Anatomically customized ear canal hearing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10284964-B2
Application number	US-201615180719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2016
Priority date	Dec 20, 2010
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide improved methods and apparatus suitable for use with hearing devices. A vapor deposition process can be used to make a retention structure having a shape profile corresponding to a tissue surface, such as a retention structure having a shape profile corresponding to one or more of an eardrum, the eardrum annulus, or a skin of the ear canal. The retention structure can be resilient and may comprise an anatomically accurate shape profile corresponding to a portion of the ear, such that the resilient retention structure provides mechanical stability for an output transducer assembly placed in the ear for an extended time. The output transducer may couple to the eardrum with direct mechanical coupling or acoustic coupling when retained in the ear canal with the retention structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a support for placement on a tissue of a user, the method comprising:
depositing a material of a vapor on a substrate to form the support, the substrate having a shape profile corresponding to the tissue and wherein the support is separated from the substrate,
wherein the shape profile of the substrate corresponds to a shape profile of a tissue surface and wherein the shape profile comprises a portion having a deflection away from the shape profile of the tissue surface so as to provide a deflection in the support away from a surface of the tissue.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material is polymerized on the substrate to form the support having the shape profile.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a solid layer of the material forms having the shape profile and wherein the support comprises the solid layer when separated from the substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a release agent is disposed on the substrate between the substrate and the support when the vapor is deposited on the release agent to form the support.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the release agent comprises one or more of one or more of PEG, a hydrophilic coating, a surface treatment such as corona discharge, a surfactant, a wax, hydrophilic wax, or petroleum jelly.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the release agent comprises a solid when the vapor is deposited at an ambient temperature and wherein the release agent is heated so as to comprise a liquid when the support is separated from the substrate.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the release agent has a first surface oriented toward the substrate and in contact with the substrate and a second surface oriented away from the substrate to contact the support, the second surface smoother than the first surface.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the release agent comprises one or more of a surfactant or a water soluble polymer to release the solid layer from the substrate with water.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the vapor comprises monomer molecules having aromatic rings and wherein the monomer molecules are polymerized to form a polymer on the substrate having the aromatic rings.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the vapor comprises one or more of poly(p-xylylene) based monomer or poly(p-xylylene) based polymers and the slip agent comprises petroleum jelly.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the vapor comprises one or more of PVA or PVA-H.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the vapor is deposited with one or more of thermal deposition, radio frequency deposition, or plasma deposition.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tissue surface comprises an epithelial surface and wherein the deflection is configured to extend away from the epithelial surface when the support is placed and wherein the deflection is oriented on the support so as to receive the advancing epithelium under the deflection.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a portion of an optically transmissive positive mold of the tissue and wherein components of a hearing device are placed in the mold with visualization of the components through the optically transmissive positive mold.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the tissue comprises at least a portion of an ear canal or a tympanic membrane of a user, the method further comprising:
making a negative mold of the at least the portion or the tympanic membrane;
coating the negative mold with an optically transmissive material;
curing the coating;
placing the cured coating in a container comprising an optically transmissive flowable material; and
curing the optically transmissive flowable material to form a positive mold, wherein the cured coating inhibits deformation of the negative mold when the optically transmissive flowable material is cured.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a first layer of the polymerizable material and a second layer of the polymerizable material and wherein components of a hearing device are situated between the first layer and the second layer.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising placing components of the hearing device on the first layer and depositing the second layer on the components placed on the first layer.

18. The method of claim 16 , further placing an oleophobic coating on one or more of the first transducer or the retention structure.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a retention structure shaped for placement in an ear canal of a user, further comprising placing a part comprising at least one spring, a support component comprising arms and an intermediate section extending between the arms and wherein the arms are affixed to the retention structure.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the vapor is deposited on the part to affix the part to the retention structure.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein a projection extends from the part to place the retention structure in the ear canal of the user.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a retention structure shaped for placement in an ear canal of a user and wherein the support is cut along a portion toward an eardrum and a portion toward an opening of the ear canal so as to define an aperture to couple a transducer to an eardrum of the user.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the portion toward the eardrum corresponds to an anterior sulcus of the ear canal and wherein the portion toward the opening of the ear canal corresponding to the bony part of the ear canal.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the portion toward the eardrum is cut to limit insertion depth such that the portion toward the eardrum can be viewed by a clinician when placed.

Assignees

• Earlens Corp

Inventors

• Olsen Jake L
• Chazan David
• Fay Jonathan P
• Rosen Micha
• Puria Sunil

Classifications

• H04R2225/023

  Completely in the canal [CIC] hearing aids · CPC title

• H04R25/606

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• H04R25/652 Primary

  Ear tips; Ear moulds (hybrid ear moulds or post-processing thereof for their customisation H04R25/659) · CPC title

• H04R25/02 Primary

  adapted to be supported entirely by ear · CPC title