Patents by Inventor Patrik Westerkull

Patrik Westerkull 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: 10299051
    Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20180310107
    Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 10070233
    Abstract: An implantable hearing aid system is disclosed. The system has an external transmitter device and an implantable receiver device, and includes a skin interface to connect the external transmitter device to the head of a user. There is a transmitter connector on the external transmitter device and an interface connector on the skin interface to form a coupling between the skin interface and the external transmitter device to enable connection and disconnection of the external transmitter device to and from the skin interface. The skin interface has an adhesive surface facing the skin so that it can be adhered to the skin on the head of the user. The implantable receiver device has an implant stimulator to stimulate a hearing organ. Sound information is transmitted from the external transmitter device to the implantable receiver device that stimulates the hearing organ of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 10063981
    Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 9936313
    Abstract: A hearing aid attachment system includes a positioning tool and an interconnection unit. An upper surface of the interconnection unit has a second shape that matches a corresponding first shape of a cavity in the lower surface of the positioning tool so that the upper surface fits into the cavity with a second front surface of the positioning tool against and radially outside the front side of the interconnection unit, with the connection portion of the positioning tool connected to the connecting portion of the interconnection unit. The positioning tool is further configured to be removable from the interconnection unit without removing the interconnection unit from the skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20170208404
    Abstract: A hearing aid attachment system includes a positioning tool and an interconnection unit. An upper surface of the interconnection unit has a second shape that matches a corresponding first shape of a cavity in the lower surface of the positioning tool so that the upper surface fits into the cavity with a second front surface of the positioning tool against and radially outside the front side of the interconnection unit, with the connection portion of the positioning tool connected to the connecting portion of the interconnection unit. The positioning tool is further configured to be removable from the interconnection unit without removing the interconnection unit from the skin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 9693157
    Abstract: A hearing aid system with a positioning tool is disclosed. The hearing aid system has a hearing aid, an adhesive interconnection unit and a positioning tool. The interconnection unit can be connected to both the hearing aid and the positioning tool. The positioning tool facilitates a correct positioning of the interconnection unit on the hairless skin area behind the outer ear and ensures that neither the hearing aid nor the interconnection unit touches the skin of the outer ear. The hearing aid position can be fine-tuned by turning it in relation to the interconnection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20170094430
    Abstract: A hearing aid system with a positioning tool is disclosed. The hearing aid system has a hearing aid, an adhesive interconnection unit and a positioning tool. The interconnection unit can be connected to both the hearing aid and the positioning tool. The positioning tool facilitates a correct positioning of the interconnection unit on the hairless skin area behind the outer ear and ensures that neither the hearing aid nor the interconnection unit touches the skin of the outer ear. The hearing aid position can be fine-tuned by turning it in relation to the interconnection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20160234613
    Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20160192092
    Abstract: An implantable hearing aid system is disclosed. The system has an external transmitter device and an implantable receiver device, and includes a skin interface to connect the external transmitter device to the head of a user. There is a transmitter connector on the external transmitter device and an interface connector on the skin interface to form a coupling between the skin interface and the external transmitter device to enable connection and disconnection of the external transmitter device to and from the skin interface. The skin interface has an adhesive surface facing the skin so that it can be adhered to the skin on the head of the user. The implantable receiver device has an implant stimulator to stimulate a hearing organ. Sound information is transmitted from the external transmitter device to the implantable receiver device that stimulates the hearing organ of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 9154887
    Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system for generating bone conduction vibrations is disclosed. The bone conduction hearing aid system has a hearing aid with a vibrator. The hearing aid system includes an interconnection unit to connect the hearing aid to the user. There is a coupling between the interconnection unit and the hearing aid to connect and disconnect the hearing aid to and from the interconnection unit. The interconnection unit has connection portion and contact plate portion. The connection portion and the contact plate portion are designed in one integral piece of continuous polymer material. The interconnection unit has a concave or planar adhesive surface that can be adhered to the skin on the head of the user without applying any specific pressure against the skin. The sound vibrations are transmitted from the vibrator to the hearing organ as bone conduction sound vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Otorix AB
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 9137614
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bone anchored hearing aid with a sound processor which generates a vibration signal and serves the signal at a vibrator for transmission of the vibration signal into the skull bone of a wearer and where a resonance damping system is provided in the hearing aid and comprising an electronic notch filter having a notch filter center frequency F1, wherein the notch filter frequency F1 is below a resonance frequency Fsim of the hearing aid as measured in a standard skull simulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: OTICON MEDICAL A/S
    Inventors: Patrik Westerkull, Bengt Bern, Jens T. Balslev
  • Publication number: 20150063616
    Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system for generating bone conduction vibrations is disclosed. The bone conduction hearing aid system has a hearing aid with a vibrator. The hearing aid system includes an interconnection unit to connect the hearing aid to the user. There is a coupling between the interconnection unit and the hearing aid to connect and disconnect the hearing aid to and from the interconnection unit. The interconnection unit has connection portion and contact plate portion. The connection portion and the contact plate portion are designed in one integral piece of continuous polymer material. The interconnection unit has a concave or planar adhesive surface that can be adhered to the skin on the head of the user without applying any specific pressure against the skin. The sound vibrations are transmitted from the vibrator to the hearing organ as bone conduction sound vibrations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20150043766
    Abstract: The hearing device system has features for preventing a hearing device from falling off from the user. The hearing device system has a safety line has a first portion connected to the hearing device and a second portion connected to an interconnection unit attached to the user. There is a coupling between the interconnection unit and the safety line that enables the user to connect and disconnect the safety line to and from the interconnection unit. The interconnection unit has an adhesive surface facing the skin so that it can be adhered to the skin of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: Otorix AB
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Patent number: 8406443
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bone anchored bone conductive hearing aid which has a bone implantable screw (3) with an implant axis (25) intended to be generally perpendicular to a bone surface at an implant point and a skin penetrating abutment (5) which is connected to the implantable screw (3) through a contact surface (16) at a contra-lateral end thereof where the abutment (5) at a lateral end thereof has a coupling surface (15) whereto a hearing aid is detachably coupled along a hearing aid coupling axis (20) the implant axis (25) and the hearing aid coupling axis (20) are arranged at an angle ? with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Oticon Medical A/S
    Inventors: Patrik Westerkull, Lars Jinton
  • Publication number: 20120095284
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bone anchored hearing aid with a sound processor which generates a vibration signal and serves the signal at a vibrator for transmission of the vibration signal into the skull bone of a wearer and where a resonance damping system is provided in the hearing aid and comprising an electronic notch filter having a notch filter center frequency F1, wherein the notch filter frequency F1 is below a resonance frequency Fsim of the hearing aid as measured in a standard skull simulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Patrik Westerkull, Bengt Bern, Jens T. Balslev
  • Patent number: 8059844
    Abstract: The hearing aid according to the invention comprise: a skin penetrating abutment, a skin penetrating abutment, a rod with a coupling part, operative to allow releasable connection between the rod and the abutment, a hearing aid housing with an opening, where the rod extends through the opening and into the hearing aid housing, a vibrator connected to the rod in the hearing aid housing, and resiliently mounted between a distal housing wall part which faces away from the opening and a proximal housing wall part which comprises the opening, whereby the proximal wall part further comprise a relief portion which extends into the area between the vibrator and the coupling part of the rod and where, the distance between the relief portion and the coupling part of the rod is smaller than the distance between the vibrator and the inside of the distal wall part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Patrik Westerkull, Anton Hedström, Bengt Bern
  • Patent number: 8005247
    Abstract: The hearing aid system has a sound-to-vibration conversion circuitry including a microphone system, an electronic amplifier and a vibrator. A housing accommodates the vibrator. The vibrator is connected to an abutment that goes through the skin. The abutment is connected to a fixture that is anchored in the skull bone. The sound-to-vibration conversion circuitry has an A/D converter that converts an analogue microphone signal into a digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull
  • Publication number: 20100292529
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bone anchored bone conductive hearing aid which has a bone implantable screw (3) with an implant axis (25) intended to be generally perpendicular to a bone surface at an implant point and a skin penetrating abutment (5) which is connected to the implantable screw (3) through a contact surface (16) at a contra-lateral end thereof where the abutment (5) at a lateral end thereof has a coupling surface (15) whereto a hearing aid is detachably coupled along a hearing aid coupling axis (20) the implant axis (25) and the hearing aid coupling axis (20) are arranged at an angle ? with respect to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Inventors: Patrik Westerkull, Lars Jinton
  • Publication number: 20100208924
    Abstract: The hearing aid system (102) has a sound-to-vibration conversion circuitry including a microphone system (108), an electronic amplifier (114) and a vibrator (120). A housing (121) accommodates the vibrator (120). The vibrator (120) is connected to an abutment (124) that goes through the skin. The abutment (124) is connected to a fixture (126) that is anchored in the skull bone (128). The sound-to-vibration conversion circuitry has an AfD converter (212) that converts an analogue microphone signal into a digital signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2006
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: OTICON A/S
    Inventor: Patrik Westerkull