Hearing aid

• US 20040047483A1
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auditory Licensing Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Auditory Licensing Company LLC
• Inventors: Bauman, Natan
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/57 Aspects of electrical interconnection between hearing aid parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/60 Mounting or interconnection of hearing aid parts, e.g. inside tips, housings or to ossicles ear wax retarders, e.g. mounting thereof H04R25/654
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/652 Ear tips; Ear moulds hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/658 Manufacture of housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/75 Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for improving a user'"'"'s hearing and more particularly to a receiver system used in the system. In one embodiment, the receiver system has a housing and a plurality of arms extending from the housing for positioning and suspending the receiver within the ear canal of a user. Each of the arms may be formed from a flexible, plastic material or a bendable wire. In a second embodiment, the receiver system is surrounded by a disc formed from a sound filtering material. When installed in a combination instrument, the receiver is separated from the microphone. When installed in a tinnitus/hyperacusis device, the receiver is separated from the body of the instrument.

Claims

1. A receiver for use in a system for improving a user'"'"'s hearing comprising a housing to be positioned within an ear canal, said housing having a plurality of arms extending from said housing, and a tip portion of each of said arms contacting said ear canal to suspend the receiver in the ear canal.

2. A receiver according to claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting amplified sound connected to said housing.

3. A receiver according to claim 2, wherein said amplified sound transmitting means comprises a wire coated with a plastic material connected to said receiver.

4. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein said receiver is disconnectable.

5. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of arms comprises four arms spaced ninety degrees apart.

6. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein each said arm is formed from a flexible material.

7. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein each said arm is formed from a plastic material.

8. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein each said arm is formed from a bendable wire.

9. A receiver according to claim 1, wherein each said arm has a base portion and tapers from said tip portion to said base portion.

10. A hearing aid system comprising a microphone located externally of an ear canal of a user, an amplifier connected to said microphone for amplifying sounds received from said microphone, a receiver positioned within said user ear canal, and a means for transmitting amplified sound from said amplifier to said receiver.

11. A hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein said receiver has a housing and a plurality of arms extending from said housing, said arms contacting said user ear canal to position said receiver within said ear canal.

12. A hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein said microphone and said amplifier are positioned within a behind the ear unit.

13. A hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein said amplified sound transmitting means comprises a wire with a plastic coating.

14. A hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein said amplified sound transmitting means comprises an electrical contact connected to said amplifier and a ball with an electrical coating attached to said receiver and contacting said electrical contact.

15. A hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein said receiver is disconnectable.

16. A hearing aid system according to claim 11, wherein each of said arms has a base portion and a tip portion and each of said arms tapers from said tip portion to said base portion.

17. A hearing aid system according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of arms comprises four arms spaced about the periphery of said housing.

18. A hearing aid system according to claim 17, wherein each of said four arms is spaced from an adjacent arm by an angle of ninety degrees.

19. A hearing aid system according to claim 11, wherein each of said arms is formed from a flexible material.

20. A hearing aid system according to claim 11, wherein each of said arms is formed from a plastic material.

21. A hearing aid system according to claim 11, wherein each of said arms is formed from a bendable wire.

22. A hearing aid system according to claim 21, wherein each said wire has a ball at an end making contact with a surface of the user'"'"'s ear canal.

23. A hearing aid system according to claim 10, wherein said receiver is housed within a disc positioned within the user'"'"'s ear canal.

24. A hearing aid system according to claim 23, wherein the disc is formed from a sound filtering material.

25. A hearing aid system according to claim 23, wherein the disc has a rim formed from a flexible material.

26. A hearing aid system according to claim 23, wherein the disc is replaceable.

27. A receiver system for use in a system for improving a user'"'"'s hearing comprising a receiver and disc surrounding said receiver for positioning the receiver within a user'"'"'s ear canal.

28. A receiver system according to claim 27, wherein said disc is formed from a sound filtering material.

29. A receiver system according to claim 27, wherein said disc has a flexible rim.

30. A receiver system according to claim 27, wherein said disc is replaceable.

31. A system for treating tinnitus comprising:

a receiver positioned within a user'"'"'s ear canal;

means for generating sounds to be transmitted to the tympanic membrane for treating tinnitus and hyperacusis; and

means for connecting said receiver to said sound generating means.

32. A system according to claim 31, wherein said sound generating means is located externally of said ear canal.

33. A system according to claim 31, further comprising a disc surrounding said receiver for positioning the receiver within a user'"'"'s ear canal.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein the disc is formed from a sound filtering material and has a flexible rim.

35. A system according to claim 31, further comprising a plurality of arms radiating from said receiver to position said receiver within said ear canal.

36. A system according to claim 35, wherein each arm is formed from a flexible material.

37. A system according to claim 35, wherein each arm has a ball at an end remote from said receiver.

38. A system according to claim 31, wherein said receiver is disconnectable.

39. A combination tinnitus and hearing aid instrument, comprising:

a receiver positioned within an ear canal of a user;

said receiver not occluding said ear canal;

an amplifier connected to said receiver; and

a noise generator for generating noise sufficient to treat tinnitus attached to said receiver.

40. A combination instrument according to claim 39, wherein said amplifier is a programmable digital amplifier and said noise generator is a programmable digital noise generator.

41. A combination instrument according to claim 39, wherein said receiver is disconnectable from said amplifier and said noise generator.

42. A combination instrument according to claim 39, further comprising a microphone attached to said amplifier.