Hearing Instrument Ticket Message Prioritization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hearing aids lack the ability to effectively receive and prioritize messages associated with tickets in public settings, such as virtual queues or transportation notifications, while minimizing distractions from other environmental sounds.
Innovation Solution
A wireless hearing instrument equipped with a wireless receiver, processing unit, and authenticator, capable of communicating with a ticket management system to receive and convert messages into acoustic signals, while attenuating or muting other sounds to focus on relevant announcements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the hearing instrument receives all environmental sounds, then the user maintains awareness of surroundings, but the user cannot prioritize important messages such as ticket announcements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a ticket management system as an intermediary between message sources and the hearing instrument. This system associates specific tickets with the hearing instrument and selectively transmits only relevant messages, acting as a filter that mediates between the environment and the user, allowing important information to be received while excluding irrelevant noise
Solution Approach 2:
The hearing instrument applies different processing qualities to different sound sources. Messages associated with the user's ticket are prioritized and enhanced, while other environmental sounds are attenuated or muted. This local quality differentiation allows the user to focus on important announcements without completely isolating themselves from the environment
2Loss of information
If the hearing instrument mutes all other sounds to focus on ticket messages, then the user receives clear priority messages, but the user loses awareness of their surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely muting all other sounds, the system applies partial action by selectively attenuating non-critical environmental noises while maintaining some ambient sound levels. This allows the user to receive clear ticket-related messages while still maintaining partial awareness of the surrounding environment, avoiding complete isolation
3Ease of operation
If the hearing instrument accepts any ticket management system, then the system is easy to use, but security is compromised allowing unauthorized messages
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing instrument performs preliminary authentication of the ticket management system before accepting or processing any messages. This advance verification ensures that only authorized systems can communicate with the device, preventing unauthorized message injection while maintaining ease of use for legitimate ticket management operations
4Loss of information
If the hearing instrument processes and filters all incoming sounds, then the user receives prioritized messages, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ticket management system performs preliminary organization and association of messages with specific tickets before transmission to the hearing instrument. This pre-processing reduces the filtering burden on the hearing device itself, as messages arrive already tagged and identified, allowing the instrument to focus on selective playback rather than complex real-time analysis of all environmental sounds
Data Source
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AI summary
A new hearing instrument is provided comprising a wireless receiver configured for reception of a message relating to a ticket issued by a ticket management system and acquired by a user of the hearing instrument, wherein the ticket management system has associated the ticket with the hearing instrument, and wherein the hearing instrument is further configured for converting the message into an acoustic signal for transmission towards an eardrum of the user.