Hearing Innovations Incorporated

Arnold S Lippa

Charles S Richardson

James A Nunley

Farid Dibachi

A method and apparatus for treating tinnitus involves generating a noise signal to mask the ringing or buzzing in the ears caused by tinnitus and transposing the noise signal into the ultrasonic frequency range. As such, the masking signal effectively masks the tinnitus noise without interfering with the subject's perception of normal sounds such as human speech. In an alternative embodiment, human speech is transduced into electrical signals, transposed to the ultrasonic frequency range, and physically applied to the patient while tinnitus masking signals in the auditory range are applied to the patient.

Tinnitus masking using ultrasonic signals

Apparatus and method for shifting the frequency range of an audio frequency range signal using digital frequency shifting and single sideband amplitude modulation techniques. In one embodiment, a frequency shifted single sideband, amplitude modulated signal is formed for application to the human hearing sensory system to provide enhanced hearing for hearing impaired persons. In another embodiment, the audio signal is shifted to an ultrasonic frequency range utilizing digital signal processing techniques in which an audio frequency signal is frequency shifted by modulation to a carrier frequency and in which a single sideband modulated signal is formed. The digital single sideband amplitude modulation techniques of this embodiment are also applicable to digital modulation systems for uses other than in hearing aids. In another embodiment, analog single sideband modulation is utilized for frequency shifting in a hearing aid application.

Frequency transpositional hearing aid with digital and single sideband modulation

A hearing aid apparatus and method of the type in which audio frequency signals are frequency upshifted to ultrasonic frequency bands and are applied as vibrations to the human body to generate a hearing response. Frequency upshifting of the audio frequency signals to the ultrasonic frequency band is attained in one embodiment by amplitude modulation of an ultrasonic frequency carrier signal with an audio frequency modulating signal to form a modulated signal in which one of the two sidebands is either completely or substantially suppressed and a modulated signal having only one predominant sideband is thus derived for application to the human sensory system to generate a hearing response.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Arnold S Lippa