Patents by Inventor Tom Weidner

Tom Weidner 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: 8199946
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hearing aid with a sound receiver for generating a microphone signal representing a sound wave received and a sound generator for generating a sound depending on a power signal received. The hearing aid has a transmission unit which on the input side is connected to the sound receiver and on the output side to the sound generator and generates a power signal depending on a microphone signal received. The transmission unit modifies a transmission characteristic of the transmission unit as a function of a tag signal received. The hearing aid has a radio frequency detection device connected to the transmission unit, with a spatial detection zone where the radio frequency detection device detects, electromagnetically and in particular inductively, a radio frequency tag and, depending on the radio frequency tag, to generate a tag signal and to output this to the transmission unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Hartmut Ritter, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20120114157
    Abstract: A method for determining moisture on a covering of a microphone opening of a hearing aid housing without additional components includes determination of an acoustic parameter originating from an earpiece in a microphone signal of a microphone disposed below the covering, comparison of the determined acoustic parameter with a reference parameter characteristic of moisture on the covering, and emission of a moisture signal if the determined acoustic parameter lies within a predefinable tolerance range of the reference parameter. An associated hearing aid and a computer program product for implementing the method, are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Georg-Erwin Arndt, Hartmut Ritter, Meike Steinbuss, Tom Weidner
  • Patent number: 8068628
    Abstract: Data is exchanged between a hearing device and a connectable unit. The data, such as an identification code, may be read from the unit. Data may also be output to the connectable unit. The connectable unit may include a random access memory. Furthermore, the connectable unit may include a sequence control element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Inventors: Hartmut Ritter, Tom Weidner
  • Patent number: 8045740
    Abstract: A hearing device opening in a housing of an in-the-ear hearing device is to be able to be sealed in a simple manner. To this end, an elastic band is provided, which is attached to a second housing part and/or faceplate and to a first housing part or inside the second housing part. The band pulls the second housing part into the corresponding opening of the first housing part. The second housing part is herewith automatically brought into position and retained. An electrical component can be mounted on the elastic band if necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Harald Klemenz, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20110194718
    Abstract: A receiver tube for a hearing aid has an integrated strain relief. A receiver mounted at the end of the receiver tube is normally worn in the auditory canal of a hearing aid wearer. It is pulled out of the auditory canal by pulling at the receiver tube or also separated from the receiver tube for the purpose of cleaning or exchange. Due to the tensile forces, the flexible receiver tube is stretched and elongated. This longitudinal extension may under certain circumstances amount to up to several millimeters and load or even damage the connection of the less extensible conductor to the receiver or to the hearing aid extending through the receiver tube due to tension. The novel receiver tube has a strain relief with a strain aid that is inexpensive to produce and benefitting a small diameter, has a high visual transparency and a high flexibility of the receiver tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Andreas Ratay, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20100296681
    Abstract: In hearing devices, more particularly in hearing aids, it is desirable to be able to design an earpiece for generating sound in the audible range which is as small as possible. Such an earpiece can then be worn comfortably on an ear or in an auditory canal. A sound transducer for the hearing device disclosed here may be formed as a micro-electromechanical system and the transducer enables generation of an acoustic signal with little distortion. Provision is made for a hearing device with a sound transducer, which has a field generation apparatus for generating an electric or magnetic field and an emission apparatus for generating sound. Here, the emission apparatus has a multiplicity of fingers that are penetrated by the field of the field generation apparatus, wherein the shape of the fingers can be changed by means of the field of the field generation apparatus in order to generate the sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS PTE. LTD
    Inventors: Thorsten Albach, Reinhard Lerch, Alexander Sutor, Tom Weidner, Christian Weistenhöfer
  • Patent number: 7711132
    Abstract: The object is to ensure that device signals intended, for example, to inform hearing aid wearers about program changes or the end of a battery's life are perceived independently of ambient noise. Provision is therefore made, for instance, for reducing the level of the input signal with the aid of a gain adjuster (12) so that a device signal from a generator (4) driven via a control element (6) such as, for example, a program-changing switch, and via a control logic (5) can be perceived. Other possible solutions are to change the level of the device signal as a function of the level of the input signal or to mute the input signal while the device signal is fed out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Birgit Küfner, Tom Weidner
  • Patent number: 7702121
    Abstract: The automatic switching of acoustic systems and especially of hearing aids into different processing programs is to be improved. To this end there is provision for the signal processing device of the acoustic system to feature a high-frequency detector for analysis of an input signal, with the output signal of said device being able to be used for processing one or more input signals by the signal processing unit. Specifically the presence of an active mobile telephone which emits electromagnetic radiation in the high-frequency range can be established in this way. This enables the system to be switched into telephone made with a high degree of certainty to suit a particular situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Kunibert Husung, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20090310806
    Abstract: A battery compartment has a spring element for securing a battery in the battery compartment where the spring element is secured in the battery compartment in such a way that it can be replaced, for example upon slackening of the spring tension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: Werner Fickweiler, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20090196446
    Abstract: A hearing aid is provided. The hearing aid has a one- or multi-part carrying hook. The one- or multi-part carrying hook has a tip for connection to a sound tube, the tip being connected integrally to a damper extending across the internal cross-section of the tip, the damper preferably being designed as a membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Hartmut Ritter, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20090161897
    Abstract: An electroacoustic miniature converter for hearing devices is described. This includes a polyhedral housing module and an elastic retaining device, with the housing module and the retaining device being embodied such that the retaining device is connected to exclusively one single surface of the housing module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventors: Wemer Fickweiler, Markus Trautner, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20090034749
    Abstract: A hearing apparatus includes a charging contact being movable relative to an accumulator and being electrically conductively connected to the accumulator in a first position and less effectively conductively connected thereto in a second position. A spring-elastic element engages with the charging contact in order to push the charging contact into the second position with a predetermined force, so that the charging contact can only be pushed into the first position by overcoming the predetermined force. As a result, the charging contact configuration obtains a switching function, so that electro-corrosion on the charging contacts can be prevented. Therefore, charging an accumulator of a hearing apparatus and in particular of a hearing device using a direct conductive contact is possible, with zero potential of the charging contacts which are accessible from the outside being ensured during normal operation of the hearing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Harald Klemenz, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20090010467
    Abstract: Data is exchanged between a hearing device and a connectable unit. The data, such as an identification code, may be read from the unit. Data may also be output to the connectable unit. The connectable unit may include a random access memory. Furthermore, the connectable unit may include a sequence control element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventors: Hartmut Ritter, Tom Weidner
  • Patent number: 7400738
    Abstract: An acoustic module for a hearing aid device has at least one microphone and at least one earphone (acoustic output transducer) combined together as a unit, the unit including a signal-processing unit for feedback suppression that is connected with the microphone and the earphone. Feedback signal portions are removed from the microphone signal by the signal-processing unit. The acoustic module places acousto-mechanical components within a unitary component, with acousto-mechanical characteristics that can be measured and included in the signal processing for feedback suppression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Torsten Niederdränk, Tom Weidner, Christian Weistenhöfer
  • Publication number: 20080123881
    Abstract: With a hearing aid device, the problem arises of having to match the output power and/or the frequency response of the hearing aid device to the level of hearing impairment of the patient as precisely as possible. In such cases allowance must be made for the noise level, which is a function of the technology used, to be kept as low as possible and for the signal-to-noise level to be as great as possible. A switching arrangement and/or a hearing aid device and method are provided in which the power amplifier is embodied with at least two output stages. The outputs of the individual output stages can be connected in parallel by means of a controllable switching facility. A simple adjustment of the output power and/or frequency response can be achieved in this way by simply connecting a corresponding number of output stages in parallel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2007
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Inventors: Christian Alexander, Thomas Dickel, Gunter Sauer, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20080123885
    Abstract: In a feedback compensation method and a feedback compensator in an acoustic amplification system such as a hearing aid, an adaptive feedback compensation filter generates a compensation signal from the amplified output signal, and one or more filters restrict the frequency range in which the compensation signal is generated. These filters are adaptable with regard to their filter function during the operation of the feedback compensator. The adaptation ensues with an analysis and control unit that checks the frequency range affected by the feedback and adapts the filter functions of the filters to it. The checking ensues, for example, by a comparison of the filter function of the feedback compensation filter with the filter functions of the filters to restrict the frequency range, or with the use of an oscillation detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Inventor: Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20080025537
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hearing aid with a sound receiver for generating a microphone signal representing a sound wave received and a sound generator for generating a sound depending on a power signal received. The hearing aid has a transmission unit which on the input side is connected to the sound receiver and on the output side to the sound generator and generates a power signal depending on a microphone signal received. The transmission unit modifies a transmission characteristic of the transmission unit as a function of a tag signal received. The hearing aid has a radio frequency detection device connected to the transmission unit, with a spatial detection zone where the radio frequency detection device detects, electromagnetically and in particular inductively, a radio frequency tag and, depending on the radio frequency tag, to generate a tag signal and to output this to the transmission unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: Hartmut Ritter, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20070269051
    Abstract: The size of measuring boxes for hearing apparatuses and in particular for hearing devices is to be reduced, with the efficiency of the measuring box in respect of attenuating interference noises being maintained or improved. A measuring box is thus proposed, which comprises an interference signal recording facility for recording an interference signal. Furthermore, provision is made in the measuring box for a signal generating facility to generate a compensation signal which is phase-opposed to the recorded interference signal, so that the interference signal can be compensated for by the compensation signal. The interference noise attenuation is thus achieved here by an electronic active part, so that the quality demands on the measurement space can be reduced and its size thereby decreased as well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventor: Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20070269068
    Abstract: Feedback whistle in hearing devices is intended to be able to be suppressed without loss of output of the useful signal. To this end, it is provided to establish or predetermine a frequency range which is susceptible to feedback. From an input signal which has a spectral component in the frequency range susceptible to feedback, a predeterminable component is substituted with a synthetic signal. Mixing-in a synthetic signal is also possibly used to widen the spectrum of an input signal, which is limited.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventors: Ulrich Komagel, Tom Weidner
  • Publication number: 20070269070
    Abstract: There is described a hearing device. A module is enabled to be easily attached to the casing of a hearing device, in particular a hearing aid. Toward that end a bridge is provided which has a drilled hole. A screw is inserted through a drilled hole in the module and screwed into the drilled hole of the bridge so that the module or, as the case may be, the closure of the opening is compressed onto the opening by means of the screw. Alternatively a cylindrical projection into which the screw is screwed can also be molded onto the inner wall of the casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventors: Robert Kasanmascheff, Harald Klemenz, Frank Koch, Tom Weidner