US Hearing Device Patents May-June 2016

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Holly Hosford-Dunn
July 12, 2016
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Fig 1. Oticon USPTO ##9351086 for Hearing Aid Device with In-the-Ear-Canal Microphone.

“Space is a scarce resource in a hearing aid.”

That simple but powerful observation heralds the purpose of Oticon’s US patent #9338569 (Portable Electronic Device Comprising a Folded Substrate), shown in the title image. That purpose is to cram as much amplification technology as possible into the smallest space.

Oticon’s next patented step is to use the folded substrate in a design described in US patent #9351086, shown in Figure 1.  There, directional mics, battery, DSP chip, speaker, open dome are all loaded into the ear canal with a removal string.  The worm-like effect is designed so that “an improved feedback reduction is thereby achieved, while allowing a relatively large gain to be applied to the incoming signal.

Pretty darned cute — a CIC that leverages the benefits of the RIC open-ear fitting which itself revolutionized hearing aid fitting over a decade ago.  What to call it?  CIC-RIC isn’t quite accurate but rhymes and has a ring to it.

 

 

 

 

The Two-Month Patent List

 

Description Patent Number Assignee Issued
Accelerated Fitting of Cochlear Implants Based on Current Spread 9320896 Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) 4/26/2016
Objective Allocation of Implant Electrode Bands Based on Excitation Spread 9320887 Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) 4/26/2016
Using Mobile Consumer Devices to Communicate with Consumer Medical Devices 9323893 Orca Health, Inc. (Sandy, UT) 4/26/2016
Lithium Battery Having Irregularly Shaped Casing 9325029 Greatbatch Ltd. (Clarence, NY) 4/26/2016
Inflatable Bubble 9326059 Asius Technologies, LLC (Longmont, CO) 4/26/2016
Flexible Protocol for an Implanted Prosthesis 9326075 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 4/26/2016
System and Method for Sharing Network Resources between Hearing Devices 9326077 Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) 4/26/2016
Implantable Fluid Delivery System with Floating Mass Transducer Driven Pump 9327071 Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) 5/03/2016
Hearing Profile Test System and Method 9326706 iHear Medical, Inc. (San Leandro, CA) 5/03/2016
Customization of Adaptive Directionality for Hearing Aids Using a Portable Device 9332359 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 5/03/2016
Hearing Aid 9332356 Brainstorm Audio, LLC (Dover, DE) 5/03/2016
Compression and Mixing for Hearing Assistance Devices 9332360 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 5/03/2016
Portable Electronic Device Comprising a Folded Substrate 9338569 Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) 5/10/2016
Binaurally Coordinated Compression System 9338563 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 5/10/2016
Earphones and Hearing Aids with Equalization 9338555 J. Craig Oxford (Nashville, TN) 5/10/2016
Hearing Aid Charger Housing D755976 Earzqo, Inc. (Mountain View, CA) 5/10/2016
Auditory Signal Processing 9338567 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 5/10/2016
Inflatable Ear Piece and a Method of Its Manufacture 9338568 Sonion Nederland B.V. (Hoofddorp, Netherlands) 5/10/2016
Electrode for common cavity cochlear malformation 9333338 Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) 5/10/2016
Implantable Cochlear Systems with Intracochlear Electrode Array for Balance Stabilization 9339649 The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto) and University Health Network (Toronto, Canada) 5/17/2016
Adjustable Securing Mechanism for a Space Access Device 9344819 Eargo, Inc. (Mountain View, CA) 5/17/2016
Wireless Power Transmission Device and Method for Controlling Power Supply for Wireless Power Transmission Device 9343909 Nitto Denko Corp (Osaka, JP) 5/17/2016
Portable Electronic Device for Wearing at the Ear and a Method of Operating a Portable Electronic Device 9344812 Teknologisk Institut (Taastrup, DK) 5/17/2016
Easily Installable Microphone for Implantable Hearing Aid 9344818 Kyungpook National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation (Daegu, KR) 5/17/2016
Hearing Aid System and a Hearing Aid 9344816 Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) 5/17/2016
Hearing Aid Device and Method for Feedback Reduction 9344814 Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) 5/17/2016
Methods for Operating a Hearing Device as Well as Hearing Devices 9344813 Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) 5/17/2016
Stimulus Timing for a Stimulating Medical Device 9339648 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 5/17/2016
Evaluation of sound quality and speech intelligibility from neurograms 9351088 Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) 5/24/2016
Hearing Aid Device with In-the-Ear-Canal Microphone 9351086 Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) 5/24/2016
Learning Control of Hearing Aid Parameter Settings 9351087 GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) 5/24/2016
Hearing Aid Systems 9357317 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 5/31/2016
Hearing Aid, Loudspeaker, and Feedback Canceller 9357315 Rion Co. Ltd. (Kokubunji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan) 5/31/2016
Hearing Aid Battery Door D757945 ZPower, LLC (Camarillo, CA) 5/31/2016
Hearing Prosthesis with Accessory Detection 9357318 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 5/31/2016
Automated Sound Processor with Audio Signal Feature Determination and Processing Mode Adjustment 9357314 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 5/31/2016
Input selection for an auditory prosthesis 9352154 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 5/31/2016
Systems and methods for detecting nerve stimulation with an implanted prosthesis 9352153 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 5/31/2016
Time Division Multiplexed Access Method of Operating a near Field Communication System and a near Field Communication System Operating the Same 9357316 NXP B.V. (Eindhoven, NL) 5/31/2016
Method and device for reducing acoustic feedback 9357301 Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) 5/31/2016
Elastic Body of Audio Accessory, Audio Accessory and Electronic Device Supporting the Same 9357319 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) 5/31/2016
Method of Fitting a Hearing Aid System and a Hearing Aid Fitting System 9363614 Widex A/S (Lynge, Denmark) 6/07/2016
Accessory Member, and Accessory Comprising the Same 9358751 Kyocera Corp (Kyoto, JP) 6/07/2016
Environmentally Sealed Hearing Assistance Device 9363613 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 6/07/2016
Method for Operating a Hearing Device and a Hearing Device 9363612 Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) 6/07/2016
Automated Method of Classifying and Suppressing Noise in Hearing Devices 9364669 The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (Austin, TX) 6/14/2016
External Ear Canal Voice Detection 9369814 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 6/14/2016
Omniphobic Perforated Barrier for Hearing Aid Transducers 9369816 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 6/14/2016
Vanadium Boride Air Multiple Electron High Capacity Battery 9368846 The George Washington University (Washington, DC) 6/14/2016
BTE Hearing Aid Having Two Driven Antennas 9369813 GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) 6/14/2016
High Power RF Field Effect Transistor Switching Using DC Biases 9368975 Qualcomm Inc (San Diego, CA) 6/14/2016
Methods and apparatus for processing audio signals 9369102 Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) 6/14/2016
Binaural enhancement of tone language for hearing assistance devices 9374646 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 6/21/2016

 

System and method for embedding conductive traces into hearing assistance device housings 9374650 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) 6/21/2016

 

Fitting device and a method of fitting a hearing device to compensate for the hearing loss of a user; and a hearing device and a method of reducing feedback in a hearing device 9374645 GN ReSound A/S (Ballerup, Denmark) 6/21/2016
Hearing assistance system and method 9374648 Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) 6/21/2016
Method of performing an RECD measurement using a hearing assistance device 9374638 Oticon A/S (Smorum, Denmark) 6/21/2016
Injection moulded circuit carrier having an integrated circuit board 9374891 Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) 6/21/2016
External component of a hearing prosthesis D760392 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 6/28/2016
Temperature sensor and temperature probe 9377368 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 6/28/2016
Hearing prosthesis system having interchangeable housings 9375572 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 6/28/2016
Stimulating assembly fixation features 9375565 Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) 6/28/2016
Hearing instrument with an integral injection-molding casing 9380396 Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) 6/28/2016
Microphone protective device 9380367 Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) 6/28/2016

Editor’s note:  The Patent Series is updated every two months.  Click links for patents approved in Mar/Apr 2016Jan/Feb 2016,  Nov/Dec 2015, Sept/Oct 2015,  Jul/Aug 2015, May/Jun 2015,  Mar/Apr 2015Jan/Feb 2015,  Nov/Dec 2014,  Sep/Oct 2014,  July/Aug 2014,  May/Jun 2014,  Mar/Apr 2014,  Jan/Feb 2014Nov/Dec 2013September/October 2013Jul/Aug 2013May/Jun 2013Mar/Apr 2013Jan/Feb 2013Nov/Dec 2012

  1. How about a “CRIC” ==> Completely-receiver-in-the-canal?

    What was really interesting was Samsung’s patent; If you check the images section, you’ll the patent is for a part on a device that looks remarkably like an RIC.

    1. Holly Hosford-Dunn Author

      Scott, the more I think on it (which isn’t much), the more I’m leaning toward IED — Invisible Ear Device. That covers whatever gets put in the ear canal, so long as it’s completely in there.
      And yes, the images from many of the patents, Samsung’s included, are really interesting. Glad you like perusing the list and thanks for commenting.

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