Methods and apparatus for transmitting vibrations

• US 7,844,064 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Abolfathi, Amir, Phan, Loc X., Saadat, Vahid
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US11/754,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381/322, 381/324, 381/326, 381/328, 381/380, 381/151, 600/25, 607/56, 607/57
• US Class Current: 381/326
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0093 Features of implants not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0098 Immediate loaded implants
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational transducers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for transmitting vibrations via an electronic and/or transducer assembly through a tooth or teeth are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device. The electronic and transducer assembly may receive incoming sounds either directly or through a receiver to process and amplify the signals and transmit the processed sounds via a vibrating transducer element coupled to a tooth or other bone structure, such as the maxillary, mandibular, or palatine bone structure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting vibrations via at least one tooth to facilitate sound transmission, comprising:

a housing that is configured to engage the at least one tooth without requiring anatomical modification of the at least one tooth and without bonding to the at least one tooth; and

an actuatable transducer disposed within or upon the housing and configured to transmit vibrations to a surface of the at least one tooth, wherein said apparatus produces an interference fit between the apparatus and at least two surfaces of the at least one tooth.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises an oral appliance that conforms to the at least one tooth.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the oral appliance is fabricated via a three-dimensional printing process.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the oral appliance is fabricated via a machining process.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an electronic assembly disposed within or upon the housing and which is in communication with the transducer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the electronic assembly is encapsulated within the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a power supply in electrical communication with transducer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the power supply comprises a battery.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the power supply is rechargeable.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the power supply is rechargeable by inductance.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a processor in electrical communication with the transducer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a microphone for receiving auditory signals and which is in electrical communication with the processor.

13. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a receiver in wireless communication with an externally located transmitter assembly.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transducer is in vibratory communication with the surface via an adhesive layer for maintaining the transducer in contact with the surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an expandable osmotic pouch positioned adjacent to the transducer such that expansion of the osmotic pouch urges the transducer against the surface.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the osmotic pouch is comprised of a swellable hydrogel.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one biasing element positioned adjacent to the transducer such that the biasing element maintains the transducer against the surface via a biasing force.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one biasing element comprises a spring.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transducer defines an angled surface in apposition to the surface.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an interface layer between the transducer and the surface through which the vibrations are maintained.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the interface layer comprises a plastic or paste material.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an elongate support for urging the transducer against the surface upon actuation via an engager disposed externally of the housing.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an actuatable cam member configured to urge the transducer against the surface when urged via a mechanism disposed externally of the housing.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transducer is positioned along a portion of the housing which contacts an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an engaging member having an angled interface adapted to urge the transducer against the surface when the engaging member is forced linearly by pressure exerted against an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an anchor adhered to the surface, wherein the anchor has a configuration shaped to receive a corresponding portion defined at least by the transducer.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transducer is positioned within the housing along a channel adjacent to an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth.

28. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is comprised of a shape memory material having a pre-formed unbiased configuration and a deformed configuration whereby the housing is secured onto the at least one tooth in the deformed configuration.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is conformable to a side surface of the at least one tooth such that an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth remains open.

30. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional actuatable transducer in vibratory communication with the surface of the at least one tooth or a surface of at least one additional tooth.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the at least one additional actuatable transducer is disposed within or upon the housing.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the at least one additional actuatable transducer is disposed within or upon at least one additional housing which is configured to engage the at least one tooth or the at least one additional tooth.

33. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the transducer and the at least one additional transducer are each configured to have a frequency response and/or transmission different from one another.

34. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein each transducer is adapted to provide a sound or vibrational queue indicative of a direction in which sound is detected relative to an orientation of a user.

35. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is configured as a mouthguard or retainer.

36. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is adapted to conform to at least a portion of the at least one tooth via an interference fit.

37. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a conduction transmission member coupled to the transducer; and

a post or screw attached to a maxillary or mandibular bone and to the conduction transmission member.

38. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is configured to substantially cover two or more sides of the at least one tooth.

39. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises biased members to press against a surface of the at least one tooth and secure the apparatus to the at least one tooth.

40. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus fits over at least a portion of gingival tissue.

41. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is configured as an integrated assembly.

42. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is configured to be removable in one step.

43. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a polymeric material.

44. A method of transmitting vibrations via at least one tooth to facilitate sound transmission, comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising a housing and an actuatable transducer disposed within or upon the housing, wherein said apparatus produces an interference fit between the apparatus and at least two surfaces of the at least one tooth;

positioning the housing onto the at least one tooth, wherein the housing is configured to engage the at least one tooth without requiring anatomical modification of the at least one tooth and without bonding to the at least one tooth; and

maintaining contact between a surface of the at least one tooth and the actuatable transducer such that the transducer transmits vibrations to the surface of the at least one tooth.

45. The method of claim 44 further comprising receiving an auditory signal via a microphone and actuating the transducer in a corresponding manner against the surface.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein positioning the housing comprises securing the housing against or upon the at least one tooth.

47. The method of claim 44 wherein maintaining contact comprises securing the transducer via an adhesive layer against the surface.

48. The method of claim 44 wherein maintaining contact comprises urging the transducer against the surface via an expandable osmotic pouch positioned adjacent to the transducer.

49. The method of claim 44 wherein maintaining contact comprises urging the transducer against the surface via at least one biasing element positioned adjacent to the transducer.

50. The method of claim 44 wherein maintaining contact comprises positioning an interface layer between the transducer and the surface through which vibratory communication is maintained.

51. The method of claim 44 wherein maintaining contact comprises urging the transducer against the surface via an engager disposed externally of the housing.

52. The method of claim 44 wherein the transducer is in contact with an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth.

53. The method of claim 44 wherein maintaining contact comprises adhering an anchor to the surface and fixedly attaching the transducer thereto.

54. The method of claim 44 wherein positioning comprises securing the housing to a side surface of the at least one tooth such that an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth remains open.

55. The method of claim 44 wherein the housing is configured to substantially cover two or more sides of the at least one tooth.

56. The method of claim 44 wherein the apparatus comprises biased members to press against a surface of the at least one tooth and secure the apparatus to the at least one tooth.

57. The method of claim 44 wherein the apparatus fits over at least a portion of gingival tissue.

58. The method of claim 44 wherein the apparatus is configured as an integrated assembly.

59. The method of claim 44 wherein the apparatus is configured to be removable in one step.

60. The method of claim 44 wherein the housing comprises a polymeric material.

61. An apparatus for transmitting vibrations via at least one tooth to facilitate sound transmission, comprising:

a housing that is configured to engage the at least one tooth without requiring anatomical modification of the at least one tooth and without bonding to the at least one tooth; and

an actuatable piezoelectric transducer disposed within or upon the housing and configured to transmit vibrations to a surface of the at least one tooth, wherein said apparatus produces an interference fit between the apparatus and at least two surfaces of the at least one tooth.

62. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the housing comprises an oral appliance having a shape which conforms to the at least one tooth.

63. The apparatus of claim 61 further comprising an electronic assembly disposed within or upon the housing and which is in communication with the transducer.

64. The apparatus of claim 63 wherein the electronic assembly is encapsulated within the housing.

65. The apparatus of claim 63 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a power supply in electrical communication with the transducer.

66. The apparatus of claim 65 wherein the power supply comprises a battery.

67. The apparatus of claim 65 wherein the power supply is rechargeable.

68. The apparatus of claim 67 wherein the power supply is rechargeable by inductance.

69. The apparatus of claim 63 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a processor in electrical communication with the transducer.

70. The apparatus of claim 69 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a microphone for receiving auditory signals and which is in electrical communication with the processor.

71. The apparatus of claim 63 wherein the electronic assembly further comprises a receiver in wireless communication with an externally located transmitter assembly.

72. The apparatus of claim 61 further comprising an interface layer between the transducer and the surface through which vibratory communication is maintained.

73. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the housing is biased to urge the transducer against the surface.

74. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the housing is conformable to a side surface of the at least one tooth such that an occlusal surface of the at least one tooth remains open.

75. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the housing is configured to substantially cover two or more sides of the at least one tooth.

76. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the apparatus comprises biased members to press against a surface of the at least one tooth and secure the apparatus to the at least one tooth.

77. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the apparatus fits over at least a portion of gingival tissue.

78. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the apparatus is configured as an integrated assembly.

79. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the apparatus is configured to be removable in one step.

80. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein the housing comprises a polymeric material.