Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Coded-sequence activation of surgical implants

Coded-sequence activation of surgical implants description/claims

The present application is related to and claims the benefit of the earliest available effective filing date(s) from the following listed application(s) (the “Related Applications”) (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent applications or claims benefits under 35 USC § 119(e) for provisional patent applications, for any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Application(s)).

For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. [To Be Assigned by USPTO], entitled CODED-SEQUENCE ACTIVATION OF SURGICAL IMPLANTS, attorney docket no. 0606-002-002B-000000, naming Edward S. Boyden, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Eric C. Leuthardt, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Dennis J. Rivet, Michael A. Smith, Thomas A. Weaver, and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed 22 Feb. 2007, which is currently co-pending, or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.

The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to the effect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicants reference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is a continuation or continuation-in-part. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of Prior-Filed Application, USPTO Official Gazette Mar. 18, 2003, available at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/2003/week11/patbene.htm. The present Applicant Entity (hereinafter “Applicant”) has provided above a specific reference to the application(s) from which priority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant understands that the statute is unambiguous in its specific reference language and does not require either a serial number or any characterization, such as “continuation” or “continuation-in-part,” for claiming priority to U.S. patent applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant understands that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entry requirements, and hence Applicant is designating the present application as a continuation-in-part of its parent applications as set forth above, but expressly points out that such designations are not to be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or admission as to whether or not the present application contains any new matter in addition to the matter of its parent application(s).

All subject matter of the Related Applications and of any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Applications is incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith.

In one aspect, a device for implantation in a body includes a receiver responsive to a selected spatiotemporal signal sequence to produce an activation signal and a member responsive to the activation signal to shift from a first mechanical configuration to a second mechanical configuration. The selected spatiotemporal signal sequence may include spatially separated and/or temporally separated signals, which may include, for example, magnetic fields, electric fields, acoustic signals, electromagnetic signals, and/or optical signals. The member may be configured to engage one or more vertebrae (e.g., a spinal screw), and the second mechanical configuration may provide more or less stress shielding to the vertebrae than the first mechanical configuration. The member may be configured to engage a bony structure (e.g., a tooth), and the second mechanical configuration may provide more or less stress shielding to the bony structure than the first mechanical configuration. The member may include a tissue expander, an intralumenal device (e.g., a stent such as an expandable stent, or a lumen-traversing device including a physiological sensor such as a gastrointestinal camera), a shunt (e.g., a cerebrospinal fluid shunt or a vascular conduit), a drug reservoir (e.g., a reservoir that is configured to dispense a drug by shifting from the first to the second mechanical configuration), an artificial joint, a gastric band, an artificial sphincter, an orthodontic appliance, or a cosmetic implant (e.g., a lip, breast, pectoral, or deltoid augment). The member may be configured to accommodate growth of the body.

In another aspect, a device for providing a coded signal to an implant in a body includes a plurality of signaling units having a selected spatial arrangement. The signaling units are arranged to deliver a spatiotemporal signal sequence corresponding to the coded signal. The spatiotemporal signal sequence may include spatially separated and/or temporally separated signals, which may include, for example, magnetic fields, electric fields, acoustic signals, electromagnetic signals, and/or optical signals, and may include at least two different signal modes. The device may be configured to conform to a surface of the body, and/or may be configured to be secured to the body. The device may further include a receiving unit that is configured to receive a signal from the implant, such as a receiver that can receive a signal selected from the group consisting of magnetic fields, electric fields, acoustic signals, electromagnetic signals, and/or optical signals.

In yet another aspect, a method of treating a patient having a surgical implant of a type responsive to a spatiotemporal signal sequence to change from a first mechanical configuration to a second mechanical configuration includes directing a series of signals corresponding to the spatiotemporal sequence into the patient's body. The series of signals may include spatially separated and/or temporally separated signals, which may include, for example, magnetic fields, electric fields, acoustic signals, electromagnetic signals, and/or optical signals. The patient may have a plurality of surgical implants, and fewer than all of the implants (e.g., one implant) may be responsive to the spatiotemporal signal sequence. The method may further include measuring a physiological parameter of the patient (e.g., blood pressure, heart rhythm, breathing rhythm, neurological activity, blood flow, blood oxygenation, end tidal CO2, pressure, viscosity, joint angle, vertebral angle, spinal angle, mechanical stress, shear, torque, distance between selected reference points, mechanical strain, modulus, and/or compressibility), and directing the series of signals in response to the measured physiological parameter. The surgical implant may be configured to engage one or more vertebrae, and the first mechanical configuration may provide more or less stress shielding to the vertebrae than the second mechanical configuration, and/or the implant may change the relative position of the vertebrae. The surgical implant may be configured to engage a bony structure, and the first mechanical configuration may provide more or less stress shielding to the bony structure than the second mechanical configuration. The patient may be a human or an animal, and may be an adult or a juvenile. The surgical implant may be, for example, a tooth implant, a tissue expander, an intralumenal device, a stent, a shunt, a gastrointestinal camera, a drug reservoir, an artificial joint, a gastric band, an artificial sphincter, an orthodontic appliance, a cosmetic implant, a lip augment, a breast augment, a pectoral augment, or a deltoid augment.

In still another aspect, a system for treating a patient includes a signaling unit configured to emit a spatiotemporal signal sequence into the patient, and an implant configured for implantation into the patient. The implant is configured to respond to the spatiotemporal signal sequence by shifting from a first mechanical configuration to a second mechanical configuration. The spatiotemporal signal sequence may include a spatial and/or a temporal arrangement of magnetic fields, electric fields, acoustic signals, electromagnetic signals, and/or optical signals. The implant may be, for example, a bone implant, a spinal implant, a tooth implant, a tissue expander, an intralumenal device, a stent, a shunt, a gastrointestinal camera, a drug reservoir, an artificial joint, a gastric band, an artificial sphincter, an orthodontic appliance, a cosmetic implant, a lip augment, a breast augment, a pectoral augment, or a deltoid augment.

In a still yet another aspect, a device for implantation into a body includes a receiver responsive to a trigger signal, authentication circuitry coupled to the receiver and operative to distinguish an authentic trigger signal from a non-authentic trigger signal and responsive to an authentic trigger signal to generate an actuation signal, and an actuable member coupled to receive the actuation signal and responsive to the actuation signal to change configuration. The device may further include a physiological sensor configured to sense a physiological parameter in the body (e.g., a parameter indicative of an abnormal condition of the body such as loss of consciousness, altered consciousness, abnormal heart rhythm, abnormal breathing rhythm, abnormal blood pressure, abnormal blood chemistry, change in tissue perfusion, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, electrolyte disturbance, and/or hormone imbalance), and the authentication circuitry may use the sensed physiological parameter to determine whether to generate an actuation signal (e.g., only if the sensed physiological parameter is indicative of an abnormal condition of the body). The authentication circuitry may be configured to determine that the physiological parameter is indicative of an abnormal condition if it falls outside of a selected normal range, and it may be configured to accept a change in the selected normal range. The receiver may be configured to accept any one of a plurality of trigger signals, each associated with a respective permissions level, and may be configured to generate an actuation signal under different conditions for different permissions levels. The device may be, for example, a bone implant, a spinal implant, a tooth implant, a tissue expander, an intralumenal device, a stent, a shunt, a gastrointestinal camera, a drug reservoir, a pacemaker, a defibrillator, a cochlear implant, a brain stimulator, an artificial joint, a gastric band, an artificial sphincter, an orthodontic appliance, a cosmetic implant, a lip augment, a breast augment, a pectoral augment, or a deltoid augment.

In a further aspect, a device for implantation in a body may include a receiver configured to receive a first signal, a transmitter configured to send a second signal, and an actuable member having a therapeutic function in the body. The actuable member is configured to be actuated after both receipt of the first signal and sending of the second signal. The transmitter may be configured to send the second signal in response to receipt of the first signal by the receiver. Actuation of the actuable member after both receipt of the first signal and sending of the second signal may include actuation in response to a third signal determined by both the first signal and the second signal. The transmitter configured to send the second signal may be a passive transmitter such as an RFID. The second signal may include identifying information for the device. The device may be, for example, a bone implant, a spinal implant, a tooth implant, a tissue expander, an intralumenal device, a stent, a shunt, a gastrointestinal camera, a drug reservoir, a pacemaker, a defibrillator, a cochlear implant, a brain stimulator, an artificial joint, a gastric band, an artificial sphincter, an orthodontic appliance, a cosmetic implant, a lip augment, a breast augment, a pectoral augment, or a deltoid augment.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws