Hearing aid

Claim 1

IN A HEARING AID OF THE TYPE DESIGNED TO COMPENSATE FOR THE HEARING DEFICIENCIES OF A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL AND COMPRISING PARTS ADAPTED TO BE CARRIED ON THE PERSON OF THAT INDIVIDUAL, MEANS FOR DETECTING SOUND OVER A GIVEN RANGE OF INTENSITIES EXTENDING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE NORMAL SOUND AUDIBILITY RANGE AND INCLUDING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID NORMAL AUDIBILITY RANGE REMOTE FROM THE UPPER REGION THEREOF AND FOR TRANSDUCING SAID SOUND OF SAID GIVEN RANGE OF INTENSITIES ONTO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS THE INTENSITIES OF WHICH ARE RELATED TO TRANSDUCING SAID MODIFIED SIGNALS INTO HUMAN-SENSIBLE VIBRATIONS OF INTENSITIES VEARYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN ACCORDWHICH VARY SUBSTANTIALLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE VARIATIONS IN INTENSITIES OF SAID SOUNDS BUT OVER A RANGE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID GIVEN RANGE, AND MEANS FOR RANSDUCING SAID MODIFIED SIGNALS INTO HUMAN-SENSIBLE VIBRATIONS OF INTENSITIES VEARYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTENSITIES OF SAID SIGNALS, SAID CONVERTING MEANS COMPRISING AN AMPLIFIER HAVING GAIN-VARYING MEANS TO WHICH SAID SIGNALS ARE CONNECTED SO AS TO VARY SAID GAIN IN AN INVERSE SENSE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE ENTIRE RANGE OF SAID SIGNALS INCLUDING A PORTION OF SAID RANGE REMOTE FROM THE UPPER REGION THEREOF, SAID LAST MENTIONED TRANSDUCING MEANS BEING OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO BE APPLIED TO AND CARRIED BY THE HEAD OF THE USER.