Systems and Methods For Photo-Mechanical Hearing Transduction
First Claim
1. A method for delivering sound to a human subject, said method comprising:
- positioning a light-responsive output transducer assembly on a tympanic membrane of the user; and
delivering light to the output transducer assembly, wherein the light induces the output transducer assembly to vibrate in accordance with a sound signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Hearing systems for both hearing impaired and normal hearing subjects comprise an input transducer and a separate output transducer. The input transducer will include a light source for generating a light signal in response to either ambient sound or an external electronic sound signal. The output transducer will comprise a light-responsive transducer component which is adapted to receive light from the input transducer. The output transducer component will vibrate in response to the light input and produce vibrations in a component of a subject'"'"'s hearing transduction pathway, such as the tympanic membrane, a bone in the ossicular chain, or directly on the cochlea, in order to produce neural signals representative of the original sound.
147 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for delivering sound to a human subject, said method comprising:
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positioning a light-responsive output transducer assembly on a tympanic membrane of the user; and delivering light to the output transducer assembly, wherein the light induces the output transducer assembly to vibrate in accordance with a sound signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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- 9. A method as in claim 56, wherein the photostrictive material comprises a ceramic.
Specification