Patent landscape report on assistive devices for visually and hearing impaired persons
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RIONThe company was formerly known as Kobayashi-Riken Seisakusho Ltd. and changed its name to Rion Co., Ltd. in 1960. Rion Co., Ltd. was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Kokubunji, Japan.101 RION CO., LTD. is engaged in manufacture and sale of medical equipment and environmental equipment. The Company had two business segments. The Medical Equipment manufactures and sells hearing aids and training equipment for hearing impaired people, as well as audiometers and hearing testing equipment. The Environmental Equipment segment provides sound level meters, vibration meters, seismometers and frequency analyzers, as well as air particle counters and liquid particle counters. As of March 31, 2013, the Company had six subsidiaries and one associated company.102 Rion's products are in four main categories: "Hearing Instruments" dealing with hearing aids and equipment for hearing ability training, "Medical Equipment" for the fields of otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, and ophthalmology, "Sound and Vibration Measuring instruments" encompassing sound and vibration level meters, seismometers and related devices, and finally "Particle Counters", mainly equipment for measurement of airborne and liquid-borne particles.103 Relevant News and Articles:The company’s recent US patents include 8150082 which is related to the Waterproof Hearing Aid which is capable of being worn without caring about the entry of sweat or water even at the time of sweating or bathing. The waterproof hearing aid has a first waterproof film stretchingly provided at the sound inlet of a microphone and a second waterproof film stretchingly provided at the sound outlet of an earphone and at other locations. 
Figure 74: Waterproof hearing aid (Source: http://www.rion.co.jp/english/products-e/communication/hearing04.html) patent owned by Rion US 8150082 B2 
Figure 75: Analysis of Major Topics in Assistive Devices and Technologies for Visually and Hearing Impaired Persons Landscape for Rion. IBMThe company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. International Business Machines Corporation was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Armonk, New York.104 International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an information technology (IT) company. IBM operates in five segments: Global Technology Services (GTS), Global Business Services (GBS), Software, Systems and Technology and Global Financing. GTS primarily provides IT infrastructure services and business process services. GBS provides professional services and application management services. Software consists primarily of middleware and operating systems software. Systems and Technology provides clients with business solutions requiring advanced computing power and storage capabilities. Global Financing invests in financing assets, leverages with debt and manages the associated risks. In March 2014, the Company acquired Cloudant Inc, a privately held database-as-a-service (DBaaS) provider that enables developers to easily and quickly create next generation mobile and web apps.105 The IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center focuses on exploring new technology solutions to address issues associated with disability, aging and low literacy. An integral part of IBM Research, the Center is a worldwide organization that works with governments, collaborates with partners, and delivers solutions to clients worldwide.106 Relevant News and Articles:An article which was published in IBM website states about “The Conversational Internet” - A project that enables people who are blind to 'talk' with web pages.107 The Conversational Internet is an inspiring project developed by a team of Extreme Blue interns throughout the summer at the IBM Hursley Lab in the UK. The Royal London Society for Blind People approached IBM with the aim of creating improvements in the way that people who are blind interact with information on the Internet and the team is working towards a smart solution. 
Figure 76: Analysis of Major Topics in Assistive Devices and Technologies for Visually and Hearing Impaired Persons Landscape for IBM. SONYThe company was formerly known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha and changed its name to Sony Corporation in 1958. Sony Corporation was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.108 Sony Corporation (Sony) is engaged in the development, design, manufacture, and sale of various kinds of electronic equipment, instruments, and devices for consumer, professional and industrial markets, as well as game consoles and software. Sony’s primary manufacturing facilities are located in Japan, Europe, and Asia. Sony also utilizes third-party contract manufacturers for certain products. Sony’s products are marketed throughout the world by sales subsidiaries and unaffiliated distributors, as well as direct sales through the Internet. Sony is engaged in the development, production, manufacture, marketing, distribution and broadcasting of image-based software, including motion picture, home entertainment and television products. Sony is also engaged in the development, production, manufacture, and distribution of recorded music. Further, Sony is also engaged in various financial service businesses, including life and non-life insurance operations through its Japanese insurance subsidiaries, banking operations through a Japanese Internet-based banking subsidiary and leasing and credit financing operations through a subsidiary in Japan. In addition, Sony is engaged in a network service business and an advertising agency business in Japan. 109 Relevant News and Articles:An article which was published in Sony website which states about “Sony's Entertainment Access Glasses” which can open your doors to a whole new audience.110 This provides a groundbreaking way for people with hearing loss to enjoy movies. Introducing the Sony Entertainment Access Glasses with Audio—new technology that allows a direct line of sight to a movie screen with captioned text right on the lenses for natural and unobstructed viewing. The glasses may be comfortably worn over prescription eyewear and can be used for 3D movies with the option of a detachable polarized filter. The closed-caption viewing uses unique Sony holographic technology, which delivers bright, clear, and easy-to-read subtitles seemingly "in the air." The system transmits closed-caption data from any DCI-compliant media server wirelessly to the glasses' receiver box, and can be programmed to display subtitles in a choice of six languages. 
Figure 77: Analysis of Major Topics in Assistive Devices and Technologies for Visually and Hearing Impaired Persons Landscape for Sony Directory: edocs edocs -> Commissioner ajit pai edocs -> Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D edocs -> Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D edocs -> Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D edocs -> Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D edocs -> Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D edocs -> Federal Communications Commission fcc 15-77 Before the Federal Communications Commission edocs -> Statement of commissioner ajit pai Download 13.52 Mb. Share with your friends:
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