| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20090074203 | METHOD OF ENHANCING SOUND FOR HEARING IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The focus of the embodiments is directed to the handheld DSP device and a method of processing audio signals. The DSP device includes a programmable digital signal processor, a UWB transceiver for communicating with the hearing aid and/or other wireless audio sources, an LCD display, and a user input device (keypad). The handheld device is user programmable to apply different sound processing algorithms for processing sound signals received from the hearing aid and/or other audio source. The handheld device is capable of receiving audio signals from multiple sources, and gives the user control over selection of incoming sound sources and selective processing of audio. In the context of being user programmable, the digital signal processing device includes a software platform that provides for the ability of the user to select, or plug-in, desired processing algorithms for application to selected incoming audio signals. The software embodiments include a method of pre-analyzing multiple incoming audio signals in order to identify background noise (i.e. noise other than voices or other desirable sound) and then adaptively filtering out the common background noises from each of the audio signals. Alternatively, the software embodiments include a method of pre-analyzing multiple incoming audio signals in order to identify a single common desirable sound (i.e. voices) and then adaptively enhancing the desirable sound within each of the multiple sources. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090074206 | METHOD OF ENHANCING SOUND FOR HEARING IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a fully functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The focus of the present invention is directed to the handheld DSP device and a unique method of processing incoming audio signals. The DSP device includes a programmable digital signal processor, a UWB transceiver for communicating with the hearing aid and/or other wireless audio sources, an LCD display, and a user input device (keypad). The handheld device is user programmable to apply different sound enhancement algorithms for enhancing sound signals received from the hearing aid and/or other audio source. The handheld device is capable of receiving audio signals from multiple sources, and gives the user control over selection of incoming sound sources and selective enhancement of sound. Specifically, the invention focuses on a proprietary method of adjusting the master volume and equalization of each of the multiple incoming audio signals prior to mixing all of the enhanced signals for output. Applying a Master Volume and Equalization setting prior to mixing provides for a more evenly enhanced sound and better overall sound intelligibility, as well as reducing processing power drained from the system during use. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090074214 | ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM WITH PLUG IN ENHANCEMENT PLATFORM AND COMMUNICATION PORT TO DOWNLOAD USER PREFERRED PROCESSING ALGORITHMS - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a fully functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The focus of the present invention is directed to the handheld DSP device. The DSP device includes a programmable digital signal processor, a UWB transceiver for communicating with the hearing aid and/or other wireless audio sources, an LCD display, and a user input device (keypad). The handheld device is user programmable to apply different processing algorithms for processing sound signals received from the hearing aid or other audio source. The handheld device is capable of receiving audio signals from multiple sources, and gives the user control over selection of incoming sources and selective processing of sound. In the context of being user programmable, the digital signal processing device includes a software platform that provides for the ability of the user to select or “plug-in” desired processing algorithms for application to selected incoming audio channels and a communication port for the user to connect to a PC or other device to download preferred processing algorithms. The communication port provides the user with the ability to retrieve desirable processing algorithms from a database of available algorithms and download those algorithms directly into the device for use. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090074216 | ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM WITH PROGRAMMABLE HEARING AID AND WIRELESS HANDHELD PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICE - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing device. The hearing aid includes a microphone, a digital signal processor, a speaker, a power source, an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver, and a control system configured and arranged to monitor a status of the power source and a status of the UWB transceiver, to receive an input signal from the microphone, to selectively route the input signal for processing responsive to the status of the power source and of the UWB transceiver, and to deliver an output signal to the speaker. The handheld digital signal processing apparatus includes a UWB transceiver, and a digital audio signal processor configured and arranged to receive the input signal from the earpiece control system, to process the input signal to enhance the input signal and to output the enhanced signal to the hearing aid control system. The hearing aid and the signal processing apparatus communicate through the UWB transceivers. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090076636 | METHOD OF ENHANCING SOUND FOR HEARING IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a fully functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The focus of the present invention is directed to the handheld DSP device and a unique method of processing incoming audio signals. The DSP device includes a programmable digital signal processor, a UWB transceiver for communicating with the hearing aid and/or other wireless audio sources, an LCD display, and a user input device (keypad). The handheld device is user programmable to apply different audio processing algorithms for processing sound signals received from the hearing aid and/or other audio source. The handheld device is capable of receiving audio signals from multiple sources, and gives the user control over selection of incoming sound sources and selective processing of sound. In the context of being user programmable, the digital signal processing device includes a software platform that provides for the ability of the user to select, or plug-in, desired processing algorithms for application to selected incoming audio signals. The software platform that provides the ability to load and save different processing algorithms, to apply those processing algorithms to one or more incoming audio signals, and/or to apply multiple processing algorithms in series, if desired and the method associated with processing of the incoming audio signals. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090076804 | ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM WITH MEMORY BUFFER FOR INSTANT REPLAY AND SPEECH TO TEXT CONVERSION - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a fully functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The focus of the present invention is directed to the handheld DSP device. The DSP device includes a programmable digital signal processor, a UWB transceiver for communicating with the hearing aid and/or other wireless audio sources, an LCD display, a user input device (keypad) and at least one memory device for storing programming settings and data. Specifically, the invention focuses on a memory buffer within the DSP device, and configuration of the device to buffer an incoming audio signal, to enhance the audio for replay, and to replay that audio. The device is further configured to convert the audio signal to text for display on the handheld DSP device. The device enhances the audio and then buffers the enhanced audio stream prior to output. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090076816 | ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM WITH DISPLAY AND SELECTIVE VISUAL INDICATORS FOR SOUND SOURCES - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The invention focuses on a handheld DSP device that provides a visual cue to the user representing the source of an intermittent incoming sound. It is known that it is easier to distinguish and recognize sounds when the user has knowledge of the sound source. The system provides for various wired and/or wireless audio inputs from, for example, a television, a wireless microphone on a person, a doorbell, a telephone, a smoke alarm, etc. The wireless audio sources are linked to the DSP and can be identified as a particular type of source. For example, the telephone input is associated with a graphical image of a telephone, and the smoke alarm is associated with a graphical image of a smoke alarm. The DSP is configured and arranged to monitor the audio sources and will visually display the graphical image of the input source when sound input is detected from the input. Accordingly, when the telephone rings, the DSP device will display the image of the phone as a visual cue to the user that the phone is ringing. Additionally, the DSP will turn on backlight of the display as an added visual cue that there is an incoming audio signal. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090076825 | METHOD OF ENHANCING SOUND FOR HEARING IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS - A portable assistive listening system for enhancing sound for hearing impaired individuals includes a fully functional hearing aid and a separate handheld digital signal processing (DSP) device. The focus of the present invention is directed to the handheld DSP device and a unique method of processing incoming audio signals. The DSP device includes a programmable digital signal processor, a UWB transceiver for communicating with the hearing aid and/or other wireless audio sources, an LCD display, and a user input device (keypad). The handheld device is user programmable to apply different sound enhancement algorithms for enhancing sound signals received from the hearing aid and/or other audio source. The handheld device is capable of receiving audio signals from multiple sources, and gives the user control over selection of incoming sound sources and selective enhancement of sound. In the context of being user programmable, the digital signal processing device includes a software platform that provides for the ability of the user to select, or plug-in, desired enhancement algorithms for application to selected incoming audio signals. Specifically, the invention focuses on a method of buffering an incoming audio signal, and selectively replaying the buffered audio. The method further includes converting the replayed audio signal to text for display on the handheld DSP device. | 03-19-2009 |
