Systems and methods for remote loading of a sound processing program onto a sound processor included within a cochlear implant system

A remote computing system comprising:

• a remote storage facility that stores a repository of sound processing programs, the sound processing programs in the repository associated with different cochlear implants included within different cochlear implant systems;
• and
• at least one physical computing component configured to:
• establish, by way of a wide area network, communication with a sound processor included within a cochlear implant system that is located remotely from the remote computing system in a different building than the remote computing system;
• receive, from the sound processor and by way of the wide area network, a unique identifier of a cochlear implant included within the cochlear implant system, the cochlear implant implanted within a patient and communicatively coupled with the sound processor;
• identify, based on the unique identifier of the cochlear implant, a sound processing program associated with the cochlear implant and that is included in the repository of sound processing programs, wherein:
• a non-preferred version of the identified sound processing program is stored on a local storage facility associated with the sound processor,
• a preferred version of the identified sound processing program is stored in the repository of the remote storage facility, and
• the identified sound processing program includes customized data that represents a particular program by which an incoming audio signal is to be processed so as to stimulate the patient in accordance with needs or preferences of the patient as the patient uses the cochlear implant in a particular type of listening environment;
• and
• transmit, in response to the identifying of the sound processing program associated with the cochlear implant and by way of the wide area network, the preferred version of the identified sound processing program to the sound processor for:
• replacement of the non-preferred version of the sound processing program on the local storage facility with the preferred version , and
• use by the sound processor in directing the cochlear implant to apply electrical stimulation to the patient so as to at least partially restore hearing function for the patient.

A method comprising:

• storing, on a local storage facility associated with a sound processor included within a cochlear implant system, a non-preferred version of a sound processing program associated with a cochlear implant communicatively coupled with the sound processor and implanted within a patient, the sound processing program including customized data representing a particular program by which an incoming audio signal is to be processed so as to stimulate the patient in accordance with needs or preferences of the patient as the patient uses the cochlear implant in a particular type of listening environment;
• detecting, by the sound processor, a unique identifier of the cochlear implant ;
• establishing, by the sound processor and by way of a wide area network, communication with a remote computing system located remotely from the cochlear implant system in a different building than the cochlear implant system;
• transmitting, by the sound processor and by way of the wide area network, the unique identifier of the cochlear implant to the remote computing system;
• receiving, by the sound processor in response to the transmission of the unique identifier and by way of the wide area network, a preferred version of the sound processing program;
• replacing, by the sound processor, the non-preferred version of the sound processing program on the local storage facility with the preferred version of the sound processing program;
• and
• directing, by the sound processor, the cochlear implant to apply electrical stimulation to the patient so as to at least partially restore hearing function for the patient.

A method comprising:

• establishing, by a remote computing system and by way of a wide area network, communication with a sound processor included within a cochlear implant system that is located remotely from the remote computing system in a different building than the remote computing system, the remote computing system including a remote storage facility that stores a repository of sound processing programs associated with different cochlear implants included within different cochlear implant systems;
• receiving, by the remote computing system from the sound processor by way of the wide area network, a unique identifier of a cochlear implant included within the cochlear implant system, the cochlear implant implanted within a patient and communicatively coupled with the sound processor;
• identifying, by the remote computing system based on the unique identifier of the cochlear implant, a sound processing program associated with the cochlear implant and that is included in the repository of sound processing programs, wherein:
• a non-preferred version of the identified sound processing program is stored on a local storage facility associated with the sound processor,
• a preferred version of the identified sound processing program is stored in the repository of the remote storage facility, and
• the identified sound processing program includes customized data that represents a particular program by which an incoming audio signal is to be processed so as to stimulate the patient in accordance with needs or preferences of the patient as the patient uses the cochlear implant in a particular type of listening environment;
• and
• transmitting, by the remote computing system in response to the identifying of the sound processing program associated with the cochlear implant and by way of the wide area network, the preferred version of the identified sound processing program to the sound processor for:
• replacement of the non-preferred version of the sound processing program on the local storage facility with the preferred version , and
• use by the sound processor in directing the cochlear implant to apply electrical stimulation to the patient so as to at least partially restore hearing function for the patient.