Some anecdotal observations precede the current hearing aid patent list, some superficial, others not so much.
Best Name for a New Entrant: Brain Basket, LLC (Auditory Comprehension and Audibility Device, #9301066)
Who’s Got the Power
The big developing technology–accounting for over 10% of today’s list–is extended, connected, sustainable, or implantable power solutions. Big 6 and CI manufacturers own two of the patents; the rest are owned by companies in other industries.
- Qualcomm
- System and Method for Low Loss Wireless Power Transmission (#9270342)
- Systems and Methods for Decoupling Multiple Wireless Charging Transmitters (#9275791)
- Class E Amplifier Overload Detection and Prevention (#9281711)
- Waking Up a Wireless Power Transmitter from Beacon Mode (#9306634)
- Ramot. Rechargeable Alkali Metal-Air Battery (#9269997)
- Panasonic. Thin Battery and Battery Device ##9281538)
- Battery Street Energy, Inc. Intelligent Battery Pack Module (#9293755)
- Envoy Medical. Hearing Aid Amplifier Having Feed Forward Bias Control Based on Signal Amplitude and Frequency for Reduced Power Consumption (#9313590)
- Cochlear Ltd. Integrated implantable hearing device, microphone and power unit (#9314625)
- Sonova. Microphone Battery Barrier. (#9301065)
- Samsung
- Hearing Device and Method of Low Power Operation (#9288590)
- Method and Apparatus for Low Power Operation of Binaural Hearing Aid (#9319806)
Patents as Options
Just because you hold the patent doesn’t mean you’re going to enter the industry, and perhaps that’s what Samsung is thinking as it continues to gain patents for hearing aids, hearing devices, and all that goes with them. There may be a post on “patent thicket” strategy that touches on that in a month or so. Meanwhile, hold onto this thought from MIT economist Robert S Pindyck, PhD:
“For most technologies and products, the R&D leading to a patent is typically much less costly than the development of the product itself. Licensing can provide a way of controlling existing competitors.”1
| Description | Patent Number | Assignee | Issued |
| Hearing Aid Device and a Method of Manufacturing a Hearing Aid Device | 9271095 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 2/23/2016 |
| Hearing Instrument with an Integral Injection-Molding Casing | 9271093 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 2/23/2016 |
| Hearing Aid Ear Plug with an Extraction Cord | 9265664 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 2/23/2016 |
| Method of Auditory Training and a Hearing Aid System | 9265420 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 2/23/2016 |
| Hearing Aid with an H-Bridge Output Stage and a Method of Driving an Output Stage | 9271088 | Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) | 2/23/2016 |
| Method and System for Contact Sensing Using Coherence Analysis | 9271064 | Personics Holdings, LLC (Boca Raton, FL) | 2/23/2016 |
| Holding Unit for a Vibration Transmitter and a Vibration Transmission System Using It | 9271094 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 2/23/2016 |
| Entrainment Resistant Feedback Cancellation | 9271090 | Wolfson Dynamic Hearing Pty Ltd (Richmond, AU) | 2/23/2016 |
| Rechargeable Alkali Metal-Air Battery | 9269997 | Ramot At Tel Aviv University Ltd. (Tel Aviv, IL) | 2/23/2016 |
| System and Method for Low Loss Wireless Power Transmission | 9270342 | Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA) | 2/23/2016 |
| Triphasic Pulses to Reduce Undesirable Side-Effects in Cochlear Implants | 9265944 | Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) | 2/23/2016 |
| Method for Adjusting the Useful Signal in Binaural Hearing Aid Systems and Hearing Aid System | 9277333 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 3/01/2016 |
| Eardrum Implantable Devices for Hearing Systems and Methods | 9277335 | EarLens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) | 3/01/2016 |
| Systems and Methods for Decoupling Multiple Wireless Charging Transmitters | 9275791 | Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA) | 3/01/2016 |
| DC-DC Converter with Enhanced Automatic Switching between CCM and DCM Operating Modes | 9276477 | STMicroelectronics International N.V. (Amsterdam, NL) | 3/01/2016 |
| Method of Processing a Signal in a Hearing Instrument, and Hearing Instrument | 9271666 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 3/01/2016 |
| Wirelessly Charged Electronic Device with Shared Inductor Circuitry | 9276639 | Apple Inc. (Cupertino, CA) | 3/01/2016 |
| Techniques for Testing Compatibility of a Wireless Communication Device | 9277331 | PCTEST Engineering Laboratory, Inc. (Columbia, MD) | 3/01/2016 |
| Systems and Methods for Using a Simplified User Interface for Hearing Prosthesis Fitting | 9272142 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 3/01/2016 |
| Class E Amplifier Overload Detection and Prevention | 9281711 | Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA) | 3/01/2016 |
| Wireless System for Hearing Communication Devices Providing Wireless Stereo Reception Modes | 9282416 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/08/2016 |
| Thin Battery and Battery Device | 9281538 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Osaka, JP) | 3/08/2016 |
| Vision-Aided Hearing Assisting Device | 9280914 | National Central University (Taoyuan, TW) | 3/08/2016 |
| Beamforming in Hearing Aids | 9282411 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 3/08/2016 |
| Spectral contrast enhancement in a cochlear implant speech processor | 9288585 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 3/15/2016 |
| Hearing Aid Apparatus | 9288589 | Yat Yiu Cheung (Hong Kong, Hong Kong) | 3/15/2016 |
| Interaural Time Difference Enhancement Strategy | 9283376 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 3/15/2016 |
| Hearing Aid for Providing Phone Signals | 9288584 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 3/15/2016 |
| Wireless Binaural Compressor | 9288587 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 3/15/2016 |
| Method and Apparatus for Signal Reception Using Dynamically Selectable Modes | 9288586 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/15/2016 |
| Method and Apparatus for Creating Binaural Beats Using Hearing Aids | 9288588 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/15/2016 |
| Visually-Based Fitting of Hearing Devices | 9288593 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 3/15/2016 |
| Hearing Device and Method of Low Power Operation | 9288590 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si-KR) | 3/15/2016 |
| Assisting Conversation While Listening to Audio | 9288570 | Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) | 3/15/2016 |
| Sound processors and implantable cochlear stimulation systems including the same | 9294852 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 3/22/2016 |
| Particulate toughened ceramic feedthrough | 9289616 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 3/22/2016 |
| Hearing Aid with an Antenna | 9293814 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 3/22/2016 |
| Wind Noise Reduction Filter | 9294829 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 3/22/2016 |
| Adaptation of a Classification of an Audio Signal in a Hearing Aid | 9294848 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 3/22/2016 |
| Hearing Assistance Devices with Echo Cancellation
|
9294851 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/22/2016 |
| Parallel Antennas for Standard Fit Hearing Assistance Devices | 9294850 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/22/2016 |
| Method and Apparatus for Detecting User Activities from within a Hearing Assistance Device Using a Vibration Sensor | 9294849 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/22/2016 |
| Intelligent Battery Pack Module | 9293755 | Battery Street Energy, Inc. (Seattle, WA) | 3/22/2016 |
| Microphone battery barrier | 9301065 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 3/29/2016 |
| Method of Processing Voice Signal Output and Earphone | 9301060 | Unlimiter MFA Co., Ltd. (Eden Island, Seychelles) | 3/29/2016 |
| Hearing Instrument Adapted to Hold an Exchangeable Receiver into the Housing and a Method for Making the Hearing Instrument | 9301063 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 3/29/2016 |
| Method for Selecting a Preferred Direction of a Directional Microphone and Corresponding Hearing Device | 9301058 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 3/29/2016 |
| System and Method for Measuring and Recording Skull Vibration in Situ | 9301061 | Audiodontics, LLC (Bethesda, MD) | 3/29/2016 |
| Electromechanical Transducer and Electrocoustic Transducer | 9301054 | Rion Co., Ltd. (Kokubunji-shi-, Tokyo, JP) | 3/29/2016 |
| Receiver and method for retrieving an information signal from a magnetic induction signal | 9300367 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 3/29/2016 |
| Miniature Speaker and Speaker Cabinet and Hearing Aid | 9301067 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 3/29/2016 |
| Antenna for Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Devices | 9295848 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 3/29/2016 |
| Acoustic Prescription Rule Based on an in Situ Measured Dynamic Range | 9301068 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 3/29/2016 |
| Directionality Device for Auditory Prosthesis Microphone | 9295836 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 3/29/2016 |
| Auditory Comprehension and Audibility Device | 9301066 | Brain Basket, LLC (Boulder, CO) | 3/29/2016 |
| Optimized Channel Configuration Based on Spatial Profiles | 9295837 | Kals, Mathias (Innsbruck, AT) | 3/29/2016 |
| Hearing Apparatus and Method for Measuring Distance between Eardrum and Hearing Apparatus | 9301056 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si-KR) | 3/29/2016 |
| Bone Conduction Hearing Aid System | 9301059 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 3/29/2016 |
| Hearing Aid Comprising an Intra-Cochlear Actuator | 9313587 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 3/29/2016 |
| MRI Safe Actuator for Implantable Floating Mass Transducer | 9301062 | Vibrant Med-E1 Hearing Technology GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) | 3/29/2016 |
| Noise-Reducing Directional Microphone Array | 8942387 | MH Acoustics LLC (Summit, NJ) | 3/29/2016 |
| Hearing aid removal handle | 9301064 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 3/29/2016 |
| Intraneural stimulation systems and methods | 9302106 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 4/05/2016 |
| Stapedius reflex measurement safety systems and methods | 9307330 | Advanced Bionics AG (Stafa, CH) | 4/05/2016 |
| Waking Up a Wireless Power Transmitter from Beacon Mode | 9306634 | Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego, CA) | 4/05/2016 |
| Hearing device with selectable perceived spatial positioning of sound sources | 9307331 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 4/05/2016 |
| Method for dynamic suppression of surrounding acoustic noise when listening to electrical inputs | 9307332 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 4/05/2016 |
| Device and Method for Audible Transient Noise Detection | 9311927 | Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP) | 4/12/2016 |
| Hearing Aid Amplifier Having Feed Forward Bias Control Based on Signal Amplitude and Frequency for Reduced Power Consumption | 9313590 | Envoy Medical Corp. (St. Paul, Minn) | 4/12/2016 |
| Hearing Aid and Method of Enhancing Speech Output in Real Time | 9313582 | Unlimiter MFA Co., Ltd. (Eden Island, Seychelles) | 4/12/2016 |
| Method of Processing a Voice Segment and Hearing Aid | 9311933 | Unlimiter MFA Co., Ltd. (Eden Island, Seychelles) | 4/12/2016 |
| Method of Fitting a Binaural Hearing Aid System | 9313583 | Bernafon AG (Berne, Switzerland) | 4/12/2016 |
| Method of Operating a Hearing Instrument Based on an Estimation of Present Cognitive Load of a User and a Hearing Aid System | 9313585 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 4/12/2016 |
| Binaural listening system with automatic mode switching | 9313577 | Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) | 4/12/2016 |
| Hearing Assistance Suitability Determining Device and Hearing Assistance Suitability Determining Method | 9313584 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Osaka, JP) | 4/12/2016 |
| Sensitive Measurements in a Hearing Prosthesis | 9308367 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/12/2016 |
| Method and system for configuration of a medical device that stimulates a human physiological system | 9313589 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/12/2016 |
| Molding structure for a hearing apparatus, hearing apparatus, and method of producing the molding structure | 9313588 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 4/12/2016 |
| Deactivatable hearing device, corresponding hearing system and method for operating a hearing system | 9313586 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/12/2016 |
| Method and Apparatus for Low Power Operation of Binaural Hearing Aid | 9319806 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si-KR) and The Industry & Academic Cooporation in Chungnam National University (IAC) (Daejeon, SK) | 4/19/2016 |
| Automatic Identification of Receiver Type in Hearing Aid Devices | 9319801 | Sivantos GmbH (Erlangen, Germany) | 4/19/2016 |
| Tube System and Life Tube Adaptor for a Hearing Aid | 9318098 | Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore SG) | 4/19/2016 |
| Hearing Aid and Method for Controlling the Same | 9319803 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Osaka, JP) | 4/19/2016 |
| Method for Fitting a Hearing Aid Device with Active Occlusion Control to a User | 9319814 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/19/2016 |
| Tip-plate assembly, hearing device with a tip-plate assembly and method of manufacturing a hearing device with a tip-plate assembly | 9319817 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/19/2016 |
| Method for operating a hearing device as well as a hearing device | 9319804 | Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) | 4/19/2016 |
| Hearing device with closure mechanism | 9319811 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 4/19/2016 |
| Hearing Aid Having a near Field Resonant Parasitic Element | 9319808 | GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) | 4/19/2016 |
| Fitting system with intelligent visual tools | 9319813 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 4/19/2016 |
| System and methods of subject classification based on assessed hearing capabilities | 9319812 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/19/2016 |
| Implantable component of a hearing prosthesis | 9319810 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/19/2016 |
| Device with combined antenna and transducer | 9319807 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/19/2016 |
| Noise reduction in auditory prostheses | 9319805 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/19/2016 |
| Integrated implantable hearing device, microphone and power unit | 9314625 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/19/2016 |
| Systems and methods for altering the input dynamic range of an auditory device | 9314624 | Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) | 4/19/2016 |
| System and Method for Enhancing the Inductive Coupling between a Hearing Aid Operating in Telecoil Mode and a Communication Device | 9326076 | AT&T Mobility II LLC (Atlanta) | 4/26/2016 |
| Methods and Apparatus for Improving Speech Understanding in a Large Crowd | 9326078 | Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) | 4/26/2016 |
Editor’s note: The Patent Series is updated every two months. Click links for patents approved in Jan/Feb 2016, Nov/Dec 2015, Sept/Oct 2015, Jul/Aug 2015, May/Jun 2015, Mar/Apr 2015, Jan/Feb 2015, Nov/Dec 2014, Sep/Oct 2014, July/Aug 2014, May/Jun 2014, Mar/Apr 2014, Jan/Feb 2014, Nov/Dec 2013, September/October 2013, Jul/Aug 2013, May/Jun 2013, Mar/Apr 2013, Jan/Feb 2013, Nov/Dec 2012
Footnotes & References
1Pindyck, RS. Industrial Economics for Strategic Decisions. R&D and Patent Licensing. MIT Sloan School of Management course. Aug 2013.
feature image from USPTO #9288590
Love see the new tech and patent updates. Makes us excited for what’s to come in the hearing industry.
Such an informational updates regarding the hearing devices