Hearing Economics

Toss our baby out with the bath water…. Iyo Inc, a “secret moonshot startup founded by ex-Google leaders,” doesn’t think much of hearing aids. Their patent #11632648, for an Ear-mountable listening device having a ring-shaped microphone array for beamforming, iterates the many failings of hearing aids as follows (heavily paraphrased): Hearing aids … often fail to accurately reproduce environmental cues

Several patent titles caught the eye in March, stirring the imagination as to how and by whom ear devices may be applied to individuals: IBM 11602287 Automatically aiding individuals with developing auditory attention abilities Starkey 11607170 Detection of physical abuse or neglect using data from ear-wearable devices The March 2023 Patent List   Description Patent Number Assignee Issued Hearing and

Big Tech has had the ear in its sights since AirPods became the big consumer electronics thing. They’re now sighting in on specific features of hearing and hearing loss. As examples: Meta Platform’s patents #11575999 (Systems and methods for hearing assessment and audio adjustment) and  #11589176 (Calibrating an audio system using a user’s auditory steady state response) Apple’s patent #11595766

A bunch of fun and useful patents jump-started 2023 in January. Here’s a sampling. Breath in, Breath out, Watch Your Heart Rate Starkey patent #11540743, Ear-worn devices with deep breathing assistance, describes a method for guiding deep breathing. Starkey patent #11570562, Hearing assistance device fitting based on heart rate sensor, uses heart rate to guide you to “reseat or adjust

No need to pay attention, just check in with your ear once in awhile Eolas envisions a device system that goes the extra mile and will probably control your every moment once it gets to know you. Patent #11540093 notes that it’s hard for parties to keep track of all that’s said in a conversation so critical information may be

Another Pandemic-Inspired Innovation Zoom fatigue was with all of us during the pandemic and may become endemic as we prefer to individualize our workplaces. T-Mobile is here to help with patent #11502861 Simulated auditory space for online meetings. The title sounds a little Zoomy, but T-Mobile gets the problem and sees a better path ahead to enable our preferences. Here’s

iAudiologist Several October patents aim to automate tasks formerly performed by humans in audiology and ENT offices. To wit: Zipline Health’s #11471035 (Ear ailment diagnostic device and method) comprises an earpiece/light source, magnifying lens, air conduction channel, camera, optional thermometer and/or tympanometer, all coupled to a smart phone, thus allowing patients to benefit from accurate and effective diagnosis of ear

While technological advances continue to evolve the world of hearing devices, other technologies delve closer to the core problem by considering methods to nip the hearing problem in the bud, thereby alleviating the need for some devices that limit themselves to hearing correction. Here are a few nip-in-the-bud patents in this month’s list:  #11433073 by Ting Therapeutics reports on treatment

An Innovative Approach to the Signal to Noise Problem   Microsoft’s patent #11410426 aims to raise small talk to middle talk in electronic meeting recordings and transcripts by eliminating user utterances that are difficult and time consuming to review. As the patent wryly observes, the vast majority of recorded content is of low importance to users.  Imagine a future where

Making It Real Verizon’s patent #11386903 seeks to improve speech in artificial worlds, where understanding speech turns out to be just as hard as in daily life As in the real world, certain artificial reality worlds may immerse users in complex and chaotic audio environments. For instance, an artificial reality world may include a significant number of people speaking at