Patents by Inventor James Mitchell Kates

James Mitchell Kates has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8948428
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes a microphone and an A/D converter for provision of a digital input signal in response to a sound signal received at the microphone in a sound environment, a processor that is configured to process the digital input signal in accordance with a signal processing algorithm to generate a processed output signal, a sound environment detector for determination of the sound environment based at least in part on the digital input signal, and for providing an output for selection of the signal processing algorithm, the sound environment detector including (1) a feature extractor for determination of histogram values of the digital input signal in a plurality of frequency bands, (2) an environment classifier configured for classifying the sound environment into a number of environmental classes based at least in part on the determined histogram values from at least two of the plurality of frequency bands, and (3) a parameter map for the provision of the output for the selection of the signal proc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: GN Resound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 8755545
    Abstract: A hearing device includes a first filter configured for providing a first frequency part of an input signal of the hearing device, the first frequency part comprising a low pass filtered part, a second filter configured for providing a second frequency part of the input signal, the second frequency part comprising a high pass filtered part, a first synthesizing unit configured for generating a first synthetic signal from the first frequency part using a first model based on a first periodic function, and a combiner configured for combining the second frequency part with the first synthetic signal for provision of a combined signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: GN Resound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Publication number: 20130287236
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes a microphone for conversion of acoustic sound into an input audio signal, a signal processor for processing the input audio signal for generation of an output audio signal; and a transducer for conversion of the output audio signal into a signal to be received by a human, wherein the signal processor includes a compressor with a compressor input/output rule that is variable in response to a signal level of the input audio signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 8494199
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes an input transducer for provision of an input signal, a high pass filter configured for providing a high pass filtered part of the input signal, a low pass filter configured for providing a low pass filtered part of the input signal, a synthesizing unit configured for generating a synthetic signal from the high pass filtered part using a model based on a periodic function, wherein a phase of the synthetic signal is at least in part randomized, a combiner configured for combining the low pass filtered part with the synthetic signal for provision of a combined signal, a hearing loss processor configured for processing the combined signal for provision of a processed signal, and a receiver coupled to the hearing loss processor, wherein the receiver is configured for converting an audio output signal into an output sound signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: GN ReSound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 8019103
    Abstract: The present application relates to a hearing aid with suppression of wind noise wherein wind noise detection is provided involving only a single comparison of the input signal power level at first low frequencies with the input signal power level at frequencies that may include the first low frequencies whereby a computational cost effective and simple wind noise detection is provided. The determination of relative power levels of the input signal reflects the shape of the power spectrum of the signal, and the detection scheme is therefore typically capable of distinguishing music from wind noise so that attenuation of desired music is substantially avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: GN ReSound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 8019105
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes a microphone for conversion of sound into an input audiosignal, a signal processor for processing the input audiosignal, the signal processor including a compressor, and a receiver for conversion of the processed signal into sound, wherein the compressor is configured to adapt attack and release time constants in response to input signal fluctuations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: GN Resound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Publication number: 20100027820
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an alternative method of classifying the sound environment into a number of environmental classes, such as speech, babble speech, restaurant clatter music, traffic noise, etc., based on signal level histogram values in a number of frequency bands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: GN RESOUND A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 7058182
    Abstract: A digital hearing aid according to the present invention is capable of measuring its own performance. The measurement and initialization capability may be entirely integral to the hearing aid, or an external processor may be used to download the measurement program and the run time program, and assist in computing the parameters. The hearing aid includes a test signal generator for feeding a test signal into the hearing aid amplifier. The response to the test signal is acquired at a specific point in the hearing aid, depending upon what aspect of performance is to be measured. Various elements of the hearing aid and/or the hearing aid feedback may be bypassed. The hearing aid further includes the capability of initializing hearing aid parameters based upon the performance measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: GN ReSound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Publication number: 20040223622
    Abstract: A digital wireless loudspeaker system includes an audio transmission device for selecting and transmitting digital audio data, and wireless speakers for receiving the data and broadcasting sound. The audio transmission device selects digital audio data together with a sample clock from a stereo compact disk, or decoded DVD data. The sample clock clocks an element that generates frames of data and adds error protection. Status messages are included in the transmission frames to control speaker attributes such as speaker group, enabling or disabling a sub-woofer, and volume of the loudspeaker digitally. These transmission frames are clocked into an RF transmitter and transmitted to the speakers. The received bit stream and symbol clock are output from the RF receiver in each speaker and input to a framing and error protection decoder and a sample clock generator. The recovered audio sample data and sample clock are input to a digital to speaker input conversion and channel selector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2001
    Publication date: November 11, 2004
    Inventors: Eric Lee Lindemann, John Laurence Melanson, Jason Lee Carlson, James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 6792114
    Abstract: A digital hearing aid according to the present invention is capable of measuring its own performance. The hearing aid includes a test signal generator for feeding a test signal into the hearing aid amplifier. The response to the test signal is acquired at a specific point in the hearing aid, depending upon what aspect of performance is to be measured. Various elements of the hearing aid and/or the hearing aid feedback may be bypassed. The hearing aid further includes the capability of initializing hearing aid parameters based upon the performance measurements. The measurement and initialization capability may be entirely integral to the hearing aid, or an external processor may be used to download the measurement program and the run time program, and assist in computing the parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: GN ReSound A/S
    Inventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson, Eric Lindemann
  • Patent number: 6498858
    Abstract: Feedback cancellation apparatus uses a cascade of two filters along with a short bulk delay. The first filter is adapted when the hearing aid is turned on in the ear. This filter adapts quickly using a white noise probe signal, and then the filter coefficients are frozen. The first filter models parts of the hearing-aid feedback path that are essentially constant over the course of the day. The second filter adapts while the hearing aid is in use and does not use a separate probe signal. This filter provides a rapid correction to the feedback path model when the hearing aid goes unstable, and more slowly tracks perturbations in the feedback path that occur in daily use. The delay shifts the filter response to make the most effective use of the limited number of filter coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: GN ReSound A/S
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Publication number: 20020176584
    Abstract: A digital hearing aid according to the present invention is capable of measuring its own performance. The measurement and initialization capability may be entirely integral to the hearing aid, or an external processor may be used to download the measurement program and the run time program, and assist in computing the parameters. The hearing aid includes a test signal generator for feeding a test signal into the hearing aid amplifier. The response to the test signal is acquired at a specific point in the hearing aid, depending upon what aspect of performance is to be measured. Various elements of the hearing aid and/or the hearing aid feedback may be bypassed. The hearing aid further includes the capability of initializing hearing aid parameters based upon the performance measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Publication date: November 28, 2002
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 6434246
    Abstract: The present invention combines audio compression and feedback cancellation in an audio system such as a hearing aid. The feedback cancellation element of the present invention uses one or more filters to model the feedback path of the system and thereby subtract the expected feedback from the audio input signal before hearing aid processing occurs. The hearing aid processing includes audio compression, for example multiband compression. The operation of the audio compression element may be responsive to information gleaned from the feedback cancellation element, the feedback cancellation may be responsive to information gleaned from the compression element, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: GN ReSound as
    Inventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson
  • Patent number: 6434247
    Abstract: A feedback cancellation system for a hearing aid or the like adapts a first filter in the feedback path that models the quickly varying portion of the hearing aid feedback path, and adapts a second filter in the feedback path that is used either as a reference filter for constrained adaptation or to model more slowly varying portions of the feedback path. The second filter is updated only when the hearing aid signals indicate that an accurate estimate of the feedback path can be obtained. Changes in the second filter are then monitored to detect changes in the hearing aid feedback path. The first filter is adaptively updated at least when the condition of the signal indicates that an accurate estimate of physical feedback cannot be made. It may be updated on a continuous or frequent basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: GN ReSound A/S
    Inventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson
  • Publication number: 20010002930
    Abstract: Feedback cancellation apparatus uses a cascade of two filters along with a short bulk delay. The first filter is adapted when the hearing aid is turned on in the ear. This filter adapts quickly using a white noise probe signal, and then the filter coefficients are frozen. The first filter models parts of the hearing-aid feedback path that are essentially constant over the course of the day. The second filter adapts while the hearing aid is in use and does not use a separate probe signal. This filter provides a rapid correction to the feedback path model when the hearing aid goes unstable, and more slowly tracks perturbations in the feedback path that occur in daily use. The delay shifts the filter response to make the most effective use of the limited number of filter coefficients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Publication date: June 7, 2001
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
  • Patent number: 6219427
    Abstract: Feedback cancellation apparatus uses a cascade of two filters along with a short bulk delay. The first filter is adapted when the hearing aid is turned on in the ear. This filter adapts quickly using a white noise probe signal, and then the filter coefficients are frozen. The first filter models parts of the hearing-aid feedback path that are essentially constant over the course of the day. The second filter adapts while the hearing aid is in use and does not use a separate probe signal. This filter provides a rapid correction to the feedback path model when the hearing aid goes unstable, and more slowly tracks perturbations in the feedback path that occur in daily use. The delay shifts the filter response to make the most effective use of the limited number of filter coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: GN ReSound as
    Inventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson
  • Patent number: 6072884
    Abstract: Feedback cancellation apparatus uses a cascade of two filters along with a short bulk delay. The first filter is adapted when the hearing aid is turned on in the ear. This filter adapts quickly using a white noise probe signal, and then the filter coefficients are frozen. The first filter models parts of the hearing-aid feedback path that are essentially constant over the course of the day. The second filter adapts while the hearing aid is in use and does not use a separate probe signal. This filter provides a rapid correction to the feedback path model when the hearing aid goes unstable, and more slowly tracks perturbations in the feedback path that occur in daily use. The delay shifts the filter response to make the most effective use of the limited number of filter coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: AudioLogic Hearing Systems LP
    Inventor: James Mitchell Kates