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).
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Patent number: 8948428Abstract: 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 procType: GrantFiled: September 4, 2007Date of Patent: February 3, 2015Assignee: GN Resound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 8755545Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 31, 2011Date of Patent: June 17, 2014Assignee: GN Resound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Publication number: 20130287236Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2012Publication date: October 31, 2013Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 8494199Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 8, 2011Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignee: GN ReSound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 8019103Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 1, 2006Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: GN ReSound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 8019105Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 29, 2006Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: GN Resound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Publication number: 20100027820Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 4, 2007Publication date: February 4, 2010Applicant: GN RESOUND A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 7058182Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 17, 2002Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignee: GN ReSound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Publication number: 20040223622Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 6, 2001Publication date: November 11, 2004Inventors: Eric Lee Lindemann, John Laurence Melanson, Jason Lee Carlson, James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 6792114Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 6, 1999Date of Patent: September 14, 2004Assignee: GN ReSound A/SInventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson, Eric Lindemann
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Patent number: 6498858Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 21, 2000Date of Patent: December 24, 2002Assignee: GN ReSound A/SInventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Publication number: 20020176584Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2002Publication date: November 28, 2002Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 6434246Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 2, 1998Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: GN ReSound asInventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson
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Patent number: 6434247Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 30, 1999Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: GN ReSound A/SInventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson
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Publication number: 20010002930Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2000Publication date: June 7, 2001Inventor: James Mitchell Kates
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Patent number: 6219427Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 12, 1998Date of Patent: April 17, 2001Assignee: GN ReSound asInventors: James Mitchell Kates, John Laurence Melanson
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Patent number: 6072884Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 18, 1997Date of Patent: June 6, 2000Assignee: AudioLogic Hearing Systems LPInventor: James Mitchell Kates