Patents by Inventor Zachary Mark Smith

Zachary Mark Smith 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: 9956406
    Abstract: A method including reducing a stimulation artifact of an implantable stimulator including a plurality of stimulating electrodes by obtaining respective information on respective artifact voltages at a first location resulting from stimulation by one electrode group or respective electrode groups of the implanted stimulator and determining an adjustment regime based on the obtained information that results in a reduction of the stimulation artifact at the first location relative to that which would be the case in the absence of the regime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: COCHLEAR LIMITED
    Inventors: Christopher Joseph Long, Joerg Pesch, Zachary Mark Smith
  • Patent number: 9939149
    Abstract: Modern steam generators typically include a radiant section and a convection section. Due to differing performance requirements of the radiant and convection sections, the radiant section often has a round cross-section, while the convection section often has a rectangular cross-section. Previous designs utilized a target wall to effect the transition. An angled transition section is disclosed herein that substantially eliminates the target wall and/or the reverse target and provides a corresponding improvement in steam generator efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignees: PCL Industrial Services, Inc., Aera Energy LLC
    Inventors: Garry Loren Barker, Mark Elmer Pittser, Zachary Mark Smith
  • Patent number: 9844670
    Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for determining an arrangement of complex stimulation channels to optimally distribute sensory information across the channels of a multi-channel tissue-stimulating prosthesis. A tissue-stimulating prosthesis may initially be associated with a set of complex stimulation channels. A stimulation efficiency is determined for each complex stimulation channel within the set of complex stimulation channels. A first complex stimulation channel from the set of complex stimulation channels that has an associated stimulation efficiency that is below a stimulation efficiency limit is identified. The first complex stimulation channel is combined with an adjacent/neighboring complex stimulation channel to create a combined complex stimulation channel. The combined complex stimulation channel replaces both the first complex stimulation channel and the adjacent complex stimulation channel within the set of complex stimulation channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Zachary Mark Smith, Christopher Joseph Long, Jan Raymond Janssen
  • Publication number: 20170359661
    Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for dynamically setting, in real-time, a ratio of acoustical stimulation signals to electrical stimulation signals delivered by a hearing prosthesis. The ratio of the acoustical stimulation signals to the electrical stimulation signals is set based on one or more characteristics or attributes of the input sound signals that are received and processed by the hearing prosthesis in order to generate the acoustical and electrical stimulation signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Michael Goorevich, Zachary Mark Smith
  • Patent number: 9713715
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the timing of stimulation applied using a medical device. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then determines the envelopes of these band-pass filtered signals. Next, the medical device determines the stimulation timing (i.e., the pulse times) for the corresponding stimulation channel based on the timing of a particular phase (e.g., a peak, a minimum, etc.) of the envelope. A pulse amplitude for the stimulation channel may then be determined, and stimulation applied using the determined amplitude and pulse time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Zachary Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20170171671
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for discontinuously recording audio input representative of an audio environment. The audio environment can be an environment of a recipient of a hearing prosthesis and the discontinuously recorded audio input can be used to characterize the audio environment of the recipient, to control settings of the hearing prosthesis, or to provide some other application. Discontinuously recording the audio input can provide a recording that characterizes the audio environment of the recipient while protecting the privacy of individuals speaking nearby the recipient. Discontinuously recording the audio input may include recording discontinuous time segments of the audio input such that the semantic content of speech within the audio input, the identity of speakers in the audio input, or other private information present in the audio input is masked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Zachary Mark Smith, Harish Krishnamoorthi
  • Publication number: 20160339245
    Abstract: Presented herein are dynamic current steering techniques in which a dynamic stimulation pulse is delivered to a recipient as current stimulation applied across a plurality of stimulation channels. The current stimulation is weighted and applied in a pattern that results in a time varying progressive change in the location of a locus of the current stimulation across the plurality of channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Stefan Jozef Mauger, Zachary Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20160206879
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the timing of stimulation applied using a medical device. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then determines the envelopes of these band-pass filtered signals. Next, the medical device determines the stimulation timing (i.e., the pulse times) for the corresponding stimulation channel based on the timing of a particular phase (e.g., a peak, a minimum, etc.) of the envelope. A pulse amplitude for the stimulation channel may then be determined, and stimulation applied using the determined amplitude and pulse time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventor: Zachary Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20160175592
    Abstract: Presented herein are techniques for determining an arrangement of complex stimulation channels to optimally distribute sensory information across the channels of a multi-channel tissue-stimulating prosthesis. A tissue-stimulating prosthesis may initially be associated with a set of complex stimulation channels. A stimulation efficiency is determined for each complex stimulation channel within the set of complex stimulation channels. A first complex stimulation channel from the set of complex stimulation channels that has an associated stimulation efficiency that is below a stimulation efficiency limit is identified. The first complex stimulation channel is combined with an adjacent/neighboring complex stimulation channel to create a combined complex stimulation channel. The combined complex stimulation channel replaces both the first complex stimulation channel and the adjacent complex stimulation channel within the set of complex stimulation channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Zachary Mark Smith, Christopher Joseph Long, Jan Raymond Janssen
  • Patent number: 9339648
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the timing of stimulation applied using a medical device. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then determines the envelopes of these band-pass filtered signals. Next, the medical device determines the stimulation timing (i.e., the pulse times) for the corresponding stimulation channel based on the timing of a particular phase (e.g., a peak, a minimum, etc.) of the envelope. A pulse amplitude for the stimulation channel may then be determined, and stimulation applied using the determined amplitude and pulse time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Zachary Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20160080878
    Abstract: A device, including an actuator configured to evoke a hearing percept via actuation thereof, wherein the device is configured to make a detection of at least one phenomenon related to the actuator that is indicative of a recipient of the device speaking and control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control an operation of the device based on the detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Martin Evert Gustaf HILLBRATT, Tobias GOOD, Zachary Mark SMITH
  • Publication number: 20150343217
    Abstract: A method, comprising, fitting an electrical stimulating device to the recipient, the electrical stimulating device including electrodes implanted in the recipient, the electrical stimulating device being a multipolar electrical stimulating device, wherein the fitting includes simultaneously applying multipolar stimulation to the recipient via the electrodes based on at least two different stimulation channels of the electrical stimulating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventor: Zachary Mark SMITH
  • Publication number: 20150258337
    Abstract: A method including reducing a stimulation artefact of an implantable stimulator including a plurality of stimulating electrodes by obtaining respective information on respective artefact voltages at a first location resulting from stimulation by one electrode group or respective electrode groups of the implanted stimulator and determining an adjustment regime based on the obtained information that results in a reduction of the stimulation artefact at the first location relative to that which would be the case in the absence of the regime.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Christopher Joseph LONG, Joerg PESCH, Zachary Mark SMITH
  • Publication number: 20150034024
    Abstract: Modern steam generators typically include a radiant section and a convection section. Due to differing performance requirements of the radiant and convection sections, the radiant section often has a round cross-section, while the convection section often has a rectangular cross-section. Previous designs utilized a target wall to effect the transition. An angled transition section is disclosed herein that substantially eliminates the target wall and/or the reverse target and provides a corresponding improvement in steam generator efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicants: Aera Energy LLC, PCL Industrial Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Garry Loren Barker, Mark Elmer Pittser, Zachary Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20140222104
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the timing of stimulation applied using a medical device. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then determines the envelopes of these band-pass filtered signals. Next, the medical device determines the stimulation timing (i.e., the pulse times) for the corresponding stimulation channel based on the timing of a particular phase (e.g., a peak, a minimum, etc.) of the envelope. A pulse amplitude for the stimulation channel may then be determined, and stimulation applied using the determined amplitude and pulse time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Inventor: Zachary Mark Smith
  • Patent number: 8688222
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the timing of stimulation applied using a medical device. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then determines the envelopes of these band-pass filtered signals. Next, the medical device determines the stimulation timing (i.e., the pulse times) for the corresponding stimulation channel based on the timing of a particular phase (e.g., a peak, a minimum, etc.) of the envelope. A pulse amplitude for the stimulation channel may then be determined, and stimulation applied using the determined amplitude and pulse time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: Zachary Mark Smith
  • Publication number: 20100198300
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the timing of stimulation applied using a medical device. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then determines the envelopes of these band-pass filtered signals. Next, the medical device determines the stimulation timing (i.e., the pulse times) for the corresponding stimulation channel based on the timing of a particular phase (e.g., a peak, a minimum, etc.) of the envelope. A pulse amplitude for the stimulation channel may then be determined, and stimulation applied using the determined amplitude and pulse time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: COCHLEAR LIMITED
    Inventor: Zachary Mark Smith