Portable system programming hearing aids

• US 20020168075A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Micro Ear Technology Incorporated (Starkey Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Preves, David A., Hagen, Lawrence T.
• Granted Patent: US 6,888,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

An improved hearing aid programming system with a host computer for providing at least one hearing aid program and having at least one personal computer memory card international association (PCMCIA) defined port in combination with a PCMCIA card inserted in the port and arranged for interacting with the host computer for controlling programming of a hearing aid. The host computer provides power and ground to the PCMCIA card and provides for downloading the hearing aid programming software to the PCMCIA card upon initialization. A microprocessor on the PCMCIA card executes the programming software. A hearing aid interface for adjusting voltage levels and impedance levels is adapted for coupling signals to the hearing aid being programmed. A portable programming arrangement utilizes a portable multiprogram unit to store one or more hearing aid programs, and having an electrical interconnection to a portable multiprogram unit interface, whereby one or more programs selected at the host computer can be downloaded and stored in the portable multiprogram unit. The portable multiprogram unit includes a wireless interconnection for transmitting selected ones of the programs to hearing aids to be programmed.

Claims

1. An improved hearing aid programming system comprising:

host computer means for providing at least one hearing aid program, said host computer means including at least one personal computer memory card international association (PCMCIA) defined port means for providing power circuits, data circuits, and control circuits;

PCMCIA card means coupled to said PCMCIA defined port means, for interacting with said host computer means for controlling downloading of said at least one hearing aid program from said host computer means for use in programming of at least one hearing aid; and

coupling means for wirelessly coupling said at least one hearing aid program to at least one hearing aid to be programmed.

2. An improved hearing aid programming system as in claim 1, wherein said coupling means includes:

portable programming means for storing one or more selected programs downloaded from said host computer means and utilized for programming at least one digitally programmable hearing aid.

3. An improved hearing aid programming system as in claim 2, wherein said portable programming means includes:

storage means for storing the one or more selected programs downloaded from said host computer means;

control means for controlling selection of a selected one of the one or more selected programs to be utilized in programming a digitally programmable hearing aid; and

transmitter means for transmitting said selected one of the one or more selected programs to the digitally programmable hearing aid to be programmed.

4. An improved hearing aid programming system as in claim 3, wherein said transmitter means includes:

wireless transmission means for transmitting digital signals indicative of said selected one of the one or more programs.

5. An improved hearing aid programming system as in claim 4, wherein said wireless transmission means includes:

infrared signal transmission means for transmitting digital signals indicative of said selected one of the one or more programs.

6. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 1, wherein said host computer means comprises a hand-held computer.

7. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 6, wherein said hand-held computer is a Message Pad 2000 computer.

8. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 1, wherein said PCMCIA card means is a PCMCIA defined card Type selected from a Type I Card, a Type II Card, or a Type III Card.

9. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 1, wherein said PCMCIA card means includes card information structure (CIS) means for providing predetermined card identifications signals to said host computer means.

10. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 9, wherein said PCMCIA card means includes:

memory means for storing initialization software to cause said host computer means to download hearing aid programming software to said volatile storage means, for at least temporarily storing hearing and programming software, and for at least temporarily storing selected hearing aid programs downloaded from said host computer means.

11. For use with a host computer having a memory system for storing hearing aid programs for a user, and operating system software, and at least one supported personal computer card international association (PCMCIA) defined port for providing power circuits, data circuits, and control circuits, a PCMCIA card comprising:

memory means for storing hearing aid programming software and for temporarily storing hearing aid programs;

PCMCIA interface means coupled to the PCMCIA defined port for providing card information structure (CIS) signals indicative of the identification of the PCMCIA card and for providing interface control with the host computer;

microprocessor means coupled to said memory means and to said PCMCIA interface means for executing the hearing aid programming software; and

hearing aid interface means coupled to said microprocessor means for providing hearing aid programs, whereby a hearing aid coupled thereto can be programmed.

12. A PCMCIA Card as in claim 11 wherein said interface means include:

portable programming interface means coupled to said microprocessor means for downloading one or more selected hearing aid programs from the host computer for use in programming at least one digitally programmable hearing aid.

13. A PCMCIA card as in claim 12, and further including coupling means for coupling said interface means to a hearing aid.

14. A PCMCIA card as in claim 13, wherein the PCMCIA card is a PCMCIA defined card Type selected from a Type 1 Card a Type II Card, or a Type III Card.

15. A PCMCIA Card as in claim 12, wherein said coupling means includes:

portable programming means at least temporarily coupled to said portable programming interface means, for storing the downloaded one or more selected hearing aid programs, said portable programming means including program selection means for selecting one of the downloaded one or more selected hearing aid programs, and wireless transmission means for transmitting the selected one of the downloaded one or more selected hearing aid programs to a selected digitally programmable hearing aid.

16. A PCMCIA Card as in claim 15, wherein said program selection means includes:

hearing aid selection means for selecting a right ear hearing aid or a left ear hearing aid to be programmed.

17. A PCMCIA Card as in claim 13, wherein the host computer at least temporarily stores one or more selected programs to be utilized in digitally programming at least one hearing aid, and said coupling means includes portable programming means for storing one or more selected hearing aid programs downloaded from the host computer by said microprocessor means.

18. A PCMCIA Card as in claim 17, and further including:

control means for controlling selection of one of the one or more selected programs; and

transmitting means for transmitting the selected one of the one or more programs to the selected digitally programmable hearing aid to be programmed.

20. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 19, wherein said host interface means includes card information structure means for identifying the characteristics of the hearing aid programming system.

21. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 20, wherein said initialization means includes:

nonvolatile storage means for storing initialization instructions for controlling initialization of said processor means.

22. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 21, wherein said initialization instructions include instructions for responding to said processor means for downloading said programming software and for storing the programming software in said memory means.

23. A hearing aid programming system as in claim 22, wherein said processor means retrieves the programming software from said memory means and executes the programming software for downloading the predetermined hearing aid programs from the host computer to said portable multiprogram unit interface means.

25. The method of claim 24, and further including the step of:

(g) selectively reactivating said portable programming unit to transmit a different selected one of said one or more programs to selected digitally programmable hearing aid to thereby program said digitally programmable hearing aid to a second set of hearing adjusted parameters.

27. A PCMCIA Card as in claim 26, and further including in combination:

a portable multiprogram unit removably coupled to said portable multiprogram unit interface, said portable multiprogram unit including a program storage system to store the downloaded ones of said one or more selected hearing aid programs, a control system for selecting one of said one or more selected hearing aid programs, and a wireless transmitter to transmit said one of said one or more selected hearing aid programs.

19. For use with a host computer having a PCMCIA port, a memory for storing predetermined hearing aid programs and programming software, and operating with an operating system, a hearing programmer system comprising:

host interface means for providing communication with the PCMCIA port and for providing configuration control signals to the host computer for use by the operating system to verify the configuration and for receiving power and signals from the host computer;

processor means coupled to said host interface means for performing hearing aid programming functions, including downloading the predetermined hearing aid programs from the host computer;

initialization means coupled to processor means for causing said processor means to request downloading of the predetermined hearing aid program from the host computer memory;

memory means coupled to said processor means for temporarily storing the predetermined hearing aid program downloaded from the host computer;

portable multiprogram unit interface means coupled to said processor means for providing indication of the predetermined hearing aid program signals and for receiving control signals; and

coupling means for coupling said portable multiprogram unit interface means to a portable multiprogram unit.

24. An improved method for programming hearing aid comprising the steps of:

(a) storing one or more programs for programming a digital hearing aid in a host computer having at least one PCMCIA port, each of said one or more programs defining a predetermined set of hearing adjusted parameters for hearing aids to be programmed;

(b) coupling a PCMCIA Card to said PCMCIA port;

(C) coupling a portable programming unit to said PCMCIA Card;

(d) downloading selected ones of said one or more programs from said host computer through said PCMCIA Card to said portable programming unit;

(e) decoupling said portable programming unit from said PCMCIA Card; and

(f) selectively actuating said portable programming unit to transmit a selected one of said selected ones of said one or more programs to a selected digitally programmable hearing aid to thereby program the digitally programmable hearing aid to a first set of hearing adjusted parameters.

26. For use with a host computer having a memory system for storing one or more selected hearing aid programs defining hearing adjusted parameters, hearing aid programming software, and operating system software, and at least one supported personal computer card international card association (PCMCIA) defined port for providing power circuits, data circuits, and control circuits, a PCMCIA Card comprising:

a memory to store hearing aid programming software;

a PCMCIA interface coupled to the PCMCIA defined port, said PCMCIA interface including a card information structure (CIS) to provide CIS signals indicative of the identification of the PCMCIA Card and to provide interface control with the host computer;

a microprocessor coupled to said memory and to said PCMCIA interface, said microprocessor to execute said programming software to download one or more selected hearing aid programs from the host computer;

a portable multiprogramming unit interface coupled to said microprocessor, whereby the downloaded one or more selected hearing aid programs are available for use in programming one or more hearing aids.