Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Electrical energy applicator
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-06
2001-06-19
Dvorak, Linda C. M. (Department: 3739)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Electrical energy applicator
C607S002000, C607S063000, C606S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249706
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of therapeutic technology for healing biological tissue with electricity. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved electrotherapy system for applying electrical microcurrents to biological tissue such as a person's body.
Electricity promotes healing of biological tissue damage and provides an anesthetic to pain. This result is believed to be related to the properties and characteristics of biological cells. Biological cells contain a bioelectrical potential across the stable cell membrane. The cells can be stimulated by a nerve signal or external stimulus which disrupts the ionic balance in the cell. Additionally, the polarity of a cell can be reversed in different states of rest or activity. One form of biological cell damage hinders the cell ability to return to an equilibrium condition. Electrical treatments are believed to stimulate biological cells to emulate or to regain normal cell function.
Electrical treatments have been attempted to treat arthritis, biological tissue damage, nerve damage, calcification and other ailments. Prior art devices have utilized different frequencies, pulse rates, amplitudes, and magnetic fields in the search for therapeutic and anesthetic treatments. Although alternating current electrical fields have been applied to tissue, alternating currents can cause undesirable electrolysis at the contact point between an electrode and the tissue.
Square waveform electrical currents are known to be effective for promoting healing and curative effects. Consequently, efforts have been made to create square waveforms for application to biological tissue. However, such efforts have not produced a satisfactory device for generating pure waveforms at high voltage. Representative examples of prior art devices, including devices having positive and negative electrodes attached to a person's body, are described in the following references.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,923 to Batters (1985), an electrically conductive glove was placed on a person's hand. Electric current was passed through the glove and hand to reduce pain and edema in the person's joints. The glove permitted an electrode to be stationary relative to the hand and facilitated electrical contact between the glove and hand without an external conductive medium.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,521 to Barry (1985), headache pain was treated by applying an electrode to a person's neck or head, and by attaching a single ground electrode to a distal portion of the person's body. Electrical pulses from the electrode were applied between 60 and 150 volts and with a pulse width between 35 and 45 microseconds. The patent opined that each pulse should have the characteristics of a square waveform, and that other waveform shapes were not successful in providing relief. However, the disclosed device utilized a 20 turn primary and a 200 turn secondary transformer for altering the input to output voltage after the waveform was created. This device has inherent limitations because internal resistances in the transformer break down the waveform quality and prevent the formation of a square waveform.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,965 to Fairbanks (1980) described a device having two electrodes and a magnet for transmitting electricity through a person's body. One of the electrodes cooperated with a concentric electromagnet to produce a magnetic field for driving current into the tissue and toward a second electrode near the person's head. Rectangular or square wave positive polarity pulses were applied through a first electrode, and electrolysis at the tissue-electrode interface was minimized by the spreading effects of the magnetic field. Low voltage treatments between 20 and 27 volts DC at up to 400 microamps were applied continuously for up to eight hours.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,745 to Hsiang-Lai et al. (1976) described a device for generating an electrical signal comprising successive pulse pairs of opposite polarity, referred to as biopulses. Each biopulse included a fore-pulse and an aft-pulse having a reverse polarity. An electrode was attached to the tissue, and a signal pulse generator included a transformer for increasing the biopulse voltage. The output transformer generated an irregular waveform transmitted directly to the electrode load. To reduce the distortion of the output, a pair of resistors connected in parallel were substituted for the transformer so that open circuiting of a resistor would flow current through the other resistor. However, the patent disclosure anticipated that open circuiting of both resistors was possible, and that a potentially dangerous hazard might exist.
These electrical devices demonstrate the difficulty of generating a high voltage square waveform for application to biological tissue. Although transformers have been positioned between low voltage circuits and electrodes to step up the voltage after the waveform is generated, such waveforms are significantly distorted. High quality transformers reduce the amount of waveform distortion but are expensive and do not efficiently produce the desired microcurrent treatment. A need, therefore, exists for an improved system for providing electrical stimulation to a person's body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus manipulable by a person for applying electrical current to biological tissue. The apparatus comprises a housing for movement proximate to the biological tissue, an amplifier engaged with a power supply for providing a high voltage signal, a controller for generating a square waveform output from said high voltage signal, and an electrode assembly engaged with the controller for electrical contact with the biological tissue. The electrode assembly comprises at least one negative electrode and at least one positive electrode for transmitting electric current through the biological tissue.
In other embodiments of the invention, an extendible arm permits the electrode assembly to be moved to a position distal from the housing. The controller can automatically change the square waveform output or can be manually operated to adjust various output parameters. Safety disconnects prevent improper or inappropriate contact between the electrode assembly and the biological tissue.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4232680 (1980-11-01), Hudleson et al.
patent: 4582063 (1986-04-01), Mickiewicz et al.
patent: 4622973 (1986-11-01), Agarwala
patent: 4841973 (1989-06-01), Stecker
patent: 5131389 (1992-07-01), Giordani
patent: 5470349 (1995-11-01), Kleditsch et al.
patent: 5620483 (1997-04-01), Minogue
Sobota John
Zagrosh Gerald
Atkinson Alan J.
Dvorak Linda C. M.
Kearney R.
LandOfFree
Electrotherapy system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electrotherapy system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electrotherapy system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2536970