Problem
The Patent that we received from client was related to a behind-the-ear hearing aid having recess in pivoting battery drawer where communication element is attached.
Solution
In Patent such as this, which have specific component and design requirement, the task of finding prior-art may become a little difficult but there is always a new challenge to keep you motivated. At Researchwire, We don’t grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges.
We started with the basic search to understand the level of availability of relevant information in patent literature. We observed that Patents disclosing behind-the-ear hearing aid with pivoted battery compartment were abundant. However, specific requirements pertaining to communication element position and structure were not being met. This meant we had to first find sources that talked about the evolution of the design of BTE hearing aid with external communication element. We found a Non Patent Literature which disclosed the evolution of hearing aid with external communication element and advancement in the structure of it as well as the companies involved in this field and approaching towards this specific structure.
All the team members involved in the project were gathered for discussion and came up with conclusion that we should focus on patents of major companies, white papers and literatures of this technology and user guide of products available on their websites. During the search, we found that after invention of pivoting battery drawer, an audio shoe type device had been introduced to replace battery compartment which helps in communication i.e. it has communication element within it. We got references of FM receivers which has battery in it which can be replaced with battery drawer during use. This information was pointing that we are on a right track but we had to do a lot more to find the required prior-art. We had to identify the patent which discloses communication element with projection which is removable and externally attached to recess in the battery compartment.
Impact
After all the search, we got a lead of 2-3 companies that had a very high probability of manufacturing such type of hearing aids. We focused on analyzing properly and deeply all the patents of these companies. And at last we found a prior art from one of the company on which we were focusing which disclosed the exact structure that we were looking for.
Our thought process on each project is to solve the problem of the client. And we always focus with the objective; “Desire is the key to motivation, but its determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek”.
