Hearing profile test system and method
First Claim
1. A method of administering a hearing evaluation for a consumer, the method comprising:
- generating test audio signals at predetermined levels by an audio generator;
delivering a sequence of calibrated acoustic test stimuli, representing the test audio signals, in each of three or more test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range, to the ear of the consumer at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and wherein a step level for consecutive calibrated test stimuli at each test frequency band is at least 10 dB;
registering, using a computerized hearing test system, minimum audibility levels of the consumer within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at each test frequency band; and
presenting a computed hearing profile score to the consumer by the computerized hearing test system, wherein the computed hearing profile score is based on the consumer'"'"'s minimum audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at or above 20 dB HL in step sizes of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Examples of systems and methods for profiling the hearing ability of a consumer are disclosed. One example includes a personal computer and a handheld device configured to produce calibrated acoustic output at suprathreshold levels above 20 db HL, and at step levels of 10-20 decibels, and presented test frequency bands across an audiometric frequency range from 400 to 8000Hz. The consumer'"'"'s minimal audibility levels are registered, and a hearing profile score is presented to indicate hearing ability and hearing aid candidacy. In some embodiments, band-limited natural sounds are presented. Systems and methods disclosed herein, with considerations for noise present in the consumer'"'"'s environment, allow for rapid calibrated hearing profiling, using a standard personal computer and minimal hardware, thus particularly suited for self-testing outside clinical environments such as at home or the office.
114 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method of administering a hearing evaluation for a consumer, the method comprising:
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generating test audio signals at predetermined levels by an audio generator; delivering a sequence of calibrated acoustic test stimuli, representing the test audio signals, in each of three or more test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range, to the ear of the consumer at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and wherein a step level for consecutive calibrated test stimuli at each test frequency band is at least 10 dB; registering, using a computerized hearing test system, minimum audibility levels of the consumer within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at each test frequency band; and presenting a computed hearing profile score to the consumer by the computerized hearing test system, wherein the computed hearing profile score is based on the consumer'"'"'s minimum audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at or above 20 dB HL in step sizes of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of administering a hearing profile test, the method comprising:
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presenting a sequence of acoustic test stimuli in each of three or more test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL by a computerized hearing test system, wherein at least one of the acoustic test stimuli represents a non-tonal natural sound; presenting the sequence of acoustic test stimuli at a step level of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band; registering a consumer'"'"'s minimal audibility level within the suprathreshold sound levels presented at each test frequency band, and presenting to the consumer a hearing profile score computed based on the minimum audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels presented at or above 20 dB HL in step sizes of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band.
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27. A method of determining a hearing aid candidacy of a consumer by a hearing test system;
- the method comprising;
applying an earphone to the consumer'"'"'s ear, wherein the earphone is configured to attenuate ambient background noise; presenting a sequence of calibrated test acoustic stimuli to the ear with the earphone at suprathreshold levels of at least 20 dB I-IL in each of multiple test frequency bands; registering a minimum audibility level within the suprathreshold sound levels presented to the consumer at each test frequency band; presenting to the consumer a hearing profile score computed based on the minimum audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels presented at or above 20 dB HL at each test frequency band; and indicating hearing aid candidacy to the consumer, based at least in part on the hearing profile score.
- the method comprising;
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28. A method of online hearing assessment of a consumer, the method comprising:
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executing a hearing assessment application by a personal computer, wherein the hearing assessment application communicatively coupled to a remote server; delivering test audio signals to an earphone from an audio generator communicatively coupled to the personal computer; delivering a sequence of calibrated acoustic output signals from the earphone at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and step level increments of at least 10 dB in each of three or more test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range; registering, by the personal computer, the consumer'"'"'s minimum audibility level within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at each of the test frequency bands; and presenting to the consumer a computed hearing profile score based on the consumer'"'"'s minimal audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at or above 20 dB HL in step sizes of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band.
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29. A hearing profile test system, comprising;
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an earphone configured to receive test audio signals to produce a sequence of calibrated acoustic test stimuli in each of three or more test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range to the ear at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and step levels of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band, wherein said earphone is configured to occlude the ear canal and attenuate ambient background sound; a handheld device incorporating an audio signal generator configured to produce the test audio signals; and a personal computer communicatively coupled to the handheld device, the personal computer configured to execute a hearing profile test application and to present a computed hearing profile score based on a consumer'"'"'s minimum audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels at or above 20 dB HL in step sizes of at least 10 dB produced at each test frequency band. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for online hearing evaluation, the system comprising;
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a handheld device including an audio signal generator configured to produce audio signal outputs; an earphone configured to receive the audio signal output from the handheld device and to deliver a sequence of calibrated acoustic test stimuli to a consumer'"'"'s ear at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL in each of three or more test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range, wherein a step level between consecutive calibrated test stimuli at each test frequency band is at least 10 dB; and a personal computer communicatively coupled to the handheld device and to a remote server, wherein the personal computer is configured to execute a hearing evaluation application connected to a remote server and display a computed hearing profile score, wherein the hearing evaluation application is configured to register minimum audibility levels of the consumer in response to the suprathreshold sound level presentations and to compute the hearing profile score based on the consumer'"'"'s minimum audibility level only within the suprathreshold sound levels delivered at or above 20 dB HL in step sizes of at least 10 dB at each test frequency band. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
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Specification