Ear Device Patents for April 2022

Ear Device Patents for April 2022
Holly Hosford-Dunn
June 8, 2022

Among the many interesting patents in this month’s list, Oticon’s #11297444 for a Hearing Aid System is a standout for all its sensor-laden activity, as described here. Reading the description, it’s hard to envision how to know that the device is properly inserted in the ear, but the sensors probably tell you.

 … at least one surface electrode located at a surface of ear canal …at least one surface electrode to pick up a low voltage electric signal from the user’s skin. The sensor arrangement further comprises a light sensor … to allow emitting light through skin proximate to the light sensor and capturing reflected and/or scattered light ….  further comprises a sensor signal processing unit … configured to generate one or more sensor signals … The hearing aid system further comprises or is connected to an evaluation unit … to generate an electrocardiogram-representing signal (ECG) …and a plethysmographic-curve-representing signal from an output signal of the light sensor.

The April 2022 Patent List

DescriptionPatent NumberAssigneeIssued
Mastoid bone start drill bit11291462Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)4/05/2022
Earplug and method for attenuating sound11291586Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/05/2022
6′-sialyllactose for use in the treatment of hearing loss11291675Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn (Bonn, DE)4/05/2022
Measurement of facial muscle EMG potentials for predictive analysis using a smart wearable system and method11294466Bragi4/05/2022
Hearing device system, devices and method of creating a trusted bond between a hearing device and a user application11295002GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)4/05/2022
Electronic collaboration and communication method and system to facilitate communication with hearing or speech impaired participants11295720Mitel Networks Inc (Mesa AZ)4/05/2022
Trusted listening11295758Seagate technology LLC (Cupertino, CA)4/05/2022
In-ear earpiece retaining structure11297408Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)4/05/2022
Earbud stability anchor feature11297410Apple Inc (Cupertino, CA)e4/05/2022
Hearing assistance using active noise reduction11297443Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)4/05/2022
Hearing aid system11297444Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)4/05/2022
Hearing device and method of updating a hearing device11297447GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)4/05/2022
Portable system for gathering and processing data from EEG, EOG, and/or imaging sensors11297448Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)4/05/2022
Method for operating a hearing system, a hearing system and a fitting system11297450Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/05/2022
Pairing information for wireless communication11297451Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/05/2022
Method for live public address, in a helmet, taking into account the auditory perception characteristics of the listener11297454Augmented Acoustics (Bonnelles, FR)4/05/2022
Hearing aid caseD947532Bose Corporation (Framingham, MA)4/05/2022
Charger for hearing aidsD947777GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)4/05/2022
System for inner ear drug delivery via trans-round window membrane injection11298267The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc (Cambridge, MA)4/12/2022
Implantable device having one or more screws11298554Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)4/12/2022
Small earpiece enhanced on-ear detection with multiple cap sense11303990Plantronics Inc (Santa Cruz, CA)4/12/2022
Beamforming using an in-ear audio device11303991Amazon Technologies Inc (Seattle, WA)4/12/2022
Hearing device with sound impulse suppression and related method11304010GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)4/12/2022
Assistive listening device systems, devices and methods for providing audio streams within sound fields11304013Starkey Laboratories Inc (Eden Prairie, MN)4/12/2022
Hearing aid device for hands free communication11304014Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)4/12/2022
Concept for attaching a sound processor to the head via an interchangeable magnet11304015Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK)4/12/2022
Method for configuring a hearing-assistance device with a hearing profile11304016Concha Inc (San Carlos, CA)4/12/2022
Enhanced hearing system11304023Applicant: Tran, Bao (Saratoga, CA)4/12/2022
Apparatus and method for treating or/and refreshing an ear canal11304850Earways Medical Ltd (Rosh Haayin, IL)4/19/2022
Monitoring stimulating assembly insertion11305109Cochlear Limited (Macquarie University, AU)4/19/2022
Wireless communication device for communicating with multiple external devices via a wireless communication unit11310171Oticon A/S (Smorum, DK)4/19/2022
Securely sharing data between a hearing device, hearing device user, and data storage11310211Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/19/2022
Methods and devices for radio frequency (RF) mitigation proximate the ear11310580Staton Techiya LLC (Delray Beach, FL)4/19/2022
 11310581Amazon Technologies Inc (Seattle, WA)4/19/2022
Optical electro-mechanical hearing devices with separate power and signal components11310605Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)4/19/2022
Method of operating a hearing aid system and a hearing aid system11310607Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)4/19/2022
Method for training a listening situation classifier for a hearing aid and hearing system11310608Sivantos Pte Ltd (Singapore, SG)4/19/2022
Hearing aid user account management11310609Widex A/S (Lynge, DK)4/19/2022
Antenna configuration for a hearing aid system11310610Oticon Medical A/S (Smorum, DK)4/19/2022
Hearing aid connector11310611Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA) Corporation4/19/2022
System and method for validation of hearing aids for infants using a speech signal11310612Interacoustics A/S (Middelfart, DK)4/19/2022
HeadphoneD949130Bragi GmbH (Munich, DE)4/19/2022
Combined wireless otoscope ear spoon and charging storage baseD949335Wudaopu (Shenzhen) Technology Co Ltd (Shenzhen, CN)4/19/2022
In-ear headphone11317186Merry Electronics (Shenzhen) C0 Ltd (Shenzhen, CN)4/26/2022
Method and apparatus for in-ear acoustic readout of data from a hearing instrument11317221Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/26/2022
Method of determining a status of an acoustic feedback path of a head wearable hearing device and a head wearable hearing device11317222GN Hearing A/S (Ballerup, DK)4/26/2022
Hearing device with active feedback control11317223Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/26/2022
High fidelity and reduced feedback contact hearing apparatus and methods11317224Earlens Corporation (Menlo Park, CA)4/26/2022
In-ear housing with customized retention11317225Sonova AG (Staefa, CH)4/26/2022

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.

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