Patent Number: 6,945,999

Title: Implantable hearing aid transducer with actuator interface

Abstract: An implantable hearing aid transducer that compensates in situ for undesirable interfaces with a middle ear component. The transducer includes a housing, an actuator, a driver, and an actuator interface. According to one embodiment, the actuator interface is reshapeable in situ from a first shape to a second shape to permit movement of one of the actuator and the middle ear component in at least a first dimension to compensate for loading pressure. In this regard, the actuator interface may be gradually deformable to permit the movement of the transducer and/or the middle ear component, as well as, resistive to sudden movements of the actuator such that vibration at acoustic frequencies occurs between the actuator and the middle ear component.

Inventors: Schneider; Robert Edwin (Erie, CO), Miller, III; Scott Allan (Lafayette, CO)

Assignee: Otologics LLC

International Classification: H04R 25/00 (20060101); A61F 002/18 (); H04R 025/00 ()

Expiration Date: 9/20/02017