Fitting-anlage

• US 6,850,775 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Berg, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US09/507,088
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/66, 455/74, 455/556, 455/557, 455/92, 381/315, 381/312, 381/314, 381/60, 381/323, 735/85, 600/559
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/505 using digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

A fitting setup for hearing aids (1), wherein a cell phone (1) is the input device. The cell phone is used to communicate with a server so as to change the fitting setup for the hearing aid to an optimal setting. The cell phone may also be used to communicate personalized data to the network, as well as to update resident software programs on the hearing aid.

Claims

1. A fitting setup to match at least one self-contained hearing aid (1) that when worn by an individual improves the individual'"'"'s hearing, the self-contained hearing aid comprising an acoustical/electrical input converter arrangement to pick up acoustical signals from the individual'"'"'s surroundings, a signal processing unit and an output electrical/mechanical converter arrangement to transmit said acoustical signals improved to said individual wearing said self-contained hearing aid as mechanical output signals, the fitting setup comprising an input device being operationally connectable to an input of said self-contained hearing aid to controllably match the transfer characteristics and between said acoustical signals and said mechanical output signals of said output converter during a fitting operation, said input device being a cell phone.

2. The fitting setup as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operational connection (K, K₁, K₂) between the cell phone (9) and the self-contained hearing aid (1) is implemented by a converter (13), said connection comprising a high frequency link, and/or an infrared link (IR), and/or an acoustic link, each link being intrinsic to the cell phone, between the cell phone (9) and the converter (13), and comprising a wired and/or wireless link (Ca) between the converter (13) and the self-contained hearing aid (1).

3. The fitting setup as claimed in claim 1, wherein an acoustic link connects the cell phone with the self-contained hearing aid.

4. The fitting setup as claimed in claim 2, wherein the converter (13) is an independent unit or is integrated into the self-contained hearing aid (1) or into the cell phone (9).

5. The fitting setup as claimed in one of claims 1 through 4, wherein the cell phone is adapted to communicate with a communications network.

6. The fitting setup as claimed in one of claims 1 through 4, further comprising at least one server and wherein the cell phone is designed to communicate with said server, at least one of the following kinds of data being transmitted between the server and the cell phone:

fitting programs from the server to the cell phone,

hearing-aid software from the server through the cell phone to at least one self-contained hearing aid associated with said cell phone,

updates for fitting software and/or hearing-aid software.

7. The fitting setup as claimed in one of claims 1 through 4, further comprising at least one server and wherein the cell phone is designed to communicate with said server, the following data being transmitted between said cell phone and server:

personalized data, relating to the self-contained hearing aid, from the cell phone to the server, and/or

hearing-aid personalized adjustment data from the server to the cell phone.

8. The fitting setup as claimed in one of claims 1 through 4, wherein the cell phone also acts as a remote control for the self-contained hearing aid.

9. The fitting setup as claimed in claim 5, further comprising at least one server and wherein the cell phone is designed to communicate with said server, at least one of the following kinds of data being transmitted between the server and the cell phone:

fitting programs from the server to the cell phone,

hearing-aid software from the server through the cell phone to at least one self-contained hearing aid associated with said cell phone,

updates for fitting software and/or hearing-aid software.

10. The fitting setup as claimed in claim 5, further comprising at least one server and wherein the cell phone is designed to communicate with said server, the following data being transmitted between said cell phone and server:

personalized data, relating to the self-contained hearing aid, from the cell phone to the server, and/or

hearing-aid personalized adjustment data from the server to the cell phone.

11. The fitting setup as claimed in claim 6, further comprising at least one server and wherein the cell phone is designed to communicate with said server, the following data being transmitted between said cell phone and server:

personalized data, relating to the self-contained hearing aid, from the cell phone to the server, and/or

hearing-aid personalized adjustment data from the server to the cell phone.