Earlens Corporation

Soundbeam LLC

John H Winstead

Rodney C Perkins

Sunil Puria

Jonathan P Fay

Paul Rucker

A hearing aid device for placement in an ear of a user includes an elongate support and a transducer. The elongate support has a proximal portion and a distal end, and the transducer is attached to the elongate support near the distal end. The support is adapted to position the transducer near an eardrum while the proximal portion is placed at the location near an ear canal opening. The elongate support is sized to minimize contact with the ear between the proximal portion and distal end. The elongate support permits sound waves to travel along the ear canal. In some embodiments, a microphone is positioned in the ear canal along the support, for example inside the support, to provide directionally dependent sound localization cues, and the transducer on the distal end of the elongate support comprises a coil assembly coupled to a magnet positioned on the tympanic membrane.

Energy delivery and microphone placement methods for improved comfort in an open canal hearing aid

Apparatus for directly stimulating a tympanic membrane or other acoustic member comprising a support with a plurality of activatable elements. The support can be mounted on the tympanic membrane and the activatable elements are distributed on the support to provide a distributed vibration to the tympanic membrane.

Output transducers for hearing systems

A hearing system for producing audio signals perceptible to an individual. The hearing system includes a transducer having a surface adapted to attach to a middle-ear acoustic member of the individual, wherein the transducer is responsive to variations in a magnetic field emitted by a transmitter to directly vibrate the acoustic member. The transmitter is supported within an ear canal of the individual. The transmitter has a coil and a core positioned so that the distal end of the core is located at a predetermined distance and orientation relative to the transducer.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

John H Winstead