US009191756B2
`
`(12) Ulllted States Patent
`Neumeyer et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 9,191,756 B2
`Nov. 17, 2015
`
`(54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATINGA
`HEARING AID
`.
`.
`(71) Applicant: Audiotoniq, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
`(72)
`Inventors: Frederick Charles Neumeyer, Austin,
`TX (US); Gregory Charles Yancey,
`A“S““= TX (US)
`(73) Assigneez HI HOLDINGS 4’ LLC’ Wilmington’
`DE (US)
`
`(2009.01)
`(2009.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`H04 W 4/00
`H04 W 4/02
`H04M 11/04
`(52) U_s_ CL
`CPC ........... .. H04R 25/554 2013.01 ;H04W4/008
`(2013.01); H0451;4/02 (2013.01); H04R
`2499/” (2013.01)
`
`(58) Field of Classification Search
`............................. H04W 4/00§5;{/2411\;/
`.... .. .................................... ..
`.
`.
`,
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`.
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 182 days.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 13/708,140
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Dec. 7, 2012
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`Us 2013/0178162 A1
`
`Jul‘ 11’ 2013
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 61/583,902, filed on Jan.
`6’ 2012'
`
`(51)
`
`Int’ Cl’
`H04B 7/00
`H04R 25/00
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`8a526s649 B2 *
`2010/0027822 A1
`
`9/2013 F00 et a1~
`2/2010 Dietz
`
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ 381/315
`
`2015/0010178 A1
`* cited by examiner
`
`1/2015 Neumeyer et al.
`
`Primary Examiner — Eugene Yun
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Perkins Coie LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A smart phone including a computer readable storage
`medium to store a hearing aid locator application and a pro-
`cessor coupled to the computer readable storage medium to
`execute the hearing aid locator application to track a last
`known location of a hearing aid
`'
`20 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
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`10:42 AM
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`|:|
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`- 2 214
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`HIMPP 1001
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`HIMPP 1001
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 17, 2015
`
`Sheet 1 014
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`US 9,191,756 B2
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`100 “V
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`120
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`138
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`102
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`Hearing Aid
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`132
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`134
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`142
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`Transceiver
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`148
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`150
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`FIG. 1
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 17, 2015
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`Sheet 2 014
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`US 9,191,756 B2
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`\
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`202
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`204
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`IJ
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`200 *‘
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`210
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`212
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`214
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`FIG. 2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 17, 2015
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`Sheet 3 014
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`US 9,191,756 B2
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`Establish a communication link with a hearing aid
`
`
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`302
`
`
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`
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`Communication
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`304
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`
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`link open
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`Get location data and time data
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`Store location data and time data in memory
`
`FIG. 3
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 17, 2015
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`Sheet 4 014
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`US 9,191,756 B2
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`402
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`
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`
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`Establish a communication link with a hearing aid
`
`
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`404
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`Communication
`link lost
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`Get location data and time data
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`
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`Store location data and time data in memory
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`FIG. 4
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`

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`US 9,191,756 B2
`
`1
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATING A
`HEARING AID
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`
`APPLICATION(S)
`
`This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority
`to provisional application No. 61/583,902 filed on Jan. 6,
`2012 and entitled “System and Method for Locating a Hear-
`ing Aid,” and is incorporated herein by reference in its
`entirety.
`
`FIELD
`
`2
`
`smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet com-
`puter, or other portable computing system) that is configured
`to communicate with the hearing aid. In one embodiment, the
`hearing aid communicates with the electronic device through
`a wireless communication charmel. The electronic device
`
`tracks the current location of the hearing aid while the com-
`munication channel
`is maintained. The electronic device
`
`10
`
`executes an application that runs in the background and
`checks the current location of the electronic device using a
`global positioning system (GPS) at the time the electronic
`device receives communication from the hearing aid. The
`GPS coordinates are then stored as the last known location of
`
`This disclosure relates generally to hearing aids, and more
`particularly to a system for location lost hearing aids.
`
`15
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Hearing deficiencies can range from partial to complete
`hearing loss. Often, an individual’s hearing ability varies
`across the range of audible sound frequencies, and many
`individuals have hearing impairment with respect to only
`select acoustic frequencies. For example, an individual’s
`hearing loss may be greater at higher frequencies than at
`lower frequencies.
`Hearing aids have been developed to alleviate the effects of
`hearing losses in individuals. In instances where the individu-
`al’s hearing loss varies across frequencies. Conventionally,
`hearing aids range from ear pieces configured to amplify
`sounds to more sophisticated hearing aid devices that are
`configurable by a hearing health professional.
`While hearing aids are often effective at compensating for
`the effects of hearing loss, hearing aids are expensive, small,
`and easy to lose. Unfortunately, lost hearing aids are often not
`covered by insurance. Thus the loss of a hearing aid can
`severely impact the quality of life ofthe individual, especially
`if they are unable to replace it.
`Replacing a hearing aid can often cost the user thousands of
`dollars. Unfortunately, losing a hearing aid is a common
`occurrence. It is possible to purchase replacement plans, how-
`ever, the replacement plans; while not as expensive as a new
`hearing aid, often cost hundreds of dollars, charge a replace-
`ment fee in addition to the plan fees, and require the user to go
`a period of time without the use of the lost hearing aid.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system including a hearing
`aid that communicates with an electronic device.
`
`FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram of an embodiment of a system
`including a graphical user interface of hearing aid locator
`application displayed as a map on the display interface of the
`electronic device of FIG. 1.
`
`FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method of
`storing last known location and time data of a hearing aid.
`FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a second embodiment of a
`method of storing last known location and time data of a
`hearing aid.
`In the following description, the use of the same reference
`numerals in different drawings indicates similar or identical
`items.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`Embodiments of a system are described below that include
`a portable or hand held electronic device (such as a cell phone,
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`the hearing aid the memory of the electronic device.
`The electronic device communicates with the hearing aid
`via a short range wireless protocol (such as Bluetooth®) and
`uses a GPS circuit to determine the current location of the
`electronic device and to infer the last known location of the
`
`hearing aid from the electronic device’s current location.
`Further, the application allows the user to access the last
`known location ofthe hearing aid as needed, allowing the user
`to determine a location where he/she may have lost the hear-
`ing aid.
`For example, it is common for a motorcyclist to have his/
`her hearing aid blown off his/her ear while riding. The appli-
`cation and the electronic device can be used by the motorcy-
`clist to check the last known location and time that the
`
`electronic device communicated with the hearing aid and
`determine a finite area in which the hearing aid is likely
`located. Further, the application may be configured to re-
`establish communication with the hearing aid when it enters
`the transceiver’ s range and to alert the user when the commu-
`nication is re-established. Thus letting the motorcyclist know
`that the hearing aid is close.
`In one instance, the electronic device may provide an indi-
`cation of closeness by measuring the signal strength of the
`communication between the hearing aid and the electronic
`device. For example, the electronic device may beep at an
`increased pace the stronger the signal becomes, or provide
`various visual indications of closeness responsive to the sig-
`nal strength. In another embodiment, the electronic device
`may provide a signal to the hearing aid when the electronic
`device is brought back into communication range. For
`example, the electronic device may cause the hearing aid to
`play a tone (such as a tone in the user’s known good range of
`hearing) or melody when in range. In another example, the
`electronic device may cause the hearing aid to turn on a light
`emitting diode (LED) to help enable the user to locate the
`hearing aid.
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 including a
`hearing aid 102 configured to communicate with an elec-
`tronic device 120 that is configured to determine the last
`known location of hearing aid 102. Electronic device 120 is a
`portable or handheld electronic device that a hearing aid user
`may use to control the operations of hearing aid 102. Elec-
`tronic device 120 may be a cell phone, a smart phone, per-
`sonal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, or another
`type of portable computing system.
`Electronic device 120 includes a transceiver 148 and a
`
`network interface 150. Transceiver 148 is a radio frequency
`transceiver configured to communicate with hearing aid 102
`through a short range wireless communication channel, such
`as a Bluetooth®. Network interface 150 is configured to send
`and receive data over a network (not shown). Electronic
`device 120 also includes a user interface 142, which includes
`a display interface 146 (such as a liquid crystal display or
`LCD) to display information to a user and include an input
`interface 144 (e.g., a keypad, a keyboard, a pointer, a touch
`
`

`

`US 9,191,756 B2
`
`4
`
`because the user dropped hearing aid 102 and hearing aid 102
`has been moved out of communication range, electronic
`device 120 now has data related to the location the user
`
`dropped hearing aid 102 at stored in memory 122. In one
`instance,
`the user may realize that the hearing aid was
`dropped and access the hearing aid location and time data 126
`to determine a rough location where electronic device 120
`lost the communication link with hearing aid 102. In another
`instance, electronic device 120 may alert the user that the
`communication charmel was lost causing the user to check to
`see if hearing aid 102 is still on the user’s ear.
`In another embodiment, electronic device 120 also records
`a time and a location in memory 122 corresponding to the
`time and location that electronic device 120 lost the commu-
`
`nication channel with hearing aid 102. This allows electronic
`device 120 to provide the user with the last known location
`and time where the communication charmel was lo st in addi-
`tion to the last known location and time that electronic device
`
`120 communicated with hearing aid 102. Having both sets of
`time and location allows hearing aid locator application 124
`to more accurately predict the actual location of hearing aid
`102.
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`In another embodiment, electronic device 120 also pro-
`vides the current time and current location to a server in
`communication with electronic device 120. This allows the
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`25
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`3
`screen, or another type of interface) to receive user input. In
`some embodiments, display interface 146 and input interface
`144 are combined in a single component, such as in a touch
`screen on a smart phone.
`Electronic device 120 also includes a processor 138
`coupled to transceiver 148, network interface 150, and user
`interface 142. Processor 138 is further coupled to a position
`detection circuit 132 and a clock 134. In an example, position
`detection circuit 132 can be a GPS circuit, a circuit configured
`to triangulate position data based on cell phone towers, or
`other types of location detecting circuits. Position detection
`circuit 132 and clock 134 are configured to provide location
`and time data to processor 138. Electronic device 120 also
`includes a memory 122, which is accessible to processor 138
`and configured to store hearing aid locator application 124
`and hearing aid location and time data 126. Hearing aid
`location and time data 126 may optionally include left hear-
`ing aid data 128 and right hearing aid data 130 if the user has
`two hearing aids.
`Memory 122 is a computer readable storage medium
`which includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-
`removable media implemented in any method or technology
`for storage of information such as computer readable instruc-
`tions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Com-
`puter readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to,
`RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory tech-
`nology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opti-
`cal storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk
`storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-
`transmission medium that can be used to store information for
`
`access by the computing device.
`In an embodiment, processor 138 executes hearing aid
`locator application 124, which causes electronic device 120
`to establish communication with hearing aid 102. In response
`to establishing communication, electronic device 120 deter-
`mines a current time and a current location using position
`detecting circuit 132 and processor 138 stores the current
`time and current location in memory 122 as hearing aid loca-
`tion and time data 126, respectively. If a right and a left
`hearing aid are both are in communication with electronic
`device 120, electronic device 120 stores the current time and
`current location for both the left and right hearing aids, as left
`hearing aid data 128 and right hearing aid data 130.
`Once communication is established between hearing aid
`102 and electronic device 120, hearing aid locator application
`124 (which runs in the background on electronic device 120)
`causes processor 138 to retrieve the current time and the
`current location from clock 134 and position detection circuit
`132 respectively. Hearing aid locator application 124 further
`causes processor 138 to update the hearing aid location and
`time data 126 with the current time and the current location
`
`each time electronic device 120 communicates with hearing
`aid 102. In one particular embodiment, electronic device 120
`may be configured to check the connection of the communi-
`cation channel with hearing aid 102 regularly. For example,
`some communication protocols provide wake up calls on
`regular intervals to maintain the connection of the communi-
`cation channel.
`
`In operation, electronic device 120 continues to update
`hearing aid location and time data 126 as long as the commu-
`nication channel with hearing aid 102 is maintained. If elec-
`tronic device 120 loses the communication channel with hear-
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`user to access the hearing aid location and time data 126 from
`a second computing device. Accessing the hearing aid loca-
`tion and time data 126 from the second computing device is
`particularly helpful when hearing aid 102 and electronic
`device 120 have both become lost. For example, the motor-
`cyclist is driving on a bumpy road and loses hearing aid 102
`at which time electronic device loses communication with
`
`hearing aid 102 and the last known location and time are
`stored in memory 122 and on a server. Later the motorcyclist
`also loses electronic device 120. Nonetheless, the motorcy-
`clist is able to locate hearing aid 102 by accessing hearing aid
`location and time data 126 from the server.
`
`In the above discussion, system 100 is disclosed including
`electronic device 120 configured to execute a hearing aid
`locator application 124. However, various graphical user
`interfaces (GUI) may be configured for use on electronic
`device 120 for providing the user with the hearing aid location
`and time data 126. One example of a GUI including a road
`map is shown in FIG. 2.
`FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram of an embodiment of a system
`200 including a graphical user interface (GUI) 210 ofhearing
`aid locator application 124 displayed as a map on display
`interface 146 of electronic device 120 of FIG. 1. System 200
`includes left hearing aid 202 and right hearing aid 204 and
`electronic device 120 in wireless communication with left
`
`and right hearing aids 202 and 204. Electronic device 120 is
`depicted executing hearing aid locator application 124. Hear-
`ing aid locator application 124 includes a GUI 210 displayed
`on user interface 142. In the example shown, GUI 210 is a
`road map including areas 212 and 214, which depict the last
`known locations of left hearing aid 202 and right hearing aid
`204 respectively.
`In the example shown, the user has lost both their right and
`left hearing aids 202 and 204. Electronic device 120 had been
`executing hearing aid locator application 124 in the back-
`ground and stored the last known location of left hearing aid
`202 (area 212) and the last known location ofright hearing aid
`204 (area 214) in memory 122. The user realizing that he/she
`has lost left and right hearing aids 202 and 204 brings hearing
`aid locator application 124 to the foreground to display GUI
`210 on user interface 142. GUI 210 displays the road map
`shown with areas 212 and 214 which generally indicate the
`
`ing aid 102, such as if the hearing aid leaves the range of
`transceiver 148. Electronic device 120 has a record ofthe last
`time and last location that electronic device 120 sent or
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`65
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`received communication from hearing aid 102. If the reason
`electronic device 120 lost the communication charmel
`is
`
`

`

`US 9,191,756 B2
`
`5
`last known locations ofleft and right hearing aids 202 and 204
`respectively. Using areas 212 and 214 the user is able to locate
`the lost hearing aids 202 and 204.
`It should be understood that, the road map shown is one
`possible GUI interface and that GUI 210 may also include 5
`additional
`information or different
`types of GUIs. For
`example, GUI 210 may also include address information, last
`known time and date data, GPS coordinates, user’s current
`location data, directional information (such as arrows point-
`ing in the direction of the last known location), multiple
`overlapping areas providing degrees of certainty as to the
`actual location of hearing aids 202 and 204, and other prox-
`imity data.
`Hearing aid locator application 124 stores the last known
`location data of left and right hearing aids 202 and 204 in
`memory 122 and provides the data to GUI 210, at the request
`of the user. However, there are several different methods for
`when to store the last known location data. FIGS. 3 and 4
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`show two possible methods for determining when electronic
`device 120 stores the last known location data.
`
`FIG. 3 is a flow diagram ofan embodiment ofa method 300
`of storing last known location and time data of hearing aid
`102. At 302, electronic device 120 establishes a communica-
`tion link with hearing aid 102. Advancing to 304, electronic
`device 120 determines ifthe communication link is still open.
`If the communication link is closed method 300 returns to
`
`302. Ifthe communication link is open, method 300 proceeds
`to 306 and electronic device 120 gets location data and time
`data. For example, electronic device 120 includes a GPS and
`a clock and is able to determine the location data from the
`
`GPS and the time data from the clock. Moving to 308, elec-
`tronic device 120 stores the location data and the time data in
`
`memory (such as memory 122) and returns to 304. At 304,
`electronic device 120 again determines ifthe communication
`link is still open and proceeds accordingly.
`FIG. 3 shows method 300 which stores the location data
`
`and the time data in a loop as long as the communication link
`is open between electronic device 120 and hearing aid 102.
`FIG. 4 shows a second method 400 of storing the location data
`and time data.
`
`FIG. 4 is a second flow diagram of an embodiment of a
`method 400 of storing last known location and time data of
`hearing aid 102. At 402, electronic device 120 establishes a
`communication link with hearing aid 102. Advancing to 404,
`electronic device 120 determines ifthe communication link is
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`lost. If the communication link is open method 400 returns to
`404. If the communication link is lost, method 400 proceeds
`to 406 and electronic device 120 determines the location data
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`and time data. Moving to 408, electronic device 120 stores the
`location data and the time data in memory (such as memory
`122) and returns to 402. At 402, electronic device 120
`attempts to re-establish the communication link.
`It should be understood, that method 300 and 400 may be
`combined to store both the last known location and time data
`
`that the communication link was open and the location and
`time data that the communication link was lost. This provides
`the user with additional information that may be used to
`narrow a search for a lost hearing aid to the area between the
`location that the communication link was open and the loca-
`tion where the communication link was lost.
`
`Although the present invention has been described with
`reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art
`will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail
`without departing from the scope of the invention.
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`What is claimed is:
`
`6
`
`1. A smart phone comprising:
`one or more processors; and
`a transceiver coupled to the processor and configurable to
`communicate with a hearing aid through a communica-
`tion charmel; and
`a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stor-
`ing hearing aid locator application that, when executed
`by the one or more processors, causes the one or more
`processors to:
`establish the communication channel with the hearing
`aid;
`monitor communication channel; and
`periodically store data related to the location ofthe smart
`phone as the last known location of the hearing aid
`while the communication channel is open.
`2. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid
`locator application, when executed by the one or more pro-
`cessors, further causes the one or more processors to store the
`time data with the data related to the location as the last known
`
`time of the hearing aid.
`3. The smart phone of claim 1, further comprising:
`a user interface coupled to the one or more processors to
`receive inputs from a user and to provide information to
`the user; and
`wherein the hearing aid locator application, when executed
`by the one or more processors, further causes the one or
`more processors to:
`display the last known location on the user interface.
`4. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid
`locator application, when executed by the one or more pro-
`cessors, further causes the one or more processors to:
`store data related to the location in response to receiving
`data from the hearing aid over the communication chan-
`nel.
`
`5. The smart phone of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid
`locator application, when executed by the one or more pro-
`cessors, further causes the one or more processors to:
`update the data related to the location in response to losing
`communicating with the hearing aid.
`6. The smart phone of claim 5, wherein the hearing aid
`locator application, when executed by the one or more pro-
`cessors, further cause the one or more processors to:
`attempt to re-establish the communication charmel with the
`hearing aid; and
`cause the hearing aid to play a tone in response to the
`communication channel being re-established.
`7. The smart phone of claim 1, further comprising:
`a speaker coupled to the one or more processors; and
`wherein the hearing aid locator application, when executed
`by the one or more processors, further causes the one or
`more processors to:
`cause the speaker to play tones in response to losing the
`communication with the hearing aids.
`8. The smart phone of claim 7, wherein a rate of the tones
`is increased as a signal strength of the communication chan-
`nel increases.
`
`9. The smart phone of claim 1, further comprising a posi-
`tion detecting circuit coupled to the one or more processors to
`determine the data related to the location of the smart phone.
`10. The smart phone of claim 9, wherein the position
`detecting circuit comprises a global positioning system
`(GPS).
`
`

`

`US 9,191,756 B2
`
`7
`11. The smart phone of claim 1, further comprising:
`a network interface coupled to the processor and config-
`ured to communicate with a network; and
`wherein the hearing aid locator application, when executed
`by the one or more processors, further causes the one or
`more processors to:
`provide the last known location to a server through the
`network.
`
`12. A portable electronic device comprising:
`one or more processors;
`a user interface coupled to the one or more processors to
`receive inputs from a user and to provide information to
`the user;
`a transceiver coupled to the processor to communicate with
`the hearing aid through a communication charmel;
`a position detecting circuit coupled to the one or more
`processors to determine a location of the portable elec-
`tronic device; and
`a non-transitory computer readable storage medium stor-
`ing instructions that when executed by the one or more
`processors, cause the one or more processors to:
`establish the communication channel with the hearing
`aid;
`monitor the communication channel; and
`periodically store the location as a last known location of
`the hearing aid,
`while the communication channel remains open.
`13. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the
`instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,
`further causes the one or more processors to:
`update the location in response to communicating data to
`or from the hearing aid.
`14. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the
`instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,
`further cause the one or more processors to:
`update the location in response to losing the communicat-
`ing channel with the hearing aid.
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`15. The portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein the
`hearing aid locator application, when executed by the one or
`more processors, further causes the one or more processors
`to:
`
`attempt to re-establish the communication charmel with the
`hearing aid; and
`cause the hearing aid to play a tone in response to the
`communication channel being re-established.
`16. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the
`instructions, when executed by the one or more processors,
`further cause the one or more processors to:
`attempt to re-establish the communication charmel with the
`hearing aid in response to losing the communication;
`and
`
`provide an alert to the user interface if the communication
`channel is not re-established.
`
`17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the
`alert includes the last known location.
`
`18. A method comprising:
`establishing a communication channel with a hearing aid at
`a smart phone;
`storing time data and location data in a non-transitory
`computer readable storage medium of the smart phone
`in response to establishing the communication charmel;
`receiving a request for the time data and the location data at
`a user interface of the smart phone; and
`providing the time data and location data to the user inter-
`face.
`
`19. The method of claim 18, further comprising updating
`the time data and location data while the communication
`
`channel is open.
`20. The method of claim 18, further comprising updating
`the time data and location data when the communication
`channel is closed.
`
`