Location based assistance using hearing instruments

1. A method of providing location based services, the method comprising:

at a presence device, using one or more processors:

monitoring for the presence of a hearing instrument by listening for a wireless message from the hearing instrument; and

responsive to detecting the wireless message from the hearing instrument:

establishing a short-range wireless communication session with the hearing instrument;

determining an identity of the hearing instrument;

identifying a user of the hearing instrument based upon the determined identity of the hearing instrument;

providing a location-based authentication service for at least a portion of a time that the hearing instrument maintains the short-range wireless communication session with the presence device, by sending a notification to register the hearing instrument at a location register, the notification including an identifier associated with the user of the hearing instrument and at least one of: a network address of the hearing instrument or a network address of the presence device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the location-based authentication service comprises: unlocking a computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising: receiving Session Initiation Protocol packets at the presence device, and forwarding Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) packets from the presence device to the hearing instrument.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the location-based authentication service comprises: unlocking a lock controlled by an automated lock system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the automated lock includes a car ignition.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the short range wireless communication session is a Bluetooth wireless session.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting that the hearing instrument has moved beyond the wireless range of the presence device; and

resetting an authentication status of the user to an unauthenticated state.

8. A system comprising:

a presence device including one or more computer processors, the computer processors configured to:

monitor for the presence of a hearing instrument by listening for a wireless message from the hearing instrument; and

responsive to detecting the wireless message from the hearing instrument:

establish a short-range wireless communication session with the hearing instrument;

determine an identity of the hearing instrument;

identifying a user of the hearing instrument based upon the determined identity of the hearing instrument;

providing a location-based authentication service for at least a portion of a time that the hearing instrument maintains the short-range wireless communication session with the presence device, by at least being configured to send a notification to register the hearing instrument at a location register, the notification including an identifier associated with the user of the hearing instrument and at least one of: a network address of the hearing instrument or a network address of the presence device.

9. The system of claim 8 , comprising a computer system and wherein the computer processors are configured to provide a location based authentication service by at least being configured to unlock a computer system.

10. The system of claim 8 , comprising the location register.

11. The system of claim 8 , comprising an automated lock system, and wherein the computer processors are configured to provide a location based authentication service by at least being configured to unlock a physical lock controlled by the automated lock system.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the automated lock includes a car ignition.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the short range wireless communication session is a Bluetooth wireless session.

14. A hearing instrument comprising:

a microphone; and

a digital signal processor configured to:

process sounds captured by the microphone and play the processed sounds through a speaker;

monitor a wireless medium to detect a presence device;

connect with the presence device using a short-range wireless connection on the wireless medium;

identify a wearer of the hearing instrument to the presence device by at least sending information about the wearer of the device to the presence device;

receive incoming Voice over IP (VOIP) packets from the presence device;

reconstruct an audio signal from the incoming VOIP packets;

play the reconstructed audio signal from the incoming VOIP packets through the speaker;

convert sounds captured by the microphone to outgoing VOIP packets; and

transmit the outgoing VOIP packets to the presence device.

15. The hearing instrument of claim 14 , wherein the hearing instrument communicates with the presence device using a short range wireless connection using one of a: Shockburst wireless protocol, an Enhanced Shockburst wireless protocol, a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) protocol utilizing an Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, and a Bluetooth wireless protocol.

16. The hearing instrument of claim 15 , wherein identifying the wearer of the hearing instrument comprises utilizing a Bluetooth proximity profile.

17. The hearing instrument of claim 14 , wherein identifying the wearer comprises sending an encrypted key to the presence device.

18. A method comprising:

on a hearing instrument, monitoring a wireless medium to detect a presence device; connecting with the presence device using a short-range wireless connection on the wireless medium; identifying a wearer of the hearing instrument with the presence device, wherein identifying the wearer comprises sending information about the wearer of the hearing instrument to the presence device;

receiving incoming VOIP packets from the presence device;

reconstructing an audio signal from the incoming VOIP packets;

playing the reconstructed audio signal from the incoming VOIP packets on a speaker;

converting sounds captured by a microphone to outgoing VOIP packets; and

transmitting the outgoing VOIP packets to the presence device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the hearing instrument communicates with the presence device using one of a: Shockburst wireless protocol, an Enhanced Shockburst wireless protocol, a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) protocol utilizing an Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, and a Bluetooth wireless protocol.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein identifying the wearer of the hearing instrument comprises utilizing a Bluetooth proximity profile.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein identifying the wearer comprises sending an encrypted key to the presence device.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the short-range wireless communication session is a communication session over a short-range wireless protocol, the short-range wireless protocol being a wireless protocol with a range of 100 meters or less.

23. The system of claim 8 , wherein the short-range wireless communication session is a communication session over a short-range wireless protocol, the short-range wireless protocol being a wireless protocol with a range of 100 meters or less.

24. The hearing instrument of claim 14 , wherein the short-range wireless connection is a communication session over a short-range wireless protocol, the short-range wireless protocol being a wireless protocol with a range of 100 meters or less.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein the short-range wireless connection is a communication session over a short-range wireless protocol, the short-range wireless protocol being a wireless protocol with a range of 100 meters or less.