Hearing aid compatibility in a wireless communications device

• US 7,831,277 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hawker, Larry Edward, MacIntosh, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEPHEN, EMEM O
• Application Number:
  US12/437,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20090227288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/90.1, 455344-346, 455/550.1, 455/66.1, 455/575.2, 381/314, 381/322, 381/323, 381/72, 381/74
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A wireless communications device and method for providing an output signal. The device includes a control unit for controlling the operation of the wireless communications device; a selection element connected to the control unit and configured to allow selection of several modes of output coupling for generating the output signal of the device; and, a processor connected to the control unit for processing a received signal with parameters selected according to a selected mode of output coupling. The several modes of output coupling correspond to several modes of input operation for a hearing aid to improve coupling between the device and the hearing aid.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device for receiving a wireless speech signal and providing at least one output signal, the device comprising:

a control unit for controlling the operation of the wireless communications device;

a selector connected to the control unit and configured to allow selection from at least one output coupling mode, each of the at least one output coupling mode for generating one of the at least one output signal of the device;

a communication subsystem connected to the control unit for receiving the wireless speech signal and producing a received signal;

a processor connected to the control unit for receiving the received signal and providing at least one processed received signal, the processor using parameters to provide the at least one processed received signal according to a selected mode from the at least one output coupling mode; and

,

an output stage comprising a speaker with a coil, and further comprising an additional device telecoil, the output stage configured to generate the at least one output signal based on the at least one processed received signal;

wherein the device further comprises a data converter connected to the processor for receiving the at least one processed received signal and producing at least one analog signal; and

wherein the output stage is connected to the data converter for receiving the at least one analog signal and producing the at least one output signal, and

wherein, in at least one selected mode, the processor generates two processed received signals, wherein one of the two processed received signals is provided to the speaker, and wherein one other of the two processed received signals is provided to the additional device telecoil,

wherein, in the at least one selected mode, the one of the two processed received signals is provided to the speaker by the data converter and the one other of the two processed received signals is provided to the additional device telecoil by the data converter.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processed received signal provided to the speaker is generated using parameters corresponding to the speaker, and the processed received signal provided to the additional device telecoil is generated using parameters corresponding to the additional device telecoil.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the parameters comprise acoustic digital signal processing equalization parameters.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein, in the at least one selected mode, both the parameters corresponding to the speaker and the parameters corresponding to the additional device telecoil comprise magnetic digital signal processing equalization parameters.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein, in the at least one selected mode, the parameters corresponding to the speaker comprise acoustic digital signal processing equalization parameters, and the parameters corresponding to the additional device telecoil comprise magnetic digital signal processing equalization parameters.

6. A method for receiving a wireless speech signal with a device and providing at least one output signal, the method comprising:

providing at least one output coupling mode for the device;

receiving the wireless speech signal and producing a received signal;

generating at least one processed received signal using parameters selected according to a selected mode from the at least one output coupling mode; and

,

generating the at least one output signal based on the at least one processed received signal using at least one of a speaker with a coil and an additional device telecoil;

wherein, in at least one selected mode, two processed received signals are generated, wherein one of the two processed received signals is provided to the speaker, and one other of the two output processed received signals is provided to the additional device telecoil,

wherein said generating the at least one processed received signal comprises, in the at least one selected mode, providing the one of the two processed received signals to the speaker by a data converter and providing the one other of the two processed received signals to the additional device telecoil by the data converter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the processed received signal provided to the speaker is generated using parameters corresponding to the speaker, and the processed received signal provided to the additional device telecoil is generated using parameters corresponding to the additional device telecoil.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the method comprises providing acoustic digital signal processing equalization parameters as the parameters.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises, in the at least one selected mode, providing magnetic digital signal processing equalization parameters as both the parameters corresponding to the speaker and the parameters corresponding to the additional device telecoil.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises, in the at least one selected mode, providing acoustic digital signal processing equalization parameters as the parameters corresponding to the speaker, and providing magnetic digital signal processing equalization parameters as the parameters corresponding to the additional device telecoil.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating the at least one output signal comprises:

receiving the at least one processed received signal and producing at least one analog signal; and

,

receiving the at least one analog signal and producing the at least one output signal.