Patents Assigned to Cochlear Limited
  • Patent number: 8457547
    Abstract: A magnetic induction (MI) repeater includes first and second coils configured to have the same resonance frequency and to be substantially isolated from one another, and an amplifier connected to the first and second coils and configured to receive a signal induced in the first coil by a first magnetic field and output, via the second coil, a second magnetic field based on the signal, wherein the second magnetic field is amplified relative to the first magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Werner Meskens
  • Patent number: 8454668
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are generally directed to an anchoring element comprising a screw shaped central part, a flange which functions as a stop when the anchoring element is installed into the skull bone, and a tubular peripheral part which is connected to the central part via said flange, wherein the peripheral part together with the central part is arranged to cut into the bone tissue when the anchoring element is installed into the bone tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Kristian Asnes
  • Patent number: 8452411
    Abstract: An electrode assembly comprising a low-profile, low-volume elongate electrode carrier and a corresponding guide tube for introducing the carrier into the cochlea to place electrodes disposed at the distal end of the carrier at desired locations along the tonotopically-mapped cochlea. The electrode assembly facilitates intra- and extra-cochlea atraumatic implantation of the unobtrusive electrode carrier of the present invention thereby minimizing adverse impact to natural auditory functioning. For example, the electrode assembly may be utilized to implant the low-profile, low-volume elongate electrode carrier into the scala tympani without damaging the delicate structures of the cochlea and without interfering with the natural hydrodynamic nature of the cochlea such as the natural flow of perilymph in the cochlea canals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Frank Risi
  • Patent number: 8452412
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a position of an external transceiver (24) relative to an implanted transceiver (23) comprising means (30) for measuring the strength of a magnetic field proximal to the external transceiver (24) and means for determining a position of the external transceiver (24) relative to the implanted transceiver (23) from said measured magnetic field strength. Furthermore there is disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining a skin flap thickness of a recipient of a prosthesis including a transcutaneous link between the external transceiver (24) and the implanted transceiver (23). A skin-flap thickness meter is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Ibrahim H. Ibrahim
  • Patent number: 8447409
    Abstract: Embodiments are generally directed to improving the interface between one or more electrode contacts of a medical implant and the neurons of a recipient of the medical implant. In an embodiment, a growth factor is applied to stimulate the growth of peripheral processes (also referred to as dendrites). Then an electric field is applied to direct the growth of the peripheral processes towards the electrode contact. Growing peripheral processes towards the electrode contacts may reduce the charge required to stimulate the peripheral processes and improve operation of the medical implant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Fysh Dadd, Jim Patrick
  • Publication number: 20130116497
    Abstract: Disclosed are coupling systems for implantable prosthesis components, including implantable microphones and implantable actuators associated with prostheses including hearing prostheses. Some embodiments include a flexible elongate member having a first end mechanically coupled to a vibrating structure of a prosthesis recipient's body and a second end secured to a diaphragm, where the flexible elongate member is configured to transfer vibrations between the vibrating structure and the diaphragm. Microphone embodiments further include a vibration sensor configured to detect vibrations of the diaphragm and generate electrical signals based at least in part on the detected vibrations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Patrik Kennes, Gerald Dumm, Karl Everaert
  • Patent number: 8433081
    Abstract: A bone conduction device, comprising: a sound input element configured to receive an acoustic sound signal; an electronics module configured generate an electrical signal representing said acoustic sound signal; and a transducer, comprising a mass configured to move in a rotational direction, configured to generate a vibrational force in a tangential direction with respect to a recipient's bone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: John L. Parker
  • Patent number: 8433568
    Abstract: A method for measuring speech intelligibility includes inputting a speech waveform to a system. At least one acoustic feature is extracted from the waveform. From the acoustic feature, at least one phoneme is segmented. At least one acoustic correlate measure is extracted from the at least one phoneme and at least one intelligibility measure is determined. The at least one acoustic correlate measure is mapped to the at least one intelligibility measure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Lee Krause, Mark Skowranski, Bonny Banerjee
  • Publication number: 20130102923
    Abstract: The present application discloses systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for determining prescription rules for a hearing prosthesis. A method in accordance with the present disclosure includes identifying a threshold hearing level and an uncomfortable loudness level for a channel of a hearing prosthesis. In one example, the threshold hearing level and the uncomfortable loudness level are determined in response to a stimulation signal generated utilizing the hearing prosthesis in situ on a recipient. In the present example, the stimulation signal corresponds to the channel of the hearing prosthesis. The method further includes developing a prescription rule based on the threshold hearing level and the uncomfortable loudness level. Generally, the prescription rule includes at least one of a linear compression scheme and a wide dynamic range compression scheme.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Erwin Cas, Mark C. Flynn, Christopher J. James
  • Patent number: 8428723
    Abstract: An external coil assembly for a transcutaneous system is disclosed. The assembly comprises: a housing having a skin-adjacent surface, an opposing exposed surface and a threaded shaft open to the exposed surface and extending toward the skin-adjacent surface; an external coil secured within the housing; and a magnet with a threaded exterior surface to threadingly engage the threaded shaft, wherein at least one of either the shaft thread or the magnet thread has at least one transverse channel forming discontinuities in the thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Evelia Ysabel Medina Malaver
  • Patent number: 8417349
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for rate matching in a stimulating medical device, such as a cochlear implant or an auditory brain stimulator. In embodiments, the stimulating medical device applies a fast Fourier transform (FFT) at an analysis rate to the received signal to obtain a plurality frequency bin output signals. The stimulating medical device then applies a rate matching through interpolation function to the frequency bin output signals to match the stimulation rate for the stimulating medical device. This rate matching through interpolation function may apply a common interpolation filter to each frequency bin output to obtain a plurality of outputs distributed in time across the time period between executions of the FFT. The values of the frequency bin output signals at the time most closely matching the time for which stimulation is to be applied may then be selected and used in applying the stimulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Paul Holmberg
  • Patent number: 8412341
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a Cochlear implant prosthesis to optimize the effect of stimulation for a given patient. The optimal operation mode is determined in accordance with predetermined parameters measured from the neural response of the patient's auditory system in response to a neural stimulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Chris Van Den Honert, Ernst Ludwig Von Wallenberg, Norbert Dillier, Wai Kong Lai, Jochen Nicolai, Mathias Stecker, Joachim Mueller-Delle, Denise Cafarelli Dees, Roland Laszig
  • Patent number: 8412304
    Abstract: A method of adhering a protective layer applied to a substrate region of an implantable medical device (IMD) to form a covered substrate region. The method includes obtaining the IMD, depositing an intermediate layer on a portion of the substrate region of the IMD such that the intermediate layer binds to the portion of the substrate region to create a modified substrate region, and depositing the protective layer after depositing the intermediate layer onto the intermediate layer and adhering the protective layer to the intermediate layer. In an embodiment of the present invention, this method enhances the sealing characteristics of the protective layer by, for example, reducing the likelihood of delamination of the protective layer from the IMD relative to IMDs prepared by certain other methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Sule Kara, Martin Svehla, Edmond Capcelea
  • Patent number: 8406888
    Abstract: An elongate hollow device for providing direct access to the cochlea of a recipient. The device has a symmetrical shape about a longitudinal axis through the center of the device, and comprises a first end having an aperture with its geometric center positioned at the longitudinal axis, and a distal end having an aperture with its geometric center positioned at the longitudinal axis, wherein the access device is configured to be at least partially positioned in the mastoid bone of the recipient such that the first end is positioned adjacent the surface of the mastoid bone, and the distal end is inserted into the cochlea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: John Parker, Herbert Bächler, Markus Haller
  • Patent number: 8401199
    Abstract: Systems and methods may be used to modify a controllable stimulus generated by a digital audio device in communication with a human user. An input signal is provided to the digital audio device. In turn, the digital audio device sends a stimulus based on that input signal to the human user, who takes an action, usually in the form of an output signal, to characterize the stimulus that the user receives, based on the user's perception. An algorithm then determines a difference between the input signal and the output signal, and a perceptual model is constructed based at least in part on the difference. Thereafter, a new value for the parameter of the digital audio device is suggested based at least in part on the perceptual model. This process continues iteratively until the algorithm finds the user's optimal device parameters. While this process is highly complex and time consuming, the algorithm successfully reaches at least a near optimal settings, if not the optimal, in a short time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Bonny Banerjee, Lee Krause
  • Patent number: 8401656
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adjusting an established initial operational settings profile, the profile having two or more operational setting values for a speech processor of a recipient's cochlear implant, comprising: setting one or more profile adjustment functions with one or more function parameters; and modifying concurrently said two or more operational setting values in said operational settings profile using each of said set profile adjustment functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Guido F. Smoorenburg
  • Patent number: 8401674
    Abstract: An implantable tissue-stimulating device, such as a cochlear implant, having a resiliently flexible elongate member (11) having a plurality of electrodes (12) positioned thereon. The elongate member (11) provides a means of delivering at least one bio-active substance to the implantee following implantation of the elongate member (11). The delivery means can comprise a lumen 21 containing the bio-active substance in a liquid form. The bio-active substance can comprise a steroid or can perform a function of reducing the resting neuron potential of neurons within the cochlea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Peter Gibson
  • Patent number: 8401213
    Abstract: A fixation system for a bone conduction device is disclosed. An abutment is coupled to a bone anchor such that vibrations applied to the abutment pass into the bone anchor. The abutment comprises a first conduction surface, a bearing surface, and a magnetic material at or near the first conduction surface. A coupler extends from a bone conduction device and comprises a second conduction surface, a leveraging extension, and a magnet. The second conduction surface is shaped complimentary to the first conduction surface. The magnet attracts to the magnetic material such that the second conduction surface seats on the first conduction surface, thereby enabling vibrations to pass from the bone conduction device to a recipient's skull.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: John Parker
  • Patent number: 8401978
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for at least partially fitting a medical implant system to a patient is described. These apparatuses and methods comprise executing a genetic algorithm to select a set of parameter values for the medical implant system. This genetic algorithm may comprise generating successive generations of child populations until a confidence threshold is reached. This confidence threshold comprises determining whether the values of each parameter value to be selected have converged on particular value with a specified confidence level. In determining whether the values have converged, one or more initial generations of the search may be excluded in computing the likelihood that the value has converged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Sean Lineaweaver
  • Patent number: 8396570
    Abstract: A neural-stimulating device for stimulating nerve cells of a recipient is provided. The neural-stimulating device comprises an electromagnetic radiation source configured to generate one or more optical stimulation signals and an electrical stimulation generator configured to generate electrical stimulation signals. The neural-stimulating device also comprises an implantable stimulating assembly configured to be implanted in the recipient, and having disposed thereon an optical contact to deliver the one or more optical stimulation signals to the nerve cells, and an electrical contact to deliver the electric stimulation signals to the nerve cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Fysh Dadd, James F. Patrick, Bart Volckaerts, Edmond Capcelea, Peter Gibson