Systems and methods for non-obtrusive adjustment of auditory prostheses

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

analyzing, with at least one processing unit, a conversation between at least two parties;

identifying a first control expression in the conversation;

upon identifying the first control expression, determining a first setting adjustment; and

applying the first setting adjustment to an auditory prosthesis.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first control expression is identified based at least in part upon tone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first control expression comprises:

detecting a start time of a phrase;

detecting an end time of the phrase; and

determining a length of the phrase, wherein identification of the first control expression is based at least in part on the length of the phrase.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identification of the first control expression comprises comparing at least a portion of the conversation to a dictionary.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first setting adjustment is selected from a hierarchy of setting adjustments.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the first setting adjustment comprises sending an instruction to the auditory prosthesis.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein identification of the first control expression further comprises determining that the first control expression is spoken by a recipient of the auditory prosthesis.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

receiving a second control expression from the recipient;

upon receiving the second control expression, determining a second setting adjustment; and

applying the second setting adjustment to the auditory prosthesis.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the first setting adjustment is based at least in part on an environmental condition.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the environmental condition comprises an audio input discrete from the conversation.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

detecting a change in the environmental condition; and

upon detecting the change, reverting to a previous setting.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the change comprises at least one of an absence of the conversation and an absence of a detected audio input discrete from the conversation.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first setting adjustment is selected from a plurality of setting adjustments, and wherein the plurality of setting adjustments are arranged in a hierarchy.

14. A computer storage medium encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, performs a method comprising:

analyzing a conversation;

identifying a control expression in the conversation;

upon identifying the control expression, determining whether the control expression was spoken by a recipient of an auditory prosthesis;

when the control expression is spoken by the recipient, determining at least one auditory prosthesis setting; and

applying the at least one auditory prosthesis setting to the auditory prosthesis.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 14 , wherein identifying a control expression comprises accessing a dictionary of words and phrases commonly used in conversation.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, with at least one processing unit, a plurality of audio inputs from a plurality of discrete sources, wherein one of the plurality of discrete sources is a recipient of an auditory prosthesis;

identifying at least one of the plurality of audio inputs as a first control expression spoken by the recipient;

upon identifying the first control expression, determining a first setting adjustment; and

applying the first setting adjustment to the auditory prosthesis.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

identifying at least one of the plurality of audio inputs as an environmental stimulus;

associating the environmental stimulus with the first control expression;

detecting an absence of the environmental stimulus; and

upon detecting the absence, reverting to a previous setting.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

identifying at least one of the plurality of audio inputs as a second control expression spoken by the recipient;

upon identifying the second control expression, determining a second setting adjustment; and

applying the second setting adjustment to the auditory prosthesis.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the second setting adjustment is selected from a hierarchy of setting adjustments.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

identifying at least one of the plurality of audio inputs as a second control expression spoken by the recipient;

upon identifying the second control expression, storing the first setting adjustment.