Intraoral appliance for sound transmission via bone conduction

• US 10,484,805 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2018
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Soundmed, LLC
• Inventors: Abolfathi, Amir A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etesam, Amir H
• Application Number:
  US15/896,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• 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 17/005 using a piezoelectric polymer
• 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 25/606 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 appliance for transmitting sound via bone conduction and optimized for comfort, safety, speech intelligibility, eating and drinking and extended wear by the user including 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 of the user.

Claims

1. An intraoral appliance for sound transmission comprising an intra-oral bone conduction sound transmission device securable to one or more teeth without requiring modification of the one or more teeth,

wherein the intra-oral bone conduction sound transmission device comprises a movable mass securable to the one or more teeth with a spring, and

wherein the spring is configured to provide a clamping force that acts on a lingual side and buccal side of one or more of the one or more teeth.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more teeth comprises a distal-most molar of a user, and wherein the spring is configured to extend around a distal end of the distal-most molar.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the intra-oral bone conduction sound transmission device comprises at least one of an actuatable transducer and a movable mass.

4. An intraoral appliance for sound transmission, comprising:

a wearable housing having a vibrator configured to cause bone conduction sound transmission, wherein the wearable housing is securable to one or more teeth without requiring modification of the one or more teeth,

wherein the vibrator is securable to the one or more teeth with a spring, and

wherein the spring is configured to provide a clamping force that acts on a lingual side and a buccal side of one or more of the one or more teeth.

5. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the one or more teeth comprises a distal-most molar of a user, and wherein the spring is configured to extend around a distal end of the distal-most molar.

6. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the vibrator comprises at least one of an actuatable transducer and a movable mass.

7. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the vibrator is securable to the one or more teeth with an interference fit.

8. An intraoral appliance for sound transmission, comprising:

a moveable mass securable to one or more teeth, wherein the moveable mass is configured to cause bone conduction sound transmission,

wherein the movable mass is securable to one or more of the one or more teeth with a spring, and

wherein the spring is configured to provide a clamping force that acts on a lingual side and a buccal side of one or more of the one or more teeth.

9. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the one or more teeth comprises a distal-most molar of a user, and wherein the spring is configured to extend around a distal end of the distal-most molar.

10. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the moveable mass is positioned within or attached to a housing shaped for intra-oral wear.

11. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the movable mass is a rechargeable energy source.

12. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the movable mass is securable to the one or more teeth without requiring modification of the one or more teeth.

13. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the movable mass is securable to the one or more teeth with an interference fit.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the interference fit is produced without requiring modification of the one or more teeth before wearing the appliance.