HEARING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A hearing assistance system, comprising a first hearing assistance device (10) to be worn at a first one of a user'"'"'s ears and a second hearing assistance device (11) to be worn at a second one of the user'"'"'s ears,each hearing assistance device comprising an interface (20) for receiving a wireless external data stream (74) from an external data source device (60) and for receiving stream access information (76) transmitted from the external data source device and required to access the data stream,each hearing assistance device being adapted to exchange data with the other hearing assistance device,each hearing assistance device being adapted to switch, after elapse of a scanning period, between a scanning mode (80) in which the hearing assistance device scans for meta-information transmitted from the external data source and a sleeping mode (82) in which the hearing assistance device does not scan for stream access information,wherein the hearing assistance devices are adapted to synchronize by data exchange between the first hearing assistance device and the second hearing assistance device in such manner that at least for some time one of the hearing assistance devices is in the scanning mode and the other one of the hearing assistance devices is in the sleeping mode, andwherein each hearing assistance device is adapted to notify, after having received stream access information from the external data source device in the scanning mode, the other one of the hearing assistance devices that it has received stream access information from the external data source device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hearing assistance system having a first and second hearing assistance devices worn in first second ears of a user, each hearing assistance device having an interface for receiving an external data stream and stream access information from an external data source, and being adapted to exchange data with the other hearing assistance device. Each hearing assistance device is switchable between a meta-information scanning mode for receiving information from the external data source device and a sleeping mode. The hearing assistance devices are adapted to synchronize by data exchange between each other in such manner that, at least for some time, one of the hearing assistance devices is in the scanning mode and the other hearing assistance device is in the sleeping mode, each hearing assistance device being adapted to notify the other the hearing assistance device that it has received stream access information from the external data source device.
18 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A hearing assistance system, comprising a first hearing assistance device (10) to be worn at a first one of a user'"'"'s ears and a second hearing assistance device (11) to be worn at a second one of the user'"'"'s ears,
each hearing assistance device comprising an interface (20) for receiving a wireless external data stream (74) from an external data source device (60) and for receiving stream access information (76) transmitted from the external data source device and required to access the data stream, each hearing assistance device being adapted to exchange data with the other hearing assistance device, each hearing assistance device being adapted to switch, after elapse of a scanning period, between a scanning mode (80) in which the hearing assistance device scans for meta-information transmitted from the external data source and a sleeping mode (82) in which the hearing assistance device does not scan for stream access information, wherein the hearing assistance devices are adapted to synchronize by data exchange between the first hearing assistance device and the second hearing assistance device in such manner that at least for some time one of the hearing assistance devices is in the scanning mode and the other one of the hearing assistance devices is in the sleeping mode, and wherein each hearing assistance device is adapted to notify, after having received stream access information from the external data source device in the scanning mode, the other one of the hearing assistance devices that it has received stream access information from the external data source device.
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27. A method of providing hearing assistance to a user wearing a first hearing assistance device (10) at a first one of the user'"'"'s ears and a second hearing assistance device (11) at a second one of the user'"'"'s ears, the method comprising:
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connecting the hearing assistance devices for exchanging data between the first hearing assistance device and the second hearing assistance device, synchronizing, by data exchange between the first hearing assistance device and the second hearing assistance device, the hearing assistance devices in such manner that at a time one of the hearing assistance devices is in a scanning mode (80) in which the hearing assistance device scans for stream access information (76) transmitted from an external data source (60) and required to access an external data stream (74) transmitted from the external data source and the other one of the hearing assistance devices is in a sleeping mode (82) in which the hearing assistance device does not scan for stream access information, switching, after elapse of a scanning period, between the scanning mode and the sleeping mode, in such manner that at least for some time one of the hearing assistance devices is in the scanning and the other one of the hearing assistance devices is in the sleeping mode, deciding, after having received stream access information from the external data source device in the scanning mode, whether or not to connect to the external data source device, and notifying, if the decision is to connect to the external data source device, the other one of the hearing assistance devices that it has received stream access information from the external data source device. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification