In-ear hearing test probe devices and methods and systems using same

• US 10,368,785 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Diagnostic Hearing Assessment LLC
• Original Assignee: East Carolina University (University of North Carolina System)
• Inventors: Givens, Gregg D., Yao, Jianchu
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan, Robert W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coleman, Charles P
• Application Number:
  US15/812,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20180064374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2, 705 3, 705 20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A medical hearing testing method includes: inserting an in-ear test probe that is coupled to a hearing test adapter into an ear of a patient at a patient site; receiving device identification data at a web portal operating on a first electronic device over an electronic network between the first electronic device and the hearing test adapter, wherein the device identification data is uniquely identifies the hearing test adapter; receiving a control operation associated with a test session from the first user at the web portal; and responsive to receiving the control operation, transmitting an operational command from the web portal to the hearing test adapter over the electronic network, wherein the operational command controls an operation of the test probe.

Claims

1. A medical hearing testing method comprising:

inserting a first test probe that is coupled to a first hearing test adapter into an ear of a first patient at a first patient site, wherein the first hearing test adapter comprises a first integrated audiometer and a first communication circuit configured to convert a first control operation into a first operational command for the first integrated audiometer and/or the first test probe, wherein the first control operation is received from a network protocol of an electronic network;

inserting a second test probe that is coupled to a second hearing test adapter into an ear of a second patient at a second patient site, different from the first patient site, wherein the second hearing test adapter comprises a second integrated audiometer and a second communication circuit configured to convert a second control operation into a second operational command for the second integrated audiometer and/or the second test probe, wherein the second control operation is received from the network protocol of the electronic network;

electronically establishing a first session between a first user and a web portal and providing a first user interface that is customized based on first access permissions for the first user over the web portal, wherein the first access permissions permit the first user to control the first hearing test adapter and the second hearing test adapter using the first user interface;

electronically establishing a second session between a second user and the web portal and providing a second user interface, different from the first user interface, that is customized based on second access permissions for the second user over the web portal;

electronically establishing a third session between a third user and the web portal and providing a third user interface over the web portal, different from the first user interface, that is customized based on third access permissions for the third user;

controlling first and second concurrent hearing tests at the first and second patient sites, respectively, by electronically transmitting, by the first user, the first control operation to the first hearing test adapter and the second control operation to the second hearing test adapter;

converting, by the first communication circuit, the first control operation into the first operational command, wherein the first operational command controls an operation of the first integrated audiometer and/or the first test probe;

converting, by the second communication circuit, the second control operation into the second operational command, wherein the second operational command controls an operation of the second integrated audiometer and/or the second test probe; and

transmitting, to the first user via the web portal, a first response from the first hearing test adapter and a second response from the second hearing test adapter responsive to the first operational command and the second operational command, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational command controls the operation of the first test probe to alter an ear canal pressure of the first patient.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein altering the ear canal pressure of the first patient comprises increasing a pressure of the ear canal of the first patient with respect to an atmospheric pressure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein altering the ear canal pressure of the first patient comprises remotely electronically controlling operation of a manometer and/or a pump associated with the first test probe.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first operational command controls the operation of the first test probe to output a tone using a speaker associated with the first test probe during and/or after altering the ear canal pressure of the first patient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational command controls the operation of the first test probe to output a tone using a speaker associated with the first test probe and to measure sound that reflects off a tympanic membrane of the first patient'"'"'s ear using a microphone associated with the first test probe.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational command is used to determine if the first test probe is sealingly engaged with the first patient'"'"'s ear.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the first response to the first operational command from the first hearing test adapter over the electronic network at the web portal; and

electronically storing the first response in a storage medium coupled to the web portal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first response is received at the web portal on a first date, and

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a third response to a third operational command from the first hearing test adapter over the electronic network at the web portal on a second date; and

analyzing the first response and the third response to develop a hearing trend for the first patient.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

altering a frequency of testing for the first patient responsive to the hearing trend.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational command controls the operation of the first integrated audiometer and/or the first test probe to alter an audio frequency of a tone transmitted by the first test probe into the ear of the first patient.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting multimedia communications between the first user and the first patient over the electronic network during the first hearing test, wherein transmitting multimedia communications comprises transmitting speech of the first patient during the test first hearing test.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the first hearing test adapter is a portable electronic device,

wherein a connection between the first integrated audiometer and the first hearing test adapter is a hardwired connection within the portable electronic device, and

wherein the first integrated audiometer comprises a tone generator configured to be controlled remotely so as to generate tone presentations that comply with hearing diagnostic standards.

13. A medical hearing test method comprising:

(a) receiving a hearing test adapter from a plurality of hearing test adapters shipped to a plurality of different patient sites;

(b) receiving first device identification data uniquely identifying a first hearing test adapter at a first patient site from among the plurality of different patient sites;

(c) transmitting the first device identification data from the first hearing test adapter to a web portal remote from the first patient site;

(d) transmitting a first access request from a first user at the first patient site to the web portal requesting a first hearing testing session;

(e) responsive to the first access request, receiving a first user interface at the first patient site from the web portal that is customized based on access permissions for the first user, wherein the access permissions permit the first user to provide hearing test feedback responsive to operation of the first hearing test adapter;

(f) receiving from the web portal an indication that a first test session has been created;

(g) receiving a first control operation associated with the first test session from the web portal;

(h) responsive to receiving the first control operation, transmitting a first operational command to the first hearing test adapter, wherein the first operational command changes an operation of the first hearing test adapter;

(i) responsive to the change in the operation of the first hearing test adapter, transmitting first test feedback from the first user to the web portal; and

further comprising the following steps at least some of which are carried out concurrently with steps (b) through (i);

receiving second device identification data uniquely identifying a second hearing test adapter at a second patient site from among the plurality of different patient sites;

transmitting the second device identification data from the second hearing test adapter to the web portal remote from the second patient site;

transmitting a second access request from a second user at the second patient site to the web portal requesting a second hearing testing session;

responsive to the second access request, receiving a second user interface at the second patient site from the web portal that is customized based on access permissions for the second user, wherein the access permissions permit the second user to provide hearing test feedback responsive to operation of the second hearing test adapter;

receiving from the web portal an indication that a second test session has been created;

receiving a second control operation associated with the second test session from the web portal;

responsive to receiving the second control operation, transmitting a second operational command to the second hearing test adapter, wherein the second operational command changes an operation of the second hearing test adapter; and

responsive to the change in the operation of the second hearing test adapter, transmitting second test feedback from the second user to the web portal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the first device identification data uniquely identifying the first hearing test adapter comprises receiving the first device identification data from the first hearing test adapter coupled via an electronic interface between the first hearing test adapter and a first electronic device at the first patient site.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

communicating with a microphone coupled to a first electronic device at the first patient site and/or coupled to the first hearing test adapter to receive measurements of environmental noise at the first patient site;

selecting an output device of a plurality of output devices to be coupled to the first hearing test adapter responsive to the received measurements of the environmental noise; and

prior to transmitting the first operational command to the first hearing test adapter, providing an electronic message to the first user indicating the output device to be coupled to the first hearing test adapter.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

adjusting the first operational command transmitted to the first hearing test adapter responsive to the received measurements of the environmental noise.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first operational command changes the operation of the first hearing test adapter to alter an audio frequency of a tone transmitted into an ear of the first user.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising inserting an in-ear test probe into an ear of the first user, wherein the first operational command changes the operation of the first hearing test adapter and/or the test probe to alter an internal pressure of the ear canal of the first user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein altering the internal pressure of the ear canal of the first user comprises increasing a pressure of the internal pressure of the ear canal of the first user with respect to an atmospheric pressure including operating a manometer and/or a pump associated with the test probe.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a transducer that is configured to be inserted in or placed on an ear of the first user and a plurality of electrodes that are configured to be placed on the first user'"'"'s face and/or head, wherein the first operational command changes the operation of the first hearing test adapter and/or the transducer to output a click, tone or speech sound using the transducer, the method further comprising transmitting, from the patient site to the web portal, data gathered from the electrodes that is in response to the click.

21. The method of claim 13 further comprising transmitting first multimedia communications to the web portal during the first test session, wherein transmitting multimedia communications comprises transmitting speech of the first user captured by a first electronic device at the first patient site and/or the first hearing test adapter during the first test session.

22. A medical hearing test system comprising:

a test probe configured to be inserted into an ear canal of a patient at a patient site;

a hearing test adapter configured to be communicatively coupled to the test probe and at the patient site, wherein the hearing test adapter comprises an integrated audiometer and a communication circuit configured to convert a control operation that is received from a network protocol into an operational command for the integrated audiometer and/or the test probe; and

a microphone coupled to the hearing test adapter and configured to receive measurements of environmental noise,

wherein the hearing test adapter is configured to perform operations comprising;

transmitting an access request requesting a hearing testing session from the hearing test adapter to a web portal over an electronic communications network between the hearing test adapter and the web portal;

responsive to the access request, receiving a user interface from the web portal that is customized based on access permissions for the patient, wherein the access permissions permit the patient to provide hearing test feedback responsive to operation of the hearing test adapter;

receiving the control operation for the integrated audiometer and/or the test probe from the web portal over the electronic communications network;

responsive to receiving the control operation, transmitting the operational command to the integrated audiometer and/or the test probe, wherein the operational command changes an operation of the integrated audiometer and/or the test probe;

receiving a response command from the integrated audiometer responsive to the operational command;

responsive to receiving the response command from the integrated audiometer, transmitting test feedback from the patient to the web portal over the electronic communications network,

communicating with the microphone to receive measurements of environmental noise at the patient site;

selecting the test probe from a plurality of output devices to be coupled to the hearing test adapter responsive to the received measurements of the environmental noise;

prior to transmitting the operational command to the integrated audiometer, providing an electronic message indicating the test probe to be coupled to the hearing test adapter; and

adjusting the operational command transmitted to the integrated audiometer responsive to the received measurements of the environmental noise.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the hearing test adapter is configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving the control operation from the web portal over the electronic communications network;

translating the control operation to a data communication comprising the operational command for the test probe; and

electronically communicating the data communication to the test probe.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the hearing test adapter is further configured to perform operations comprising:

transmitting the device identification data from the hearing test adapter to a web portal remote from the hearing test adapter.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the operational command changes the operation of the integrated audiometer to alter an audio frequency of a tone transmitted by the test probe into the ear canal of the patient.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the test probe comprises a manometer operatively associated with a pump, and wherein the operational command changes the operation of the test probe to alter an internal pressure of the ear canal of the patient using the manometer and/or the pump.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein altering the internal pressure of the ear canal of the patient comprises increasing the internal pressure of the ear canal of the patient with respect to an atmospheric pressure of the patient.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the hearing test adapter is a portable electronic device,

wherein a connection between the integrated audiometer and the hearing test adapter is a hardwired connection within the portable electronic device, and

wherein the integrated audiometer comprises a tone generator configured to be controlled remotely so as to generate tone presentations that comply with hearing diagnostic standards.