Patents Examined by Phylesha Dabney
  • Patent number: 11558696
    Abstract: A method for directional signal processing for a hearing aid includes generating first and second input signals from an ambient sound signal using first and second input transducers of the hearing aid and forming first and second directional signals based on the input signals. The directional signals have relative attenuations in directions of first and second useful signal sources. First and second amplification parameters for amplification of first and second useful signals of the signal sources are ascertained. A reference directional characteristic is defined for a reference directional signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Tobias Daniel Rosenkranz
  • Patent number: 11553284
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a battery charger for one or more hearing devices, comprising: a test sound generator configured to produce testing sound; an input configured to obtain first information regarding a first microphone output of a first hearing device in response to the testing sound and obtain second information regarding a second microphone output in response to the testing sound. A processing unit is configured to detect a clogging of a filter such as a wax filter based at least in part on the first information regarding the first microphone output of the first hearing device, and based at least in part on the second information regarding the second microphone output. An output is configured to provide a signal indicating the clogging of the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventors: Frank Antonsen, Laurids Egedal Kirchhoff
  • Patent number: 11553291
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hearing device configured to be worn in an ear of a user. The hearing device is configured to provide an audio signal to the user. The hearing device comprises a circuit assembly. The circuit assembly comprises a printed circuit board assembly. The printed circuit board assembly comprises: a first circuit board; a second circuit board; and a third circuit board interconnected with the first circuit board and the second circuit board. The circuit assembly comprises a battery, and an output transducer for providing the audio signal, wherein the printed circuit board assembly is folded about the battery and the output transducer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventor: Emil Holm Knudsen
  • Patent number: 11523232
    Abstract: A system includes: first and second hearing devices, each hearing device comprising an output transducer, a wireless communication unit, an antenna, and a power supply having primary and secondary voltage sources, wherein the secondary voltage source provides a lower voltage than the primary voltage source; and a detector arrangement to provide a quality indicator indicative of a quality of a wireless link between the first and second hearing devices, wherein each of the first and second hearing devices comprises a control unit configured to operate the respective hearing device in: when the quality indicator is above a threshold, a first power mode in which the respective hearing device uses its secondary voltage source to drive transmission with its antenna, and when the quality indicator is below the threshold, a second power mode in which the respective hearing device uses its primary voltage source to drive transmission with its antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventors: Ivan Riis Nielsen, Brian Dam Pedersen
  • Patent number: 11523226
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: an input configured to electronically obtain first information relating to a request for establishing communication between a fitting device and an end user device, the end user device being configured to configure a hearing device based on fitting data from the fitting device; and a processing unit configured to electronically process the first information, and provide second information for transmission to an AV provider; wherein the processing unit is also configured to obtain a connection information associated with a virtual fitting room from the AV provider, and provide the connection information associated with the virtual fitting room for the fitting device; and wherein the processing unit is also configured to provide the connection information associated with the virtual fitting room for transmission to the end user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventors: Frank Antonsen, David Landwehr
  • Patent number: 11516601
    Abstract: A hearing assistance device is discussed that has one or more accelerometers, a user interface, and optionally a left/right determination module is configured to receive input data from the one or more accelerometers from user actions causing control signals as sensed by the accelerometers to trigger a program change for an audio configuration for the device selected from a group consisting of a change in amplification/volume control, a change in a mute mode, a change of a hear loss profile loaded into that hearing assistance device, and a change in a play-pause mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Eargo, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Sarjeant Aase, Jeffrey Baker, Beau Polinske, Gints Valdis Klimanis
  • Patent number: 11516585
    Abstract: A headband (100) for a pair of headphones (10.1, 10.2) comprising:—a primary headband portion (110) having a first end (111) and a second end (112) configured to be connected to a respective headphone (10.1, 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Zound Industries International AB
    Inventor: Erik Wahlin
  • Patent number: 11510017
    Abstract: A hearing device, e.g. a hearing aid, configured to be worn by a user, comprises a) two or more input transducers (e.g. microphones) wherein said two or more input transducers during use of the hearing device are arranged with a distance between them; b) a directional system comprising a directional algorithm configured to provide a directional pattern in dependence of said distance. The hearing device is configured to estimate a current value of said distance, or an equivalent acoustic delay, or beamformer weights of said directional system, thereby the directional performance can be optimized to the individual user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Svend Oscar Petersen, Michael Syskind Pedersen, Anders Thule
  • Patent number: 11503413
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for customizing an auditory prosthesis or other medical device. Customizing the auditory prosthesis includes obtaining and evaluating system data. The system data includes data from multiple sensors, including one or more sensors of an auditory prosthesis and one or more sensors of a recipient computing device. Based on the evaluation of the system data, a target behavior is determined, such as operating the auditory prosthesis in a particular sonic environment or with particular auditory prosthesis settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Jan Patrick Frieding, Carl Uvesten, Fredrik Breitholtz, Nicholas Feeney
  • Patent number: 11496842
    Abstract: A system may include a camera configured to capture images from an environment of a user and a microphone configured to capture sounds from an environment of the user. The system may also include a processor programmed to: receive the images; identify a representation of a first individual and a representation of a second individual in the images; receive, from the microphone, a first audio signal associated with a voice of the first individual and a second audio signal associated with a voice of the second individual; detect an amplification criteria indicative of a voice amplification priority between the first individual and the second individual; selectively amplify the first audio signal relative to the second audio signal when the amplification criteria indicates that the first individual has voice amplification priority over the second individual; and cause transmission of the selectively amplified first audio signal to a hearing interface device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: OrCam Technologies LTD.
    Inventors: Yonatan Wexler, Amnon Shashua
  • Patent number: 11490213
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a binaural hearing aid system comprising hearing aids for placement at, or in, a user's left and right ear, the hearing aids each comprising a microphone arrangement, a wireless communications unit, a receiver, and a sound channel with a valve, which is movable from an open state to an closed state and from a closed state to an open state. The binaural hearing aid system further comprises a signal processing arrangement adapted for generating a beamformed signal based on microphone signals supplied by either or both of the microphone arrangement(s) and for applying the beamformed signal to either or both of the receiver(s), and a valve control arrangement configured to asymmetrically control the valves in each hearing aid by moving the valves into positions wherein one of the valves is opened more than the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventor: René Burmand Johannesson
  • Patent number: 11490211
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates a directivity hearing-aid device which primarily includes an audio pick-up device, a processor, a selector, and a speaker disposed in a case. The audio pick-up device receives a sound in a range which is pointed by a beam, and the processor generates a detected sound component by amplifying a sound feature point audio in a sound component corresponding to a detecting target which is selected by the selector and generates adjusted sound components by suppressing or shielding the sound feature point audio in the other sound components. Then the processor combines the detected sound component and the adjusted sound components to generate an output sound signal. Accordingly, the directivity hearing-aid device of the present disclosure provides selectively receiving the detected sound component and suppressing or shielding the other impurity sounds to facilitate the user hears audio from a specific object thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: AWNT LIMITED
    Inventors: Yi-Chang Liu, Li-Min Sun
  • Patent number: 11477585
    Abstract: A speaker unit detachably mountable to a hearing aid device body configured to be positioned behind an ear of a wearer is disclosed. Further, hearing aid device system comprising the speaker unit is disclosed. The speaker unit comprises a contacting unit comprising at least one contact element and configured to be detachably mountable to a hearing aid device connector of said hearing aid device. The speaker unit further comprises a speaker unit body configured to be positioned at least partly in an ear canal of the wearer and comprising an output transducer unit configured to provide an acoustic signal based on an electrical signal input to said output transducer unit via said at least one contact element. The speaker unit further comprises a connecting unit provided between said speaker unit body and said contacting unit and including at least one wire configured to electrically connect said speaker unit body and said contacting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Mathias Rask Møller, Peter Steutel, Ole Andersen
  • Patent number: 11477560
    Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an earphone, ear device, eartip, or earplug configured to inserted in an ear canal of the ear. The earphone, ear device, eartip, or earplug is configured to occlude or partially occlude the ear canal of the ear. The earphone, ear device, eartip, or earplug includes a chamber to occlude or partially occlude the ear canal that is sealed when inserted in the ear canal and open to the external environment when outside the ear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: HEAR LLC
    Inventor: John P Keady
  • Patent number: 11477587
    Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for training a hearing prosthesis to classify/categorize received sound signals as either including a recipient's own voice (i.e., the voice or speech of the recipient of the hearing prosthesis) or external voice (i.e., the voice or speech of one or more persons other than the recipient). The techniques presented herein use the captured voice (speech) of the recipient to train the hearing prosthesis to perform the classification of the sound signals as including the recipient's own voice or external voice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Matthew Brown
  • Patent number: 11470427
    Abstract: A system may include a wearable camera configured to capture a plurality of images from an environment of a user and a microphone configured to capture sounds from an environment of the user. The system may also include a processor programmed to receive the images; identify a representation of one individual in one of the images; identify a lip movement associated with a mouth of the individual, based on analysis of the images; receive audio signals representative of the sounds; identify, based on analysis of the sounds, a first audio signal associated with a first voice and a second audio signal associated with a second voice; cause selective conditioning of the first audio signal based on a determination that the first audio signal is associated with the identified lip movement; and cause transmission of the selectively conditioned first audio signal to a hearing interface device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: OrCam Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Yonatan Wexler, Amnon Shashua
  • Patent number: 11470428
    Abstract: An in-ear device occludes an ear canal of an ear of a user. The in-ear device is configured to be calibrated such that the user perceives audio content as though the in-ear device is not occluding the ear canal. A transducer of the in-ear device presents audio content, and an inner microphone of the in-ear device detects sound pressure data within the ear canal. A controller of the in-ear device determines a blocked sound pressure at the entrance to the ear canal based on sound pressure data from an outer microphone. The controller generates sound filters custom to the user based in part on the detected sound pressure within the ear canal and the blocked sound pressure at the entrance to the ear canal. The controller adjusts audio content using the sound filter, and the transducer presents the adjusted audio content to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Morteza Khaleghimeybodi, Pablo Francisco Faundez Hoffmann, Antonio John Miller
  • Patent number: 11463827
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a hearing device and a method of forming such device are disclosed. The device includes a housing adapted to be worn on or behind an ear of a wearer and includes a housing body and a top plate connected to the housing body. The hearing device further includes a sensor disposed on at least one of a first side surface and a second side surface of the housing body. The sensor is adapted to be in contact with either a pinna or a skull of the wearer. The sensor is further adapted to detect a physiological characteristic of the wearer and generate a sensor signal based on the physiological characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Starkey Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael K. Sacha, Christopher D. Young
  • Patent number: 11463802
    Abstract: A vibration system of an ultra-thin full-range loudspeaker includes a diaphragm and frameless winding voice coils directly attached to the diaphragm. Each frameless winding voice coil is a planar coil formed by winding a single enameled wire. Each planar coil is of a racetrack or an annular shape and the enameled wires are arranged by tightly contacting to each other. According to the vibration system, the frameless winding voice coils are directly attached to the diaphragm, and lead wires of the voice coils are tightly arranged, so that a space utilization rate in a magnetic gap is effectively improved, so as to improve a driving force factor BL and an output sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Tymphany Worldwide Enterprises Limited
    Inventor: ZhiWen Chen
  • Patent number: 11457320
    Abstract: A method for collecting and storing sensor data (56, 64) of a hearing system (10) comprises: receiving the sensor data (56, 64) of at least one sensor (20, 32, 34) of a hearing device (12) of the hearing system (10), wherein the hearing device (12) is worn by a user; detecting a situation (72) of interest by classifying at least a part of the sensor data (56, 64) with a classifier (61) implemented in the hearing system (10); collecting the sensor data (56, 64), when the hearing system (10) is in a situation (72) of interest; and sending the collected sensor data (76) to a storage system (54) in data communication with the hearing system (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Sonova AG
    Inventors: Andreas Breitenmoser, Peter Derleth, Harald Krueger, Aliaksei Tsitovich