The Internet of Things and Us
Apple’s image of the IoT (feature image, from USPTA #10067734) is a pyramid with AirPods on top. In this patent, Hearables alert the IoT universe when they’re in the ears, ready to receive and send with phone, watch, computer, etc; likewise, the alert when they leave the ears. Hearables are top of the heap, where we always thought they’d end up, and so they have.
A Rose by Any Other Name
Fig 1. Samsung 10067735, “Ear wearable type wireless device and system supporting the same”
At the same time, consider that Hearables are only one accessory in the ever-expanding IoT universe. As far as Apple is concerned, Hearables by any other name would communicate as well (their patent doesn’t name Hearables, but refers to them as “companion devices”). Being on top is a fleeting thing, depending on words and images used in the next cycle of technological innovation.
We’re not a household word at the US patent office. To date, only one patent awarded in the entire USPTO system contains both “ear wearable” and “wireless” in its title. That’s Samsung’s #10067735 (awarded 9/4/2018, Fig 1), which could keep Earables on top for quite awhile.
That patent describes a binaural set of devices (Fig 1) in which one contains a printed circuit board that can include all sorts of things (communication circuit, wireless IoT communication, wireless charging) which can communicate with all sorts of other things in and external to the unit’s housing (e.g., gyro and geomagnetic field sensors; magnet and proximity sensors; gesture and grip sensors, biometric sensors, etc etc).
The key words in the Samsung patent that resonate to this writer are “without being connected to the audio data source,” (see Claim 1 and Claim 15). Perhaps the days of having to have phone in hand are numbered and we will be truly hands free at last.
Wearables for a Dangerous World
And you need your hands free in threatening times, especially in those where your phone is likely to go missing. Hooking Samsung’s patent idea up with other wearable patent ideas could be the way to go as wearables worn on whatever body part continue to gain importance and must-have status for surviving in these dangerous times. As examples:
- Seiko’s #10070260 “quickly informs and guides” wearers to safe evaluation sites during earthquakes;
- Stella Wearables’ #10072975 gives wearers real-time updates on their UVA and UVB ray exposure;
- Intel’s #10075835 not only helps you recognize those you encounter (by voice stress analysis and recognition) but also recognizes “sounds characteristic of environmental hazards such as flash floods or rockfalls.”
The future of Hearables is almost here, don’t leave home without them!
The September 2018 List
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
|
Flexible protocol for an implanted prosthesis |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Changing companion communication device behavior based on status of wearable device |
Apple Inc. (Cupertino CA) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Ear wearable type wireless device and system supporting the same |
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Auditory information security system |
Shieldk Co. Ltd. (Ansan-si KR) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Vibration isolation in a bone conduction device |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Bending loudspeaker and wearable electronic products comprising the same |
Goertek Inc. (Weifang CN) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Hearing device with input transducer and wireless receiver |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Antenna unit |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Implantable hearing aid system |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Hearing Device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Positioning information application system, gateway device, and wearable device |
Seiko Epson Corporation (Tokyo JP) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for automatically identifying and annotating auditory signals from one or more parties |
Eolas Technologies Inc. (Tyler TX) |
9/04/2018 |
|
|
System and method for treatment of eustachian tube from middle ear approach |
Acclarent Inc. (Irvine CA) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Selective stimulation with cochlear implants |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Integrated wearable noise dosimeter |
Verily Life Sciences LLC (Mountain View CA) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Wearable to monitor exposure to UV radiation |
Stella Wearables Inc. (San Diego CA) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid adapted for suppression of wind noise |
Widex A/S (Lynge DK) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Ear bud headset |
Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Redmond WA) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Apparatuses for controlling and positioning hearing aid components in ear canals |
Applicant: Szmanda, Jeffrey P (Big Bend WI) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
Ad-hoc wireless communication network including wearable input/output transducers |
Intel Corporation (Santa Clara CA) |
9/11/2018 |
|
|
External ear canal pressure regulation system |
Nocira LLC (Tempe AZ) |
9/18/2018 |
|
|
Ear cushion for headphone |
Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA) |
9/18/2018 |
|
|
Method of treating ear infections |
Try This First Inc. (Walnut Creek CA) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Varying the effective coil area for an inductive transcutaneous power link |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Wearable device with sound sealing structure |
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system |
Widex A/S (Lynge DK) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Hearing assistance device incorporating system in package module |
Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie MN) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid system, a hearing aid device and a method of operating a hearing aid system |
Bernafon AG (Berne CH) & Oticon A/S (Smorum DK) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Ear plug |
Dynamic Ear Company B.V. (Delft NL) |
9/25/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid, computing device, and method for selecting a hearing aid profile |
III Holdings 4, LLC (Wilmington DE) |
9/25/2018 |
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.
