METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING VIBRATIONS
First Claim
1. A bone conduction apparatus, comprising:
- a housing having a shape conforming to at least a portion of at least one tooth of a patient, wherein one or more portions of the housing engage at least one surface of the at least one tooth such that an occlusal surface of the tooth remains unobstructed by the housing; and
an actuatable transducer disposed within or upon the housing and in vibratory communication with the at least one surface of the at least one tooth.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for transmitting vibrations via an electronic and/or transducer assembly through a tooth or teeth are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device. The electronic and transducer assembly may receive incoming sounds either directly or through a receiver to process and amplify the signals and transmit the processed sounds via a vibrating transducer element coupled to a tooth or other bone structure, such as the maxillary, mandibular, or palatine bone structure.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A bone conduction apparatus, comprising:
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a housing having a shape conforming to at least a portion of at least one tooth of a patient, wherein one or more portions of the housing engage at least one surface of the at least one tooth such that an occlusal surface of the tooth remains unobstructed by the housing; and an actuatable transducer disposed within or upon the housing and in vibratory communication with the at least one surface of the at least one tooth. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of securing a transducer for bone conduction, comprising:
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positioning a housing along at least one surface of at least one, tooth such that the housing conforms to a portion of the tooth, wherein the housing temporarily engages the at least one surface such that an occlusal surface of the tooth remains unobstructed by the housing; and biasing an actuatable transducer into vibratory communication with the at least one surface via the housing. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification