Embedded internet for hearing aids

• US 7,286,673 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sivantos Gmbh (WS Audiology A/S)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Bindner, Joerg, Meyer, Wolfram
• Primary Examiner(s): Swerdlow; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/342,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20030138109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381/314, 381/325, 381/60
• US Class Current: 381/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/12 Audiometering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/70 Adaptation of deaf aid to hearing loss, e.g. initial electronic fitting

Abstract

A hearing aid has an embedded Internet interface so that the hearing aid can automatically communicate error diagnosis data to a hearing aid acoustician via the Internet so that the hearing aid user need not visit the hearing aid acoustician and so that acoustician can initiate appropriate maintenance, training or repair measures. An appertaining method is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for operating a hearing aid comprising:

determining, with the hearing aid, a status of a battery of the hearing aid;

transmitting the status of the battery or a message relating to this status to an external system with the hearing aid, the external system comprising a data network that is the Internet or other wide-area network, the transmission utilizing an embedded Internet functionality of the hearing aid, and the transmission including an Internet address stored in the hearing aid;

changing the battery of the hearing aid by a hearing aid user;

determining, with the external system, whether the battery was changed too late; and

training the hearing aid user to appropriately change the battery.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing more than one Internet address that is stored in the hearing aid; and

providing an internet address for transmitting.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a bidirectional communication between the hearing aid and the data network; and

receiving data by the hearing aid from the data network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting ensues wirelessly.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a message to be transmitted based on the battery status.

6. The method according to claim 1, the step of transmitting further comprising:

transmitting the battery status to a higher-performance transmitter via a short hop transmission; and

forwarding the battery status to the data network.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

further processing the battery status before the forwarding.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the battery was changed too late comprises determining if the battery is low.

9. A hearing aid, comprising:

an analysis device configured to determine whether a battery of the hearing aid is changed too late, and to generate corresponding information data;

a transmission device configured to transmit the information data to an external system, the external system comprising a data network that is the Internet or other wide-area network, the transmission device comprising;

an embedded Internet or wide-area network communication module; and

an address register comprising an address to which a respective information data is to be sent.

10. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein the transmission device is a transmitter/receiver device that comprises a receiver configured to receive data.

11. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein the transmission device comprises a radio interface.

12. The hearing aid according to claim 9 comprising a message generator configured to generate a message based on the battery status.

13. The hearing aid according to claim 9, wherein the transmission device comprises a short hop transmitter having a range of less than one meter.

15. A training system for training a hearing aid user, comprising:

a hearing aid according to claim 9, which sends information data whether a battery of the hearing aid was changed too late to a training unit; and

said training unit being configured to perform a training of the hearing aid user to appropriately change the battery.

14. A method for operating a hearing aid, comprising:

changing a battery of the hearing bid by the hearing aid user;

determining, with the hearing aid, whether the battery of the hearing aid was changed too late and generating corresponding Information data,

transmitting the information data to an external system with the hearing aid, the external system comprising a data network that is the Internet or other wide-area network, the transmission utilizing an embedded Internet functionality of the hearing aid, and the transmission including an Internet address stored in the hearing aid; and

training of the hearing aid user to appropriately change the battery on the basis of the information data received by the external system.