Patents by Inventor Jan Vermeiren

Jan Vermeiren 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: 11889670
    Abstract: An assembly is provided which includes a package and a printed circuit board. The package includes a housing bounding a region and an acoustic sensor within the region. The housing includes a base with a first hole. The sensor is configured to generate signals indicative of sound received by the sensor through the first hole. The printed circuit board is in mechanical communication with the base and includes a second hole aligned with the first hole such that sound received by the second hole propagates through the first hole to the sensor. The printed circuit board further includes an electrically conductive layer, at least a portion of which extends across the second hole and is configured to allow the sound to propagate through the second hole and to at least partially shield the region containing the sensor from electromagnetic interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Tom Meeusen, Koen Erik Van den Heuvel, Jan Vermeiren, Stijn Eeckhoudt
  • Publication number: 20240024689
    Abstract: A modular implant device configured for stimulation of at least one nerve or muscle in a body of a subject comprises: a housing; and at least one electrical lead, and/or at least one stimulation electrode; wherein the at least one electrical lead is partly disposed on the housing, and wherein the housing comprises modular elements, the modular elements being arranged in a stack. A system for electrical nerve stimulation comprises a network of at least two modular devices configured for implantation inside a body of a subject according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each modular device is electrically connected to at least one other modular device through electrical leads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: Nyxoah SA
    Inventors: Koen Erik VAN DEN HEUVEL, Jan VERMEIREN, Wim BERVOETS, Martin Joseph SVEHLA, Milind Chandrakant RAJE, Tom MEEUSEN
  • Publication number: 20230319491
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a removable cover for an ear-worn wearable device, with the removable cover including a communication coil. The cover can locate the communication coil proximate an implanted coil for communication. In an implementation, the cover is a cover for a behind-the-ear sound processor having a coil that communicates with an implanted coil of a cochlear implant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Jan VERMEIREN, Koen Erik VAN DEN HEUVEL
  • Publication number: 20230156415
    Abstract: Presented herein are implantable sound sensors that include a non-uniform diaphragm mechanically coupled to a vibrating structure of a recipient’s middle or inner ear. The non-uniform diaphragm includes a central region and a peripheral region, where the thickness of the central region is greater than the thickness of the peripheral region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Koen Erik Van den Heuvel, Jan Vermeiren, Rishubh Verma, Antonin Rambault
  • Patent number: 11553290
    Abstract: Presented herein are implantable sound sensors that include a non-uniform diaphragm mechanically coupled to a vibrating structure of a recipient's middle or inner ear. The non-uniform diaphragm includes a central region and a peripheral region, where the thickness of the central region is greater than the thickness of the peripheral region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Koen Erik Van den Heuvel, Jan Vermeiren, Rishubh Verma, Antonin Rambault
  • Patent number: 11445312
    Abstract: Wires and coils within an electrode assembly electromagnetically interact and cause mechanical motion of the assembly. This mechanical motion can be used to supplement or replace the electrical stimulation provided by a standard cochlear implant and provides targeted acoustic stimulation to the cochlea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Kristof Buytaert, Rishubh Verma
  • Publication number: 20220210582
    Abstract: A vibrator including a housing, a transducer positioned within the housing such that there is a gap between the transducer and housing, and a damper assembly, disposed in the gap between the housing and at least a portion of the transducer, the damper assembly extending a sub-distance of the total distance of the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Jan VERMEIREN, Travis Rian ANDREWS
  • Patent number: 11223912
    Abstract: A vibrator including a housing, a transducer positioned within the housing such that there is a gap between the transducer and housing, and a damper assembly, disposed in the gap between the housing and at least a portion of the transducer, the damper assembly extending a sub-distance of the total distance of the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Travis Rian Andrews
  • Publication number: 20210410340
    Abstract: An assembly is provided which includes a package and a printed circuit board. The package includes a housing bounding a region and an acoustic sensor within the region. The housing includes a base with a first hole. The sensor is configured to generate signals indicative of sound received by the sensor through the first hole. The printed circuit board is in mechanical communication with the base and includes a second hole aligned with the first hole such that sound received by the second hole propagates through the first hole to the sensor. The printed circuit board further includes an electrically conductive layer, at least a portion of which extends across the second hole and is configured to allow the sound to propagate through the second hole and to at least partially shield the region containing the sensor from electromagnetic interference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Tom Meeusen, Koen Erik Van den Heuvel, Jan Vermeiren, Stijn Eeckhoudt
  • Publication number: 20210297795
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided which includes a biocompatible housing configured to be implanted within a recipient. The housing includes a unitary wall including a first wall portion and a second wall portion surrounding a perimeter of the first wall portion. The first wall portion is sufficiently flexible to transmit vibrations between an outer region outside the housing and an inner region within the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Koen Erik Van den Heuvel, Rishubh Verma, Antonin Rambault
  • Publication number: 20210274298
    Abstract: Presented herein are implantable sound sensors that include a non-uniform diaphragm mechanically coupled to a vibrating structure of a recipient's middle or inner ear. The non-uniform diaphragm includes a central region and a peripheral region, where the thickness of the central region is greater than the thickness of the peripheral region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Koen Erik Van den Heuvel, Jan Vermeiren, Rishubh Verma, Antonin Rambault
  • Patent number: 10798502
    Abstract: Embodiments are generally directed to implantable transducer systems for implantable hearing prostheses. The implantable transducer systems in accordance with embodiments presented herein include a transducer and an expandable fixation arrangement, such as a radially expandable fixation arrangement, that is configured to anchor/secure the implantable transducer system directly within an elongate cannular cavity extending through a portion of a recipient's skull bone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: COCHLEAR LIMITED
    Inventor: Jan Vermeiren
  • Publication number: 20200260200
    Abstract: Wires and coils within an electrode assembly electromagnetically interact and cause mechanical motion of the assembly. This mechanical motion can be used to supplement or replace the electrical stimulation provided by a standard cochlear implant and provides targeted acoustic stimulation to the cochlea.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Applicant: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Kristof Buytaert, Rishubh Verma
  • Patent number: 10560791
    Abstract: Wires and coils within an electrode assembly electromagnetically interact and cause mechanical motion of the assembly. This mechanical motion can be used to supplement or replace the electrical stimulation provided by a standard cochlear implant and provides targeted acoustic stimulation to the cochlea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: COCHLEAR LIMITED
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Kristof Buytaert, Rishubh Verma
  • Patent number: 10341789
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to an implantable auditory prosthesis that comprises a transducer configured to be implanted in a recipient. The transducer comprises at least one bender element (e.g., piezoelectric element, magnetorestrictive element, etc.) that is configured to deform in response to application of an electrical signal thereto so as to generate vibration for delivery to the recipient. One or more components are mechanically and electrically connected to the bender element and are configured to generate additional vibration for delivery to the recipient. In certain embodiments, the one or more components mechanically coupled to the bender element comprise an inductor coil operating as a counter-mass. The inductor coil may be configured to drive another mass (e.g., a magnet) so as to operate as an active vibration generation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: COCHLEAR LIMITED
    Inventor: Jan Vermeiren
  • Patent number: 10321247
    Abstract: A device including an inductive radio frequency communication coil and a platform apparatus configured to be secured or coupled to an actuator such that the actuator can induce vibration in the skull inducing hearing percepts, and the RF coil can deliver communication allowing an implantable stimulator to also induce hearing percepts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Rishubh Verma, Jan Vermeiren, Kristof Buytaert
  • Publication number: 20190028819
    Abstract: A vibrator including a housing, a transducer positioned within the housing such that there is a gap between the transducer and housing, and a damper assembly, disposed in the gap between the housing and at least a portion of the transducer, the damper assembly extending a sub-distance of the total distance of the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Jan VERMEIREN, Travis Rian ANDREWS
  • Patent number: 10117033
    Abstract: An implantable actuator system is disclosed. The system comprises a hermetically sealed housing; an actuator positioned in the housing, the actuator having at least one element displaceable relative to the housing; a coupling element connecting the actuator to the recipient's ear; and a diaphragm positioned at an end of the housing to provide a hermetic seal between the coupling element and the housing, wherein the diaphragm has sufficient flexibility to permit the coupling element to transmit vibrations to or from the actuator, wherein a liquid is positioned around the displaceable element of actuator to dampen the frequency response of the actuator, and in certain aspects, to make the system insensitive to differences in pressure between inside and outside of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Jan Vermeiren
  • Publication number: 20180115842
    Abstract: Embodiments are generally directed to implantable transducer systems for implantable hearing prostheses. The implantable transducer systems in accordance with embodiments presented herein include a transducer and an expandable fixation arrangement, such as a radially expandable fixation arrangement, that is configured to anchor/secure the implantable transducer system directly within an elongate cannular cavity extending through a portion of a recipient's skull bone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventor: Jan Vermeiren
  • Publication number: 20170216596
    Abstract: Wires and coils within an electrode assembly electromagnetically interact and cause mechanical motion of the assembly. This mechanical motion can be used to supplement or replace the electrical stimulation provided by a standard cochlear implant and provides targeted acoustic stimulation to the cochlea.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Jan Vermeiren, Kristof Buytaert, Rishubh Verma