Methods and apparatus for transmitting vibrations
AssigneeSoundMed, LLC
InventorsAmir Abolfathi, Vahid Saadat, Loc X. Phan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for transmitting vibrations via an electronic and/or transducer assembly through a tooth or teeth are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device. The electronic and transducer assembly may receive incoming sounds either directly or through a receiver to process and amplify the signals and transmit the processed sounds via a vibrating transducer element coupled to a tooth or other bone structure, such as the maxillary, mandibular, or palatine bone structure.
Claims20
A system for transmitting vibrations to an inner ear comprising:
- a microphone assembly placeable against a soft tissue;
- and
- an intraoral transducer assembly placeable against a hard tissue,
- wherein when the microphone assembly is in contact with the soft tissue and when the intraoral transducer assembly is in contact with the hard tissue, a gap is between the microphone assembly and the intraoral transducer assembly.
A system for transmitting vibrations to an inner ear comprising:
- a microphone assembly placeable against a soft tissue;
- an intraoral transducer assembly placeable between the soft tissue and a hard tissue;
- and
- an anchor placeable against the hard tissue,
- wherein sound signals are wirelessly transmittable from the microphone assembly to the intraoral transducer assembly,
- wherein when the intraoral transducer assembly is between the soft tissue and the hard tissue, the intraoral transducer assembly is on a first side of the anchor and on a second side of the anchor, and
- wherein when the microphone assembly is in contact with the soft tissue and when the intraoral transducer assembly is between the soft tissue and the hard tissue, a bridge extends between the microphone assembly and the intraoral transducer assembly.
A system for transmitting vibrations to an inner ear comprising:
- a microphone assembly placeable against a soft tissue;
- an intraoral transducer assembly placeable between the soft tissue and a hard tissue;
- and
- an anchor placeable against the hard tissue,
- wherein sound signals are wirelessly transmittable from the microphone assembly to the intraoral transducer assembly,
- wherein when the intraoral transducer assembly is between the soft tissue and the hard tissue, the intraoral transducer assembly is on a first side of the anchor and on a second side of the anchor,
- wherein when the microphone assembly is in contact with the soft tissue and when the intraoral transducer assembly is between the soft tissue and the hard tissue, a gap is between the microphone assembly and the intraoral transducer assembly, and
- wherein when the microphone assembly is in contact with the soft tissue and when the intraoral transducer assembly is between the soft tissue and the hard tissue, a bridge extends between the microphone assembly and the intraoral transducer assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.