Implantable hearing aid and method of improving hearing

• US 3,882,285 A
• Filed: 10/09/1973
• Issued: 05/06/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medical Device Group Incorporated (World Am, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: James A. Nunley, Jeremy A. Agnew
• Inventors: Nunley, James A., Agnew, Jeremy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blakeslee, Ralph D.
• Application Number:
  US05/404,339
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 179/17R,1E
• US Class Current: 600/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

A self-contained hearing device made of components compatible with the human body is provided which is implanted in a hollowedout portion of the skull adjacent the ear canal. A microphone port is connected with the ear canal for receiving sound that enters the ear and transforming it to energies which are transmitted by a direct connection to the ossicular chain or to other mechanical movable portions of the middle ear. A method of improving hearing is provided wherein a parallel hearing path is provided to augment the normal hearing path.

Claims

1. A self-contained implantable hearing device for positioning in a hollowed-out portion of the skull adjacent to the ear canal to provide a sound path parallel to the normal sound path to improve hearing, said unit comprising:

transducer means positionable adjacent the ear canal for receiving audio signals entering the ear canal and converting them to electrical signals;

means for connecting said transducer means with the ear canal for transmission of the audio signal from the ear canal to said transducer means for transmission along a path parallel to the ear canal;

amplifier means coupled to said transducer means adjacent the ear canal for amplifying the electrical signal produced by said transducer means along said parallel path;

transmitter means coupled to said amplifier means adjacent the ear canal for converting the electrical signal to a mechanical response; and

mechanical response means coupled to said transmitter means adjacent the ear canal and connectable to a mechanical drive structure within the ear to complete said parallel path and to provide a mechanical movement of the structure in response to an acoustical signal received by said transducer, which augments and supports any signal produced by the transmission of sounds through the normal sound path of the ear to provide improved hearing.

2. An implantable hearing device unit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mechanical response means includes:

an elongated rigid element.

3. An implantable hearing device unit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmitter means is:

a piezo-electric crystal.

4. An implantable hearing device unit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said mechanical response means is connected to the ossicular chain.

5. An implantable hearing device unit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said mechanical response means is connected to the stapes.

6. An implantable hearing device unit, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said mechanical response means is connected to the oval window.

7. A self-contained implantable hearing device for positioning in a hollowed-out portion of the skull adjacent to the ear canal to provide a sound path parallel to the normal sound path to improve hearing, said unit comprising:

transducer means positionable adjacent the ear canal for receiving audio signals entering the ear canal and converting them to electrical signals;

means for connecting said transducer means with the ear canal for transmission of the audio signal from the ear canal to said transducer means for transmission along a path parallel to the ear canal;

amplifier means coupled to said transducer means adjacent the ear canal for amplifying the electrical signal produced by said transducer means along said parallel path;

a piezo-electric crystal connected to said amplifier means adjacent the ear canal and providing a mechanical response proportional to the electrical signal from said amplifier means; and

an elongated rigid element having one end connected to said piezo-electrical crystal adjacent the ear canal and the other end connectable to the ossicular chain to complete said parallel path and to provide a mechanical movement of the structure in response to an acoustical signal received by said transducer means, which augments and supports any signal produced by the transmission of sound through normal sound path of the ear to provide improved hearing.

8. A method of improving hearing by providing a sound path parallel to the normal sound path for reproducing sound and augmenting the sound entering an ear canal, including the steps of:

implanting a hearing device in the skull bone adjacent the ear canal, wherein said hearing device includes in series a microphone, an amplifier circuit, and a mechanical output responsive to an audio signal received by the microphone;

connecting the microphone in audio communication wIth the ear canal; and

connecting the mechanical output of the hearing device to a mechanical drive structure within the ear so that sound entering the ear can pass along a parallel path through said hearing device to augment sound passing along the normal path.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the connecting of the mechanical output is made to the ossicular chain.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the connection of the mechanical output is to the stapes.