Pocket hearing aid

• US 7,372,970 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Ach-Kowalewski, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US11/064,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381/322, 381/323, 381/324, 381/327, 381/328, 381/330, 381/370, 381380-381, 381/384, 455/351, 600/25, 607/56, 607/57, 181/129, 181/130, 181/135
• US Class Current: 381/322
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

Pocket hearing aids are to be designed to be more comfortable. To this end there is provision on one hand for a wireless communication connection to be established between the microphone part and the earpiece part. To this end the microphone device of the pocket hearing aid has an appropriate electronics section (1) and an antenna (4), which can simultaneously be used as a clip. In order on the other hand to be able to dispense with feeding in external signals over a cable connection, the microphone device further features an adapter connector (5) with which for example it can be plugged in directly to a training device, a stereo device or a mobile telephone.

Claims

1. A pocket hearing aid, comprising:

an integrated microphone device including a hearing aid electronics unit for acquiring and processing sound signals; and

an acoustic earpiece operatively connected the microphone device, the acoustic earpiece embodied as a separate unit, wherein the microphones device comprises a male plug-in connector fixed to the microphone device, the male plug-in connector sized and configured to directly connect the microphone device to an audio output jack of an audio system for directly transmitting an electrical audio signal generated by the audio system to the microphone device.

2. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the microphone device and the acoustic earpiece are adapted to communicate wirelessly.

3. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, where the plug-in connector comprises a phone jack.

4. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein the microphone device and the acoustic earpiece are adapted to communicate wirelessly using the Microlink-Method.

5. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 2, wherein the microphone device and the acoustic earpiece are adapted to communicate wirelessly using the Bluetooth Method.

6. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic earpiece is an ItE hearing aid.

7. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic earpiece is a BtE hearing aid.

8. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the microphone device comprises a volume control unit.

9. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the microphone device comprises an antenna unit formed as a retaining clip.

10. The pocket hearing aid according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic earpiece comprises a detachable receiver unit for receiving communication signals transmitted by the microphone device.