Patent Grant
8379893
The present embodiments relate to systems and methods for providing a customized hearing aid casing.
There are various types of hearing aids currently on the market. For example, hearing aids may be disposed substantially within a user's ear canal. These “in-the-canal” hearing aids may be molded to fit inside of the ear canal and may improve mild to moderate hearing loss. While such hearing aids are advantageous because of their small, inconspicuous size, they generally do not have space for components, such as volume controls and directional microphones. Further, they may be more expensive due to their size and may have a shorter lifespan since the batteries are generally smaller.
Other hearing aids may be disposed substantially within the external ear, resting primarily outside of the entrance to the ear canal. Hearing aids that are positioned within the external ear may be larger than those disposed within the ear canal itself, thereby permitting additional features and an extended battery life, but making them slightly more noticeable.
Another type of hearing aid is a “behind-the-ear” hearing aid, which may include a component that rests behind a user's ear. This component, which typically comprises an outer casing, may conduct sounds to an ear mold that fits inside a user's ear canal or within the outer ear. The “behind-the-ear” hearing aids have several advantages, as the outer casing may house components that may achieve improved sound acquisition, amplification and transmission, as well as improved battery life. “Behind-the-ear” hearing aids further may permit multiple external controls, such as volume and muting buttons, which may be relatively easy to access. However, since the casing rests behind a user's ear, it may be more visible than those that are disposed substantially within a user's ear canal or in the outer ear region.
The casings of behind-the-ear hearing aids typically comprise a manufacturer provided uniform color. The user therefore obtains a hearing aid and wears the color and style provided by the manufacturer in a manner that may be at least partially visible behind the ear.
By way of introduction, the preferred embodiments described below include systems and methods for providing a customized hearing aid casing. A user may access a software program that allows him or her to select a type of a hearing aid. The software program further allows the user to select a motif to be displayed on at least a portion of a casing of the hearing aid. By providing the user with software for selecting a desired motif, along with information pertaining to one or more hearing aid models, a user may customize his or her hearing aid casing using a personal computer in a relatively fast and cost-effective manner.
In a first aspect, a method is disclosed for customized a hearing aid casing. The method comprises allowing a user access to a software program. The user then may select a type of hearing aid having a casing. The user may select, using the software program, a motif to be displayed on at least a portion of the hearing aid casing. The software program may automatically size the selected motif based on the type of the hearing aid selected, for example, based on dimensions of a surface of the casing. The selected motif then may be printed on a film. The film then may be coupled to the casing, thereby displaying the motif on the selected surface of the hearing aid casing.
In a second aspect, a software program is provided that may facilitate customization of a hearing aid casing. In one embodiment, the software program is operative to automatically resize the selected motif based on the type of the hearing aid selected. Further, the user may select a motif that is pre-loaded into the software program, or a personal motif that is uploaded for use with the software program. The software program also may allow a user to edit characteristics associated with a selected motif, such as whether the selected motif will be displayed on the surface of the hearing aid casing in a landscape or portrait format, and may automatically size the selected motif to be displayed accordingly.
The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims. Further aspects and advantages of the invention are discussed below in conjunction with the preferred embodiments and may be later claimed independently or in combination.
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
The present embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for customizing a hearing aid casing. Referring now to
The ear mold 30 may comprise any suitable shape designed to transmit sound into a user's ear canal. In the embodiment shown, the ear mold 30 is designed to be substantially flush with a portion of a user's external ear 22. However, the ear mold 30 may be dimensioned to be smaller, such that it may be placed substantially or entirely within a user's ear canal, thereby making it less visible.
The tubing 40 is coupled to the ear mold 30 in a manner that permits acoustic conduction from the casing 50 to the ear mold 30. The tubing 40 may comprise a first region 42, which may be coupled to the ear mold 30, and further may comprise an enlarged second region 44, which may be coupled to the casing 50, as shown in
The casing 50 may house multiple components. Solely by way of example, a processor, battery, microphone, amplifier, and speaker may be disposed within the casing 50. The battery provides power to the electronic parts, the microphone picks up sound, the amplifier increases the volume of the sound, and the speaker sends the sound into a user's ear. In effect, these components work together to facilitate the transmission of sound from the environment into a user's ear canal.
The casing 50 also may comprise one or more external controls. For example, a volume control 72, such as a thumbwheel, is shown in
The casing 50 may comprise any suitable shape. For purposes of illustrating the present embodiments, the casing 50 of
Referring now to
In the embodiment of
The motif 82 may be printed on the film 80, which then may be coupled to the hearing aid casing 50. The film 80 may comprise any suitable material, such as a thin flexible sheet of plastic, and further may be transparent or opaque.
The film 80 may be coupled to the hearing aid casing 50 using an adhesive, such as a glue. In one embodiment, the film 80 has an adhesive backing with a removable protective film. The adhesive backing is exposed by removing the protective film. Alternatively, the film 80 may be secured to the casing 50 mechanically, for example, using a clip or hook, or may be magnetically fastened to the casing 50.
The film 80 may be sized to cover a portion of any surface of the hearing aid casing 50. More specifically, the film 80 may cover one or more of the front surface 52, the rear surface 53, the first end 54, the second end 55, the lower surface 56 and the upper surface 57. When the film 80 is coupled to the hearing aid casing 50, it may cover one or more of the casing fasteners 65, which may improve the aesthetic appearance of the hearing aid casing 50.
In the embodiment show in
Additionally, as explained further below, the software allows the user various editing and formatting options. In one example explained below, a user may display the motif 82 in a landscape format, as shown in
If it is desired to cover multiple surfaces of the hearing aid casing 50, such as the front surface 52 and the rear surface 53, then one or more films 80 may be provided. For example, two separate films 80 may be used, such that one is dimensioned to cover at least a portion of the front surface 52 while the other is dimensioned to cover at least a portion of the rear surface 53. Alternatively, a single film 80 may be employed to cover both the front and rear surfaces 52 and 53. In the latter embodiment, the film 80 may extend at least partially over one or more of the first end 54, the second end 55, the lower surface 56 and the upper surface 57. Preferably, the film 80 does not cover user-operated buttons, such as the volume control 72 or the program button 75, so as to facilitate user access to these buttons. Alternatively, the film 80 includes holes or cut-outs to go around, under, or over user-operated buttons
Referring now to
As shown in
The first and second bands 125 and 126 may be coupled between the first and second members 102 and 112 at spaced apart locations, as shown in
At this time, the inner surface 104 of the first member 102 may be disposed at least partially over the front surface 52 of the hearing aid casing 50, preferably in a substantially flush manner. Similarly, the inner surface 114 of the second member 112 may be disposed at least partially over the rear surface 53 of the hearing aid casing 50, preferably in a substantially flush manner, as depicted in
In an alternative embodiment, the first and second members 102 and 112 may comprise a different material, such as a foam or plastic, in lieu of the film itself. In this embodiment, one or more of the outer surfaces 103 and 113 may be imprinted with a preselected motif 82, such that a film is not employed, but rather the motif 82 is printed directly on one or more of the surfaces of the first and second members 102 and 112. Alternatively, the first and second members 102 and 112 may comprise a solid color, such as red, blue, or a selected flesh tone, which itself is the motif if further customization is not intended by the user.
In yet a further alternative, the first and second members 102 and 112 may comprise a material having an outer surface adapted to removably engage a film without the need to use an adhesive, such that a film material is designed to stick to the outer surfaces 103 and 113 for easy placement and removal of the film material. In this manner, various films may be quickly and easily interchanged with one particular coupling member 100 that is disposed over the hearing aid casing 50.
The software program 132 may be capable of performing various functions. For example, the software program 132 may comprise software instructions, which may be installed in the memory 136, for helping a user design a customized hearing aid casing 50. Further, the software program 132 may comprise pre-loaded motif designs, including but not limited to colors, patterns, clip art, college logos, sport team logos, skin tones, and the like. The software program 132 also may include or access information, such as precise hearing aid casing dimensions for several hearing aid models. The software program 132 also may be configured to facilitate retrieval, processing, or indexing of data stored on a server coupled to a user's computer.
The processor 135 is a general processor, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, analog circuit, digital circuit, combinations thereof or other now known or later developed processor. The processor 135 may be a single device or a combination of devices, such as associated with a network or distributed processing. Any of various processing strategies may be used, such as multi-processing, multi-tasking, parallel processing or the like. The processor 135 is responsive to instructions stored as part of software, hardware, integrated circuits, film-ware, micro-code or the like.
The memory 136 is a computer readable storage media. Computer readable storage media include various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including but not limited to random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. The memory 136 may be a single device or a combination of devices. The memory 136 may be adjacent to, part of, networked with and/or remote from the processor 135.
The processor 135 operates pursuant to instructions of the software program 132 stored in the memory 136 or another memory. The processor 135 is programmed for user selection of hearing aid customization. The instructions for implementing the processes, methods and/or techniques discussed herein are provided on the computer-readable storage media or memories, such as a cache, buffer, RAM, removable media, hard drive or other computer readable storage media. The functions, acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described herein are executed in response to one or more sets of instructions stored in or on computer readable storage media. The functions, acts or tasks are independent of the particular type of instructions set, storage media, processor or processing strategy. In one embodiment, the instructions are stored on a removable media device for reading by local or remote systems. In other embodiments, the instructions are stored in a remote location for transfer through a computer network or over telephone lines. In yet other embodiments, the instructions are stored within a given computer, CPU, GPU or system.
The user's computer may comprise a user input 137 and a display 138. The user input 137 is a mouse, keyboard, switch, buttons, key, slider, knob, touch pad, touch screen, trackball, combinations thereof or other now known or later developed user input device. The user input 137 receives input from a user. In response to activation of the user input 137, signals or data are provided to the processor 135.
The display 138 is a CRT, monitor, flat panel, LCD, projector, or other now known or later developed display device for outputting determined information. For example, the processor 135 causes the display 138 at a local or remote location to output data including a hearing aid model, and creates an interface through which the user may customize the hearing aid casing 50.
The software program 132 may prompt the user to input information, such as the make and model of his or her particular hearing aid, via the user input 137. The display 138 may show information about one or more hearing aid types, including providing an image, model number, or size dimensions on the display 138. After a user selects his or her model, the user input may be stored in the memory 136.
The instructions from the software program 132 may provide another prompt to the user on the display 138 that invites the user to select a desired motif for the hearing aid casing 50. A series of menus with various options may be provided to the user to gather information on a desired motif. For example, the software program 132 may execute instructions displaying a first menu having a general inquiry, such as whether the user would like to implement his or her personal motif, or a motif provided by the software program 132. If the user prefers the first option, a second menu may be displayed inviting the user to upload his or her desired motif. The user may select his or her motif from a local computer, a networked server, or external media, such as a CD or flash drive. In one example, the user may select a digital image, such as an original image from his or her digital camera, which may be uploaded to the memory 136. A customized digital logo or design also may be selected and uploaded to the memory 136.
Alternatively, the user may select a motif that is pre-loaded into the software program 132, or accessible by the software program 132 from a server. The motifs that are pre-loaded into the software program 132 may include one or more images stored in any format, including bitmap, gif or jpeg format. In addition to images, clip-art, logos, patterns and solid colors, still other motifs may be provided or accessible by the software program 132. The memory 136 may store the motifs and produce them on the display 138 in response to user instructions.
Upon selecting the desired motif in response to instructions provided by the software program 132, the motif may be tailored to the selected hearing aid automatically and/or manually via the software program 132. For example, the software program 132 may automatically resize the motif to fit a desired region of the hearing aid casing 50. In the example of
Still further options may be provided to the user by the software program 132. By way of example, the user or processor may select the particular surface of the hearing aid casing 50 for which the motif 82 may be placed. The user may wish to place the motif 82 on the front surface 52, as shown in
In accordance with one aspect, the software program 132 is operative to access dimensions associated with multiple hearing aid models. For example, with the hearing aid model shown in
While the software program 132 may automatically resize the motif 82, a user may further resize the motif 82 to expand or reduce the dimensions of the motif. Further, software instructions may be provided to the user for positioning the motif 82, for example, placing the motif closer to the second end 55 of the hearing aid casing 50, compared to the first end 54. A user also may select whether he or she wishes to employ a landscape or portrait design, as shown in
After the desired motif has been selected, sized, positioned and edited as desired, the user may print the motif 82. For example, a printer 162 may be locally or remotely coupled to the processor 135. A home printer may be used. Alternatively, a provider or commercial entity has delivered the printed decals or selected motif on the film 80. The film 80 may be loaded into the printer 162. The selected motif 82, with desired dimensions, then may be printed directly on the film 80.
The film 80 with the printed motif 82 may then be coupled to the hearing aid 80 using any of the techniques described above, including but not limited to using an adhesive, fastener, or the coupling member 100 of
In a first step, in act 202, a user wishing to customize his or her hearing aid casing 50 may access computer software. The software program 132 may be accessed by a computer locally using a CD, flash drive or other medium, or alternatively may be accessed remotely, for example, via a server.
In a next step, in act 204, the software program 132 may prompt a user to select the type of hearing aid, which may include the specific manufacturer and model. The software program 132 may provide the user with listings and/or images of several common models to facilitate the process. The software program 132 then may store information about the selected model, including dimensions associated with each of the surfaces of the casing 50, in the memory 136. The hearing aid may be selected for other purposes, such as purchase, and then the software program 132 is activated for designing the decal.
In act 206, a user may select a desired motif for the hearing aid casing 50. As generally noted above, a wide variety of motifs may be selected. Moreover, an array of motifs may be pre-loaded or otherwise accessible by the software program 132, or alternatively, a user may furnish his or her own motif, such as a personal digital image.
The computer software 132 may automatically resize or otherwise modify the selected motif to generally be compatible with the previously selected hearing aid model. For example, as a default measure, the selected race care motif 82 may be resized to be approximately the size, or slightly smaller than, the front surface 52 of the hearing aid casing 50 when displayed in a landscape format.
In a next step, at act 208, the user may further customize the motif 82. For example, as noted above, a user may select whether the motif 82 will be displayed in a landscape or portrait format, as shown in
After the desired motif has been selected, sized, positioned and/or edited as desired, in act 212 the motif 82 is printed on the film 80 by the user or another. In act 214, the film 80 then may be coupled to the hearing aid 50 using any of the techniques described above, including but not limited to using an adhesive, fastener, or the coupling member 100 of
By using the apparatus and methods described herein, a user may easily customize his or her hearing aid casing 50. An entity provides software, film 80, and/or customized hearing aids for use by a user. The user is not restricted to displaying the hearing aid casing color and style provided by the manufacturer without customization. Further, since the film 80 may be applied directly to the hearing aid casing 50, or with the use of a coupling member 100, the user does not need to change the casing itself or remove the casing fasteners 65 to customize the hearing aid. Therefore, the design of the casing 50 may be quickly and easily changed in a personalized manner.
While the invention has been described above by reference to various embodiments, it should be understood that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20090290733 A1 | Nov 2009 | US |
