HEARING PROFILE TEST SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150025413A1
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: iHEAR Medical, Inc. (Innerscope Hearing Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shennib, Adnan
• Granted Patent: US 9,326,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/123 subjective methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7415 Sound rendering of measured values, e.g. by pitch or volume variation A61B5/741 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing

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.

Claims

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, to the ear of the consumer, wherein the calibrated acoustic test stimuli are at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and comprise three or more calibrated acoustic test stimuli at test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range of between 400 and 8,000 Hz, and wherein the step level between consecutive calibrated test stimuli is within the range of between 10 and 20 dB;

registering, using a computerized hearing test system, minimum audibility levels of the consumer 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 at each test frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computerized hearing test system comprises a personal computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the personal computer is selected from the group consisting of a smart phone and a tablet.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing online customer support to the consumer by a remote customer support computer system with connection to the personal computer via the Internet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the online customer support comprises streaming customer support audio to the personal computer from the customer support computer system.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the hearing profile score is presented through a display of the personal computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hearing test system comprises an earphone configured to deliver the calibrated acoustic test stimuli to an ear of the consumer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the earphone is configured to attenuate ambient background noise by at least 5 dB across the audiometric frequency range of 500 to 6,000 Hz.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the earphone comprises an ear canal insert configured to occlude the ear canal and attenuate ambient background noise.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hearing profile score comprises a range of between four and six discrete levels.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the computerized hearing test system is connected online to a remote server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote server hosts a hearing profile software application configured to administer the hearing evaluation for the consumer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising executing the hearing profile software application from an Internet browser of a personal computer.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving the hearing profile score at a remote database.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibrated acoustic test stimuli include a chirp sound representing a relatively high frequency test stimulus.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibrated acoustic test stimuli include a drum sound representing a relatively low frequency test stimulus.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibrated acoustic test stimuli include at least one natural sound.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the natural sound is a recording processed to limit content within a test frequency band.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the hearing profile score is computed at least partially on the basis of a speech articulation index.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting hearing aid candidacy to the consumer, wherein the hearing aid candidacy is at least partially based on the hearing profile score.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an ambient sound level.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a microphone associated with the computerized hearing test system is used to determine the ambient sound level.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising streaming the consumer'"'"'s speech to a customer support computer system via the Internet.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein a minimum suprathreshold sound level presented is approximately 30 dB HL.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing masking sound to a non-test ear.

26. A method of administering a hearing profile test, the method comprising:

presenting a sequence of acoustic test stimuli 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, wherein the acoustic test stimuli comprise three or more acoustic test stimuli at test frequency bands within an audiometric frequency range between 400 and 8,000 Hz;

presenting the sequence of acoustic test stimuli at a step level within the range of 10-20 dB; and

registering a consumer'"'"'s minimal audibility level at each test frequency band.

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 calibrated test acoustic stimuli to the ear with the earphone at levels of at least 20 dB HL at multiple test frequency bands and at step levels within a range of 10-20 dB;

registering a minimum audibility level of the consumer at each test frequency band;

presenting to the consumer a hearing profile score computed at least partially based on the minimum audibility level at the test frequency bands; and

indicating hearing aid candidacy to the consumer, based at least in part on the hearing profile score.

28. A method of online hearing assessment of a consumer, the method comprising:

executing a hearing assessment application by a personal computer, wherein the hearing assessment application is at least partially hosted by a remote server;

delivering a test audio signal to an earphone from an audio generator communicatively coupled to the personal computer;

delivering a calibrated acoustic output signal from the earphone at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and step level increments within a range of 10-20 dB;

registering the consumer'"'"'s audibility response at multiple frequency bands by the personal computer; and

presenting to the consumer a computed hearing profile score based on the consumer'"'"'s minimal audibility level at each test frequency band.

29. A hearing profile test system, comprising;

an earphone configured to receive test audio signals to produce calibrated acoustic test stimuli to the ear at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL, and step levels within the range of 10-20 dB, 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 register a consumer'"'"'s minimum audibility level in response to the calibrated acoustic test stimuli.

30. The hearing profile test system of claim 29, further comprising a microphone configured to sense sound in a vicinity of the consumer.

31. The hearing profile test system of claim 30, wherein the microphone is configured to relay consumer speech to a customer support personnel located remotely.

32. The hearing profile test system of claim 29, wherein the handheld device is connected to the personal computer by a USB connection.

33. The hearing profile test system of claim 29, wherein the personal computer is selected from the group consisting of a smart phone and a tablet computer.

34. The hearing profile test system of claim 29, wherein the personal computer is configured to receive audio signal from a customer support computer remotely located.

35. A system for online hearing evaluation, the system comprising;

a handheld device including an audio signal generator configured to produce an audio signal output;

an earphone configured to receive the audio signal output from the handheld device and to deliver calibrated acoustic test stimuli to a consumer'"'"'s ear at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 20 dB HL; 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 at least partially hosted on the remote server and display a computed hearing profile score,

wherein the hearing evaluation application is configured to register a minimum audibility level of the consumer in response to the suprathreshold sound level presentations and to compute the hearing profile score.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising a microphone.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the personal computer is configured to relay speech signals to a remote customer support computer system via the Internet.

38. The system of claim 35, further comprising a customer support computer system configured to relay audio signals to the personal computer via the Internet.