US Hearing Device Patent Activity for November-December 2015

On January 7, the Oticon vs GN Resound patent war came to an end with scarcely a shot fired. Settling a “slew of patent disputes” was good news for Big 6 bottom line solidarity and uninterrupted technological innovation.

Words, Words, Words

While the FDA continues its decade-long struggle to parse and define ear technology, the innovators have moved on to an inclusive vision of auditory processing. “Hearing aid” shows up in 16 patent titles in today’s list (below). By comparison, 19 titles capture audio innovations with more comprehensive words and phrases (e.g., ear/hearing/listening devices, instruments, systems for hearing, hearing assistance). Consider verbiage paraphrased from recent patent documents (bold added):

“A personal hearing system may comprise…one or two hearing aids, also denoted as hearing prostheses, external and/or implanted … hearing protectors …communication devices allowing individuals to speak to each other remotely, inconspicuously and/or in noisy environments … headsets…. auxiliary components (remote controls, audio streaming devices, or fitting interface devices). Typically all components of a personal hearing system are designed such that they can be carried at least temporarily at the body of its user.” From Phonak patent application #20150296308.{{1}}[[1]]Method for Providing Distant Support to a Personal Hearing System User and System for Implementing Such a Method. USPTO Application #20150296308.[[1]]

Ear-level devices, including headphones, earphones, head sets, hearing aids and the like, are adapted to be worn at the ear of a user and provide personal sound processing. {{2}}[[2]]Personalized Hearing Profile Generation with Real-Time Feedback. USPTO 9197971.[[2]]

Remote but Personal

Ear devices remain on the ears for now, but their innards are moving off to remote servers to which wearers have personal, if not intimate, relationships or “templates.” FDA approved online hearing testing is already with us. Here is a sampling of next-step visions:

“… The rise of the Internet has offered the possibility for the development of personalization techniques that flow from on-line testing. User-specific acoustic adjustment parameters [for improving speech intelligibility] are stored as templates in a central location. A user can access a template [by providing an ID to the server] … for application to a communication session by connection to the central location [and it] … can be applied on behalf of the user for use in connection with different user devices or communication endpoints.” USPTO 9197971.

“The intelligibility of speech …and a set of acoustic adjustment parameters is determined for the user [which] is placed in central store, for example … a server.” USPTO 9161136.

The Patent List

Description	Patent Number	Assignee	Issued
Systems and Methods for Forward Link Communication in Wireless Power Systems	9166439	Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA)	10/20/2015
Microphone Module with Sound Pipe	9173015	Invensense, Inc. (San Jose, CA)	10/27/2015
Noise Mitigating Microphone System	9173024	Invensense, Inc. (San Jose, CA)	10/27/2015
Bone Anchor Fixture for a Medical Prosthesis	9173042	Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)	10/27/2015
Apparatus and Method for Ultra Wideband Communication Using Dual Band Pass Filter	9172425	Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR)	10/27/2015
Enhancing Perception of Frequency-Lowered Speech	9173041	Purdue Research Foundation (West Lafayette, IN)	10/27/2015
Drug Eluting Cochlear Implants	9162010	Tepha, Inc. (Lexington, MA)	10/28/2015
Audio system with feedback cancellation	9179223	GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark)	11/03/2015
Antennas for Standard Fit Hearing Assistance Devices	9179227	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/03/2015
Device for Cleaning a Hearing Aid	9174248	MG Development (Perols, France)	11/03/2015
System and Method for Measuring and Validating the Occlusion Effect of a Hearing Aid User	9179230	Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)	11/03/2015
Hearing device with adaptive feedback-path estimation	9179224	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	11/03/2015
Hearing Aid Device	9179225	Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan)	11/03/2015
Systems Devices, Components and Methods for Providing Acoustic Isolation between Microphones and Transducers in Bone Conduction Magnetic Hearing Aids	9179228	Sophono, Inc. (Boulder, CO)	11/03/2015
Treatment And/Or Prevention of Inner Ear Conditions by Modulation of a Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor	9173864	House Ear Institute (Los Angeles, CA)	11/03/2015
Partially Implantable Hearing Device	9179226	Advanced Bionics AG (CH)	11/03/2015
Speech processor cases	9179229	Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH)	11/03/2015
Systems and Methods for Facilitating Time-Based Fitting by a Sound Processor	9179231	Advanced Bionics AG (CH)	11/03/2015
Signal Processing for Hearing Prostheses	9179222	Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)	11/03/2015
Method and device for intracochlea impedance measurement	9273585	Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)	11/03/2015
Impact protection for implantable electric lead	9174039	MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)	11/03/2015
Method of improving a long term feedback path estimate in a listening device	9185505	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	11/10/2015
Hearing device with two or more microphones and two or more resonators having different lengths and the same resonant frequency	9185498	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	11/10/2015
Compression of spaced sources for hearing assistance devices	9185500	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/10/2015
Method and Computer Program Product of Processing Sound Segment and Hearing Aid	9185497	Unlimiter MFA CO. Ltd. (Eden Island, Seychelles)	11/10/2015
Binaural Hearing Aid with Frequency Unmasking	9185499	GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark)	11/10/2015
Methods and Apparatus for Processing Audio Signals	918585	Sonitus Medical Inc. (San Mateo, CA)	11/10/2015
Domes for a receiver-in-the-canal hearing instrument	9185503	Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG)	11/10/2015
Tonotopic implant stimulation	9180295	MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)	11/10/2015
Modular Adapter Assembly for Telecoil and Auxiliary Audio Input Device Mixing	9191751	Advanced Bionics AG (CH)	11/17/2015
Entrainment Avoidance with an Auto Regressive Filter	9191752	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/17/2015
Hearing Aid with Inductively Coupled Electromagnetic Resonator Antenna	9191757	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/17/2015
Spatial enhancement mode for hearing aids	9191755	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/17/2015
Assisting Conversation in Noisy Environments	9190043	Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)	11/17/2015
Contoured Battery Case Based on Cell Shapes	9190642	Eaglepicher Technologies, LLC (Joplin, MO)	11/17/2015
Custom Fit In-Ear Monitor Utilizing a Single Piece Driver Module	9191758	Logitech Europe, S.A. (Lausanne, CH)	11/17/2015
Systems and Methods for Detecting Wireless Charging Transmit Characteristics	9190876	Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA)	11/17/2015
Data Transmission through a Recipient’S Skull Bone	9191759	Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)	11/17/2015
Optimal Pre-Load for Floating Mass Transducers	9191760	Vibrant Med-El Hearing Technology GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)	11/17/2015

Method for Automatically Setting a Piece of Equipment and Classifier	9191754	Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG)	11/17/2015
Hearing Aid and a Method of Enhancing Speech Reproduction	9191753	Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)	11/17/2015
Personalized Hearing Profile Generation with Real-Time Feedback	9197971	CVF, LLC (Chicago, IL)	11/24/2015
Push-Pull Driver with Stage Inversion and Method of Operation	9196418	Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA)	11/24/2015
Methods and apparatus for reducing ambient noise based on annoyance perception and modeling for hearing-impaired listeners	9197970	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/24/2015
Dynamic negotiation and discovery of hearing aid features and capabilities by fitting software to provide forward and backward compatibility	9197972	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	11/24/2015
RF transmitter for electrically short antenna	9203446	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	12/01/2015
Method of identifying a wireless communication channel in a sound system	9204232	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	12/01/2015
Method for adjusting a hearing device as well as an arrangement for adjusting a hearing device	9204226	Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)	12/01/2015
Electronic Earplug for Providing Communication and Protection	9198800	Etymotic Research, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL)	12/01/2015
Noise Reduction System for Hearing Assistance Devices	9204227	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	12/01/2015
Independent volume control in electro-acoustic stimulation systems –	9204230	Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH)	12/01/2015
Independent volume control in a bilateral auditory prosthesis system	9204231	Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH)	12/01/2015
Waterproof Acoustic Element Enclosures and Apparatus Including the Same	9204229	Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH)	12/01/2015
Methods and systems for optimizing speech and music perception by a bilateral cochlear implant patient	9199079	Advanced Bionics AG (Zug, CH)	12/01/2015
Hearing Instrument with Plug-In Sound Tube Connection, Corresponding Case and Sound Tube	9204228	Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG)	12/01/2015
Hearing assistance device with brain computer interface	9210517	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	12/08/2015
Hearing Aid	9210522	GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark)	12/08/2015
Ear to ear communication using wireless low energy transport	9210520	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	12/08/2015
Method and apparatus for microphone matching for wearable directional hearing device using wearer’s own voice	9210518	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	12/08/2015
Abutment Attachment Systems, Mechanisms, Devices, Components and Methods for Bone Conduction Hearing Aids	9210521	Sophono, Inc. (Boulder, CO)	12/08/2015
Hearing assistance system and method	9210519	Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)	12/08/2015
Hearing assistance system and method	92115535	Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)	12/15/2015
Hearing Aid and Method of Implanting a Hearing Aid	9215537	Advanced Bionics AG (CH)	12/15/2015
Uncomfortable Sound Pressure Determination System, Method and Program Thereof, Hearing Aid Adjustment System, and Uncomfortable Sound Pressure Determination Apparatus	9215533	Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan)	12/15/2015
Pump Facility for a Hearing Device and Method of Inflating and Deflating an Earmold Member	9212658	Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG)	12/15/2015
Hearing Aid and Method of Implanting a Hearing Aid	9215537	Advanced Bionics AG (CH)	12/15/2015
Steerable stylet	9211403	Advanced Bionics AG (CH)	12/15/2015
Multi-Band Integrated Speech Separating Microphone Array Processor with Adaptive Beamforming	9215527	Cirrus Logic, Inc. (Austin TX)	12/15/2015
Switching Structures for Hearing Aid	9215534	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	12/15/2015
Hearing Assistance System and Method	9215535	Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)	12/15/2015
Body-worn control apparatus for hearing devices	9219965	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	12/22/2015
Location based assistance using hearing instruments	9219966	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	12/22/2015
Hearing assistance system with own voice detection	9219964	Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)	12/22/2015
Stimulation prosthesis with configurable data link	9216288	Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)	12/22/2015
Hearing protection earpiece	9216113	Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)	12/22/2015
Hearing aid with means for estimating the ear plug fitting	9226082	Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)	12/29/2015
Method of operating a hearing aid and a hearing aid	9226084	Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)	12/29/2015
Inflatable ear mold with protected inflation air inlet	9226086	Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG)	12/29/2015
Noise estimation for use with noise reduction and echo cancellation in personal communication	9224393	Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark)	12/29/2015