Patent ID: 8244366

Claim:
A cochlear implant for improving the hearing ability of a patient suffered from hearing impairment, comprising an internal receiving unit configured to be implanted into the body, which comprises a receiving part for receiving an external signal, an active electrode and a reference electrode extending from the internal receiving unit, characterized in that the active electrode is constructed with a single electrode wire having a single electrode contact point for conducting a single full-spectrum signal to a body's spiral ganglion, the wire having substantially different thicknesses in at least two different regions located along the length of the electrode wire, the two different regions being separated from one another by a stepped intermediate region therebetween, wherein the thicknesses change from one to the other, the wire electrode being characterized by a thickest wire electrode portion at a first end thereof extending from the receiving unit and a thinnest wire electrode portion at an opposite end thereof, the thinnest wire electrode portion configured for single-point contact with a defined region of the body's cochlea.