By Holly Hosford-Dunn, PhD
The Big 6 –soon to be the Big 5— continued patenting hearing aid designs and technologies in April. They were joined in these efforts by South Korean and Swiss companies with challenging names that are new to Hearing Economics. We ask better-informed readers to send us what you know about these two:
- Sorynorydotcom Inc.
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.v.
Word Trends
Last year, everything seemed to be “Smart,” though much of what was smart was left to our imaginations. This year, other words and word combinations seem to be recurring with increased frequency in patents, no doubt as efforts to define smartness. Such as:
- Monitoring
- Interaction
- Plurality
- Controlling
- Configuring
- Configuration interaction
Gym Trends
Hearing Economics is conducting an ongoing, bi-weekly, wholly unscientific survey at the gym where it works out. Preliminary findings: everybody prefers wireless, but most prefer the big white shiny headphones to in-ear headphones.
Are readers seeing this preference in their gyms? Might comfort and stability underlie the choice? Is it a highly visible way to communicate that you’re hard at work and don’t want to communicate? Whatever the reason, it is interesting that in the Hearable world, big can be cool, while in the subset of Hearables called hearing aids, big has never been cool and probably never will be.
Since big may be better in the gym and other environs, why not decorate headphones to match your outfits, as Taction Technology envisions (#9936273)? And make them fluffy and old-school magnetic? (feature image from Muzik #D814440).
Closer to the ear, the search continues for designs (for whatever purpose) that possess the perfect fit in the canal (e.g., Freebit #D814443 ) or on the pinna (e.g., Human Inc. #D814457; Sennheiser #D815615).
The Ear, An I/O Device Location
Fig 1. Dartmouth Amulet
Recognizing that the ear is a busy multitasker (e.g., Orion Labs #9940094 ), Dartmouth has a central command amulet #9936877 for fitness/health monitoring and communication with the body, the Internet, and others (see Fig 1).
A number of patents embed “speakers of unspecified type” into their designs (see following list). There are good reasons (e.g., privacy, wearability, portability, continuity) to expect that Hearables will manifest eventually in finished products:
- Ford aims to improve collision avoidance (#9937922) by sending “auditory data” to a variety of I/O devices, including speakers
- Silicon Laboratories (#9942848) envisions earbuds + emitters + sensors to monitor heart rate and other physiological parameters.
- EveryFit (#9947198) plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) speaker systems (including earphones) to monitor of health and wellness.
- Verily Life Sciences’ patent (#9953041) offers long-term storage and computation of collected health data in a system that can “generate audible output(s) [to a]… audio output device, earphones, and/or other similar devices.”
- The aforementioned Swiss company with the very long name that begins with Frauenhof (#9949056) describes a “portable hearing aid device” as a conveyance for “augmented reality of auditory scenes.”
Literally SO Cool
Some time back, Wayne Staab wrote about harnessing the body’s energy to power devices, perhaps including hearing aids of the future.
A new Wearables patent from University of Notre Dame (#9936763) describes “A wearable, portable, self-contained refrigeration/cooling garment” such as a shoe that is “powered by …ambulation.” The foot’s a long way from the ear, but it takes far less energy to drive a hearing aid than an a/c unit so who knows what is possible. And don’t forget those gym rats with the huge headphones. There’s bound to be a way to get those phones multitasking as portable a/c units to enhance the workout.
The April Patent List
|
Description |
Patent Number |
Assignee |
Issued |
|
Method for identifying objects in a subject’s ear |
Helen of Troy Ltd (Belleville, BB) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Implantable auditory prosthesis having isolated components |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Apparatus and methods for altering the appearance of wearable devices |
Taction Technology Inc (Los Gatos, CA) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid apparatus with fundamental frequency modification |
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.v. (Munich, DE) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid system with positioning tool |
MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Insert member for a hearing device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Method of fitting a hearing device to a user, a fitting system for a hearing device and a hearing device |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Wireless audio headphones with magnetic ear cushions |
Muzik, Inc. (Raleigh, NC) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Sub tragus ear unit |
Freebit AS (Oslo, NO) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Wearable electronic device for the ear |
Human, Inc. (Seattle, WA) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Rehabilitation device for the ear |
Applicant: Procter, Stanley (Huntington Beach CA) |
4/03/2018 |
|
|
Wearable computing device for secure control of physiological sensors and medical devices, with secure storage of medical records, and bioimpedance biometric |
The Trustees of Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Collision avoidance using auditory data augmented with map data |
Ford Global Technologies LLC (Dearborn, MI) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Dynamic muting audio transducer control for wearable personal communication nodes |
Orion Labs (San Francisco, CA) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for using hearing assistance device as voice controller |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Ear jewelry with wireless audio device |
Applicants: Barrett and Patsys Prelogar (Lake Ozark, MO) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid and a method for audio streaming |
Widex A/S (Lynge, DK) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid using wireless test modes as diagnostic tool |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Hearing device for binaural supply and method for its operation |
Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid device and method for operating the hearing aid device with a communication device |
Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Method for transmitting digital data packets from a transmitter to a receiver arranged in a mobile device, and mobile device, transmitter and hearing aid for implementing the method |
Sivantos PTE. Ltd. (Singapore, SG) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Devices for enhancing transmissions of stimuli in auditory prostheses |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Method and arrangement for fitting a hearing system |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Method for operating a hearing device as well as a hearing device |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Bi-directional communications in a wearable monitor
|
Silicon Laboratories Inc (Austin, TX) |
4/10/2018 |
|
|
Methods and systems for routing patient information to a communication service provider and to a communication device for hearing-impaired users |
Sorenson IP Holdings, LLC (Salt Lake City, UT) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Systems and methods for context-aware transmission of longitudinal safety and wellness data wearable sensors |
EveryFit Inc. (Cambridge, MA) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Reproduction of ambient environmental sound for acoustic transparency of ear canal device system and method |
Bragi GmnH (Munchen, DE) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Wireless in-ear headphones |
T.Rex Holdings LLC (Edina, MN) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Intelligent conversation control in wearable audio systems |
Bose Corp (Framingham, MA) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Hearing assistance system and method |
Sonova AG (Staefa, CH) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Hearing system having improved high frequency response |
Earlens Corp (Menlo Park, CA) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Peer to peer hearing system |
Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Hearing assistance device with beamformer optimized using a priori spatial information |
Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Audio processing pipeline for auditory prosthesis having a common, and two or more stimulator-specific, frequency-analysis stages |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for preserving the spectral clues of an audio signal altered by the physical presence of a digital hearing aid and tuning thereafter |
Linear SRL (Genoa, IT) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Binaural hearing aid with multi functions |
Sorynorydotcom Inc. (Suwon-si, KR) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Controlling own-voice experience of talker with occluded ear |
Sony Mobile Communications Inc (Tokyo, JP) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Method and apparatus for presenting to a user of a wearable apparatus additional information related to an audio scene |
Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (EPFL) (CH) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Earshaped ear pad |
Sennheiser Communications A/S (Ballerup, DK) |
4/17/2018 |
|
|
Ear model, head model, and measuring apparatus and measuring method employing same |
Kyocera Corp (Kyoto, JP) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Systems and methods for anesthetizing ear tissue |
Tusker Medical Inc. (Menlo Park, CA) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Configuration of hearing device components |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Long-term data storage service for wearable device data |
Verily Life Sciences LLC (Mountain View, CA) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Hearing aid battery packaging |
Spectrum Brands Inc. (Middleton, WI) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Wearable electronic device |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Headset hearing protection with integrated transceiver and siren alert device |
Assignee: Brayton, Darryl Dwight (Richland, WA) |
4/24/2018 |
|
|
Suspended components in auditory prostheses |
Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU) |
4/24/2018 |
Editor’s note: Interested readers can click the following links for patents approved in Q1 2018, Nov/Dec 2017, October 2017, September 2017, August 2017, June/July 2017, May 2017, April 2017, March 2017, February 2017, January 2017, 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
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 (Germany) 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.
