Systems, methods and products for diagnostic hearing assessments distributed via the use of a computer network

• US 8,777,869 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diagnostic Hearing Assessment LLC
• Original Assignee: East Carolina University
• Inventors: Givens, Gregg D., Balch, David C., Murphy, Timothy, Blanarovich, Adrian, Keller, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): SZMAL, BRIAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/610,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 600/559, 600/300, 600/301, 607/116, 736/45, 735/85, 707/8, 707/10, 707/100, 709/203, 709/232, 718/102, 718/108, 702/19, 702/54, 702/76, 702/108, 702/122, 702/124, 702/183, 381/23.1
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/12 Audiometering
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/123 subjective methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/125 objective methods
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The systems, methods and associated devices performing diagnostic hearing tests which use a computer network to allow interaction between a test administration site and one or a plurality of remote patient sites. The test can be administered by an audiologist or clinician at a site remote from the patient, in a manner, which can allow interaction between the user and the clinician during at least a portion of the administration of the test. The diagnostic hearing tests can be performed such that they meet standardized guidelines such as ANSI requirements or certification standards and can include distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements.

Claims

1. A hearing evaluation system, comprising:

a diagnostic hearing test system with a communications interface that is configured to communicate with a remote computer associated with a clinician via the Internet, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system has a function generator and attenuator, and wherein the communications interface is configured to allow a clinician using the remote computer to control the function generator during a diagnostic hearing test to select test frequencies and sound levels of sound stimuli transmitted by the device to a patient during a hearing test.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system includes a housing with a processor operably associated with the function generator and attenuator and further comprises an audio analyzer in communication with the processor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system is configured to allow substantially real-time interaction between the clinician at the remote site and the patient at a test site.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system is configured to allow the clinician using the remote computer to control the function generator and the attenuator and generate sound stimuli that comply with predetermined hearing test standards.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an output device in communication with the function generator, wherein the output device comprises a transducer for transmitting the sound stimuli to the patient, and wherein the diagnostic hearing test system includes a user input device in communication with the communications interface that allows a patient user to indicate a response to clinician-initiated test sound stimuli.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system comprises a biotelemetry measurement system in communication with the communications interface, and wherein the communications interface is configured to allow the clinician to control the biotelemetry measurement system using the remote computer to evaluate otoacoustic emissions and/or middle ear pressure and compliance characteristics.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications interface is configured to allow a clinician to direct the diagnostic hearing test system to transmit to a respective patient sound stimuli that includes frequency tones, narrow band noise, broadband noise, recorded noise and speech, and live speech.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound stimuli is configured to have harmonic distortion of tone frequencies that meet ANSI standards.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system is configured to provide visual and/or audiovisual communication between the patient and the clinician during a respective hearing test using the Internet.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing system is configured to generate tone presentations of the sound stimuli that comply with ANSI standards.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing that holds the communications interface, the function generator and attenuator along with a web browser.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic hearing test system comprises a biotelemetry measurement system that is in communication with the communications interface to allow the remote computer to control the biotelemetry measurement system to obtain at least one of distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements of a respective patient and transmit the measurements over the Internet to the remote computer.

13. A hearing evaluation system, comprising:

a diagnostic hearing test device with a processor and a communications interface that is configured to communicate with a remote computer associated with a clinician via a computer network, wherein the diagnostic hearing test device has a function generator, attenuator and audio analyzer in communication with the processor, wherein the communications interface is configured to allow a clinician using the remote computer to control the function generator and attenuator during a diagnostic hearing test to select test frequencies and sound levels of sound stimuli that comply with predetermined testing standards to be transmitted by the hearing test device to a respective patient during a hearing test, and wherein the diagnostic hearing test device is configured to allow substantially real-time interaction between the clinician at the remote site and the patient at a test site.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer network comprises the Internet, wherein the diagnostic hearing test comprises a biotelemetry measurement system in communication with the communications interface, and wherein the diagnostic hearing test device is configured to allow the clinician to control the biotelemetry measurement system using the remote computer to obtain at least one of distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements of a respective patient and transmit the measurements over the Internet to the remote computer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communications interface is configured to allow a clinician to direct the diagnostic hearing test device to transmit sound stimuli that includes frequency tones, narrow band noise, broadband noise, recorded noise and speech, and live speech, and wherein the sound stimuli is configured to have harmonic distortion of tone frequencies that meet ANSI standards.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the device includes or is in communication with a camera that allows the clinician at the remote site to view a patient during a respective hearing test.

17. A method of providing diagnostic hearing evaluations using the Internet, comprising:

connecting a hearing test device at a local patient site to a remote test administration site using the Internet, the hearing test device having an audiometer;

allowing a clinician to control a diagnostic hearing evaluation test administered to a patient using the Internet and the hearing test device, wherein the clinician at the remote test administration site controls hearing assessment signals generated by the hearing test device at the local patient site and monitors the patient'"'"'s responses to the hearing assessment signals in substantially real time;

providing visual or audiovisual communication between the patient and the clinician during a hearing test session; and

allowing the clinician at the remote test administration site to monitor noise at the patient test site during the hearing test session.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting distortion product emission level measurements or middle ear compliance measurements over the computer network to the remote test administration site using the hearing test device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the hearing assessment signals have harmonic distortion of tone frequencies that meet ANSI standards.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the hearing assessment signals include frequency tones, narrow band noise, broadband noise, recorded noise and speech, and live speech.