System and method for audiometric assessment and user-specific audio enhancement

• US 20110200217A1
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicholas Hall Gurin
• Original Assignee: Nicholas Hall Gurin
• Inventors: Gurin, Nicholas Hall
• Granted Patent: US 8,447,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/320
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/123 subjective methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a system for audiometric assessment and user-specific acoustic enhancement, comprising an audiometry management module, a tone generator coupled to the audiometry management module and adapted to generate streams of acoustical output, and a hearing profile data file, is disclosed. According to the embodiment, the audiometry management module, in a plurality of sessions, instructs the tone generator to send a series of streams of acoustical output of varying acoustical intensity, and, on receiving a series of user responses responsive to audible perception of sounds generated from the streams of acoustical data, the audiometric management module determines, for each of a plurality of frequencies, a hearing threshold, and stores at least that threshold in the hearing profile data file.

Claims

1. A system for audiometric assessment and user-specific acoustic enhancement, comprising:

an audiometry management module;

a tone generator coupled to the audiometry management module and adapted to generate streams of acoustical output; and

a hearing profile data file;

wherein the audiometry management module, in a plurality of sessions, instructs the tone generator to send a series of streams of acoustical output of varying acoustical intensity;

and wherein, on receiving a series of user responses responsive to audible perception of sounds generated from the streams of acoustical data, the audiometric management module determines, for each of a plurality of frequencies, a hearing threshold, and stores at least that threshold in the hearing profile data file.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a custom equalizer module adapted to modify an incoming audio stream by adjusting at least a plurality of the frequency components of the audio stream based on data stored in the custom hearing profile data file.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the hearing profile data file is adapted for interoperation with more than one custom equalizer module.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the hearing profile data file is stored on a portable memory device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the incoming audio stream is delivered over a network from a third-party source.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the custom equalizer module is stored in and operates within in a network-resident server computer and is accessible to end users across the network on which the server resides.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein, on measuring acoustical response to a given frequency for a given user during more than one session conducted at different times, the hearing threshold stored in the hearing profile data file is modified based at least in part on the time series generated by subsequent measurements of the given frequency.

8. A method of audiometric assessment and user-specific audio enhancement, comprising the steps of:

(a) under the direction of an audiometric management module, generating a series of acoustical output streams of varying amplitude for each of a plurality of frequencies from a tone generator and sending it to a user;

(b) receiving test responses from said user responsive to audible perception for each frequency;

(c) based on the received test responses for each frequency, determining at least a hearing threshold for each frequency; and

(d) storing the generated hearing thresholds for each frequency in a hearing profile data file.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

(e) receiving an audio stream at a custom equalizer module;

(f) adjusting at least a plurality of the frequency components of the audio stream based at least in part on the hearing thresholds stored in the hearing profile data file for the frequency components; and

(g) sending the modified audio stream to a user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hearing profile data file is adapted for interoperation with more than one custom equalizer module.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hearing profile data file is stored on a portable memory device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the incoming audio stream is delivered over a network from a third-party source.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the custom equalizer module is stored in and operates within in a network-resident server computer and is accessible to end users across the network on which the server resides.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein, on measuring acoustical response to a given frequency for a given user during more than one session conducted at different times, the hearing threshold stored in the hearing profile data file is modified based at least in part on the time series generated by subsequent measurements of the given frequency.