# US 12,009,008 B2 · Habilitation and/or rehabilitation methods and systems

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,009,008 B2
- Document ID: US12009008B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/261,646
- Filed: 2019-07-25
- Published: 2021-08-26
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-07-25
- Assignees: Cochlear Limited
- Applicants: Cochlear Limited
- Inventors: Janette Oliver; Jim May; Christopher Bennett
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009008B2

## CPC

- G10L 25/48: specially adapted for particular use
- G10L 15/20: Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech (G10L21/02 takes precedence)
- G10L 21/02: Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation (reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08)
- H04R 25/554: {using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils}
- H04R 2225/39: Aspects relating to automatic logging of sound environment parameters and the performance of the hearing aid during use, e.g. histogram logging, or of user selected programs or settings in the hearing aid, e.g. usage logging
- H04R 2225/41: Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

A method, including capturing an individual's voice with a machine, and logging data corresponding to events and/or actions of the individual's real world auditory environment, wherein the individual is speaking while using a hearing assistance device, and the hearing assistance device at least one of corresponds to the machine or is a device used to execute the action of logging data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
capturing an individual's voice with a machine; and
logging data corresponding to events and/or actions of the individual's real world auditory environment, wherein
the individual is speaking while using a hearing assistance device, and the hearing assistance device at least one of corresponds to the machine or is a device used to execute the action of logging data,
the individual is a hearing impaired person, and
the method further comprises analyzing the captured voice and the logged data to identify a weakness in a habilitation or rehabilitation regime of the individual.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
wherein the logged data is non-voice based data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the hearing assistance device is a hearing prosthesis; and
the logged data is non-voice based data relating to use of a hearing prosthesis by the individual.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein:
the logged data is indicative of temporal data associated with use of the hearing assistance device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein:
the logged data is indicative of how the prosthesis is being used and/or whether the prosthesis is being used.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
analyzing the captured voice and the logged data includes analyzing the captured voice to determine a characteristic associated thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining functional listening behavior data about the individual; and
also analyzing the functional data to identify the weakness in the habilitation or rehabilitation regime.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the hearing assistance device is a hearing prosthesis attached to the individual.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
analyzing the captured voice to determine at least one characteristic of a language development environment associated with the voice.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:
(i) analyzing the captured voice and the logged data to identify a real-world scenario identified by using the captured voice and/or the data as latent variables; or
(ii) obtaining functional listening behavior data about the individual; and
analyzing the captured voice, the logged data and the functional data to identify a real-world scenario identified by using the captured voice and/or the logged data and/or the functional listening behavior data as latent variables.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
analyzing the captured voice and the logged data to identify a habilitation and/or rehabilitation action that should be executed or should no longer be executed.

### Claim 12

A method, comprising:
capturing sound in a natural language environment with a machine;
analyzing the sound captured by the machine to determine at least one higher level characteristic of an auditory skill development of a hearing impaired person; and
at least one of:
identifying a revision to a habilitation and/or rehabilitation regime of the person based on the analysis;
developing a habilitation and/or rehabilitation regime for the person based on the analysis; or
replacing a habilitation and/or rehabilitation regime for the person with a new regime based on the analysis.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the higher level characteristic is an ability of the person to identify the captured environmental sound.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the higher level characteristic is an ability of the person to comprehend the environmental sound.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the higher level characteristic is an ability of the person communicate by responding to voice directed at the person.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the person is a pre-pubescent; and
the revision of the habilitation and/or rehabilitation regime includes changing a way of speaking to the person.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the action of analyzing the sound captured by the machine includes analyzing voice of the person with voice of a second person speaking to the person to determine a level of comprehension by the person; and
the action of identifying the revision includes identifying the revision based on the determined level of comprehension by the person.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein:
the person is a post-pubescent mentally healthy adult with a cochlear implant;
the action of analyzing the sound captured by the machine includes analyzing voice of the person with voice of a second person speaking to the person to determine a level of comprehension by the person; and
the action of identifying the revision includes identifying the revision based on the determined level of comprehension by the person.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein:
the person is a post-pubescent; and
the revision of the habilitation and/or rehabilitation regime includes increasing a time in a voice environment.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
analyzing the sound captured by the machine to determine at least one non-higher level characteristic of an auditory skill development of a hearing impaired person; and
identifying a revision to a habilitation and/or rehabilitation regime of the person based on the determined at least one non-higher level characteristic in addition to the determined at least one higher level characteristic.

### Claim 21

A method, comprising:
capturing voice sound with a hearing device, wherein the speaker is a recipient of the hearing device;
evaluating data, wherein the data is based on the captured voice sound;
determining a hearing habilitation and/or rehabilitation related feature based on the evaluation; and
automatically classifying, using a machine, a sound scene, the sound scene being present at the time that the voice sound was captured, wherein
the data is also based on the classified sound scene.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising:
determining that there is a need for intervention in an existing hearing habilitation and/or rehabilitation effort associated with the recipient based on the determined feature.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising:
automatically determining an intervention regime after determining that there is the need for intervention.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein:
the hearing device is configured to identify own-voice occurrence, such that the captured voice is identified as the recipient's voice based on the use of the devices' own voice identification capabilities.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein:
the hearing device is a hearing prosthesis.

### Claim 26 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein:
the action of evaluating the data includes evaluating at least one characteristic of a language development environment associated with the voice sound.

### Claim 27 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein:
the action of capturing voice sound is executed during a normal conversation outside of a testing environment.