Abstract:
A method and apparatus for enhancing and protecting hearing. Sounds may be amplified based on their frequencies, or sounds may be attenuated, based on their loudness. Communication between a hearing aid, external to the ear, and the earpiece is by conductor or by wireless technology. An earpiece is molded specifically for a wearer, and the speaker is molded into the molded earpiece. The combination provides enhanced hearing for those having hearing challenges, hearing protection due to loud noise attenuation and a well-fitted molded earpiece that restricts ambient sounds from entering the ear.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to a hearing device. More particularly, the instant invention is a method and apparatus for coupling an existing hearing aid with a protective hearing device, able to amplify certain signals and attenuate loud sounds while physically blocking said loud sounds from the ear. 
       Background Art 
       [0002]    Many people of all ages and walks of life require hearing enhancement. Frequently, such enhancement takes the form of selective amplification. Present day hearing aids are designed to selectively amplify frequencies based on the patient&#39;s specific hearing challenges. For instance, a patient may have difficulty hearing high frequencies. Hence, a hearing aid for that patient would be programmed to amplify only high frequencies, while lower frequencies are passed at normal volumes. Hence, the operation of each hearing aid is programmed for a given patient. 
         [0003]    Hearing protection has a long history. Blocking the ear canal with rags, cotton, or any manner of adequately deformable material is surely the most fundamental way to help reduce the impact of loud noises to the sensitive ear drum. Plugs are made of foam material that may be compressed then expands to block the ear. Plugs made of polymers to conform to a particular person&#39;s ear for hearing protection as well as reducing or eliminating water introduction while swimming are available. Ear muffs may be worn over the ears, and speakers may or may not be incorporated therein. Speakers can be used to play music, communicate with others remotely, or cancel sound. 
         [0004]    Hearing aid wearers participate in the same activities as the general population, including those involving loud noises, such as mowing the lawn, running a chainsaw, circular saw, drill, grinder, or other tool, watching fireworks, etc. Another example is shown in  Fig. 1 a    where a prior art hearing device  10  is worn while the wearer  20  shoots a firearm  30 . Until now, protecting a hearing aid wearer&#39;s hearing has precluded engaging in a normal conversation between the loud noises associated with these activities, such as between shots on the firing range. 
         [0005]    Another prior art hearing enhancement system is shown in  Fig. 1   b.  This device comprises a hearing aid  40  and a molded earpiece  50 . In this prior art assembly, a speaker (not shown) is housed inside the hearing aid  40 . The sounds emitted by the speaker are communicated to the earpiece  50  via a hollow tube  60 . 
         [0006]    For those who wear hearing aids, there is a paucity of viable options for both enhanced hearing and hearing protection. There is, therefore, a need for a hearing aid and hearing protection combination. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for providing hearing protection for those who wear hearing aids. An additional object is to minimize the cost of the apparatus. 
         [0008]    For the purposes of the present document, including the claims, the following terms are defined: the term hearing aid is hereby defined as a portion of a hearing enhancement device external to the ear, usually worn behind the ear or on eyeglasses. The hearing aid typically comprises at least one microphone and at least one microprocessor for processing the signals detected by the microphone. Operator controls and a power source are also incorporated into the hearing aid. 
         [0009]    The term earpiece is hereby defined as an insert to the ear. The earpiece fits at least partially into the ear canal. Specifically, the hearing aid is remote from the earpiece. The earpiece comprises a speaker, actuated electrically, by which sounds may be amplified. 
         [0010]    The term wireless technology is hereby defined to mean the use of electromagnetic waves, such as radio frequency, for communication without the use of conductors. LTE, LTE-Advanced, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth are some common modern wireless technologies at the time of this writing. In particular, wireless technology does not include sound (pressure) waves passing through a solid or fluid medium such as a hollow tube filled with air. 
         [0011]    The term deletion when referring to a sound artifact is hereby defined as not reproducing any part of that sound. Deletion is an extreme form of attenuation. A hearer may still hear the loud sound via vibrations through the earpiece, but the speaker is not actuated to reproduce that sound. 
         [0012]    Earpieces provided with standard hearing aids intentionally do not effectively block the ear canal. Ambient noise is still introduced into the ear naturally this way. 
         [0013]    A hearing aid is typically programmed especially for a given patient based on that patient&#39;s hearing needs. Usually, not all frequencies are amplified—only those the wearer has difficulty hearing as determined by an audiologist or other hearing specialist. Sounds at other frequencies may pass directly into the ear from the ambient, or may enter the ear via the speaker, or both. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment of the instant invention, the earpiece speaker is in communication with the hearing aid via a wire conductor. In another embodiment, the hearing aid and speaker are outfitted with wireless technology, so there is no physical connection between the two. In either embodiment, the earpiece is made of a moldable material known by those skilled in the art, such as that disclosed by Kirkpatrick in published U.S. Patent Application 2013/0216086, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
         [0015]    Such an earpiece is formed to fit a given wearer, and is made to block ambient sounds from entering the ear canal. In the instant invention, all sounds must enter the ear via the speaker associated with the earpiece, hence, the speaker is molded into the earpiece. The hearing aid does not comprise a speaker. 
         [0016]    Because hearing aids comprise a microprocessor, they may be programmed to attenuate loud sounds, as well as amplify certain frequencies. Loud sounds, those exceeding a given decibel level at any frequency, may be attenuated or even disallowed to activate the speaker associated with the earpiece entirely—or canceled. Combining this feature of the hearing aid—the standard hearing aid the wearer may wear every day—with the ear canal blocking capability of the molded earpiece, the wearer&#39;s hearing may be enhanced as well as protected. Hence, when shooting firearms at a shooting range, the report of the firearm is greatly diminished, while the hearing device wearer may still be able to carry on a conversation between shots. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      Fig. 1 a    depicts a perspective view of a prior art form of a hearing enhancement device in a firearm shooting setting; 
           [0018]      Fig. 1 b    illustrates a perspective view of a prior art version of a hearing enhancement device; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  depicts a hearing enhancement device wearer in a firearm shooting setting wearing the hearing enhancement system of the instant invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention wherein a speaker is molded into the molded earpiece to be disposed innermost in the ear canal; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  depicts a perspective view of the off-the-shelf—hence, prior art—form of the hearing enhancement device providing a basis for the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates the hearing aid being used with the original, off-the-shelf earpiece and the molded earpiece of first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention wherein a speaker is molded within the molded earpiece; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  illustrates the hearing aid being used with the original, off-the-shelf earpiece and the molded earpiece of second embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8 a    illustrates a perspective view of a hearing aid fitted with wireless technology; 
           [0026]      FIG. 8 b    depicts a perspective view of the off-the-shelf form of the earpiece outfitted with wireless technology to intercept wireless signals from the hearing aid shown in  FIG. 8   a;    
           [0027]      FIG. 8 c    shows the first embodiment of the molded earpiece, including wireless technology to intercept wireless signals from the hearing aid shown in  FIG. 8   a;    
           [0028]      FIG. 8 d    shows the second embodiment of the molded earpiece, including wireless technology to intercept wireless signals from the hearing aid shown in  FIG. 8   a;    
           [0029]      FIG. 9 a    depicts a sound signal in graphical form having a loud artifact; 
           [0030]      FIG. 9 b    depicts the same sound signal as that in  FIG. 9 a    in graphical form wherein the loud artifact has been attenuated; 
           [0031]      FIG. 9 c    depicts the same sound signal as that in  FIG. 9 a    in graphical form wherein the loud artifact has been blocked or canceled; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 10  is a flow chart illustrating the process of enhancing sounds for the hearer. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, a hearing enhancement device  100  is shown in  FIG. 2 , worn by a shooter of a firearm  30 . Although the present invention is well suited to use on a firing range, its use is not limited thereto. The experience of any activity involving loud noises, such as weed trimming, leaf blowing, lawn mowing, wood cutting, tool and machinery operation, attending fireworks, etc. is improved by the instant invention. 
         [0034]    As can be seen in  FIGS. 3-8   d,  the hearing enhancement device  100  includes a hearing aid  300 , an earpiece  310 ,  410 ,  610 , the earpiece further comprising a speaker  320 ,  620 . Said speaker  320 ,  620  is electrically actuated, and is not due to an air passageway from a speaker in the hearing aid  300 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the hearing aid  300  and the speaker  320 ,  620  associated with the earpiece  310 ,  410 ,  610  are in communication via a physical connection  330 , such as a conductor or wire, or a fiber optics cable. In a second embodiment of the present invention, depicted in  FIGS. 8 a   - 8   d,  the hearing aid  300  communicates with the speaker  320 ,  620  via wireless technology, for example, Bluetooth. 
         [0035]    The earpiece  310 ,  610  of the embodiments of the present invention is molded to fit a particular wearer  20 . Materials, processes, and technology associated with creating molded earpieces  310 ,  610  are well known in the art. Typically, plastically-deformable material is pressed into and around the wearer&#39;s  20  ear canal. The material is put through a process involving heat and or chemicals that renders the material elastically-deformable. The resulting earpiece  310 ,  610  fits only the wearer&#39;s  20  ear used to produce the earpiece  310 ,  610 . The molded earpiece  310 ,  610  has an advantage over the non-molded earpiece  410  provided with prior art hearing enhancement devices  100  in that the molded earpiece  310 ,  610  physically blocks ambient noise. 
         [0036]    The speaker  320  of  FIGS. 3, 5, and 8   c , is molded into the portion of the earpiece  310  innermost in the ear canal. It is depicted in the figures much like the earpiece  410  of the prior art. However, the non-molded earpiece  410  of the prior art may comprise different material and geometry for comfort and stability not required in the speaker  320  because the molded earpieces  310  may be depended upon for those attributes. 
         [0037]    An alternate embodiment for the speaker  620  is shown in  FIGS. 6, 7, and 8   d . Here, the speaker  620  is molded within the molded earpiece  610  and an air passageway  630  provides a path for the sound waves—or pressure pulses—to travel into the ear. 
         [0038]    Sound  500  comprises infinitesimal pressure pulses. That sound  500  is received by a microphone  510 , internal or external to the hearing aid  300 . The sound  500  is converted into sound data in the microprocessor  1020  (see  FIG. 10 ) associated with the hearing aid  300 . The sound data are analyzed and modified as needed. Modifications include amplification or attenuation, depending on the amplitude of the sound and its frequency. The modified sound data are then communicated, ultimately, to the speaker  320 ,  620  within the hearer&#39;s  20  ear and converted to sounds said hearer  20  can hear. 
         [0039]    Communicating sound data from the hearing aid  300  to the speaker  320 ,  620  is via a wire conductor  330  in  FIGS. 3-7 , irrespective of the location of the speaker  320 ,  620  with respect to the earpiece  310 ,  610 , and via wireless technology in  FIGS. 8 a   - 8   d,  irrespective of the location of the speaker  320 ,  620  with respect to the earpiece  310 ,  610 . 
         [0040]    Wireless technology for communicating sound data from the hearing aid  100  to the speaker  320 ,  620 , as shown in  FIGS. 8 a   - 8   d,  makes use of electromagnetic waves to transmit the audio that is translated to sound by the speaker  320 ,  620 . Flexibility for the location of the hearing aid  300  is an advantage to using wireless technology. The hearing aid may be attached to the wearer&#39;s  20  eyeglasses, worn in a shirt, blouse, or dress pocket, attached to a belt, etc. Typically the hearing aid  100  is disposed in the vicinity of the ear to pick up sounds most naturally. However, the present invention is not limited to the disposal of the hearing aid  100  in any particular location except that it is disposed remotely with respect to the earpiece  310 ,  410 ,  610 . 
         [0041]    An advantage of the instant invention is cost-savings and familiarity due to the use of the wearer&#39;s  20  own hearing aid  300 . Typically, the hearing aid  300  is that worn regularly by the wearer  20 , and is programmed for that wearer&#39;s  20  hearing challenges. The stock, off-the-shelf earpiece  410  and its wire  330  may be unplugged from the hearing aid  300  and the molded earpiece of the present invention  310 ,  610  and its wire  330  plugged into the hearing aid  300  when the wearer  20  expects to be exposed to loud noises. The active program in the hearing aid  300  may be changed to one that attenuates loud noises at that time if the wearer  20  usually uses a program that does not attenuate such loud noises. Importantly, the molded earpiece  310 ,  610  physically blocks ambient noise from the ear canal. 
         [0042]    For each hearing enhancement device  100  wearer, certain signals or frequencies are amplified due to hearing loss associated with those signals or frequencies. The hearing aid  300  contains at least one microprocessor  1020  by which the hearing aid  300  is programmed by an audiologist, or other hearing specialist. 
         [0043]    Loud noises may be attenuated to reduce the number of decibels reaching ear as disclosed in published U.S. Patent Application 2013/0051590 by Slater, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. Loud noises may also simply not be reproduced at all by the speaker  320 ,  620 , which is an extreme form of attenuation and defined herein as sound deletion. Loud noises may also be canceled by applying an anti-noise wave to deaden even the ambient sound passing through the moldable earpiece  310 ,  610 . Noise cancelation, or active noise control, is described by Wikipedia as: “Adaptive algorithms are designed to analyze the waveform of the background aural or nonaural noise, then based on the specific algorithm generate a signal that will either phase shift or invert the polarity of the original signal. This inverted signal (in antiphase) is then amplified and a transducer creates a sound wave directly proportional to the amplitude of the original waveform, creating destructive interference. This effectively reduces the volume of the perceivable noise.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_noise_control.) 
         [0044]    Loud noises may be defined for the purpose of programming the microprocessor  1020  in the hearing aid  300  to be any noise exceeding a given decibel level. The attenuation may vary depending on the decibel level and/or the frequency of the loud noise. 
         [0045]    In  FIGS. 9 a  and 9 b   , a sound signal  900  is shown in graphical form where the abscissa is time and the ordinate is an amplitude or loudness of the sound signal  900 . The amplitude may be shown in decibels or in percent or fraction of a given amplitude. 
         [0046]    There is a loud artifact  910  in the sound signal  900  of  FIG. 9 a    shown in the circle. The remainder of the sound signal  900  was produced from speech at a comfortable conversation level. The loud artifact  910  has been attenuated in  FIG. 9 b   . A hearer would still be able to hear the attenuated loud artifact  920  shown in the circle. However, the amplitude of the attenuated loud artifact  920  is no greater than some of the amplitudes produced in normal speech. So the attenuated loud artifact  920  is not dangerous to the hearer  20 . 
         [0047]    In  FIG. 9 c   , the loud artifact  910  shown in  FIG. 9 a    has been deleted by the hearing enhancement system  100 . Consider that the sound signal of  FIG. 9 c    represents what is heard by the hearer  20 . The loud artifact  910  of  FIG. 9 a    may have been deleted or canceled by the hearing enhancement system  100 . 
         [0048]    The process of enhancing sound for a hearer  20  is outlined in  FIG. 10  by a flowchart. Ambient sound  500  enters the microphone  510  of the hearing aid  300  where an analog electrical signal representing the sound  500  is created. The analog electrical signal is typically digitized via at least one analog to digital (A/D) converter  1010 , although analog signals may also be worked with. The digitized signal is then usable by the microprocessor  1020 . Within the microprocessor  1020 , the data may be enhanced by amplifying some signals, particularly frequencies the hearer  20  has difficulty hearing, and by attenuation of loud sounds that could be harmful to the hearer  20 . 
         [0049]    The result of the enhancement process must be communicable sound data  1030  that may be transmitted to the speaker  320 ,  620  which, in turn, produces sound within the hearer&#39;s  20  ear. 
         [0050]    The above embodiments are the preferred embodiment, but this invention is not limited thereto, nor to the figures and examples given above. It is, therefore, apparent that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.