Abstract: An open ear canal hearing aid system is disclosed which comprises a plurality of ear canal tubes sized for positioning in an ear canal of a user so that the ear canal is at least partially open for directly receiving ambient sounds. The open ear canal hearing aid system further comprises a sound processor for amplifying ambient sounds received through one of the ear canal tubes within a predetermined frequency range and to produce processed sounds and for supplying the processed sounds to the second ear canal tube. According to other embodiments of the present invention, the speaker and/or microphone can be located in the ear canal at the end of the ear canal tubes. In these embodiments, the speaker and/or microphone are electrically connected to the sound processor by wires in the ear canal tubes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for discriminating the data signal of a transmitter means. Binary encoded data is transmitted between a transmitter means and a receiver means in an amplitude modulated signal varying about a threshold level. A means and method are included for determining the number of threshold crossings of the carrier during each of a number of discrete successive time intervals. A further method and means characterizes those of said time intervals wherein the number of threshold crossings equals or exceeds a first predetermined number as a mark, and those of said time intervals wherein the number of threshold crossings does not exceed said predetermined number as a null. The number of successive marks not separated by a predetermined number of nulls is then counted by a further aspect of the method and means.