SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PHOTO-MECHANICAL HEARING TRANSDUCTION
First Claim
1. A hearing aid system for inducing neural impulses that are interpreted as amplified sound by a human subject, said human subject having an ear, a pinna of the ear, an external auditory canal, and a hearing transduction pathway comprising a tympanic membrane, a middle ear, and a cochlea, said system comprising:
- an input transducer assembly which converts an electronic sound signal into a light signal, the input transducer assembly comprising(a) a housing sized for placement behind the pinna of the ear,(b) a microphone within the housing to receive ambient sound and generate the electronic sound signal,(c) an elongate light transmission component having internal wires connected to receive the electronic sound signal, the light transmission component having a cross sectional size and a length to extend over the pinna and into the external auditory canal such that a distal end of the light transmission component is configured to reside in the external auditory canal near the tympanic membrane with a gap extending between the distal end and the tympanic membrane when the housing is placed behind the pinna, and(d) a light source on the distal end of the elongate light transmission component which receives the electronic sound signal from the wires and produces the light signal; and
an output transducer assembly which receives the light signal from the light source and converts the light signal to mechanical vibration, the output transducer comprising a cantilever element clamped at one end of a support element and a small mass attached at the free end of the cantilever,wherein the output transducer assembly is sized for placement on the tympanic membrane to couple to the hearing transduction pathway when positioned on the subject'"'"'s tympanic membrane to induce said neural impulses interpreted as amplified sound.
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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.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A hearing aid system for inducing neural impulses that are interpreted as amplified sound by a human subject, said human subject having an ear, a pinna of the ear, an external auditory canal, and a hearing transduction pathway comprising a tympanic membrane, a middle ear, and a cochlea, said system comprising:
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an input transducer assembly which converts an electronic sound signal into a light signal, the input transducer assembly comprising (a) a housing sized for placement behind the pinna of the ear, (b) a microphone within the housing to receive ambient sound and generate the electronic sound signal, (c) an elongate light transmission component having internal wires connected to receive the electronic sound signal, the light transmission component having a cross sectional size and a length to extend over the pinna and into the external auditory canal such that a distal end of the light transmission component is configured to reside in the external auditory canal near the tympanic membrane with a gap extending between the distal end and the tympanic membrane when the housing is placed behind the pinna, and (d) a light source on the distal end of the elongate light transmission component which receives the electronic sound signal from the wires and produces the light signal; and an output transducer assembly which receives the light signal from the light source and converts the light signal to mechanical vibration, the output transducer comprising a cantilever element clamped at one end of a support element and a small mass attached at the free end of the cantilever, wherein the output transducer assembly is sized for placement on the tympanic membrane to couple to the hearing transduction pathway when positioned on the subject'"'"'s tympanic membrane to induce said neural impulses interpreted as amplified sound. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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- 8. An output transducer assembly configured for placement on a tympanic membrane, the transducer assembly being adapted to couple to a hearing transduction pathway of a subject when positioned on the subject'"'"'s tympanic membrane to induce neural impulses interpreted as amplified sound, said output transducer configured to receive the light signal from the light source and convert the light signal to mechanical vibration, the output transducer comprising a cantilever element clamped at one end of a support element and a small mass attached at a free end of the cantilever, wherein the output transducer assembly is configured to vibrate the mass on the cantilever.
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11. 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 subject, the light-responsive output transducer assembly comprising a light sensitive area, wherein a support component of the output transducer assembly contacts an outer surface of the tympanic membrane such that the support component is releasable from the tympanic membrane, the output transducer assembly further comprising a cantilever clamped at one end into the support component, the cantilever further including a mass attached at a free end of the cantilever; providing an electrical signal in response to a sound signal; generating modulated light energy in response to the electrical signal, the modulated light energy comprising optical power and an optical signal, the optical signal capable of transmitting the sound signal, the optical power capable of driving the output transducer assembly; and delivering the modulated light energy to the light sensitive area of the output transducer assembly, wherein the modulated light energy extends across a gap to the light sensitive area to vibrate the cantilever in response to the modulated light energy. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. 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 subject; providing an electrical signal in response to a sound signal; generating modulated light energy in response to the electrical signal, the modulated light energy comprising optical power and an optical signal, the optical signal capable of transmitting the sound, the optical power capable of driving the output transducer assembly; and delivering the modulated light energy to a light sensitive area of the output transducer assembly to vibrate a mass on a free end of a cantilever. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification