US Patent #9544700 by inventors Sunil Puria and Rodney Perkins, was awarded to EarLens Corp. on January 10, 2017. Coming in at 22 pages and 12 illustrations (c.f., feature image), “Optically Coupled Active Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis,” is what they call a total package. Here’s a sample of its contents:
- A concise anatomy course. The patent starts with a fast-paced primer on external and middle ear anatomy that would serve most audiology graduate courses well and deserves repeating here with slight paraphrasing:
- “The ear comprises an external ear, a middle ear and an inner ear. The external ear comprises a pinna and an ear canal and is bounded medially by an eardrum. Ear canal extends medially from pinna to eardrum. Ear canal is at least partially defined by a skin disposed along the surface of the ear canal. The eardrum comprises an annulus that extends circumferentially around a majority of the eardrum to hold the eardru in place. The middle ear is disposed between eardrum of the ear and a cochleear of the ear. The middle ear comprises the ossiles to couple the eardrum to cochlear. The ossicles comprise an incus, a malleus and a states. The malleus is connected to the eaerdrum and the stapes is connected to an oval window, with the incus disposed between the malleus and stapes … Stapes is coupled to the oval window so as to conduct sound from the middle ear to the cochlea.”
- A new, unpronounceable acronym for audiology: the invention is an “AORP,” or active ossicular replacement device with a “narrow cross-sectional profile.” AORPs, which are sized to a person’s middle ear, are prothestic incudes1 which connect malleus to stapes.
- An innovative, simplified surgical procedure. The AORP’s design enables “position(ing) in the middle ear through an incision in the eardrum…without cutting bone that defines the shape of the ear canal or the shape of the middle ear.”
- A built-in Human Eardrum Transmission Experiment. Appearing in the small print of the patent rather than in an academic journal, readers are delighted to find a fully described experiment and resulting data to “measure transmission of infrared light through the eardrum.”
With prose this perfectly packed, be assured that the remaining pages of this patent are chock full of worthwhile reading and innovative thinking. What a patent!
The January 2017 List
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
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Stimulus signal for simultaneous measurement of auditory steady state responses and psychophysical pitch discrimination |
Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
1/03/2017 |
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Enhancement of reverberant speech by binary mask estimation |
Board of Regents, The University of Texas System |
1/03/2017 |
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Hearing Aid Specialized as a Supplement to Lip Reading |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/03/2017 |
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Hearing Assistance Device Comprising an Input Transducer System |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/03/2017 |
|
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Method and Device for Analyzing Hearing Aid Settings |
Sivantos Pte.Ltd.(Singapore, SG) |
1/03/2017 |
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Implantable Sound Sensor for Hearing Prostheses |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/03/2017 |
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Hearing Aid |
GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
1/03/2017 |
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Audio System for Audio Streaming and Associated Method |
GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
1/03/2017 |
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Attenuating Tip for Hearing Aid |
Zounds Hearing Inc. (Tempe, AZ) |
1/03/2017 |
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Systems and methods for facilitating apical electrode stimulation by an electro-acoustic stimulation system |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
1/03/2017 |
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Dynamic compliance voltage management for an implantable stimulator |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
1/10/2017 |
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Hearing Aid |
GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
1/10/2017 |
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Wireless Streaming to Hearing Assistance Devices |
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
1/10/2017 |
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Device for Recharging Hearing Aid Batteries Using USB Dongle |
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
1/10/2017 |
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Electronic Device Including Automatic Gain Adjustment for Hearing Aid Compatibility |
BlackBerry Ltd. (Waterloo, Ontario, CA) |
1/10/2017 |
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Contact Hearing System with Wearable Communication Apparatus |
EarLens Corp. (Menlo Park, CA) |
1/10/2017 |
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Optically coupled active ossicular replacement prosthesis |
EarLens Corp. (Menlo Park, CA) |
1/10/2017 |
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Signal enhancement using wireless streaming |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/10/2017 |
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Removable auditory prosthesis interface |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/10/2017 |
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Wirelessly Powered Audio Devices |
WiTricity Corp. (Watertown, MA) |
1/10/2017 |
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Mobile terminal and method of pairing mobile terminal with hearing apparatus |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) |
1/17/2017 |
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Portable terminal for controlling hearing aid and method therefor |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) |
1/17/2017 |
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Magnet arrangement for bone conduction hearing implant |
Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
1/17/2017 |
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Triphasic pulses to reduce undesirable side-effects in cochlear implants |
Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
1/17/2017 |
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Fixation system for an implantable medical device |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/17/2017 |
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Method and hearing device for tuning a hearing aid from recorded data |
Sivantos Pte.Ltd.(Singapore, SG) |
1/17/2017 |
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Method of controlling a hearing instrument |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
1/17/2017 |
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|
Adaptive piezoelectric array for bone conduction receiver in wearable computers |
Google, Inc. (Mountain View, CA) |
1/17/2017 |
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Processing of audio signals for a tinnitus therapy |
Sonormed GbmH (Hamburg, DE) |
1/17/2017 |
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Methods and systems for enhancing pitch associated with an audio signal presented to a cochlear implant patient |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
1/24/2017 |
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BTE hearing aid having a balanced antenna |
GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
1/24/2017 |
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Programming systems for eliciting evoked responses in a cochlear implant patient and performing predetermined actions in accordance with the evoked responses |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
1/24/2017 |
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Implantable fluid delivery apparatus and implantable electrode |
Med-El Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
1/24/2017 |
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Compressor architecture for avoidance of cross-modulation in remote microphones |
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN) |
1/24/2017 |
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Bone-sealed audio device having insertion part with adhesive and phase-changing material |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/24/2017 |
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Configurable hearing instrument |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/24/2017 |
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Holding unit for a vibration transmitter and a vibration transmission system using it |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/24/2017 |
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|
Apparatus and method for processing multi-channel audio signal using space information |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) |
1/24/2017 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for processing audio signal |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) |
1/24/2017 |
|
|
Post-filter common-gain determination |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/24/2017 |
|
|
Automatic sound optimizer |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/24/2017 |
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Systems and methods for remotely tuning hearing devices |
Audigence, Inc,; Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU); University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. |
1/24/2017 |
|
|
Electromechanical transducer with mechanical advantage |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/24/2017 |
|
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Devices for enhancing transmissions of stimuli in auditory prostheses |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/24/2017 |
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Devices for enhancing transmissions of stimuli in auditory prostheses |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/31/2017 |
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Automatic sound optimizer |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/31/2017 |
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Systems and methods for remotely tuning hearing devices |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/31/2017 |
|
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Post-filter common-gain determination |
Cochlear Ltd. (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
1/31/2017 |
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|
Calibration method for cochlear system and hearing system applying calibration mapping |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/31/2017 |
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|
Configurable hearing instrument |
Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK) |
1/31/2017 |
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|
Interface circuit for a hearing aid and method |
GN Resound A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
1/31/2017 |
|
|
Antenna with shielding apparatus and manufacturing method |
Sivantos Pte.Ltd.(Singapore, SG) |
1/31/2017 |
|
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Analog/digital audio converter and a method thereof |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) |
1/31/2017 |
|
|
Connectorized cochlear implant systems and methods |
Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH) |
1/31/2017 |
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Digital automatic gain control |
K/S HIMPP (Lynge, DK) |
1/31/2017 |
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Conversation assistance system |
Bose Corp. (Framingham, MA) |
1/31/2017 |
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|
Hearing aid and method of detecting vibration |
Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Osaka, JP) |
1/31/2017 |
Editor’s note: The Patent Series is updated monthly now, and every two months in the past. Click links for patents approved in December 2016, November 2016, October 2016, Sept 2016, Jul/Aug 2016, May/Jun 2016, Mar/Apr 2016, 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
Footnote
1Yes, incudes is the plural of incus. More than one stapedius or malleus is stapedii and mallei, respectively. Did we learn this in school?
Interesting to see Samsung, Bose and Google in there.
Thank you for the nice complement!
Thank you and your colleagues for improving our technologies and thinking