Patent ID: 7738913

Claim:
A hearing instrument, comprising: a transceiver to wirelessly transmit data and wirelessly receive data over a single wireless communication channel; a processor and a memory capable of communicating with each other, the memory including instructions to be operated on by the processor; and circuitry connecting the processor to the transceiver, wherein the instructions to be operated on by the processor include a layered wireless communication protocol for use to communicate with at least one other node on a wireless network, the layered wireless communication protocol including: a transmission protocol module operating at a first layer of the wireless communication protocol to control and monitor transceiver operation, wherein the transmission protocol module is adapted to control transceiver operations to provide half duplex communication over the single wireless communication channel; a link protocol module operating at a second layer of the wireless communication protocol to define data transmitting and receiving procedures, and present data suitable for transmission, wherein the link protocol module is adapted to implement a packet transmission process to account for frame collisions; an extended protocol module, a data protocol module, and an audio protocol module, each of the extended protocol module, the data protocol module, and the audio protocol module operating at a third layer of the wireless communication protocol, the extended protocol module to provide access to network service protocols, the data protocol module to communicate data regarding control and configuration information for hearing instruments, and the audio protocol module to communicate digital audio, wherein the audio protocol module is adapted to stream digital audio one way over the single wireless communication channel.