Patents Assigned to Advanced Bionics, LLC
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Patent number: 9668068Abstract: A system and method for generating a beamforming signal is disclosed. A beam forming signal is generated by disposing a first microphone and a second microphone in horizontal coplanar alignment. The first and second microphones are used to detect a known signal to generate a first response and a second response. The first response is processed along a first signal path communicatively linked to the first microphone, and the second response is processed along a second signal path communicatively linked to the second microphone. The first and second responses are matched, and the matched responses are combined to generate the beamforming signal on a combined signal path.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2011Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Michael A. Faltys, Abhijit Kulkarni, Scott A. Crawford
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Patent number: 9492654Abstract: A cochlear lead includes a plurality of electrodes configured to stimulate an auditory nerve from within a cochlea and a flexible body supporting the plurality of electrodes along a length of the flexible body. A stiffening element is slidably encapsulated within the flexible body, the stiffening element extending past a most distal electrode at the tip of the cochlear lead, wherein a distal portion of the stiffening element plastically deforms upon insertion into a curved portion of the cochlea.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2015Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: Advanced Bionics LLC.Inventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Mark Downing
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Patent number: 9433776Abstract: A method for forming a cochlear electrode array with a plurality of electrodes which are spaced so as to stimulate sites within a cochlea includes shaping a sheet of electrically conductive material to form a support structure and a plurality of electrodes, in which the electrodes are tethered to the support structure at the spacing of the cochlear electrode array. A cochlear lead includes a flexible body that has frictional characteristics that vary about its circumference. A cochlear lead includes a flexible body with a first region and a second region with different surface textures. This generates differential sliding forces during insertion of the cochlear lead which influence a motion of the cochlear lead during insertion. The cochlear lead having an electrode array with varying stiffness along its length is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2014Date of Patent: September 6, 2016Assignee: ADVANCED BIONICS LLCInventors: Timothy Beerling, Chuladatta Thenuwara
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Patent number: 9402991Abstract: A microcircuit integrated cochlear electrode array and a process for the manufacture thereof, the electrode array comprising a multiconductor tail portion with longitudinally spaced outwardly exposed electrode receiving pads and a flat multiconductor head portion connected to the tail portion and having spaced outwardly exposed circuit attachment pads, the tail and head portions being laminated between a nonconductive film substrate and an insulating cover and the tail portion being helically wrapped into a helix with the electrode receiving circuit attachment pads exposed and carrying ring electrodes overmolded with a suitable polymeric material.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2014Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: ADVANCED BIONICS, LLCInventor: William G. Orinski
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Publication number: 20160096013Abstract: A stylet for inserting an electrode array into a cochlea includes a first sensor insertable within a lumen of the electrode array and sensitive to force applied by a lumen wall to the first sensor and a first actuator adapted to move the electrode array in response to the force sensed by the first sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2015Publication date: April 7, 2016Applicant: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Marco Tortonese, Timothy Beerling, Matthew I. Haller
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Patent number: 9211403Abstract: A stylet for inserting an electrode array into a cochlea includes a first sensor insertable within a lumen of the electrode array and sensitive to force applied by a lumen wall to the first sensor and a first actuator adapted to move the electrode array in response to the force sensed by the first sensor.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2010Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: ADVANCED BIONICS, LLCInventors: Marco Tortonese, Timothy Beerling, Matthew I. Haller
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Publication number: 20150267314Abstract: A cochlear lead includes a plurality of electrode assemblies partially embedded in a flexible body configured to stimulate an auditory nerve from within a cochlea. Each of the electrode assemblies includes a flexible electrically conductive material forming a plurality of support structures and an electrode pad attached a support structure, the electrode pad having a surface that is configured to be exposed to cochlear tissue and fluids and has a charge transfer to the cochlear tissue and fluids that is higher than the flexible electrically conductive material.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2015Publication date: September 24, 2015Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS LLCInventors: CHULADATTA THENUWARA, TIMOTHY BEERLING
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Publication number: 20150231390Abstract: A cochlear lead includes a plurality of electrodes configured to stimulate an auditory nerve from within a cochlea and a flexible body supporting the plurality of electrodes along a length of the flexible body. A stiffening element is slidably encapsulated within the flexible body, the stiffening element extending past a most distal electrode at the tip of the cochlear lead, wherein a distal portion of the stiffening element plastically deforms upon insertion into a curved portion of the cochlea.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2015Publication date: August 20, 2015Applicant: Advanced Bionics LLC.Inventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Mark Downing
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Patent number: 9056196Abstract: A cochlear lead includes a plurality of electrode assemblies partially embedded in a flexible body configured to stimulate an auditory nerve from within a cochlea. Each of the electrode assemblies includes a flexible electrically conductive material forming a plurality of support structures and an electrode pad attached a support structure, the electrode pad having a surface that is configured to be exposed to cochlear tissue and fluids and has a charge transfer to the cochlear tissue and fluids that is higher than the flexible electrically conductive material.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2010Date of Patent: June 16, 2015Assignee: ADVANCED BIONICS, LLCInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Timothy Beerling
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Patent number: 9033869Abstract: A cochlear lead includes a plurality of electrodes configured to stimulate an auditory nerve from within a cochlea and a flexible body supporting the plurality of electrodes along a length of the flexible body. A stiffening element is slidably encapsulated within the flexible body, the stiffening element extending past a most distal electrode at the tip of the cochlear lead, wherein a distal portion of the stiffening element plastically deforms upon insertion into a curved portion of the cochlea.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2012Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: ADVANCED BIONICS, LLCInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Mark Downing
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Patent number: 9037267Abstract: A cochlear lead includes a plurality of electrodes configured to stimulate an auditory nerve from within a cochlea and a flexible body supporting the plurality of electrodes along a length of the flexible body. A stiffening element is slidably encapsulated within the flexible body and positioned such that the stiffening element plastically deforms upon insertion into a curved portion of the cochlea.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2010Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: ADVANCED BIONICS LLCInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Timothy Beerling
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Patent number: 8897894Abstract: A microcircuit integrated cochlear electrode array and a process for the manufacture thereof, the electrode array comprising a multiconductor tail portion with longitudinally spaced outwardly exposed electrode receiving pads and a flat multiconductor head portion connected to the tail portion and having spaced outwardly exposed circuit attachment pads, the tail and head portions being laminated between a nonconductive film substrate and an insulating cover and the tail portion being helically wrapped into a helix with the electrode receiving circuit attachment pads exposed and carrying ring electrodes overmolded with a suitable polymeric material.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2012Date of Patent: November 25, 2014Assignee: Advanced Bionics LLCInventor: William G. Orinski
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Patent number: 8880193Abstract: A method for forming a cochlear electrode array with a plurality of electrodes which are spaced so as to stimulate sites within a cochlea includes shaping a sheet of electrically conductive material to form a support structure and a plurality of electrodes, in which the electrodes are tethered to the support structure at the spacing of the cochlear electrode array. A cochlear lead includes a flexible body that has frictional characteristics that vary about its circumference. A cochlear lead includes a flexible body with a first region and a second region with different surface textures. This generates differential sliding forces during insertion of the cochlear lead which influence a motion of the cochlear lead during insertion. The cochlear lead having an electrode array with varying stiffness along its length is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2010Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Timothy Beerling
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Patent number: 8825171Abstract: An impact resistant implantable antenna coil assembly comprising a flat antenna coil having a plurality of laterally separated turns of wire encapsulated with a non-orthogonal force absorbing coil reinforcement in a flexible biocompatible polymer and axially anchored with the reinforcement to a feedthrough case. Thus configured, non-orthogonal impact forces applied to the antenna coil assembly are absorbed and lateral components thereof that would otherwise be reflected as tensile forces in the plane of the coil are prevented from forming or from fracturing wire within the antenna coil.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2012Date of Patent: September 2, 2014Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, William A. Morgan, Janusz A. Kuzma
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Patent number: 8768475Abstract: An exemplary system includes 1) a sound processor configured to divide an audio signal into a plurality of analysis channels, wherein each of the analysis channels contains information corresponding to a distinct frequency band of the audio signal, and wherein one of the analysis channels contains fine structure information corresponding to the audio signal, and 2) an implantable cochlear stimulator configured to generate electrical stimulation in accordance with the information contained within each of the analysis channels, apply the electrical stimulation to at least one stimulation site within a patient via a plurality of stimulation channels, each of the stimulation channels corresponding to one of the analysis channels and configured to convey the information contained within the analysis channels to the patient via at least one electrode, and at least partially isolate one of the stimulation channels from a rest of the stimulation channels.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Leonid M. Litvak, Aniket Saoji, Anthony J. Spahr, Edward H. Overstreet
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Patent number: 8768476Abstract: An exemplary method includes 1) identifying, by a cochlear implant system, an electrode included within an array of electrodes as being a disabled electrode, 2) selecting, by the cochlear implant system, at least two non-adjacent electrodes surrounding the disabled electrode, and 3) simultaneously applying, by the cochlear implant system, stimulation current to the at least two non-adjacent electrodes to compensate for a loss of stimulation resulting from the disabled electrode. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2012Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Aniket Saoji, Leonid M. Litvak
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Publication number: 20140163662Abstract: A method for forming a cochlear electrode array with a plurality of electrodes which are spaced so as to stimulate sites within a cochlea includes shaping a sheet of electrically conductive material to form a support structure and a plurality of electrodes, in which the electrodes are tethered to the support structure at the spacing of the cochlear electrode array. A cochlear lead includes a flexible body that has frictional characteristics that vary about its circumference. A cochlear lead includes a flexible body with a first region and a second region with different surface textures. This generates differential sliding forces during insertion of the cochlear lead which influence a motion of the cochlear lead during insertion. The cochlear lead having an electrode array with varying stiffness along its length is also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2014Publication date: June 12, 2014Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS LLCInventors: Timothy Beerling, Chuladatta Thenuwara
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Patent number: 8565890Abstract: A cochlear implant processing strategy increases speech clarity and higher temporal performance. The strategy determines the power spectral component within each channel, and dynamically selects or de-selects the channels through which a stimulation pulse is provided as a function of whether the spectral power of the channel is high or low. “High” and “low” are estimated relative to a selected spectral power, for example. The selected spectral power can be estimated by signal average or mean, or by other criteria. Once a selection of the channels to stimulate has been made, the system can decide that only those channels are stimulated, and stimulation is removed from the other channels. The selected channels are the ones on which the spectral power is above the mean of all the available channels. Fewer channels are stimulated at any time and the contrast of the stimulation is enhanced. Also, the temporal resolution increases as the number of channels that must be stimulated on a given frame decreases.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2011Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventor: Gene Y Fridman
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Publication number: 20130253609Abstract: An exemplary system includes a sound processor configured to identify one or more spectral peaks of an audio signal presented to a cochlear implant patient and an implantable cochlear stimulator communicatively coupled to the sound processor and configured to apply electrical stimulation representative of the one or more spectral peaks to at least one stimulation site within the cochlear implant patient using a partial multipolar stimulation configuration and apply electrical stimulation representative of one or more other spectral components of the audio signal to at least one other stimulation site within the cochlear implant patient using a monopolar stimulation configuration. Corresponding systems methods are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2013Publication date: September 26, 2013Applicant: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventors: Aniket Saoji, Leonid M. Litvak
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Patent number: 8532781Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems of generating a graphical representation of an intracochlear trajectory of electrodes include using electrical field imaging to generate an electrical field spread curve for each of a plurality of electrodes contained within an electrode array at least partially inserted within a cochlear implant patient and generating a graphical representation of an intracochlear trajectory of the electrodes based on the electrical field spread curves.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2009Date of Patent: September 10, 2013Assignee: Advanced Bionics, LLCInventor: Filiep J. Vanpoucke