Telephone to hearing device communication

• US 9,071,916 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonova AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Phonak AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Chapero-Rueda, Valentin, Vonlanthen, Andi, Erni, Lukas Florian, Haenggi, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Leshui
• Application Number:
  US12/921,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,667 Days
• Field of Search: 381/315, 381/314, 381/321, 381/320, 381/23.1, 381/317, 381/318, 381/102, 381/104, 381/105, 381/106, 381/107, 381/109, 381/111, 381/120, 381/74, 381/26, 381/92, 381/119, 381/122, 381/61, 381/56, 381/328, 381/326, 381/329, 381/330, 381/331, 381/327, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/553.1, 455/3.06, 455/41.2, 455/567, 455/418, 379/52, 379/390.01, 379/395, 379/395.01, 379/347, 379/388.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2474 Telephone terminals specially adapted for disabled people user interfaces for cordless or mobile telephones specially adapted for disabled users H04M1/72475; network based special services or facilities for hearing-impaired persons H04M3/42391; devices for conversing with the deaf-blind G09B21/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/605 involving control of the receiver volume to provide a dual operational mode at close or far distance from the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A telephone handset (1), e.g. a mobile phone, is equipped with an add-on module (41). Thereby, the module (41) comprises a microphone unit (9a) which is operated instead of the microphone unit intrinsically provided in the handset (1). Further, the module (41) comprises a short-range wireless transmission unit (23a) which is operated instead of a speaker unit (7) which is intrinsically provided in the handset (1). The short-range wireless communication unit (23a) establishes communication with a respective short-range wireless communication unit (19a) in a hearing device (10) as soon as a distance between the telephone handset (1) and the hearing device (10) drops below a predetermined threshold value as detected by a distance detection unit (21).

Claims

1. A method for establishing wireless communication between a telephone handset and a hearing device system comprising at least first and second hearing devices, the first hearing device having a first microphone unit, the output of the first microphone unit being operationally connected to an input of a first speaker unit at said first hearing device, and the second hearing device having a second microphone unit, the output of the second microphone unit being operationally connected to an input of a second speaker unit, the method comprising:

monitoring when a mutual distance between the first hearing device and said telephone handset becomes shorter than a predetermined distance threshold;

when the monitoring determines that the mutual distance is shorter than the predetermined distance threshold;

establishing a wireless short-range audio signal communication from said telephone handset to the first hearing device of said hearing device system; and

establishing an input signal to the first speaker unit to be at least predominantly governed by audio signals transmitted by said wireless short-range audio signal communication; and

disabling said wireless short-range audio signal communication after a predetermined time span during which said mutual distance between the first hearing device and said telephone handset remains above said predetermined distance threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless short-range audio signal communication is by BLUETOOTH technology.

3. A communication system comprising:

a telephone handset having a wireless short-range audio signal communication unit;

a hearing device system comprising a first hearing device and a second hearing device, said first hearing device comprising a first microphone unit, the output of the first microphone unit being operationally connected to an input of a first speaker unit of said first hearing device, and a wireless short-range audio signal communication unit, the output of the wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said first hearing device being operationally connected to said input of said first speaker unit, and said second hearing device comprising a second microphone unit, the output of the second microphone unit being operationally connected to an input of a second speaker unit at said second hearing device;

said communication system further comprising a distance detecting unit generating a control signal whenever a distance between said telephone handset and said first hearing device falls below a predetermined distance threshold, said control signal establishing operational connection from said wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said telephone handset via said wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said first hearing device to said input of said first speaker unit,

wherein said distance detecting unit generates a further control signal after said distance between said telephone handset and said first hearing device rises above said predetermined distance threshold, said further control signal at least initiating disabling of said operational connection from said wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said telephone handset via said wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said first hearing device to said input of said first speaker will after a predetermined time span during which the distance between said telephone handset and said first hearing device remains above said predetermined distance threshold.

4. The communication system of claim 3, further comprising a further controlled attenuation unit having a control input operationally interconnected between an output of said second microphone unit at said second hearing device and said input of said first speaker unit at said first hearing device, said control signal being operationally connected to said control input of said further controlled attenuation unit and establishing an increased attenuation at said further controlled attenuation unit.

5. The communication system of claim 3, wherein said wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said telephone handset is integrated into said telephone handset.

6. The communication system of claim 3, wherein said telephone handset comprises a telephone handset unit and a plug-on module removably applicable to said telephone handset unit, said telephone handset unit having a plug-in pin for tapping off an input signal to a speaker unit of said telephone handset unit, said plug-on module comprising said wireless short-range audio signal communication unit of said telephone handset, the input of which being operationally connected and plugged to said plug-in pin.

7. The communication system of claim 6, said telephone handset unit having a further plug-in pin for input audio signals to said telephone handset unit, said plug-on module comprising a microphone unit operationally connected and plugged to said further plug-in pin.

8. The communication system of claim 6 or 7, wherein said telephone handset will comprises a connecting pill arrangement for a wired hands-free operation unit, said plug-on module being plugged to said connecting pin arrangement.