System and method for consumer screening, selecting, recommending and/or selling hearing devices

Abstract

A system selects a hearing device from several different available hearing devices in response to screening a consumer by providing a plurality of questions regarding the consumer's hearing that each requires a subjective response. The questions can include questions relating to hearing difficulty during one-on-one conversations, hearing difficulty during conversations with women and/or children, hearing difficulty during conversations in restaurants and/or meetings, and presence of stress and/or agitating sounds. The recommended hearing device is automatically selected for the consumer based at least in part on the subjective responses. The recommended hearing device provides enhancement of high frequencies if the responses indicate difficulty hearing women and/or children, provides reduction of low frequencies if the responses indicate difficulty hearing in restaurants and/or meetings, and provides phase cancellation if the responses indicate presence of stress and/or agitating sounds. The recommended hearing device is identified to the user for possible purchase.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method for selecting and recommending at least one of a plurality of different hearing devices to a user, comprising the steps of, in combination:
 electronically presenting to the user a plurality of questions regarding the user's hearing;   wherein at least one of the plurality of questions relates to hearing low volume sounds and at least one of the questions relates to hearing in environments with background noise;   electronically presenting to the user a plurality of subjective responses to each of the plurality of questions regarding the user's hearing;   electronically receiving from the user one of the plurality of subjective responses to each of the plurality of questions regarding the user's hearing;   automatically selecting a recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices for the user based at least in part on the subjective responses electronically received from the user; and   electronically presenting to the user the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices.   
     
     
         2 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 1 , wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides increased volume if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing low volume sounds and provides reduction of low frequencies if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing in environments with background noise. 
     
     
         3 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of questions includes at least one question relating to hearing of high frequencies. 
     
     
         4 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 3 , wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides enhanced hearing of high frequencies if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing high frequencies. 
     
     
         5 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of questions includes at least one question relating to presence of relaxation problems. 
     
     
         6 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 5 , wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides phase cancellation if the electronically received subjective responses indicate presence of stress and/or agitating sounds. 
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of questions includes at least one question relating to hearing of high frequencies and wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides enhanced hearing of high frequencies if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing high frequencies. 
     
     
         8 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 1 , wherein only one of the plurality subjective responses can be selected by the user for each of the plurality of questions. 
     
     
         9 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different hearing devices comprises a first model, and a second model, wherein the second model includes the base model with one or more modules added thereto, and wherein each of the modules provide a communication correction not provided by the base model. 
     
     
         10 . The computer implemented method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of receiving from the user a selection of one of the plurality of different hearing devices for purchase. 
     
     
         11 . A system for selecting and recommending at least one of a plurality of different hearing devices to a user, comprising, in combination:
 a computing device having a processor and memory configured to carry out the steps of:
 electronically presenting to the user a plurality of questions regarding hearing that each requires a subjective response; 
 wherein at least one of the plurality of questions relates to hearing low volume sounds and at least one of the questions relates to hearing in environments with background noise; 
 electronically presenting to the user a plurality of subjective responses to each of the plurality of questions regarding the user's hearing; 
 electronically receiving from the user subjective responses to the plurality of questions; 
 automatically selecting a recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices for the user based at least in part on the subjected responses electronically received from the user; and 
 electronically presenting to the user a recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system method according to  claim 11 , wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides increased volume if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing low volume sounds and provides reduction of low frequencies if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing in environments with background noise. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of questions includes at least one question relating to hearing of high frequencies. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides enhanced hearing of high frequencies if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing high frequencies. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of questions includes at least one question relating to presence of relaxation problems. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides phase cancellation if the electronically received subjective responses indicate presence of stress and/or agitating sounds. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of questions includes at least one question relating to hearing of high frequencies and wherein the recommended one of the plurality of different hearing devices provides enhanced hearing of high frequencies if the electronically received subjective responses indicate difficulty hearing high frequencies. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein only one of the plurality subjective responses can be selected by the user for each of the plurality of questions. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of different hearing devices comprises a first model, and a second model, wherein the second model includes the base model with one or more modules added thereto, and wherein each of the modules provide a communication correction not provided by the base model. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 11 , further comprising the step of receiving from the user a selection of one of the plurality of different hearing devices for purchase.