ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,357,501, issued on July 15, was assigned to MDIDEAFACTORY INC. (San Diego).
"Ear apparatus and methods of use" was invented by Michael J. O'Leary (Del Mar, Calif.), Randy Wayland (San Diego), Daniel Joseph Braun (San Diego) and Robert F. Gazdzinski (San Diego).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Selectively controllable apparatus for insertion into an ear canal, and related methods of use and operation for behavioral control. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a body configured for insertion into an ear canal. In one variant, the body includes one or more thermal mechanisms which enable selective increase or decrease of temperature of a...