US Ear Device Patents for December 2019

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Hearing Health & Technology Matters
January 20, 2020

Tis the season

 

Baby it’s cold out there, especially for the ears. Hence, the recurring, much-appreciated winter theme when inventors think up new ear warmers (D871677) and ear covering systems (10500098).

The latter patent addresses an emerging technology-wrought crisis of sorts — how to keep ears warm while streaming music through earbuds.  The inventor’s solution is a set of earmuffs (feature image) “comprised of a fluid impermeable and thermally insulating material” that is “deformable” in a cup configuration to “facilitate …position(ing) on the ear”. Sounds cozy and probably reduces surround sound as well. 

 

HHTM Academy Awards Nominee

 

This page doesn’t give out awards, but we’re inspired by Hollywood to give a round of applause to EarLens patent 10511913 (Devices and methods for hearing“). The patent offers a fascinating and exhaustive read of possibilities at the eardrum. It’s wide-ranging list of embodiments tease the imagination about audio in the future.

 

The December 2019 List

 

Description

Patent Number

Assignee

Issued

Bilateral matching of frequencies and delays for hearing implant stimulation

10493273

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)

 

12/03/2019

Multifunctional ear buds

10499134

Applicant: Patten, Jonathan (Seattle, WA)

12/03/2019

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

10499148

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co KG (Wedemark, DE)

 

 

12/03/2019

Hearing aid comprising a receiver assembly

10499166

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK) & Bernafon AG (Berne, CH)

12/03/2019

Method of reducing noise in an audio processing device

10499167

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

12/03/2019

Automatically determined user experience value for hearing aid fitting

10499169

Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)

 

12/03/2019

Switching binaural sound

10499173 & 174

Applicants: Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) & Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP)

 

12/03/2019

Displaying emojis for binaural sound

10499179

Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH)

12/03/2019

Wearable electronic device that corrects errors where a user hears binaural sound

10499182

Applicants: Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH) & Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP)

12/03/2019

Altering emoji to indicate sound will externally localize as binaural sound

10499184

Lyren, Philip Scott (Bangkok, TH)

12/03/2019

Eliminating acquisition-related artifacts in electrophysiological recording

10499854

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)

 

12/10/2019

Ear covering system

10500098

Applicant: Mydell, Diana (Pooler, GA)

12/10/2019

Monitoring stimulating assembly insertion

10500392

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)

12/10/2019

Binaural rendering for headphones using metadata processing

10503461

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA

 

12/10/2019

Extracting features from auditory observations with active or passive assistance of shape-based auditory modification apparatus

10504499

Applicant: Economou, George A (Fairfax, VA)

 

 

12/10/2019

Binaural audio encoding/decoding and rendering for a headset

10504529

Cisco Technology Inc (San Jose, CA)

 

12/10/2019

Hearing assistance device and method with automatic security control

10506351

Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)

 

12/10/2019

Microphone unit with a housing and hearing aid having the microphone unit

10506352

Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG)

 

12/10/2019

Hearing device with a microphone structure

10506353

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

12/10/2019

Managing a hearing assistance device via low energy digital communications

10506355

Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)

12/10/2019

Binaural audio processing

10506358

Koninklijke Philips NV (Eindhoven, NL)

12/10/2019

Hearing aid device with speech control functionality

10510345

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

12/17/2019

Hearing aid user account management

10510446

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

12/17/2019

Implantable medical device charging

10511189

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)

12/17/2019

Adaptable ear tip for headphones

10511901

Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)

12/17/2019

Devices and methods for hearing

10511913

EarLens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)

12/17/2019

Listening device for mitigating variations between environmental sounds and internal sounds caused by the listening device blocking an ear canal of a user

10511915

Facebook Technologies LLC (Menlo Park, CA)

12/17/2019

Integrated circuit component for a hearing assistive device

10511916

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

12/17/2019

Adaptive level estimator, a hearing device, a method and a binaural hearing system

10511917

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

 

12/17/2019

Wireless system for hearing communication devices providing wireless stereo reception modes

10511918

Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)

 

12/17/2019

Methods for hearing-assist systems in various venues

10511919

Applicant: Epstein, Barry (Dallas, TX)

12/17/2019

Ear-worn electronic device incorporating directional magnetic antenna

10511920

Starkey Laboratories Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)

12/17/2019

Automated fitting of hearing devices

10511921

Blamey & Saunders Hearing Pty Ltd (Melbourne, AU)

12/17/2019

Hearing aid

D870292

Sivantos PTE Ltd (Singapore, SG)

12/17/2019

Noise reduction for implantable hearing prostheses

10512775

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)

12/17/2019

Beamforming using an in-ear audio device

10516934

Amazon Technologies Inc (Seattle, WA)

12/24/2019

Devices and methods for hearing

10516946

EarLens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)

12/24/2019

Optical electro-mechanical hearing devices with separate power and signal components

10516949

EarLens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)

12/24/2019

Multifunction system and method for integrated hearing and communication with noise cancellation and feedback management

10516950

EarLens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)

12/24/2019

Adjustable venting for hearing instruments

10516951

EarLens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)

12/24/2019

Combination audio input and hearing aid kit

10516952

Applicant: Thrasher, Rhonda (New Castle, IN)

12/24/2019

Implantable auditory stimulation system and method with offset implanted microphones

10516953

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, NSW, AU)

 

12/24/2019

Hearing aid for placement at an ear of a user

10516954

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

12/24/2019

Earbud

D870707

Shenzhen Ginto E-Commerce Co Limited (Shenzhen, CN)

12/24/2019

Apparatus and method for the prophylaxis of hearing impairment or vertigo

10518101

Applicants: Ernst, Arneborg (Berlin, DE) & Basta, Dietmar (Brieselang, DE)

 

12/31/2019

Multi profile hearing protection headset

10522131

Applicant: Safariland LLC (Jacksonville, FL)

12/31/2019

Audio control using auditory event detection

10523169

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (San Francisco, CA

12/31/2019

Panel speaker ear location

10523803

Nokia Technologies Oy (Espoo, FI)

12/31/2019

Hearing aid device comprising a sensor member

10524061

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

12/31/2019

Hearing aid with means for adaptive feedback compensation

10524062

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

12/31/2019

Binaural hearing aid system comprising two wireless interfaces and a user interface

10524063

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

12/31/2019

Method and hearing assistive device for handling streamed audio

10524064

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

12/31/2019

Hearing aid having an adaptive classifier

10524065

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

12/31/2019

Fitting devices, server devices and methods of remote configuration of a hearing device

10524066

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

 

12/31/2019

Hearing assistance system

10524067

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

12/31/2019

Hearing assistance device transducers and hearing assistance devices with same

10524068

Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)

 

12/31/2019

Ear warmer

D871677

Applicant: Sewell, Betty J (Suisun City, CA)

12/31/2019

 

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

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