Electronic speech aid and method for use thereof to treat hypokinetic dysarthria
OwnerThomas David Kehoeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A speech aid for persons with hypokinetic dysarthria, a speech disorder associated with Parkinson's disease. The speech aid alters the pitch at which the user hears his or her voice and/or provides multitalker babble noise to the speaker's ears. The speech aid induces increased speech motor activity and improves the intelligibility of the user's speech. The speech aid may be used with a variety of microphones, headphones, in one or both ears, with a voice amplifier, or connected to telephones.
Claims20
A speech aid for treating speech disorders associated with Parkinson's disease, comprising:
- means for detecting when a user speaks;
- means for detecting when the user stops speaking;
- means for providing noise that induces the Lombard effect to induce the user to speak louder, to one or more of the user's ears when the user speaks, and to terminate said noise when the user stops speaking;
- and in addition to providing noise;
- and
- means for providing altered auditory feedback (AAF) to one or more of the user's ears.
A speech aid for treating speech disorders associated with Parkinson's disease, comprising:
- means for detecting when a user speaks;
- means for detecting when the user stops speaking;
- means for providing noise that induces the Lombard effect to induce the user to speak louder, to two of the user's ears when the user speaks, and to switch off said noise when the user stops speaking.
A speech aid for treating speech disorders associated with Parkinson's disease, comprising:
- means for detecting when a user speaks;
- means for detecting when the user stops speaking;
- means for providing noise that induces the Lombard effect to induce the user to speak louder, to one or more of the user's ears when the user speaks, and to switch off said noise when the user stops speaking;
- and means for preventing hearing impairment comprising means for detecting the user's vocal volume, and if said vocal volume is low increases the volume of said Lombard effect-inducing noise, and if said vocal volume is high reduces the volume of said Lombard effect-inducing noise.
A speech aid for treating speech disorders associated with Parkinson's disease, comprising:
- means for detecting when a user speaks;
- means for detecting when the user stops speaking;
- means for providing noise that induces the Lombard effect to induce the user to speak louder, to one or more of the user's ears when the user speaks, and to switch off said noise when the user stops speaking;
- and means for providing said noise to one or more of a user's ears via a plurality of transducers interconnected wirelessly to said means for providing said noise.
A speech aid for treating speech disorders associated with Parkinson's disease, comprising:
- means for detecting when a user speaks;
- means for detecting when the user stops speaking;
- means for providing noise that induces the Lombard effect to induce the user to speak louder, to the user when the user speaks, and to switch off said noise when the user stops speaking;
- and means for connecting said means for providing said noise to a telephone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.