HEARING SYSTEM, METHOD FOR OPERATING A HEARING SYSTEM, AND HEARING SYSTEM NETWORK

• US 20100293227A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Hasler, Ivo, Knaus, Micha, Erni, Lukas
• Application Number:
  US12/679,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20100293227A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

The method for operating a hearing system (1) comprises using a network identifier for identifying messages (9) within a network formed by devices (11, 12, 13, 14) of said hearing system (1). Through this, an improved message management can be achieved. Typically, the network identifier will be used for marking messages (9) as messages (9) within the network (10) and for recognizing messages (9) as messages (9) within the network (10). A device (11; 12; 13; 14) of a hearing system (1) is configured to participate in a network (10), comprises a storage unit (4) in which a network identifier is stored, and is configured to use said network identifier for identifying messages (9) within said network. Messages (9) in the network can comprise, in addition to the network identifier, complementing data, wherein the treatment of further contents of a received message depends on the result of an evaluation of the complementing data.

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing system, comprising using a network identifier for identifying messages within a network formed by devices said hearing system.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising using a network identifier for distinguishing messages within the hearing system from external messages.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said network identifier is common within said network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said network identifier is stored in at least two of the devices participating in said network.

5. The method according to claim 1 comprising including said network identifier in transmitted messages.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising carrying out in a device participating in said network the steps of

a) including a network identifier in a message to be transmitted;

and

b) transmitting said message.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein step a) is replaced by the step of

a′

) including in a message to be transmitted a network identifier and, in addition, complementing data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said complementing data describe at least one property of that device of said hearing system which carries out step b).

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising carrying out in a device participating in said network the steps of

c) receiving a message;

d) extracting a network identifier from the received message; and

e) comparing the received network identifier with a network identifier stored in a storage unit of said device.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising treating further contents of said received message in dependence of the result of said comparison.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising discarding said received message if said received network identifier is different from said network identifier stored in said storage unit of said device.

12. The method according to claim 9, comprising the steps of

f) extracting complementing data from the received message;

and

g) evaluating said complementing data;

wherein, in dependence of the result of said evaluation, step e) is carried out or is not carried out.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising, in dependence of said result of said evaluation, either the step of

h) accepting said message;

or the step of

i) discarding said message.

14. A hearing system comprising a first device and a second device which are both configured to participate in a common network, wherein

said first device comprises a storage unit in which a network identifier is stored;

said second device comprises a storage unit in which the same network identifier is stored; and

said first device and said second device are both configured to use said network identifier for identifying messages within said common network.

15. The hearing system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and said second devices is configured to include the network identifier stored in its storage unit in messages to be transmitted within said network.

16. The hearing system according to claim 14 wherein at least one of said first and said second devices is configured to include in messages to be transmitted within said network complementing data describing at least one property of the respective device.

17. The hearing system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and said second devices is configured to receive messages, to extract a network identifier from received messages, and to compare the received network identifier with said network identifier stored in its storage unit.

18. The hearing system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one device is configured to treat further contents of said received message in dependence of the result of said comparison.

19. A device of a hearing system, configured to participate in a network, comprising a storage unit in which a network identifier is stored, and configured to use said network identifier for identifying messages within said network.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein said device is a hearing device.