Implantable hearing aid

Patent 5772575 Issued on June 30, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date:

September 22, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Re31031

3346704

3557775

3594514

3712962

3764748

3870832

3882285

Implantable electronic hearing aid
Patent #: 4063048
Issued on: 12/13/1977
Inventor: Kissiah, Jr.

Piezoelectric bimorph or monomorph bender structure
Patent #: 4078160
Issued on: 03/07/1978
Inventor: Bost

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Inventors

Assignee

Application

No. 532398 filed on 09/22/1995

US Classes:

600/25SURGICALLY IMPLANTED VIBRATORY HEARING AID

Examiners

Primary: Lacyk, John P.

Foreign Patent References

0076069A1 EP. 04/12/1983
0 242 038 EP. 10/12/1987
0259906A1 EP. 03/12/1988
0 263 254 EP. 04/12/1988
0563767 EP 10/12/1993
2688132 FR 09/12/1993
28 25 233 DE. 01/12/1979
36 17 118 DE. 08/12/1989
39 18 086 DE. 09/12/1990
1551371 SU 03/12/1990
1440724 GB. 06/12/1976
2176078 GB. 04/12/1986
2188290 GB. 05/12/1986
9000040 WO 01/12/1990
9007915 WO 07/12/1990
WO94/17645 WO. 04/12/1994

International Class

H04R 025/00

Abstract

A hearing aid includes an implantable microphone, signal-processing amplifier, battery, and microactuator. An electrical signal from the microphone is amplified and processed by the amplifier before being applied to the microactuator. The microactuator is adapted for implantation in a subject at a location from which it may mechanically create vibrations in the perilymph fluid within a subject's inner ear. A transducer of the microactuator is preferably a thin circular disk, 2 to 8 mils thick, of stress-biased PLZT. Disks of this stress-biased PLZT material can be mounted as drumheads in various different ways, preferably in conjunction with a flexible diaphragm, to small threaded metal tubes, e.g. 1.4 mm in diameter and 2.0 mm long. These tubes may be implanted into a fenestration formed through the promontory adjacent to the oval window of a subject's inner ear. Securing the disk to a tube having a larger diameter than that implanted into the fenestration and filling the tube with fluid provides hydraulic amplification of the transducer's displacement. The implantable microphone is preferably fabricated from a thin sheet of PVDF that is overcoated with inert metal electrodes.

Other References

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History of Implantable Hearing Aid Development: Review and Analysis, John M. Epley, edited by I. Kaufman Arenberg, Kugler Publications 1991
Proceeding of the Third International Symposium and Workshops on the Surgury of the Inner Ear, Snomass, CO, USA, Jul. 29-Aug. 4, 199