Patents by Inventor Patrice L. Heck

Patrice L. Heck 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).

  • Failure detection in auditory response stimulators
    Patent number: 5584869
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting failures in an auditory stimulation device includes, in one embodiment, a microphone; a signal processor; a supercutaneous transmitter; a subcutaneous receiver; a subcutaneous transmitter; and a supercutaneous receiver. The signal processor generates a stimulation signal in response to the microphone detecting an audio signal, and the supercutaneous transmitter couples the stimulation signal through a skin surface of a patient. The subcutaneous receiver receives the stimulation signal, and the subcutaneous transmitter generates a feedback signal in response to receipt of the stimulation signal by the subcutaneous receiver. The supercutaneous receiver receives the feedback signal. In one variation of the embodiment, the signal processor generates an alarm signal when the feedback signal is not received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Advanced Bionics Corporation
    Inventors: Patrice L. Heck, Dianne Allum-Mecklenburg, Joseph H. Schulman