Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-23
2001-05-29
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C128S903000, C348S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240312
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the detection and treatment of diseased and/or abnormal biological materials, such as cells and/or tissues, and relates more particularly to the detection and treatment of diseased and/or abnormal biological materials using photonics.
The use of photonics to image biological materials, to detect abnormal and/or diseased states present therein and/or to treat such abnormalities and disease states has become increasingly more prevalent over the last several years. Examples of patents directed to the use of photonics in the foregoing types of applications include the following, all of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,516, inventors Alfano et al., issued Aug. 4, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,494, inventor Alfano, issued Aug. 27, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,496, inventors Alfano et al., issued Nov. 29, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,075, inventors Alfano et al., issued Oct. 29, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,398, inventors Alfano et al., issued Jul. 21, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,018, inventors Alfano et al., issued Sep. 20, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,767, inventors Alfano et al., issued Nov. 21, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,410, inventors Alfano et al., issued Nov. 16, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,872, inventors Alfano et al., issued Mar. 15, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,402, inventors Alfano et al., issued Jun. 3, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,910, inventor Alfano, issued Dec. 12, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,368, inventors Alfano et al., issued Dec. 6, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,108, inventor Alfano, issued May 9, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,429, inventors Alfano et al., issued Jul. 1, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,458, inventors Alfano et al., issued Apr. 29, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,429, inventors Alfano et al., issued Jan. 20, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,399, inventors Alfano et al., issued Feb. 17, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,081, inventors Alfano et al., issued Jun. 23, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,656, inventors Alfano et al., issued Sep. 1, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,988, inventors Alfano et al., issued Sep. 29, 1998.
One of the primary benefits of the photonic approach to imaging and examining biological materials is that said imaging and examination can be conducted in vivo in a patient with little risk of injury to the patient. This is to be contrasted with certain conventional imaging techniques, such as X-ray imaging, which involves subjecting a patient to potentially harmful X-ray radiation, and with certain conventional examination techniques, such as biopsy and histological evaluation, which cannot be conducted in vivo. Where the organ or tissue to be examined is located internally, the photonic approach to examination typically involves inserting optical fibers, typically disposed within an endoscope or similar device, into the patient's body in proximity to the area to be examined. The area to be examined is irradiated with light transmitted thereto by the optical fibers, and the light from the irradiated area is collected and transmitted by the optical fibers to a spectroscopic device or camera and computer for observation and analysis.
As can readily be appreciated, one of the current limitations on the use of photonics to image, examine and/or treat biological materials located inside a patient is the ability to access the biological materials wished to be examined using optical fibers and/or endoscopes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel device that is designed to detect and/or treat diseased and/or abnormal biological materials, such as cells and/or tissues, inside a patient's body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that overcomes at least some of the problems described above in connection with the use of optical fibers and/or endoscopes to access internally disposed biological materials.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention and in furtherance of the aforementioned objects, there is provided a wireless, remote-controllable, micro-scale device adapted for use inside a patient's body, said wireless, remote-controlled, micro-scale device preferably being 0.1 mm to 20 mm in length and comprising (a) a transport capsule; (b) means for moving said transport capsule inside a patient's body; (c) imaging means, on board said transport capsule, for collecting image information on the appearance of the inside of the patient's body; (d) examining means, on board said transport capsule, for collecting information regarding the presence of abnormal biological materials inside the patient's body; and (e) communication means, on board said transport capsule, for transmitting the information collected by said imaging means and said examining means to a location outside the patient's body. As will hereinafter be described, said examining means preferably includes means for measuring the spectrum of photo-excited tissue, and said examining means and said imaging means preferably includes a laser, a flamp lamp, a light emitting diode or similar device.
In another embodiment of the invention, the remote-controlled, micro-scale device is not wireless, but rather, is connected to an electrical wire cable.
The present invention is made possible, in part, by the recent advent of enabling technology in the fields of microrobotics (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,488, inventor Miyazawa, which issued Mar. 11, 1997 and which is incorporated herein by reference) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) (see, for example, Motamedi et al., “Micro-opto-electro-mechanical devices and on-chip optical processing,
Opt. Eng.,
36(5), 1282-97 (May 1997); Gonzalez et al., “Packaging Technology for Miniature IVD Instrumentation,” Medical
Device & Diagnostic Industry,
70-75 (April 1998); Motamedi et al., “Miniaturized micro-optical scanners,”
Optical Engineering,
33(11):3616-23 (November 1994); Lang, “Silicon microstructuring technology,”
Material Science and Engineering,
R17, 1-55 (1996); and “A guitar the size of a cell,”
New York Times,
Page C4 (Jul. 29, 1997), all of which are incorporated herein by reference).
Additional objects, as well as features, aspects and advantages of the present invention, will be set forth, in part, in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments for practicing the invention. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4278077 (1981-07-01), Mizumoto
patent: 4844076 (1989-07-01), Lesho et al.
patent: 5131398 (1992-07-01), Alfano et al.
patent: 5353807 (1994-10-01), DeMarco
patent: 5395366 (1995-03-01), D'Andrea et al.
patent: 5604531 (1997-02-01), Iddan et al.
patent: 5610488 (1997-03-01), Miyazawa
patent: 5625458 (1997-04-01), Alfano et al.
patent: 5681260 (1997-10-01), Ueda et al.
patent: 5833603 (1998-11-01), Kovacs et al.
patent: 5984875 (1999-11-01), Brune
Motamedi et al., “Miniaturized micro-optical scanners,” Optical Engineering, 33 (11), 3616-23 (Nov. 1994).
Gonzalez et al., “Packaging Technology for Miniature IVD Instrumentation,” Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry, 70-5 (Apr. 1998).
Motamedi et al., “Micro-opto-electro-mechanical devices and on-chip optical processing,” Opt. Eng., 36 (5), 1282-97 (May 1997).
Alfano Robert R.
Alfano Scott
Ho Ping Pei
Wang Quan-Zhen
Kriegsman & Kriegsman
Lateef Marvin M.
Shaw Shawna
LandOfFree
Remote-controllable, micro-scale device for use in in vivo... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Remote-controllable, micro-scale device for use in in vivo..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Remote-controllable, micro-scale device for use in in vivo... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2459774