Xomed, Inc.

Symphonix Devices, Inc.

Jack V Hough

Kenneth J Dormer

Kenneth E Barton, Jr

Robert Y Chow

Gordon L Richard

Paul DiCarlo

Christopher Allen Julian

Geoffrey R Ball

A floating mass transducer for assisting hearing in a person is provided. Inertial vibration in the floating mass transducer (100) produces vibrations in the inner ear. In an exemplary embodiment, the floating mass transducer comprises a magnet assembly (12) and a coil (14) secured inside a housing (10) which is attached to bone within the middle ear. The coil is more rigidly secured to the housing than the magnet. The magnet assembly and coil are configured such that conducting alternating electrical current through the coil results in vibration of the magnet assembly and coil relative to one another. The vibration is caused by the interaction of the magnetic fields of the magnet assembly and coil. Because the coil is more rigidly secured to the housing than the magnet assembly, the vibrations of the coil cause the housing to vibrate. The floating mass transducer may generate vibrations in the inner ear by being attached to the skull or through a mouthpiece.

Bone conducting floating mass transducers

An implantable electromagnetic middle-ear bone-conduction hearing aid device is provided which is characterized by being carried entirely in the skull of the user, the absence of electrodes entering the middle-ear, and variability to meet a variety of pathological entities of the hearing impaired user. The device utilizes a sound processing component adapted to be positioned in the skull of the user and to extend from close proximity to the outside of the skull toward and within close proximity to the middle-ear of the user for receiving and converting sound into an electromagnetic signal and for transmitting the electromagnetic signal into the middle-ear of the user. A vibration generating component is adapted to be implanted in the small bones of the ossicular chain in the middle-ear for receiving the electromagnetic signal from the sound processing component and for vibrating the ossicular chain in response to such electromagnetic signal to stimulate the inner ear to create the perception of sound in the hearing impaired user.

Implantable electromagnetic middle-ear bone-conduction hearing aid device

An implantable electromagnetic middle-ear bone-conduction hearing aid device is provided which is characterized by being carried entirely in the skull of the user, the absense of electrodes entering the middle-ear, and variability to meet a variety of pathological entities of the hearing impaired user. The device utilizes a sound processing component adapted to be positioned in the skull of the user and to extend from close proximity to the outside of the skull toward and within close proximity to the middle-ear of the user for receiving and converting sound into an electromagnetic signal and for transmitting the electromagnetic signal into the middle-ear of the user. A vibration generating component is adapted to be implanted in the small bones of the ossicular chain in the middle-ear for receiving the electromagnetic signal from the sound processing component and for vibrating the ossicular chain in response to such electromagnetic signal to stimulate the inner ear to create the perception of sound in the hearing impaired user.

A bone conduction hearing device in the form of a magnetic disk is implanted and fastened to the temporal bone by a screw thread connection. Apparatus includes instruments for accurately drilling and tapping a hole in the temporal bone, and a wrench for tightening the magnetic disk hearing device against the bone.

Method and apparatus for implanting hearing device

A direct bone conduction hearing aid device is disclosed and includes a sound processor for receiving sound and generating an amplified electromagnetic signal in response thereto. This signal is transmitted to a subcutaneously implanted vibration generating means which is secured to a skull bone of the user and which includes magnetic means. An analog signal causes the magnet to vibrate and these vibrations are transmitted to the skull bone and thence to the cochlea to create the perception of sound.

Direct bone conduction hearing aid device

An implantable electromagnetic middle-ear bone conduction hearing aid device is disclosed which provides variability to meet a variety of pathological entities of the hearing impaired user. The device utilizes a sound processing component for converting sound into an analog electromagnetic signal and has an output transmitter adapted to be placed supercutaneously on the skull of the user for transmitting the electromagnetic signal transcutaneously. A signal receiving and transmitting component is adapted to be implanted subcutaneously in the bone of the user outside of the middle ear for receiving the transcutaneous electromagnetic signal from the sound processing component and for transmitting the electromagnetic signal subcutaneously into the middle-ear of the user. A vibration generating component is adapted to be implanted in any of the small bones of the ossicular chain in the middle-ear for receiving the subcutaneous electromagnetic signal from the signal receiving and transmitting component and for vibrating the ossicular chain in response to such electromagnetic signal to stimulate normal functioning of the inner ear to create the perception of sound in the hearing impaired user.

Growing community of inventors

Yukon, OK, United States of America

Jack V Hough