Surgery – Magnetic field applied to body for therapy – Externally supported or worn
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-07-31
Gilbert, Samuel G. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Magnetic field applied to body for therapy
Externally supported or worn
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267719
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a magnetic sheet having two-dimensional alternating poles. Such magnetic sheets may be used in a wide range of applications, including shoe insoles for shoes that have magnetic particles embedded therein.
Insoles have generally been formed by a pad of cushioning material, such as sponge rubber, that has a general shape conforming to the interior of a shoe. Wearers who desire additional shoe comfort or who suffer from foot trouble, for example, plantar heel pain and/or arch pain, insert the cushioned insole into the shoe to provide added cushioning and support.
It is also known to provide insoles with magnetic particles therein. The magnetic particles are arranged in areas of alternating polarity. The reason for providing the magnetic particles is to increase blood flow and thereby accelerate healing of injured body parts. The basic theory is that charged particles in the blood stream, such as calcium ions, sodium chloride ions, electrolytes and the like, which are used for various purposes such as repairing bone and tissue, etc., are forced by the changing magnetic polarities through which the blood vessel passes, to move from one side of the blood vessel to the other side of the blood vessel as they travel along the blood vessel. This creates heat and helps to accelerate blood flow by bringing more blood to the blood vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,711 to Latzke discloses the use of alternating stripes of unidirectional north and south magnetic poles. However, when the blood vessel extends in the same direction as the magnetic stripes, there is no alternating magnetic field, and no therapeutic effect. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,768 to Humphreys for a similar disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,532 to Baermann discloses alternating magnetic areas formed as concentric rings or radial sectors. However, for blood vessels, which are positioned near the periphery of the concentric ring arrangement, the effect is less effective, since the blood vessel will traverse an area of only one polarity. The reverse is true for the radial sectors, since a blood vessel passing through the center will traverse only an area of only one polarity.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,277,692; 5,514,072; 5,538,495; and 5,871,438, all to Ardizzone, attempt to overcome the problems with the above patents. Specifically, Ardizzone provides a spiral arrangement of magnetic areas of alternating polarity, with the areas reducing in size toward the outside and inside of the spiral. This arrangement is provided to take into account all random positions of the blood vessels, to ensure that the blood vessels, regardless of orientation, always traverse alternating polarity areas. The problem arises, however, in the manufacture of this pattern. This is because of the complexity of the pattern, and the fact that it provides little tolerance for offsets during manufacturing. Thus, if there is any offset in the magnetic areas from the desired pattern, the position of entire pattern is thrown off.
The Ardizzone patents also provide an alternative checkerboard pattern of alternating polarity areas. Each area of one polarity is surrounded by either three or four areas of opposite polarity. However, with this arrangement, areas of opposite polarity contact each other at corner points to provide alternating zones of opposite polarity. This also provides little tolerance for variations in manufacture, and makes manufacture thereof extremely difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,111 to Mitsuno et al discloses alternating sinusoidal areas of opposite polarity. However, when dealing with such sinusoidal patterns, it may be difficult to maintain an exact pitch of each boundary line relative to an adjacent boundary line, and an exact spacing between the boundary lines. Even with the exact arrangement of Mitsuno et al, the boundary lines come close to each other, and thereby come close to approximating the checkerboard pattern of the Ardizzone patents. Mitsuno et al also discloses a polka dot pattern. However, Mitsuno et al admits that a blood vessel can be aligned to run along only a zone of south polarity. In such case, even if a blood vessel overlies adjacent zones of alternating north and south polarity, the magnetic pull on opposite sides will be equal and cancel out, thereby having no affect on the charged particles in the blood vessel.
Other patents of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,033,054 (Fukuoka), 4,079,526 (Fukuoka), 4,109,661 (Fukuoka), 4,223,458 (Kihara), 4,270,966 (Kihara), 4,727,661 (Kuhn), 4,843,738 (Masuda), 5,553,398 (Schnewlin-Maier), 5,685,094 (Lin) and 5,738,624 (Zablotsky et al).
The entire disclosures of all of the aforementioned U.S. Patents are incorporated herein by references.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sheet that overcomes the problems with the aforementioned art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sheet which may be applied to the body in which the magnetic particles are arranged in areas of alternating polarity to increase blood flow and accelerate healing of injured body parts.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sheet in which blood vessels will traverse areas of alternating magnetic polarity, substantially regardless of the orientation of the blood vessels.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a magnetic sheet that has a relatively simple repeating pattern.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sheet that provides a desired alternating polarity effect, while providing sufficient tolerance during the manufacturing process, without substantially affecting the predetermined pattern.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sheet having elongated zigzag zones of opposite polarity which alternate with each other, with the zigzag zones being defined by parallel, spaced apart zigzag boundary lines.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetic sheet in which discrete areas of one polarity are separated by a sea of an opposite polarity, and in which the discrete areas are arranged so as to prevent a blood vessel from overlying only the sea of opposite polarity without also overlying a discrete area.
The magnetic sheets of the present invention have many applications and may be incorporated, for example, in any device applied proximate to the body. Such devices include, for example, an insole, mattress, seat cover, and pads, wraps or bands for head, waist, ankle, knee, shoulder or back.
The magnetic sheet may preferably be incorporated into a removable insole for insertion into footwear, which may include a flexible layer of cushioning material having permanent magnetic particles embedded therein.
The permanent magnetic particles are arranged in a pattern to form alternating elongated zones of first and second opposite polarities, each zone being defined by spaced apart zigzag boundary lines. Each zone of the first polarity is bounded by only two zones of the second polarity positioned on opposite sides thereof, and each zone of the second polarity is bounded by only two zones of the first polarity positioned on opposite sides thereof.
The zigzag boundary lines are parallel to each other and are spaced apart by a first distance for the zones of the first polarity and a second distance for the zones of the second polarity. Preferably, the first and second distances are equal to each other.
The zigzag boundary lines are formed by a plurality of substantially linear segments, which meet at point contacts to form sharp turns. In one embodiment, the segments are all of equal lengths, and in another embodiment, there are at least two the segments of different lengths for each the zigzag boundary line. The angles formed at the sharp turns and defined by connected segments are between the approximate range of 10/ and 170/. In one embodiment, the angles are each approximately 90/, and in another embodiment, at le
Crane Laura
Grisoni Bernard
Gilbert Samuel G.
Lipka Robert J.
Schering-Plough Healthcare Products Inc.
LandOfFree
Magnetic sheets does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Magnetic sheets, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Magnetic sheets will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2495337