Method of implanting a hearing aid

Claim 1

The method of implanting a self-contained hearing improvement device within the human body, in which said device contains a microphone, a battery, an amplifying system, which is neutral to the adjacent portions of the body, a microphone tube extending from the microphone in said unit; a speaker and a speaker tube extending therefrom including the steps of making an incision adjacent the auricular appendage of the external ear, in the skin of the anotomical area of the ear, exposing the bony structure overlying the body of the mastoid, removing a predetermined area of bone down to the antrum cell of the mastoid, implanting the self-contained hearing improvement device in said antrum cell, situating an outer end of the microphone tube into position and adjacent the skin behind the auricular appendage and situating an outer end of said speaker tube into the middle ear space behind the ear drum through the antrum-inner ear passage; and thereafter closing the incision.

Claim 2

The method of implanting a self-contained hearing improvement device within the human body, in which said device contains a microphone, a battery, an amplifying system, which is neutral to the adjacent portions of the body, a microphone tube extending from the microphone in said unit; a speaker and a speaker tube extending therefrom including the steps of making an incision adjacent the auricular appendage of the external ear, in the skin of the anotomical area of the ear, exposing the bony structure overlying the body of the mastoid, removing a predetermined area of bone down to the antrum cell of the mastoid, implanting the self-contained hearing improvement device in said antrum cell, situating an outer end of the microphone tube into position and adjacent the skin behind the auricular appendage and situating an outer end of said speaker tube into the middle ear space behind the ear drum through the antrum-inner ear passage; and thereafter closing the incision.

Claim 3

The method Of implanting in the human body a hearing improvement device including signal-receiving means for receiving an incoming signal representative of a sound wave existing outside of the human body, intermediate means for converting said incoming signal to an audiofrequency electrical signal, output means including electrical-mechanical transducer means to generate mechanical motion from said electrical signal, an operative connection between said signal-receiving means, said intermediate means and between said intermediate means and said output means, said method comprising the steps of making an incision in the skin in the auricular area of the ear adjacent the auricular appendage of the external ear; exposing the bony structure overlying the body of the mastoid; removing an area of bony structure to expose the antrum cell cavity; positioning said hearing improvement device within said cavity and with at least part of said output means in the middle ear space to deliver said generated mechanical motion directly thereinto; and then closing the incision.

Claim 4

The method Of implanting in the human body a hearing improvement device including signal-receiving means for receiving an incoming signal representative of a sound wave existing outside of the human body, intermediate means for converting said incoming signal to an audiofrequency electrical signal, output means including electrical-mechanical transducer means to generate mechanical motion from said electrical signal, an operative connection between said signal-receiving means, said intermediate means and between said intermediate means and said output means, said method comprising the steps of making an incision in the skin in the auricular area of the ear adjacent the auricular appendage of the external ear; exposing the bony structure overlying the body of the mastoid; removing an area of bony structure to expose the antrum cell cavity; positioning said hearing improvement device within said cavity and with at least part of said output means in the middle ear space to deliver said generated mechanical motion directly thereinto; and then closing the incision.

Claim 6

The method of implanting a hearing improvement device in a human body, said device including signal-receiving means for receiving an incoming signal representative of a sound wave existing outside of said human body, intermediate means for converting said incoming signal to an audiofrequency electrical signal, output means including electrical-mechanical transducer means adapted to generate mechanical motion from the electrical signal, and operative connections from said signal-receiving means to said intermediate means and from the intermediate means to the output means; said method comprising the steps of surgically positioning at least a portion of said output means within the human body in the middle ear space at the round window to permit said generated mechanical motion to pass from said output means directly to the middle ear space behind the area of the tympanic membrane; concurrently positioning said signal-receiving means within the human body in position to receive said incoming signal; and further, surgically positioning said intermediate means within the human body at a locus removed from the middle ear space but adjacent the area of the auricular appendage of the ear and in operative relationship to said signal-receiving means and said output means.

Claim 7

The method of implanting a hearing improvement device in a human body, said device including signal-receiving means for receiving an incoming signal representative of a sound wave existing outside of said human body, intermediate means for converting said incoming signal to an audiofrequency electrical signal, output means including electrical-mechanical transducer means adapted to generate mechanical motion from the electrical signal, and operative connections from said signal-receiving means to said intermediate means and from the intermediate means to the output means; said method comprising the steps of surgically positioning at least a portion of said output means within the human body in the middle ear space at the round window to permit said generated mechanical motion to pass from said output means directly to the middle ear space behind the area of the tympanic membrane; concurrently positioning said signal-receiving means within the human body in position to receive said incoming signal; and further, surgically positioning said intermediate means within the human body at a locus removed from the middle ear space but adjacent the area of the auricular appendage of the ear and in operative relationship to said signal-receiving means and said output means.

Claim 8

The method of implanting a hearing improvement device within the human body, said method comprising the steps of: making an incision adjacent the auricular appendage of the external ear in the skin of the anatomical area of the ear; exposing the bony structure overlying the body of the mastoid; removing a predetermined area of bone down to the antrum cell of the mastoid; implanting a hearing improvement device in the cavity formed by the bone removal and mastoid antrum cell with at least a portion of the device extending into the middle ear space; and closing the incision.

Claim 9

The method of implanting a hearing improvement device within the human body, said method comprising the steps of: making an incision adjacent the auricular appendage of the external ear in the skin of the anatomical area of the ear; exposing the bony structure overlying the body of the mastoid; removing a predetermined area of bone down to the antrum cell of the mastoid; implanting a hearing improvement device in the cavity formed by the bone removal and mastoid antrum cell with at least a portion of the device extending into the middle ear space; and closing the incision.