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US 2019/0166439 A1Published application
Photoactive self-cleaning hearing assistance device
AssigneeStarkey Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsThomas Blaise Bergner, Sidney A. Higgins, Susan Marie Johansson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Photoactive cleaning hearing assistance devices and methods of cleaning hearing assistance devices are described. Photoactive nanoparticles may be disposed on or in the hearing assistance devices. The photoactive nanoparticles provide a localized surface plasmon resonance effect when illuminated with light.
Claims20
1-8. (canceled)
A system comprising:
- an ultraviolet light source for generation of UV light;
- a chamber containing titanium dioxide in optical communication with the UV light for generating free radicals;
- and
- a hearing assistance device disposed within the chamber.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- removing cerumen from a hearing assistance device by illuminating photoactive nanoparticles disposed on the hearing assistance device, wherein the photoactive nanoparticles provide a localized surface plasmon resonance effect when illuminated with light.
A method, comprising:
- placing a hearing assistance device in a chamber, the chamber comprising titanium dioxide;
- illuminating the titanium dioxide with ultraviolet light to generate free radicals;
- contacting the free radicals with the hearing assistance device to remove cerumen from the hearing assistance device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.