The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 25, 2017
Filed:
Dec. 02, 2011
Haluk Kulah, Ankara, TR;
Nebil Goksu, Ankara, TR;
Levent Beker, Ankara, TR;
Other;
Abstract
The invention is related to a totally implantable cochlear implant having a transducer which is a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester to be mounted on the ossicular chain or the tympanic membrane to detect the frequency of oscillations and generate the required voltage to stimulate the relevant auditory nerves. The invention enables patients' continuous access to sound, since it eliminates the outside components of conventional cochlear implants. The invention also eliminates the problem of battery need, since the transducer generates voltage required to stimulate auditory nerves from the vibrations of ossicular chain. The transducer is fabricated using Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques. The invention incorporates of two main parts, a transducer acting both as a frequency detector and an energy harvester, and electrodes to stimulate the auditory nerve inside the cochlea.