Hearing aid with in situ testing capability

Patent 6118877 Issued on September 12, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date:

October 12, 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

3818149

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Inventors

Application

No. 542156 filed on 10/12/1995

US Classes:

381/60, Testing of hearing aids381/23.1, Hearing aid381/312HEARING AIDS, ELECTRICAL

Examiners

Primary: Kuntz, Curtis
Assistant: Nguyen, Duc

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Fenwick & West LLP

Foreign Patent References

0 661 905 A2 EP 03/13/1995
WO 94/22276 WO 09/13/1994
WO 96/03848 WO 02/13/1996

International Class

H04R 029/00

Abstract

A hearing aid has a built in or internal test tone generator for providing test tones and noise for diagnostic tests to a user through the receiver of the hearing aid. Alternatively an external test tone generator may be coupled to the hearing aid and selectively coupled to the receiver of the hearing aid for the diagnostic tests. A memory internal to the hearing aid may store real world sounds for diagnostic tests to simulate actual usage of the hearing aid.

Other References

Denis Byrne et al., "The National Acoustic Laboratories' (NAL) New Procedure for Selecting the Gain and Frequency Response of a Hearing Aid," Ear and Hearing, vol. 7, No. 4, 1986, The Williams & Wilkins Co., pp. 257-265
Fred Waldhauer et al., "Full Dynamic Range Multiband Compression in a Hearing Aid," The Hearing Journal, Sep. 1988, The Laux Co., Inc., pp. 1-4
"Programmable Analog Signal Processor, GP520A Advance Information Note", Gennum Corporation. pp. 89-9