Convertibility of a bone conduction device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10419861-B2
Application number	US-201213485521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2012
Priority date	May 24, 2011
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An external component of a bone conduction device, including a vibrator and a platform configured to transfer vibrations from the vibrator to skin of the recipient, wherein the vibrator and platform are configured to quick connect and quick disconnect to and from, respectively, one another.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An external apparatus of a prosthesis, comprising:
an external component of a passive transcutaneous bone conduction device, including:
a vibrator; and
a platform configured to transfer vibrations from the vibrator to skin of a recipient,

wherein the vibrator and platform are configured to quick release and quick connect from and to, respectively, one another,
wherein the vibrator is configured to quick connect to and quick release from a percutaneous bone conduction abutment, and
wherein the external apparatus is configured to be located, in its entirety, on one side of the head when supported against a recipient during normal use of the external component.

2. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the bone conduction device is a passive transcutaneous bone conduction device.

3. The external apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
the vibrator and platform are configured to snap-couple to one another.

4. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the platform is a pressure plate of a passive transcutaneous bone conduction device.

5. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the vibrator is a removable component of a percutaneous bone conduction device configured to quick release and quick connect from and to, respectively, a percutaneous abutment connected to a bone fixture implanted in a recipient of a percutaneous bone conduction device.

6. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the external component includes a snap-coupling having a male component that is part of one of the vibrator or the platform and a female component that is part of the other of the vibrator or the platform, the snap-coupling being configured to quick release and quick connect the vibrator from and to, respectively, the platform, respectively.

7. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: the platform includes a magnet, the external component includes a snap-coupling having a first sub-component that is part of the vibrator and second sub-component that is part of the platform, the snap-coupling being configured to quick release and quick connect the vibrator from and to, respectively, the platform via movement of the sub-components relative to one another in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the snap-coupling, the second sub-component corresponds to a female component, wherein the female component portion is in vibrational communication with the pressure plate; and relative to position along the longitudinal axis, at least a portion of the second subcomponent overlaps with at least a portion of the magnet.

8. The external apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:
the magnet includes a hole at least partially extending therethrough; and
relative to position along the longitudinal axis, at least a portion of the cavity is in the hole of the magnet.

9. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the platform includes a first magnet and a second magnet spatially separated from the first magnet;
the platform includes a fixation structure substantially fixing the spatial location of the first magnet relative to the second magnet and visa-versa;
the external component includes a snap-coupling having a first sub-component that is part of the vibrator and second sub-component that is part of the platform, the second sub-component including a cavity, wherein the cavity is configured to receive the first-sub component therein to quick release and quick connect the vibrator from and to, respectively, the platform via movement of the subcomponents relative to one another in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the snap-coupling; and
relative to position along the longitudinal axis, at least a portion of the second subcomponent overlaps with at least a portion of the first magnet and at least a portion of the second magnet.

10. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the platform includes:
a magnet;
a housing configured to hold the magnet to the platform; and
a first coupling component configured to quick release and quick connect from and to, respectively, a second coupling component of the vibrator via movement of the coupling components relative to one another, the second coupling component corresponding to a female component;

the first coupling component is attached to the magnet via the housing;
the first coupling component consists essentially of PEEK;
the housing encompasses the magnet and is formed of one or more of the group consisting of PEEK, acrylic, epoxy or other polymers.

11. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the vibrator includes a first component and the platform includes a second component;
the first component is configured to snap-couple to the second component, thereby connecting the vibrator and the platform via a coupling configured to quick release and quick connect the vibrator and coupling from and to, respectively, one another, wherein the second component corresponds to a female component;
the first component and the second component are configured such that when the first component is snap-coupled to the second component, flexible teeth of the first component extend into the second component, thereby snap-coupling the first component to the second component.

12. The platform of claim 1 , wherein:
wherein the vibrator and platform do not have a magnetic coupling coupling the vibrator to the platform.

13. The external component of claim 1 , wherein:
the vibrator is configured to also quick release and quick connect to a percutaneous abutment implanted in the recipient after the platform is quick released from the vibrator.

14. The external apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the platform includes a pressure plate portion and a female component portion, wherein the female component portion is in vibrational communication with the pressure plate,
the female component includes an interior area at least a portion of which corresponds to at least a portion of an interior portion of the percutaneous bone conduction abutment such that the vibrator quick connects to and quick releases from the female component in the same way that occurs when the vibrator snap couples to a percutaneous bone conduction abutment affixed to a recipient.

15. The external apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:
the external component includes a snap-coupling having a male component that is part of the vibrator and a female component that is part of the platform, the snap-coupling being configured to quick release and quick connect the vibrator from and to, respectively, the platform, respectively; and
the female component includes a cavity that is within a base of the platform, the cavity corresponding to the interior area.

16. The external apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:
the external component includes a snap-coupling having a male component that is part of the vibrator and a female component that is part of the platform, the snap-coupling being configured to quick release and quick connect the vibrator from and to, respectively, the platform, respectively; and
the female component includes a cavity that is within structure of the platform proud of a base of the platform, the cavity corresponding to the interior area.

17. The external apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the base includes the pressure plate;
the platform includes a percutaneous abutment fixed to the pressure plate and extending therefrom;
the female apparatus comprises the percutaneous abutment, the percutaneous abutment establishing the interior area at least a portion of which corresponds to at least a portion of an interior portion of a percutaneous abut

Assignees

• Morris David Nathan
• Andersson Marcus
• Bjoern Goeran
• Asnes Kristian Gunnar
• Van Himbeeck Carl
• Cochlear Ltd

Inventors

• Morris David Nathan
• Andersson Marcus
• Björn Göran
• Asnes Kristian Gunnar
• Van Himbeeck Carl

Classifications

• H04R2225/67

  Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606 · CPC title

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · CPC title

• H04R25/606 Primary

  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

• H04R11/00

  Transducers of moving-armature or moving-core type (acoustic diaphragm of magnetisable material directly coacting with electromagnet H04R13/00) · CPC title