Dental bone conduction hearing appliance

• US 7,945,068 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Abolfathi, Amir, Spiridigliozzi, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US12/333,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20090226017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 381/151, 381/322, 381/324, 381/326, 381/331, 381/380, 600/25, 607 56- 57
• US Class Current: 381/380
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/00 Deaf-aid sets , i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception electrical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N1/36038; optical stimulation of auditory nerves to promote the auditory function A61N5/0622
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• 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

An intra-oral hearing appliance includes an actuator to provide bone conduction sound transmission; a transceiver coupled to the actuator to cause the actuator to generate sound; and a first chamber containing the actuator and the transceiver, said first chamber adapted to be coupled to one or more teeth.

Claims

1. An intra-oral bone conduction apparatus for placement upon a portion of a patient'"'"'s dentition, comprising:

a first chamber and a second chamber coupled to one another via a bridge, wherein at least one of the chambers is conformable against a first set of one or more teeth without requiring anatomical modification of the one or more teeth and without bonding to the one or more teeth, the apparatus having a shape which positions the at least one chamber along the dentition by maintaining biased contact against at least two opposed surfaces of the one or more teeth; and

an actuator coupled to one of the chambers such that the actuator is biased into vibratory contact against the one or more teeth.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber comprises a base member in contact against the one or more teeth and further in contact with the actuator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second chamber is conformable against a second set of one or more teeth.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are positioned along opposite ends of the dentition.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bridge comprises a wire frame coupling the first chamber and the second chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the bridge further comprises cabling electrically coupling the first chamber with the second chamber.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bridge is adapted to be positioned along the dentition whereby the apparatus is obstructed from view within a patient'"'"'s mouth.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second chamber comprises a power supply therewithin.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber comprises a mass coupled to the actuator.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber or second chamber further comprises a microphone adapted to receive auditory signals for vibratory conductance via the actuator.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber or second chamber further comprises a transceiver in communication with the actuator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber and second chamber are shaped to conform to a dental arch of the patient'"'"'s dentition.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are adapted to clip onto the patient'"'"'s dentition.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the actuator is biased via a spring force against the one or more teeth such that the actuator provides resistance to drive vibrational energy into the one or more teeth.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus produces an interference fit between the apparatus and the at least two surfaces of the one or more teeth.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus maintains the at least one chamber via a spring force exerted against at least two opposed surfaces of the one or more teeth.

17. An intra-oral bone conduction apparatus for placement upon a portion of a patient'"'"'s dentition, comprising:

a first chamber conformable against a first set of one or more teeth without requiring anatomical modification of the first set of one or more teeth and without bonding to the first set of one or more teeth;

a second chamber conformable against a second set of one or more teeth, wherein the second chamber is positioned in opposition to the first chamber along the dentition;

a bridge coupling the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the bridge is shaped to lie along the patient'"'"'s dentition; and

an actuator contained within or along the first chamber such that the actuator is biased into vibratory contact against the first set of one or more teeth,

wherein the apparatus has a shape which positions at least one of the chambers along the dentition by maintaining biased contact against at least two opposed surfaces of the one or more teeth.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the bridge comprises a wire frame coupling the first chamber and the second chamber.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the bridge further comprises cabling electrically coupling the first chamber with the second chamber.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the bridge is positioned along the dentition such that the apparatus is obstructed from view along the patient'"'"'s dentition.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the second chamber comprises a power supply therewithin.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first chamber comprises a mass coupled to the actuator.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first chamber or second chamber further comprises a microphone adapted to receive auditory signals for vibratory conductance via the actuator.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first chamber or second chamber further comprises a transceiver in communication with the actuator.

25. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first chamber and second chamber are shaped to conform to a dental arch of the patient'"'"'s dentition.

26. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are adapted to clip onto the patient'"'"'s dentition.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the actuator is biased via a spring force against the first set of one or more teeth such that the actuator provides resistance to drive vibrational energy into the first set of one or more teeth.

28. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus produces an interference fit between the apparatus and the at least two surfaces of the one or more teeth.

29. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus maintains the at least one chamber via a spring force exerted against at least two opposed surfaces of the one or more teeth.