Portable case for modular hearing assistance devices

• US 10,728,642 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2018
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Solum, Jeffrey Paul, Kasahara, Yoshi, Young, Christopher D., Haubrich, Gregory John, Varghese, Preetham
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sean H
• Application Number:
  US16/135,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20190268703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 381323
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6815 Ear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/10 Control circuit supply, e.g. means for supplying power to the control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/021 Behind the ear [BTE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/023 Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• 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 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 : Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/17 : Hearing device specific tools used for storing or handling hearing devices or parts thereof, e.g. placement in the ear, replacement of cerumen barriers, repair, cleaning hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 : Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 : using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 : using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 : using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 : Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 : of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/65 : Housing parts, e.g. shells, tips or moulds, or their manufacture

Abstract

A portable case for storing hearing assistance devices is described that includes at least one retention structure configured to retain at least part of a hearing assistance device, one or more communication units configured to exchange information between the portable case and one or more external devices, and at least one processor. The processor is configured to: detect when the at least one retention structure shares an electrical connection with the at least part of the hearing assistance device that is retained by the at least one retention structure; and responsive to receiving data, from the hearing assistance device, via the electrical connection, while the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure, cause the one or more communication units to communicate with exchange the information data between the portable case and the one or more external devices.

Claims

1. A portable case for storing hearing assistance devices, the portable case comprising:

at least one retention structure configured to retain at least part of a hearing assistance device;

one or more communication units configured to exchange information between the portable case and one or more external devices;

one or more input components configured to detect user inputs as part of a user interface, wherein the one or more input components comprise an inertial measurement component configured to detect user gestures performed while holding the portable case; and

at least one processor configured to;

detect when the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure; and

responsive to receiving data, from the hearing assistance device, while the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure, cause the one or more communication units to communicate with the one or more external devices.

2. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the one or more external devices include:

a computing device, the hearing assistance device, or at least one other hearing assistance device.

3. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the one or more communication units are configured for wireless communication between the portable case and the one or more external devices.

4. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the one or more communication units are configured for wired communication between the portable case and the one or more external devices.

5. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the one or more communication units are configured to communicate with the one or more external devices via at least one of:

a near field communication radio, a Bluetooth®

radio, a Wi-Fi®

radio, a cellular radio, a software defined radio, a multimodal radio, a near field magnetic induction radio, or a radio configured to communicate via a wireless intra or inter body-network protocol.

6. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive, via the one or more communication units, first data from a first external device of the one or more external devices, the first data being encoded according to a first communication protocol;

after decoding the first data, generate second data, the second data being encoded according to a second communication protocol; and

send, via the one or more communication units, the second data to a second external device of the one or more external devices that is different than the first external device.

7. The portable case of claim 6, wherein:

the hearing assistance device is a first hearing assistance device;

the first external device is the first hearing assistance device; and

the second external device is a second hearing assistance device.

8. The portable case of claim 6, wherein:

the hearing assistance device is a first hearing assistance device;

the first external device is the first hearing assistance device;

the second external device is a second hearing assistance device; and

the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are a wireless intra or inter body network protocol.

9. The portable case of claim 6, wherein:

the first external device is the hearing assistance device;

the second external device is a mobile computing device;

the first communication protocol is a wireless intra or inter body network protocol; and

the second communication protocol is a second wireless communication protocol that is different than the wireless intra or inter body network protocol.

10. The portable case of claim 6, wherein the first data and the second data comprise audio data.

11. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

responsive to causing the one or more communication units to communicate with the one or more external devices, execute, based on information exchanged between the portable case and the one or more external devices, one or more operations on behalf of the one or more external devices.

12. The portable case of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, wherein the at least one processor is configured to wirelessly transmit audio captured using the microphone to the one or more external devices.

13. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the one or more input components comprise a microphone configured to detect voice commands.

14. The portable case of claim 1, wherein the one or more input components comprise a presence-sensitive input component configured to detect touch inputs.

15. The portable case of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more output components configured to generate outputs of a user interface, wherein the one or more output components comprise one or more of a display, a speaker, or a haptic feedback component configured to present the user interface.

16. The portable case of claim 1, further comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores at least one of;

instructions of one or more application programs that are executable by the at least one processor;

or

user data accessed by the one or more application programs when executing at the at least one processor.

17. The portable case of claim 1, further comprising charging circuitry configured to charge an energy storage device of at least one of:

the portable case or the hearing assistance device.

18. A method comprising:

detecting, by a portable case for storing hearing assistance devices, when at least part of a hearing assistance device is retained by at least one retention structure of the portable case;

receiving, by the portable case, from the hearing assistance device and while the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure, data;

responsive to receiving the data while the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure, communicating, by the portable case, using one or more communication units of the portable case and based on the data, with one or more external devices;

detecting, by an inertial measurement component of the portable case, user gestures; and

performing, by the portable case and based on the detected user gestures, an operation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more external devices include:

a computing device, the hearing assistance device, or at least one other hearing assistance device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein communicating with the one or more external devices comprises communicating via at least one communication unit from the one or more communication units that includes a near field communication radio, a Bluetooth®

radio, a Wi-Fi®

radio, a cellular radio, a software defined radio, a multimodal radio, a near field magnetic induction radio, or a radio configured to communicate via a wireless intra or inter body-network protocol.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the portable cases, via the one or more communication units, first data from a first external device of the one or more external devices, the first data being encoded according to a first communication protocol;

after decoding the first data, generating, by the portable case, second data, the second data being encoded according to a second communication protocol; and

sending, by the portable case, via the one or more communication units, the second data to a second external device of the one or more external devices that is different than the first external device.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

responsive to causing the one or more communication units to communicate with the one or more external devices, executing, by the portable case, based on information exchanged between the portable case and the one or more external devices, one or more operations on behalf of the one or more external devices.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

charging, by the portable case, via circuitry of the portable case, an energy storage device of at least one of;

the portable case or the hearing assistance device.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a portable case for storing hearing assistance devices, cause the at least one processor to:

detect when at least part of a hearing assistance device is retained by at least one retention structure of the portable case;

receive, from the hearing assistance device and while the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure, data;

responsive to receiving the data while the at least part of the hearing assistance device is retained by the at least one retention structure, communicate, using one or more communication units of the portable cases and based on the data, with one or more external devices;

detect, based on data generated by an inertial measurement component of the portable case, user gestures; and

perform, based on the detected user gestures, an operation.