System and method for automated hearing aid profile update

• US 8,965,017 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 4, LLC
• Original Assignee: Audiotoniq, Inc
• Inventors: Bryant, Gregory Allen, Neumeyer, Frederick Charles, Yancey, Gregory Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yu, Norman
• Application Number:
  US13/723,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20130177189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 381314-315
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

A method includes receiving a new hearing aid profile generating instruction, generating a new hearing aid profile corresponding to each of a plurality of hearing aid users in response to receiving the new hearing aid profile, and providing the new hearing aid profile to a computing device associated with the hearing aid users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving new hearing aid profile generating instructions at a server associated with a profile generating system;

executing the new hearing aid profile generating instructions to generate a new hearing aid profile for each of a plurality of users associated with the profile generating system, each of the new hearing aid profiles based at least in part on a hearing loss profile stored with the profile generating system and associated with individual ones of the plurality of users; and

sending each of the new hearing aid profiles from the server to a computing device associated with a user of the plurality of users associated with the new hearing aid profile and the hearing loss profile used to generate the new hearing aid profile.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an alert to the computing devices before sending each of the new hearing aid profiles.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to download the hearing aid profile from the user of the plurality of users before providing the new hearing aid profile to the computing device associated with the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting one or more changes to an existing profile generating instructions; and

executing the existing profile generating instructions in response to detecting the change.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the alert includes at least one of an audible indication, a visual indication, or a physical indication.

5. A system comprising:

a network interface configurable to communicate with a network;

one or more processors coupled to the network interface;

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store data about a plurality of hearing aid users and hearing profile generating instructions; and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the hearing aid profile generating instructions, which cause the one or more processors to;

detect when a new hearing aid user is added to the plurality of hearing aid users;

retrieve a hearing loss profile associated with the new hearing aid user;

generate a hearing aid profile for the new hearing aid user; and

provide the hearing aid profile to a computing device associated with the new hearing aid user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the hearing aid profile is based at least in part on the data.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the data includes a hearing loss profile for each of the plurality of hearing aid users; and

the hearing aid profile generating instructions further cause the one or more processors to;

generate the hearing aid profile based at least in part on the hearing loss profile of the selected one of the plurality of hearing aid users.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the hearing aid profile generating instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

provide an alert to the computing device; and

receive a request to download the hearing aid profile from the computing device before providing the hearing aid profile to the computing device.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the hearing aid profile generating instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

detect one or more changes to the hearing aid profile generating instructions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the hearing aid profile generating instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

generate a hearing aid profile for each of the plurality of hearing aid users based in part at least on the change to the hearing aid profile generating instructions.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors execute the hearing aid profile generating instructions in response to detecting the new hearing aid user.

16. The system of claim 5, wherein hearing aid profile generating instructions when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to generate a plurality of new hearing aid profiles for the new hearing aid user.

18. The system of claim 5, wherein hearing aid profile generating instructions when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to generate a plurality of new hearing aid profiles for the new hearing aid user.

19. The system of claim 5, wherein the new hearing aid user is added to the plurality of hearing aid users in response to receiving an indication that the new hearing aid user opted in to a hearing aid profile update process.

12. A method comprising:

receiving an alert from a profile generating system at a computing device associated with a user, in response to the profile generating system receiving new profile generating instructions or an update to existing profile generating instructions, the alert indicting that a hearing aid profile is available, the hearing aid profile generated based at least in part using the new profile generating instructions or the updated profile generating instructions and in part on a hearing loss profile of the user stored at the profile generating system;

notifying the user that the hearing aid profile is available;

receiving a user input to download the hearing aid profile;

requesting the hearing aid profile from the profile generating system; and

receiving the hearing aid profile from the profile generating system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing the hearing aid profile to one or more hearing aids.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising notifying the user that the hearing aid profile is downloaded.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the notifying the user includes at least one of an audible indication, a visual indication, or a physical indication.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining if the user has opted in to a hearing aid profile update process before notifying the user that the hearing aid profile is available.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising replacing an existing hearing aid profile stored on the computing device with the new hearing aid profile.