US Ear Device Patents for May 2021

Image
Hearing Health & Technology Matters
June 29, 2021

The feature image above depicts Facebook’s vision for a tragus conduction Hearable (patent #10999668), the idea being to mechanically vibrate the tragus to produce one or more sound waves that travel down an ear canal of the user’s ear toward an eardrum; the purpose being to generate sounds and allow ambient sounds to reach a user while reducing sound leakage.

Nature vs nurture aside, little Mozarts just might get a head start if their moms share their earbuds. Mbrio patent #D920287  design for pregnancy headphones do just that:  “just pop your earbuds into the adapters, clip them to your waistband and feel baby move!”

 

The May 2021 Patent List

 

Description

Patent Number

Assignee

Issued

Nozzle and ear cleaning device

10994069

Shenzhen Zhuzhu Digital Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN)

5/04/2021

Hearing percept parameter adjustment strategy for a hearing prosthesis

10994126

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

5/04/2021

Fitting bilateral hearing prostheses

10994127

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

5/04/2021

Fixation component for insertion tools for minimally invasive cochlear implants

10994128

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)

5/04/2021

Headpieceless hearing assistance apparatus, systems and methods with distributed power

10994129

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

5/04/2021

Neural stimulation system

10994137

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

5/04/2021

Electrode arrays and cochlear implants including the same

10994138

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

5/04/2021

Listening devices for obtaining metrics from ambient noise

10997969

Capital One Services LLC (McLean, VA)

5/04/2021

Methods and systems implementing language-trainable computer-assisted hearing aids

10997970

Applicant: Rafil, Abbas (Palo Alto, CA)

5/04/2021

Method and system for producing binaural immersive audio for audio-visual content

10998006

Turku University of Applied Sciences Ltd (Turku, FI)

5/04/2021

Display where a voice of a calling party will externally localize as binaural sound for a telephone call

10999427

Lyren, Philip Scott (Hong Kong, CN) & Norris, Glen A (Tokyo, JP)

5/04/2021

Earbud and method for implementing wearing detection and touch operation

10999667

Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN)

5/04/2021

Apparatus, system, and method for tragus conduction hearable device

10999668

Facebook Technologies LLC (Menlo Park, CA)

5/04/2021

Ear tip sealing structure

10999670

Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)

5/04/2021

Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system

10999685

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

5/04/2021

Hearing device with model control and associated methods

10999686

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

5/04/2021

Wireless ear bud

D918178

Applicant: Chen, Pengcheng (Guangdong, CN)

5/04/2021

Ear loop earbud

D918180

Plantronics Inc (Santa Cruz, CA)

5/04/2021

Communication earbud

D918181

Plantronics Inc (Santa Cruz, CA)

5/04/2021

Devices and methods for trackable hearing protection in magnetic resonance imaging

11000342

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford, CA)

5/11/2021

Sealing assembly for inflatable in-ear device

11000415

EERS Global Technologies Inc (Montreal, CA)

5/11/2021

Techniques for using a touch screen to perform ear detection using emulated self capacitance sensing

11003294

STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG)

5/11/2021

Ear-plug device with in-ear cartilage conduction transducer

11006197

Facebook Technologies LLC (Menlo Park, CA)

5/11/2021

Context dependent tapping for hearing devices

11006200

Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)

5/11/2021

Headphone off-ear detection

11006201

Avnera Corporation (Hillsboro, OR)

5/11/2021

Hearing protection device with multiband limiter and related method

11006215

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

5/11/2021

Hearing device and a method of selecting an optimal transceiver channel in a wireless network

11006224

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

5/11/2021

Auditory device assembly

11006225

Eartex Limited (London, GB)

5/11/2021

Binaural hearing aid system and a method of operating a binaural hearing aid system

11006226

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

5/11/2021

Hearing aid device having wireless communication

11006227

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

5/11/2021

Implantable microphone for an implantable ear prosthesis

11006228

Universite D’Aix Marseille (Marseilles, FR), Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Marseille (Marseilles, FR), Institut Franais des Sciences et technologies des Transports, de L’Amenagement et des Reseaux (Marne la Vallee, FR)

5/11/2021

Middle ear implant coupler for mechanical cochlea stimulation via the round window

11006229

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)

5/11/2021

Photoactive self-cleaning hearing assistance device

11006230

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/11/2021

Hearing protection and communication apparatus using vibration sensors

11007081

Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, CA)

5/18/2021

Implantable electrode with dexamethasone coating

11007363

MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH (Innsbruck, AT)

5/18/2021

Multi profile hearing protection headset

11011149

Safariland LLC (Jacksonville, FL)

5/18/2021

Hearing assistance device incorporating a quarter wave stub as a solderless antenna connection

11011845

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/18/2021

Wire termination using fixturing elements

11011857

Advanced Bionics AG (Staefa, CH)

5/18/2021

Eartips for in-ear listening devices

11012770

Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA)

5/18/2021

Spatially biased sound pickup for binaural video recording

11012774

Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA)

5/18/2021

Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system

11012791

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

5/18/2021

Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system

11012792

Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)

5/18/2021

Cognitive benefit measure related to hearing-assistance device use

11012793

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/18/2021

Hearing aid device with integrated antenna

11012794

Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)

5/18/2021

Ear-worn electronic device incorporating antenna with reactively loaded network circuit

11012795

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/18/2021

System for adjusting magnetic retention force in auditory prostheses

11012796

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

5/18/2021

Bone conduction device having magnets integrated with housing

11012797

Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)

5/18/2021

Calibration for self fitting and hearing devices

11012798

Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)

5/18/2021

Computing system for binaural ambisonics decoding

11012802

Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Redmond, WA)

5/18/2021

Ear of robot

D919688

Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP)

5/18/2021

Measuring respiration with an in-ear accelerometer

11013416

Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)

5/25/2021

Therapeutic agents for inner ear hearing impairment

11013725

Keio University (Tokyo, JP)

5/25/2021

Combination therapies for inner ear sensory hair cell regeneration/replacement

11013752

Hough Ear Institute (Oklahoma City, OK)

5/25/2021

Hand removable, clip on wax guards

11014125

Eargo Inc (San Jose, CA)

5/25/2021

Self-adjusting fundamental frequency accentuation subsystem for natural ear device

11017787

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System (Austin, TX)

5/25/2021

Modular hearing assistance device

11019417

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/25/2021

Remotely controlling a hearing device

11019418

Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA)

5/25/2021

Beam former, beam forming method and hearing aid system

11019433

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/25/2021

Hearing protection device with reliability and related methods

11019434

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

5/25/2021

Hearing instrument having a coupling unit for the vibration-damped mounting of a receiver

11019435

Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG)

5/25/2021

Earpiece for a hearing device and a hearing device

11019436

GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)

5/25/2021

Ear dome for a receiver of a hearing device, method of manufacturing an ear dome, and hearing device

11019437

Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG)

5/25/2021

Communication device having a dual protocol wireless interface

11019476

Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)

5/25/2021

Low power intermittent messaging for hearing assistance devices

11019589

Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)

5/25/2021

Set of prenatal earbud adapters

D920287

MBRIO Technologies LLC (Cleveland, OH)

5/25/2021

Earbud headset

D920288

Skullcandy Inc (Park City, UT)

5/25/2021

Earbud

D920289

Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)

5/25/2021

Earbud

D920290

Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)

5/25/2021

 

 

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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