Actuator systems for oral-based appliances

• US 10,194,255 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Soundmed, LLC
• Inventors: Menzel, Christoph, Abolfathi, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu, Qin
• Application Number:
  US15/644,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20170311100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0093 Features of implants not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0098 Immediate loaded implants
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

Actuator systems for oral-based appliances utilizing transducers which are attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a dental or oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such oral appliances may be a custom-made device which receives incoming sounds and transmits the processed sounds via a vibrating transducer element. The transducer element may utilize electromagnetic or piezoelectric transducer mechanisms and may be positioned directly along the dentition or along an oral appliance housing in various configurations.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing engageable to at least one tooth without requiring anatomical modification of the at least one tooth or bonding to the at least one tooth;

a transducer disposed within or upon the housing and configured to transmit vibrations to a surface of the at least one tooth; and

a movable mass element coupled to the transducer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is removably securable to the at least one tooth.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises an oral appliance that conforms to the at least one tooth.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an electronic assembly disposed within or upon the housing and which is in communication with the transducer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a microphone in electrical communication with a processor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transducer is disposed along an outer surface of the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transducer is disposed along an inner surface of the housing against the surface of the at least one tooth.