 |
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.
