Patents Examined by David J Ho
  • Patent number: 8615099
    Abstract: A transparent speaker is suitable for being disposed on a display panel. The transparent speaker includes a transparent membrane, a transparent electrode plate, and spacers. Each transparent electrode plate has a plurality of openings. The display panel includes a plurality of pixels. The pixels emit optical signals. A Moire spatial period of the optical signals is less than 600 ?m after the optical signals pass through the transparent speaker. When the transparent speaker is disposed on the display panel, a user is able to watch an image on the display panel through the transparent speaker without being interfered by a Moire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: You-Chia Chang, Jyi-Tyan Yeh, Chun-Ti Chen, Shur-Fen Liu, Jyh-Long Jeng, Dar-Ming Chiang
  • Patent number: 8605916
    Abstract: The adjustment of a hearing device is to be improved and configured in a more user-friendly fashion. To this end, a method is proposed whereby the hearing device is set individually to the user and is inserted at least partially into the auditory canal of the user. Finally an in-situ measurement of the acoustic impedance of the auditory system of the user including at least part of the auditory canal of the user is implemented with a tympanometric method. An automatic correction of the individual setting of the hearing device can take place on the basis of the results of the in-situ measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Dirk Junius, Johannes Lauer, Matthias Müller-Wehlau
  • Patent number: 8600090
    Abstract: A hearing aid may include a hearing aid housing. The hearing aid housing may include a first housing wall portion and a second housing wall portion. The first housing wall portion has a first flexibility, the second housing wall portion has a second flexibility and the first flexibility is different than the second flexibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Hies, Harald Klemenz
  • Patent number: 8582795
    Abstract: A rigid, flat plate diaphragm for an acoustic device is illustrated. The internal supporting structure of the diaphragm provides a combination of torsional and translational stiffeners, which resemble a number of crossbars. These stiffeners brace and support the diaphragm motion, thus causing its response to not be adversely affected by fabrication stresses and causing it to be very similar in dynamic response to an ideal flat plate operating in a frequency range that extends well beyond the audible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: The Research Foundation of State University of New York
    Inventors: Ronald N. Miles, Weili Cui
  • Patent number: 8571250
    Abstract: A device for isolating a microphone from vibrations, the device comprising a frame comprising a plurality of surfaces, the plurality of surfaces laying on a plane that is different from each other and defining at least one mounting point; at least one non-resonant cord attached to the mounting point of the frame, the non-resonant cord adapted to support a microphone and absorb vibration; and a biasing device connected to the non-resonant cord, the biasing device adapted to provide tension to the non-resonant cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Royer Labs
    Inventors: David Royer, Richard Perrotta, Mike Silver
  • Patent number: 8571245
    Abstract: A hearing assistance suitability determining device (120) according to the present invention is a hearing assistance suitability determining device (120) which determines a suitability (153) of a subject for dichotic hearing assistance, and includes: a hearing ability information obtaining unit (130) which obtains left-ear hearing ability information (150) and right-ear hearing ability information (151) each of which indicates a hearing ability for frequencies; a hearing ability type determining unit (131) which determines, among hearing ability types each of which is defined by a tendency in a change of the hearing ability with respect to the frequencies, a hearing ability type (152) of the hearing ability indicated by the left-ear hearing ability information (150) and the right-ear hearing ability information (151); and a suitability deciding unit (132) which determines, with reference to a suitability database (144), the suitability (153) of the subject for the dichotic hearing assistance based on a suitab
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Takagi, Gempo Ito, Eiji Noguchi, Takashi Katayama, Hikaru Takato
  • Patent number: 8538053
    Abstract: A hearing device has a feedback suppression unit. The hearing device further has a low-pass filter characterized by a first cut-off frequency, which couples out a low-frequency signal component from an output signal of the hearing device, and a high-pass filter characterized by a second cut-off frequency, which couples out a high-frequency signal component from the output signal of the hearing device. A frequency shift unit shifts the frequency of the high-frequency signal component to higher frequencies. A gap exists between the first and the second cut-off frequency. As a result of the different limit frequencies, signal distortions caused by frequency shifts are effectively suppressed. Feedback is suppressed continuously and rapidly at higher frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Henning Puder
  • Patent number: 8532323
    Abstract: An acoustic system includes a receiver or microphone, a tube, a barrier, and an equalization device. The receiver is capable of outputting an audio signal. The tube is in connection with the receiver and the audio signal travels along a length of the tube. The barrier is fitted along the tube and the barrier prevents moisture from passing along the tube toward the receiver. The barrier causes an amount of damping to the audio signal. The equalization device is in connection with the receiver and the equalization device counteracts the damping by the barrier. The barrier is configured to have a submersion rating greater than or equal to 7 IP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Knowles Electronics, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy K. Wickstrom, William J. Ballad, Mei-Yu Lin, Ying-Tzu Chan, Jen Nan Feng
  • Patent number: 8526663
    Abstract: An electronic device of the present invention has a configuration in which an enclosed space is formed continuously from an opening face of a cone portion of a speaker on a reverse side of a main face of a flat housing, and an opening portion of the enclosed space is formed in a face not parallel to the main face of the housing, whereby even when a reduction in diameter of a speaker is inevitable and there is a limit to a space volume for housing the speaker due to the downsizing of the device, sound information can be reproduced with higher quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Shintaro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8526652
    Abstract: A diaphonic valve utilizing the principle of the Synthetic Jet is disclosed herein. A diaphonic valve pump is provided for the inflation of an in-ear balloon. More complex embodiments of the present invention include stacks of multiple synthetic jets generating orifices as well as an oscillating, thin polymer membrane. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a novel application is provided for the creation of static pressure to inflate or to deflate an inflatable member (balloon). In addition, sound can be utilized to inflate or deflate an inflatable member in a person's ear for the purpose of listening to sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sonion Nederland BV
    Inventors: Stephen D. Ambrose, Samuel P. Gido, Robert B. Schulein, Paul Christiaan Van Hal, Adrianus M. Lafort
  • Patent number: 8526655
    Abstract: A loudspeaker enclosure for mounting in an aperture in a cavity wall with a part of the enclosure being located within the wall cavity adjacent the aperture, comprises a main enclosure unit for mounting in the aperture and housing one or more loudspeaker drive units, and a supplementary enclosure unit for location within the wall cavity and being acoustically connected in use to the main unit to increase the effective internal volume of the enclosure beyond that of the main unit. The supplementary unit is connected to the main unit by an articulated connection enabling the main unit to be angled relative to the supplementary unit while the supplementary unit is being inserted through the aperture and into the wall cavity, and enabling the main unit to be aligned with and acoustically coupled to the supplementary unit when the main unit is positioned in the wall aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: B & W Group Ltd
    Inventors: John Joseph Dibb, Stuart Michael Nevill, Richard Hartshorn, Edward Goodwin, Douglas James Standen
  • Patent number: 8526651
    Abstract: A receiver module configured to be seated within an ear canal and optimized for simultaneously inflating an inflatable membrane while generating acoustic waves transmitted to a user. The inflatable membrane can be used to secure the receiver module within the bony portion of the ear canal of the user. A multi-layer valve system and method of assembly are disclosed for a valve system to harvest static pressure from acoustic waves generated within the receiver and direct the increased pressure toward the inflatable membrane to inflate the membrane. The multi-layer valve system can be used to prevent a back flow of air and thereby maintain a static pressure differential between ambient air drawn in through an air ingress port and air forced into the inflatable membrane through an air egress port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sonion Nederland BV
    Inventors: Adrianus M. Lafort, Paul Christiaan van Hal
  • Patent number: 8488832
    Abstract: A docking station for an iPad or the like, has a base, a support connected to the base and holding an iPad, a signal connector, an operating circuit for amplifying an audio signal received from the iPad via the connector, and speakers for reproducing sound based on an audio signal amplified by the operating circuit. The support is movable relative to the base between an erected position for operation of the docking station and a collapsed position when the docking station is not in use and is, in the erected position, movable between two angular positions, supporting the iPad in portrait and landscape orientations. The base has a recess for receiving at least part of the support in the collapsed position, and providing an unobtrusive profile to the docking station in the collapsed position of the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Alco Electronics Limited
    Inventor: Wilson Wai Sing Leung
  • Patent number: 8442258
    Abstract: A headphone including a headband, an ear cup attached to the headband, a baffle plate fixed to the ear cup and having a rib wall at its periphery, an ear pad engaged with the baffle plate, and a gas permeable buffer between the ear cup and the baffle plate, wherein the buffer and the rib wall prevent a reduction in volume of a front air chamber caused by lateral pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
    Inventor: Tominori Kimura
  • Patent number: 8442243
    Abstract: A ribbon microphone includes two magnets spaced in parallel and generating a magnetic field therebetween, two ribbon diaphragms arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance in the magnetic field, and a step-up transformer raising the voltages of electric signals generated in response to vibrations of the ribbon diaphragms in the magnetic field and outputs the raised electric signals. The step-up transformer includes two primary windings and two secondary windings corresponding to the two ribbon diaphragms, one of the two ribbon diaphragms and one of the two primary windings of the step-up transformer are connected in parallel whereas the others are connected in parallel, and the two secondary windings of the step-up transformer are connected in series so as to have opposite polarities. The ribbon microphone exhibits enhanced shielding effect without shielding a step-up transformer and does not generate noise caused by electromagnetic induction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
    Inventor: Hiroshi Akino