Patents by Inventor Stefan Menzl
Stefan Menzl 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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Publication number: 20220038833Abstract: A method is specified for establishing a short-range radio link, in particular a Bluetooth connection, between a first device and a second device. A charging unit, which is configured to charge a hearing device, mediates the establishment of the short-range radio link. The charging unit transmits pairing data of the first device to the second device to establish the short-range radio link, so that the latter device is paired with the first device and the short-range radio link is established. There are also described a hearing device and a charging unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2021Publication date: February 3, 2022Inventors: Stefan Menzl, Thomas Fischer, Stefan Mijovic, Riccardo Cavallari, Umut Goekay
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Patent number: 10737091Abstract: An electrode for the electrical stimulation of brain tissue or other tissue of a patient is configured for location between skull and scalp of the patient. The electrode has a stimulation surface which is configured for contacting the skull of the patient. The electrode is a disc-shaped electrode having a pre-shaped flat or concave stimulation surface.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2017Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: PRECISIS AGInventors: Gregor Remmert, Stefan Menzl
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Patent number: 9895536Abstract: A thin profile impact resistant cochlear implant includes a single piece machined case having a bottom surface, wherein at least a portion of the bottom surface is concave and a single piece machined cover configured to be joined to the case, the cover comprising a convex upper surface. A method for forming thin profile cochlear implant is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2013Date of Patent: February 20, 2018Assignee: Advanced Bionics AGInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Mark Downing, Kurt Koester, Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20160082249Abstract: A thin profile impact resistant cochlear implant includes a single piece machined case having a bottom surface, wherein at least a portion of the bottom surface is concave and a single piece machined cover configured to be joined to the case, the cover comprising a convex upper surface. A method for forming thin profile cochlear implant is also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2013Publication date: March 24, 2016Applicant: Advanced Bionics AGInventors: Chuladatta Thenuwara, Mark Downing, Kurt Koester, Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20160066109Abstract: A hearing aid including a permanent magnet to be fixed at a patient's incus (26), an audio signal source (14), an audio signal processing unit (16) for processing audio signals from the audio signal source, a driver unit (18) including a coil (22) for generating a magnetic field (25) that vibrates the permanent magnet according to the processed audio signals in order to stimulate the patient's hearing, and a measurement arrangement (56, 58, 60) for measuring the magnetic coupling between the coil and the permanent magnet in order to adjust the position of the coil or the input signals to the coil provided by the driver unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2015Publication date: March 3, 2016Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Patent number: 9215537Abstract: A hearing aid including a permanent magnet to be fixed at a patient's incus (26), an audio signal source (14), an audio signal processing unit (16) for processing audio signals from the audio signal source, a driver unit (18) including a coil (22) for generating a magnetic field (25) that vibrates the permanent magnet according to the processed audio signals in order to stimulate the patient's hearing, and a measurement arrangement (56, 58, 60) for measuring the magnetic coupling between the coil and the permanent magnet in order to adjust the position of the coil or the input signals to the coil provided by the driver unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2010Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: Advanced Bionics AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20130178855Abstract: An at least partially implantable hearing aid, having: a microphone arrangement (74) for capturing audio signals from ambient sound; an audio signal processing unit (66) for processing the audio signals captured by the microphone arrangement; an implantable actuator unit (54) for stimulating the patient's hearing according to the processed audio signals; a tube (24) for being implanted into the patient's temporal bone (26), the tube having an engagement structure (46) at the outer surface for engagement into a fixation structure (44) milled into the patient's temporal bone, wherein the tube comprises means (36) for receiving the actuator unit in an implanted condition of the tube from the proximal end of the tube and means for fixing the actuator unit in a final position relative to the tube, in which final position the actuator unit extends beyond the distal end of the tube.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2010Publication date: July 11, 2013Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS AGInventors: Gérard Loquet, Achim Kitschmann, Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20130172662Abstract: A partially implantable hearing assistance system, having: an external unit (10) to be worn at least in part in a user's ear canal (12), a device (14) for capturing audio signals from ambient sound, an audio signal processing unit (16, 18) for generating first intermediate signals from said audio signals, and at least one electroacoustic output transducer (20, 20A) in order to make the user's eardrum (46) vibrate according to the first intermediate signals; and an implantable unit (22, 122) having an input transducer (42) located in the user's middle ear for capturing second intermediate signals from the vibration of the eardrum (46), an actuator (26, 60) for stimulating the user's hearing, and a driver unit (48, 148) for transforming the second intermediate signals into an input signal to the actuator (26, 60).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2010Publication date: July 4, 2013Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS AGInventors: Stefan Menzl, Herbert Bächler
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Publication number: 20130006044Abstract: A hearing aid including a permanent magnet to be fixed at a patient's incus (26), an audio signal source (14), an audio signal processing unit (16) for processing audio signals from the audio signal source, a driver unit (18) including a coil (22) for generating a magnetic field (25) that vibrates the permanent magnet according to the processed audio signals in order to stimulate the patient's hearing, and a measurement arrangement (56, 58, 60) for measuring the magnetic coupling between the coil and the permanent magnet in order to adjust the position of the coil or the input signals to the coil provided by the driver unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2010Publication date: January 3, 2013Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20120014545Abstract: There is provided a hearing instrument comprising an audio signal processing unit for processing audio signals and means for mechanically applying acoustic waves to the blood in a blood vessel of a user in the audible frequency range according to the processed audio signals in order to stimulate the user's hearing sense.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2009Publication date: January 19, 2012Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20120016181Abstract: There is provided an at least partially implantable hearing system comprising a microphone assembly for capturing audio signals from ambient sound; an audio signal processing unit for processing the audio signals captured by the microphone assembly; an implantable main electromechanical output transducer for direct mechanical stimulation of the cochlea according to the audio signals processed by the audio signal processing unit; an implantable box having a central part and an open flange for penetrating through the cochlear wall into the perilymph fluid, wherein the inner cross section of the central part is larger than the inner cross section of the flange; and wherein the electromechanical output transducer is for acting on the perilymph fluid in the central part of the box through a port provided at the box.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2009Publication date: January 19, 2012Applicant: ADVANCED BIONICS AGInventors: Stefan Menzl, Achim Kitschmann, Gerard Loquet
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Patent number: 7899199Abstract: A hearing device (1) and a method to operate a hearing device (1), the method comprising the steps of selecting a hearing program from a set of hearing programs, the set comprising at least two hearing programs, one of which is a mute hearing program being defined by applying no or only a reduced signal to a receiver of the hearing device (1), operating the hearing device (1) in the mute hearing program after it has been activated, monitoring an input signal to the hearing device (1), selecting another hearing program than the mute hearing program after a predefined activity has been detected in the input signal, and operating the hearing device (1) according to the selected hearing program.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2005Date of Patent: March 1, 2011Assignee: Phonak AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20080107296Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for recording information in a hearing device and/or in a recording unit at least temporally operationally connected to the hearing device. The method consists in that a point in time of the recording and/or a recording frequency as well as the information to be recorded, as data and/or parameters and/or adjustments of the hearing device are adjusted freely or are programmable, respectively. Furthermore, a hearing device is described that is suitable to use the method. By the present invention, a multitude of the parameters being adjustable in a hearing device can be checked or surveyed all together or selectively in real, i.e. actually existing acoustic environments in order to optimally adjust or adapt the hearing device afterwards, that means after the analysis by the fitter, for example.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 16, 2008Publication date: May 8, 2008Applicant: PHONAK AGInventors: Herbert Bachler, Volker Kuhnel, Silvia Allegro, Stefan Menzl, Hilmar Meier, Michael Boretzki, Stefan Launer, Ivo Hasler, Hans-Ueli Roeck, Christoph Widmer
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Publication number: 20070230711Abstract: A method for wirelessly adjusting one or more hearing devices (1, . . . , 3) with a central unit (4) is presented, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a wireless network (6) wirelessly connecting the central unit (4) to hearing devices (1, . . . , 3), which are responsive to said wireless network (6), detecting said hearing devices (1, . . . , 3), identifying one or more of the detected hearing devices (1, . . . , 3, selecting one or more of the identified hearing devices (1, . . . , 3), establishing a wireless link from the central unit (4) to at least one of the identified hearing devices (1, . . . , 3), and adjusting the at least one identified hearing device (1, . . . , 3). Therewith, an audiologist is able to unambiguously assign one or two hearing devices (1, . . . , 3) in a fitting session, even if multiple hearing devices are within the range of the wireless network (6) or wireless transmitter, respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2006Publication date: October 4, 2007Applicant: Phonak AGInventors: Ivo Hasler, Hubert Lechner, Patrick Baechler, Bernd Waldmann, Stefan Menzl, Christian Brunner
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Publication number: 20070127749Abstract: A hearing device (1) and a method to operate a hearing device (1), the method comprising the steps of selecting a hearing program from a set of hearing programs, the set comprising at least two hearing programs, one of which is a mute hearing program being defined by applying no or only a reduced signal to a receiver of the hearing device (1), operating the hearing device (1) in the mute hearing program after it has been activated, monitoring an input signal to the hearing device (1), selecting another hearing program than the mute hearing program after a predefined activity has been detected in the input signal, and operating the hearing device (1) according to the selected hearing program.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2005Publication date: June 7, 2007Applicant: Phonak AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20070121980Abstract: The hearing device comprises an insertable part, which is to be inserted into an ear canal of a user of the hearing device. The insertable part may be identical with the hearing device itself, and the insertable part comprises a casing, which casing comprises a deformable part. The hearing device comprises means for changing a cross-sectional area of the deformable part, which change in the cross-sectional area is reversible. The means for changing a cross-sectional area of the deformable part may comprise at least one deformable volume containing a fixed amount of a filler. The means can be a means for changing the cross-sectional area of the deformable part through changing the axial extension of the deformable part. The means can be a volume capacity change means for changing the cross-sectional area of the deformable part through changing the capacity of a variable volume arranged within the hearing device, the deformable part being arranged on the outside of the variable volume.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2005Publication date: May 31, 2007Applicant: Phonak AGInventor: Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20060104463Abstract: In a process for filtering interfering signals, occurring with largely known constant repetition frequency at the use of hearing devices in or at the hearing device the repetition frequency of the interference signal shall be detected and at recognition of the known constant frequency the signal shall be suppressed or damped respectively at the expected next point of time at least partially. The detection can happen for instance via the duty cycle and/or the basic frequency of the interference signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2004Publication date: May 18, 2006Inventors: Hans-Ueli Roeck, Stefan Menzl
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Publication number: 20060083386Abstract: In order to switch between different hearing programs to adjust to a momentary acoustic scene, a method for adjusting a hearing device, in which one of several possible hearing programs can be selected in order to adjust to a momentary acoustic scene, the method comprising the steps of detecting a desired hearing program change, changing parameters (b1, . . . , bm) of a transfer function provided between a microphone (M1) and a receiver of the hearing device in order to adapt it to the detected hearing program change, adjusting the parameters (b1, . . . , bm) to be changed from a momentary value to a desired value in such a manner that a smooth transition is perceived by the hearing device user while changing from a momentary hearing program to the desired hearing program, whereas each of the smooth transition is individually adjustable.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2004Publication date: April 20, 2006Inventors: Silvia Allegro-Baumann, Stefan Menzl, Hilmar Meier
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Publication number: 20050249368Abstract: A method for deploying hearing instrument fitting software wherein the fitting software comprises executable fitting program code (13) configured to process fitting program data (12,14) on a programmable data processor (11), comprises the steps of reading fitting program definition data (3) from data storage means provided in the hearing instrument (1), determining, from the fitting program definition data (3), at least part of least one of the fitting program data (12,14) and the fitting program code (13). The hearing instrument itself comprises the information defining the fitting software—be it the complete fitting software or an update or change to a fitting software residing in an external device.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2004Publication date: November 10, 2005Applicant: Phonak AGInventors: Stefan Menzl, Ivo Hasler, Daniel Eisenegger
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Publication number: 20050220315Abstract: A hearing device is activated by operating the hearing device in an operating mode in a first phase after supplying energy to internal circuitry of the hearing device, by operating the hearing device in a reduced operating mode in a second phase and by operating the hearing device in a selectable operating mode in a third phase. Thereby, the hearing device user can examine a correct functioning of the hearing device before its insertion into the ear. In addition, the hearing device can thereafter be inserted without that a feedback signal is generated.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 6, 2004Publication date: October 6, 2005Applicant: Phonak AGInventors: Stefan Menzl, Ivo Hasler