Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8116496 | Earpiece for a hearing device with bayonet fitting An earpiece for a hearing device is provided with a high retaining force in an ear shell in a repeatedly detachable manner. The earpiece comprising a receiver including a receiver connecting piece at the sound outlet and an ear shell in which the receiver is fixed a... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8116494 | Method for generating an acoustic signal or for transmitting energy in an auditory canal and corresponding hearing apparatus Changing batteries in hearing apparatuses worn in the auditory canal is to be designed in a more user-friendly manner. To this end, a hearing apparatus is provided with a first component which can be worn in the auditory canal, said component comprising a receiver u... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8116495 | Reinforced earbud device, system and method Various earbud embodiments comprise a sleeve portion, a base portion, a bell portion, and reinforcement members. The sleeve portion defines a central void extending from a proximal end to a distal end of the earbud. The base portion encircles the sleeve portion. The... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8107660 | Hearing aid A hearing aid includes: a sound collection unit configured to collect a surrounding sound; a sound output unit configured to output a sound; and a main body having a shape that can be attached to an ear. The main body includes: a hearing aid processing unit configur... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8068631 | Construction of a completely-in-canal hearing instrument with receiver compartment A construction of a CIC instrument is provided, along with a corresponding method of manufacturing such a CIC instrument, that prevents floating components from contacting with an isolated receiver and, therefore, assures feedback-free operation. This is achieved th... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8059847 | Hearing aid method for in-situ occlusion effect and directly transmitted sound measurement A hearing aid (100) comprises at least one first microphone (10) generating a first input signal from sounds external to a user of the hearing aid, signal processing means, a receiver (30) and, a second microphone (40) generating a second... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8050440 | Hearing aid that facilitates removal of earwax and trapping of moisture A hearing aid (2) is provided which includes a receiver tube (14) containing waterproof ear wax mesh trap (16). The receiver tube is removably connected directly to the hearing aid receiver (12) and the tube may be cleaned or replaced by ... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8031894 | Non-occluding ear module for a personal sound system An ear module with an interior lobe (200) housing a speaker (58) and adapted to fit within the Concha (103) of the outer ear, and an exterior lobe (300) housing data processing resources, includes a compressive member (202) coupled... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8000488 | Method of preparing of an ear mold and the ear mold thereof In regard to an ear mold for a hearing aid, there are provided the ear mold which a metal bush is settled in a tube for joint of the hearing aid, the metal bush has been used on account of settlement of said tube for joint of the hearing aid, and which a tube is adh... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7995782 | Combined receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly for a hearing instrument A sound tube having two passages affords a compact arrangement for a combined receiver and ear-canal microphone assembly. The ear-canal microphone is positioned in line with the receiver but above the receiver's output port, and the sound tube connects both with the... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7991174 | Hearing aid battery barrier Embodiments of the invention provide a barrier for protecting hearing aid metal-air battery assemblies from exposure to liquids causing obstruction of a battery air vent. One embodiment provides a barrier configured to be attached to a CIC hearing aid battery having... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7957549 | Acoustic apparatus and method of controlling an acoustic apparatus According to one embodiment, an acoustic apparatus comprises an electro-acoustic transducer with a first function of converting an electric signal to an acoustic signal and a second function of converting an acoustic signal to an electric signal, the electro-acousti... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7940946 | Open fit canal hearing device An improved hearing aid device adapted for use within the ear canal of the CIC (Completely In the ear) and of the partially exposed ITC (In The Canal) type. This aid consists of a system of integrated parts allowing an air gap to substantially surround the hearing a... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7916884 | External ear insert for hearing comprehension enhancement A simple hearing enhancement device that takes the normally adequately loud sound levels and optimizes selective frequency gain of the patient's ear passage to improve speech comprehension. ... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7916885 | Component for a hearing aid and a hearing aid A hearing aid (1) comprising a lid (31), an electronics module (4), and a microphone adapter (15), wherein the electronics module and the microphone adapter provides a groove (30) for sliding engagement with a pivot of the lid, the... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7899200 | Universal-fit hearing device An in-the-ear hearing instrument comprises a deformable holding element (3) outside the ear canal and a sealing element (7) comprising venting elements. The sealing element is an exchangeable resilient eartip, which by means of venting elements, such a... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7876919 | Hearing aid microphone protective barrier Embodiments of the invention provide microphone assemblies for hearing aids which are resistant to moisture and debris. An embodiment provides a microphone assembly for a CIC hearing aid comprising a microphone housing including a housing surface having a microphone... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7864973 | User disposable sleeve for use within the ear canal User disposable sleeves for use with sound controlling structures having a non-constant radial profile can include an inner portion adapted to releasably attach to the sound controlling structure and an outer portion adapted to fit within a user's ear canal. The use... | 01/04/2011 |
| 7856111 | Hearing aid with sound tube serving for retention in concha A hearing aid device has a custom-fit shell that fits into the helix lock area of the outer ear of a hearing-impaired person, and an RIC tube that is held in the concha of the outer ear and terminates in the ear canal. The combination of the custom-fit shell and the... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7844066 | In-the-ear hearing aid having an electronics module An in-the-ear hearing aid is to have a more compact design. For this purpose there is inserted into a housing shell an electronics module having all the electronic components of the hearing aid, the electronic components being secured to a flexible supporting struct... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7844065 | Hearing instrument According to the first aspect of the invention, a hearing instrument with at least one microphone and signal processing comprises at least two receivers having a different frequency response. At least a first one of the receivers is placed outside the ear canal, for... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7822219 | Cartilage displacing bead, ridge, or key projection At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an in-the-ear-canal device comprising: an insertion element; and at least one non-circumferential protrusion, where the at least one non-circumferential protrusion is operatively connected to a surface of the insertio... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7783068 | Hearing device with a damping element A hearing device has an ear fitting piece, a housing part wearable behind the ear, and an earpiece tube connecting the ear fitting piece and the housing part. The transmission of mechanical vibrations between the ear fitting piece and the housing part via the earpie... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7778434 | Self forming in-the-ear hearing aid with conical stent A hearing aid body is provided that contains electronic hearing aid components and that is attachable to the user's body outside the ear canal. A conduit connects the hearing aid body to the flexible plug. The conduit enables sound emitted by the hearing aid to trav... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7756285 | Hearing aid with tuned microphone cavity A hearing aid comprises a microphone that receives incident sound waves from one or more sources external to the hearing aid, and converts the sound waves into electronic signals; a circuit that amplifies the electronic signals; a receiver that converts the amplifie... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7720242 | Flexible joint for extended wear hearing device Various embodiments provide a flexible joint for extended wear hearing devices. One embodiment provides a flexible joint for a hearing device comprising a compliant tube having a lateral and a medial end, a pivotal portion and a lumen. The hearing device can include... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7720243 | Acoustic enhancement for behind the ear communication devices A device and method for tailoring the audio frequency response of a hearing instrument, such as a hearing aid, by altering the physical characteristics of the device to more accurately compensate for a user's specific hearing loss attributes. The device has a bore f... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7715581 | Concha/open canal hearing aid apparatus and method An improved hearing aid and method that employs a combination microphone/speaker, sized to have the microphone inserted within the concha bowl of the outer ear and the speaker is inserted within which the opening of the ear canal such that it does not obstruct the s... | 05/11/2010 |
| 7697706 | Low sound attenuating hearing protection device A hearing protection device and a method of manufacturing thereof is provided. The device includes a sound attenuating portion for being disposed within an ear canal of a user to obstruct the passage of sound and a channel formed through the sound attenuating portio... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7684580 | Hearing device to be at least partially inserted into an ear canal The hearing device comprises an insertable part, which is to be inserted into an ear canal of a user of the hearing device. The insertable part may be identical with the hearing device itself, and the insertable part comprises a casing, which casing comprises a defo... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7664282 | Sealing retainer for extended wear hearing devices An embodiment provides a seal for retaining a hearing device within the ear canal comprising a curved shell having an opening at a shell apex portion. The shell defines a cavity for retention of a device component. An interior surface of a shell wall has a scalloped... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7627131 | Flexible earpiece for a hearing aid The present invention relates to a flexible ear mould fitting a large number of users while providing a high level of comfort and comprising a base and at least one sidewall that is attached to the base and has an edge that extends substantially from the base to an ... | 12/01/2009 |
| 7590254 | Hearing aid with active noise canceling The invention relates to a hearing aid comprising a signal path with an input transducer, a signal processor and an output transducer, the signal processor being adapted to produce a compensation signal capable of at least partly attenuating acoustic signals bypassi... | 09/15/2009 |
| 7590255 | Retaining member for an earpiece An earpiece is provided that is adapted for insertion into the ear canal and has at least one resilient fibre that is connected to the earpiece for abutting a surface of the outer ear when the earpiece has been inserted in the ear canal thereby providing retention o... | 09/15/2009 |
| 7564989 | Concha bowl hearing aid apparatus and method A method and in the concha bowl hearing aid apparatus with sound processor/amplifier and speaker sized to be removably secured within the concha bowl of the ear and structured to allow sound to pass through the hearing aid into the ear canal so its speaker positione... | 07/21/2009 |
| 7542581 | Ear insert for a hearing aid Feedbacks in hearing aids are to be attenuated and avoided in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The invention thus proposes producing a hearing aid component at least partially from a material comprising a plurality of Helmholtz resonators (8). An otopla... | 06/02/2009 |
| 7539321 | Digital hearing aid enhancing directional performance A digital hearing aid enhancing a directional performance for a patient who suffers from sole-ear hearing impairments is provided, in which the digital hearing aid cell inserted into one healthy ear is electrically connected with another digital hearing aid cell cal... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7529379 | System and method for determining an in-ear acoustic response for confirming the identity of a user A system and method is provided for confirming the identity of a user, where the confirmation is made using biometric data. The system includes an internal speaker having an audio port, which is positioned within the ear of the user, and is adapted for producing a s... | 05/05/2009 |
| 7443992 | Method and apparatus for modular hearing aid A method and apparatus for a modular hearing aid for a user having a hearing canal, including a housing adapted to fit within at least a portion of the hearing canal, and having at least one access port, a cover adapted for at least partially covering the at least o... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7443991 | ITE hearing aid for binaural hearing assistance Between ITE hearing aids for binaural hearing assistance, energy-saving communication is made possible by disposing an antenna device with a preferred direction of transmission in the hearing aid housing such that, in a state in which the hearing aid is attached to ... | 10/28/2008 |
