US ear device patents in July 2019

Image
Hearing Health & Technology Matters
September 1, 2019

Got Ear?

 

The pinna, concha and external meatus are wonderful things for hands-free carry, fitness, entertainment and environment awareness. The cochlea is a wonderous thing for hearing, no matter how you get to it. In distal order of anatomy: 

  • Pinna as carrying case: consider patent #10382851 for an “Ear-wearable wireless communication flashlight,” when hearing is just not enough. (feature image, shown above).
  • Bragi may have left the device building, but it continues churning out patents to repurpose the ear canal space for connectivity in the IoT.  This month’s patent #10342428 depicts:

    wireless earpieces… within the ear with … partially enclosed support structure that hous(ing) electronic components  [which may] play music or audio, receive and make phone calls or other communications, determine ambient environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, altitude, location, speed, heading, etc.), read user biometrics (e.g., heart rate, motion, sleep, blood oxygenation, calories burned, etc.), and receive user input, feedback, or instructions.”

  • In patent #10362415, The Regents of UofMinn revisit and perhaps resusitate an old idea of using ultrasound to receive and deliver sound to the cochlea:

    “a modulated signal to the body…activates the auditory system via vibration of cerebrospinal fluids that vibrate cochlear fluids, bypassing the normal conductive pathway that uses middle ear bones and minimizing bone conduction and distortion through the skull.”

 

The July 2019 List

 

Description

Patent Number

Assignee

Issued

Auditory signal processing

10335591

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/02/2019

Personal device for hearing degradation monitoring

10339960

International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)

7/02/2019

Non-invasive wearable brain interface systems including a headgear and a plurality of self-contained photodetector units configured to removably attach to the headgear

10340408

HI LLC (Los Angeles, CA)

 

 

 

7/02/2019

Visual light audio transmission system

10341017

Wave Sciences LLC (Charleston, SC)

7/02/2019

Radio receiver with smart listening mode

10341160

Ali Corporation (Hsinchu, TW)

7/02/2019

Wearable sound equipment

10341755

LG Electronics Inc (Seoul, KR)

7/02/2019

Electronic ear protection devices

10341760

IP Holdings Inc. (Grand Prairie, TX)

7/02/2019

Hearing assistance system incorporating directional microphone customization

10341784

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

 

7/02/2019

Hearing device comprising a low-latency sound source separation unit

10341785

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

 

7/02/2019

Hearing aid device for hands free communication

10341786

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/02/2019

Hearing aid adapted for wireless power reception

10341787

PogoTec Inc. (Roanoke, VA)

7/02/2019

Hearing aid battery drawer with a thin film

10341788

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/02/2019

Implantable auditory prosthesis with floating mass transducer

10341789

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/02/2019

Self-fitting of a hearing device

10341790

iHear Medical Inc (San Leandro, CA)

 

7/02/2019

Hearing augmentation systems and methods

10341791

K/S HIMPP (Lynge, DK)

7/02/2019

Ear bud headset

D852782

Kanoa Inc (San Francisco, CA)

7/02/2019

Monitoring pulse transmissions using radar

10342428

Bragi GmbH (Munchen, DE)

7/09/2019

Hormone treatment for age-related hearing loss-presbycusis

10342806

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)

7/09/2019

Micro-charge stimulation

10342975

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/09/2019

Systems and methods for facilitating interaural time difference perception by a binaural cochlear implant patient

10342976

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

7/09/2019

Method and apparatus for scoring shooting events using hearing protection devices

10343044

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

7/09/2019

Method of instant sharing invoked from wearable devices

10348725

International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)

7/09/2019

System for real time, remote access to and adjustment of patient hearing aid with patient in normal life environment

10348891

Manchester, Deborah M (Studio City, CA)

7/09/2019

Accessibility for the hearing-impaired using keyword to establish audio settings

10349122

Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP)

7/09/2019

Battery compartment solution for a hearing protection device

10349162

Honeywell International Inc (Morris Plains, NJ)

7/09/2019

Method and acoustic system for determining a direction of a useful signal source

10349189

Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG)

7/09/2019

Hearing device with model control and associated methods

10349190

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

7/09/2019

Binaural gearing system and method

10349191

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/09/2019

Antenna with flared cross-feed in a hearing assistance device

10349192

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

7/09/2019

Interface device, a cellular phone protection shell and an arrangement thereof

10349193

Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)

7/09/2019

Auditory masking for a coherence-controlled calibration system

10349194

Facebook Technologies LLC (Menlo Park, CA)

7/09/2019

Hearing aid

D853568

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

7/09/2019

Cartilage conduction hearing device using an electromagnetic vibration unit, and electromagnetic vibration unit

10356231

Finewell Co Ltd (Osaka, JP)

7/16/2019

Earpiece and method for forming an earpiece

10356532

Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL)

7/16/2019

Hearing device comprising an own voice detector

10356536

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/16/2019

Hearing aid having a classifier for classifying auditory environments and sharing settings

10356538

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

7/16/2019

Auditory prosthesis system including sound processor apparatus with position sensor

10356542

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

7/16/2019

Hearing device

D853992

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

7/16/2019

Hearing device

D853993

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

7/16/2019

Agent for regenerating tympanic membrane or external auditory canal

10357595

Nobelpharma Co Ltd (Tokyo, JP)

7/23/2019

Bone bed drilling template

10357329

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/23/2019

Frequency-dependent focusing systems and methods for use in a cochlear implant system

10357655

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

7/23/2019

Hearing prosthesis programming

10357656

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/23/2019

Implantable auditory prosthesis usage restriction

10357658

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/23/2019

Implant charging protection

10357659

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/23/2019

Wearable health interface for controlling Internet of Things devices

10359807

Koninklijke Philips NV (Eindhoven, NL)

7/23/2019

Wireless microphone and/or in-ear monitoring system and method of controlling a wireless microphone and/or in-ear monitoring system

10362379

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co KG (Wedemark, DE)

7/23/2019

Methods and devices for radio frequency (RF) mitigation proximate the ear

10362381

Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL)

7/23/2019

Ear hanging type music player

10362383

Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (Shenzhen, CN)

7/23/2019

Hearing aid having combined antennas

10362410

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

7/23/2019

Hearing device with fixation arrangement

10362411

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/23/2019

Hearing device comprising a dynamic compressive amplification system and a method of operating a hearing device

10362412

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/23/2019

Hearing device with suppression of sound impulses

10362413

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

7/23/2019

Hearing assistance system comprising an EEG-recording and analysis system

10362414

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/23/2019

Ultrasonic hearing system and related methods

10362415

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Mn)

7/23/2019

Binaural level and/or gain estimator and a hearing system comprising a binaural level and/or gain estimator

10362416

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/23/2019

Adjustable fixation device having reduced infection

10362417

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

7/23/2019

Mounting assembly for a bone conduction hearing device

10362418

Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/23/2019

Hearing aid with electronics frame and antenna integrated therein

10362419

Sivantos Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG)

7/23/2019

Implant fixation and impact displacement protection systems

10363417

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)

7/23/2019

Active telemetry responsive for hearing implants

10363418

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)

7/30/2019

Always on headwear recording system

10365883

Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL)

7/30/2019

Microphone arrangement

10368152

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co KG (Wedemark, DE)

7/30/2019

Voltage regulator and control circuit for silver-zinc batteries in hearing instruments

10368166

Zpower LLC (Camarillo, Ca)

7/23/2019

Systems and methods for minimizing an effect of system noise generated by a cochlear implant system

10368173

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

7/30/2019

Distributed phase locked loop in hearing instruments

10368174

Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (Phoenix, AZ)

7/30/2019

Hearing device comprising a feedback detection unit

10368175

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/30/2019

Earpiece for coupling a hearing aid to a users’ ear canal and a method for manufacturing such an earpiece

10368176

Sonova AG (Stafa, CH)

7/30/2019

Rite style hearing aid

D855187

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/30/2019

Rite style hearing aid

D855188

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

7/30/2019

 

Holly Hosford-Dunn, Hearing Health MattersHolly 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.

Leave a Reply