System and method for locating a hearing aid

A smart phone including a computer readable storage medium to store a hearing aid locator application and a processor coupled to the computer readable storage medium to execute the hearing aid locator application to track a last known location of a hearing aid.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to hearing aids, and more particularly to a system for location lost hearing aids.

BACKGROUND

Hearing deficiencies can range from partial to complete hearing loss. Often, an individual's hearing ability varies across the range of audible sound frequencies, and many individuals have hearing impairment with respect to only select acoustic frequencies. For example, an individual's hearing loss may be greater at higher frequencies than at lower frequencies.

Hearing aids have been developed to alleviate the effects of hearing losses in individuals. In instances where the individual's hearing loss varies across frequencies. Conventionally, hearing aids range from ear pieces configured to amplify sounds to more sophisticated hearing aid devices that are configurable by a hearing health professional.

While hearing aids are often effective at compensating for the effects of hearing loss, hearing aids are expensive, small, and easy to lose. Unfortunately, lost hearing aids are often not covered by insurance. Thus the loss of a hearing aid can severely impact the quality of life of the individual, especially if they are unable to replace it.

Replacing a hearing aid can often cost the user thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, losing a hearing aid is a common occurrence. It is possible to purchase replacement plans, however, the replacement plans; while not as expensive as a new hearing aid, often cost hundreds of dollars, charge a replacement fee in addition to the plan fees, and require the user to go a period of time without the use of the lost hearing aid.

In the following description, the use of the same reference numerals in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of a system are described below that include a portable or hand held electronic device (such as a cell phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, or other portable computing system) that is configured to communicate with the hearing aid. In one embodiment, the hearing aid communicates with the electronic device through a wireless communication channel. The electronic device tracks the current location of the hearing aid while the communication channel is maintained. The electronic device executes an application that runs in the background and checks the current location of the electronic device using a global positioning system (GPS) at the time the electronic device receives communication from the hearing aid. The GPS coordinates are then stored as the last known location of the hearing aid the memory of the electronic device.

The electronic device communicates with the hearing aid via a short range wireless protocol (such as Bluetooth®) and uses a GPS circuit to determine the current location of the electronic device and to infer the last known location of the hearing aid from the electronic device's current location. Further, the application allows the user to access the last known location of the hearing aid as needed, allowing the user to determine a location where he/she may have lost the hearing aid.

For example, it is common for a motorcyclist to have his/her hearing aid blown off his/her ear while riding. The application and the electronic device can be used by the motorcyclist to check the last known location and time that the electronic device communicated with the hearing aid and determine a finite area in which the hearing aid is likely located. Further, the application may be configured to re-establish communication with the hearing aid when it enters the transceiver's range and to alert the user when the communication is re-established. Thus letting the motorcyclist know that the hearing aid is close.

In one instance, the electronic device may provide an indication of closeness by measuring the signal strength of the communication between the hearing aid and the electronic device. For example, the electronic device may beep at an increased pace the stronger the signal becomes, or provide various visual indications of closeness responsive to the signal strength. In another embodiment, the electronic device may provide a signal to the hearing aid when the electronic device is brought back into communication range. For example, the electronic device may cause the hearing aid to play a tone (such as a tone in the user's known good range of hearing) or melody when in range. In another example, the electronic device may cause the hearing aid to turn on a light emitting diode (LED) to help enable the user to locate the hearing aid.

FIG. 1is a block diagram of a system100including a hearing aid102configured to communicate with an electronic device120that is configured to determine the last known location of hearing aid102. Electronic device120is a portable or handheld electronic device that a hearing aid user may use to control the operations of hearing aid102. Electronic device120may be a cell phone, a smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, or another type of portable computing system.

Electronic device120includes a transceiver148and a network interface150. Transceiver148is a radio frequency transceiver configured to communicate with hearing aid102through a short range wireless communication channel, such as a Bluetooth®. Network interface150is configured to send and receive data over a network (not shown). Electronic device120also includes a user interface142, which includes a display interface146(such as a liquid crystal display or LCD) to display information to a user and include an input interface144(e.g., a keypad, a keyboard, a pointer, a touch screen, or another type of interface) to receive user input. In some embodiments, display interface146and input interface144are combined in a single component, such as in a touch screen on a smart phone.

Electronic device120also includes a processor138coupled to transceiver148, network interface150, and user interface142. Processor138is further coupled to a position detection circuit132and a clock134. In an example, position detection circuit132can be a GPS circuit, a circuit configured to triangulate position data based on cell phone towers, or other types of location detecting circuits. Position detection circuit132and clock134are configured to provide location and time data to processor138. Electronic device120also includes a memory122, which is accessible to processor138and configured to store hearing aid locator application124and hearing aid location and time data126. Hearing aid location and time data126may optionally include left hearing aid data128and right hearing aid data130if the user has two hearing aids.

Memory122is a computer readable storage medium which includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information for access by the computing device.

In an embodiment, processor138executes hearing aid locator application124, which causes electronic device120to establish communication with hearing aid102. In response to establishing communication, electronic device120determines a current time and a current location using position detecting circuit132and processor138stores the current time and current location in memory122as hearing aid location and time data126, respectively. If a right and a left hearing aid are both are in communication with electronic device120, electronic device120stores the current time and current location for both the left and right hearing aids, as left hearing aid data128and right hearing aid data130.

Once communication is established between hearing aid102and electronic device120, hearing aid locator application124(which runs in the background on electronic device120) causes processor138to retrieve the current time and the current location from clock134and position detection circuit132respectively. Hearing aid locator application124further causes processor138to update the hearing aid location and time data126with the current time and the current location each time electronic device120communicates with hearing aid102. In one particular embodiment, electronic device120may be configured to check the connection of the communication channel with hearing aid102regularly. For example, some communication protocols provide wake up calls on regular intervals to maintain the connection of the communication channel.

In operation, electronic device120continues to update hearing aid location and time data126as long as the communication channel with hearing aid102is maintained. If electronic device120loses the communication channel with hearing aid102, such as if the hearing aid leaves the range of transceiver148. Electronic device120has a record of the last time and last location that electronic device120sent or received communication from hearing aid102. If the reason electronic device120lost the communication channel is because the user dropped hearing aid102and hearing aid102has been moved out of communication range, electronic device120now has data related to the location the user dropped hearing aid102at stored in memory122. In one instance, the user may realize that the hearing aid was dropped and access the hearing aid location and time data126to determine a rough location where electronic device120lost the communication link with hearing aid102. In another instance, electronic device120may alert the user that the communication channel was lost causing the user to check to see if hearing aid102is still on the user's ear.

In another embodiment, electronic device120also records a time and a location in memory122corresponding to the time and location that electronic device120lost the communication channel with hearing aid102. This allows electronic device120to provide the user with the last known location and time where the communication channel was lost in addition to the last known location and time that electronic device120communicated with hearing aid102. Having both sets of time and location allows hearing aid locator application124to more accurately predict the actual location of hearing aid102.

In another embodiment, electronic device120also provides the current time and current location to a server in communication with electronic device120. This allows the user to access the hearing aid location and time data126from a second computing device. Accessing the hearing aid location and time data126from the second computing device is particularly helpful when hearing aid102and electronic device120have both become lost. For example, the motorcyclist is driving on a bumpy road and loses hearing aid102at which time electronic device loses communication with hearing aid102and the last known location and time are stored in memory122and on a server. Later the motorcyclist also loses electronic device120. Nonetheless, the motorcyclist is able to locate hearing aid102by accessing hearing aid location and time data126from the server.

In the above discussion, system100is disclosed including electronic device120configured to execute a hearing aid locator application124. However, various graphical user interfaces (GUI) may be configured for use on electronic device120for providing the user with the hearing aid location and time data126. One example of a GUI including a road map is shown inFIG. 2.

FIG. 2is a pictorial diagram of an embodiment of a system200including a graphical user interface (GUI)210of hearing aid locator application124displayed as a map on display interface146of electronic device120ofFIG. 1. System200includes left hearing aid202and right hearing aid204and electronic device120in wireless communication with left and right hearing aids202and204. Electronic device120is depicted executing hearing aid locator application124. Hearing aid locator application124includes a GUI210displayed on user interface142. In the example shown, GUI210is a road map including areas212and214, which depict the last known locations of left hearing aid202and right hearing aid204respectively.

In the example shown, the user has lost both their right and left hearing aids202and204. Electronic device120had been executing hearing aid locator application124in the background and stored the last known location of left hearing aid202(area212) and the last known location of right hearing aid204(area214) in memory122. The user realizing that he/she has lost left and right hearing aids202and204brings hearing aid locator application124to the foreground to display GUI210on user interface142. GUI210displays the road map shown with areas212and214which generally indicate the last known locations of left and right hearing aids202and204respectively. Using areas212and214the user is able to locate the lost hearing aids202and204.

It should be understood that, the road map shown is one possible GUI interface and that GUI210may also include additional information or different types of GUIs. For example, GUI210may also include address information, last known time and date data, GPS coordinates, user's current location data, directional information (such as arrows pointing in the direction of the last known location), multiple overlapping areas providing degrees of certainty as to the actual location of hearing aids202and204, and other proximity data.

Hearing aid locator application124stores the last known location data of left and right hearing aids202and204in memory122and provides the data to GUI210, at the request of the user. However, there are several different methods for when to store the last known location data.FIGS. 3 and 4show two possible methods for determining when electronic device120stores the last known location data.

FIG. 3is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method300of storing last known location and time data of hearing aid102. At302, electronic device120establishes a communication link with hearing aid102. Advancing to304, electronic device120determines if the communication link is still open. If the communication link is closed method300returns to302. If the communication link is open, method300proceeds to306and electronic device120gets location data and time data. For example, electronic device120includes a GPS and a clock and is able to determine the location data from the GPS and the time data from the clock. Moving to308, electronic device120stores the location data and the time data in memory (such as memory122) and returns to304. At304, electronic device120again determines if the communication link is still open and proceeds accordingly.

FIG. 3shows method300which stores the location data and the time data in a loop as long as the communication link is open between electronic device120and hearing aid102.FIG. 4shows a second method400of storing the location data and time data.

FIG. 4is a second flow diagram of an embodiment of a method400of storing last known location and time data of hearing aid102. At402, electronic device120establishes a communication link with hearing aid102. Advancing to404, electronic device120determines if the communication link is lost. If the communication link is open method400returns to404. If the communication link is lost, method400proceeds to406and electronic device120determines the location data and time data. Moving to408, electronic device120stores the location data and the time data in memory (such as memory122) and returns to402. At402, electronic device120attempts to re-establish the communication link.

It should be understood, that method300and400may be combined to store both the last known location and time data that the communication link was open and the location and time data that the communication link was lost. This provides the user with additional information that may be used to narrow a search for a lost hearing aid to the area between the location that the communication link was open and the location where the communication link was lost.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the invention.