US Hearing Device Patents for December 2016
The number of hearing device patents granted annually to the Big 6 manufacturers tripled in the last decade (see feature image above), peaking in 2012 and leveling off since then, by Hearing Economic’s estimation.1 The 2012 peak is mainly due to a flurry of patents awarded to Siemens (now Sivantos) that year. Sivantos…
Read MoreUS Hearing Device Patents March-April 2016
Some anecdotal observations precede the current hearing aid patent list, some superficial, others not so much. Best Name for a New Entrant: Brain Basket, LLC (Auditory Comprehension and Audibility Device, #9301066) Who’s Got the Power The big developing technology–accounting for over 10% of today’s list–is extended, connected, sustainable, or implantable power solutions. Big…
Read MoreUS Hearing Device Patent Activity for January-February 2016
New hearing device patents featured new players, new money, new concepts, interesting art work, and political commentary. Today’s feature image, courtesy of Starkey’s USPTO #9264824, may not be great art but it succinctly states the company’s dim view of Keynesian economics and government tax ideology. The art award goes to Qualcomm, which joined the hearing…
Read MoreUS Hearing Device Patent Activity for September-October 2015
Patent policing of ear device technologies is big news these days, as are the patent wars they spawn. Nowadays, “Honoring a patent” is less an ethical concept than a court-ordered process; patents are more assets on the balance sheet than they are original inventions. New Definitions for Old Terms and Devices In the…
Read MoreUS Hearing Aid Device Patent Activity for Jul-Aug 2015
“Tumultuous” captures the essence of Big 6 doings of late. It’s also an apt descriptor for the Exciting World of Hearing Device Patents, which really is the place to be these days. For example, Panasonic’s battery patent (USPTO #9088050) describes a whirlwind New World of Batteries: “the batteries for supplying electric power… small-size electronic devices…
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