Data storage system, hearing aid, and method of selectively applying sound filters

• US 8,611,570 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 4, LLC
• Original Assignee: Audiotoniq, Inc
• Inventors: Ibarhim, Samir, Bartkowiak, John Gray, Knox, John Michael Page, Neumeyer, Frederick Charles, Eisenberg, Andrew L., Landry, David Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US13/108,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20110293123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 381/60, 381/312, 381314-318, 381320-321
• US Class Current: 381/314
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/50 Customised settings for obtaining desired overall acoustical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

Abstract

A data storage system includes a network interface configurable to couple to a network for receiving data related to an acoustic environment from a device and a memory for storing a plurality of environmental filters. The data storage system further includes a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, the processor configurable to analyze the data and selectively provide one or more of the plurality of environmental filters to the device based on the analysis of the data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving location data related to an acoustic environment at a data storage system;

selecting an environmental model from a plurality of environmental models based on the location data, the selected environmental model having an associated environmental filter, the associated environmental filter configured to be applied in addition to a hearing aid profile by a hearing and to compensate for specific sound characteristics associated with the selected environmental model; and

providing the associated environmental filter to at least one hearing aid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of environmental models includes a location indicator; and

the selected environmental model is identified by comparing the location indicator to the location data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

both the location data and the location indicators includes longitude, latitude, and altitude data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the location data includes time data;

the plurality of environmental models include multiple environmental models for a single location, the multiple environmental models varying according to time; and

the selected environmental model has a time that corresponds to the time data and a location that corresponds to the location data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the suitable environmental model includes acoustic data related to a particular acoustic environment associated with the computing device.