Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8170682 | Method and apparatus to provide safety checks for neural stimulation The present application deals generally with the stimulation of neural tissue by electronic means and specifically with controlling the level of electrical stimulation in order to prevent damage to the neural tissue. Methods presented in the disclosure include detec... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8165694 | Thermal management of implantable medical devices Systems and techniques for thermal management of implantable medical devices. In one aspect an implantable device includes an active component configured to perform medical activities, a charging component configured to convert energy from outside a body in which th... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8165693 | Safe-mode implantable medical devices A method, system, and apparatus for implementing a safe mode operation of an implantable medical system using impedance adjustment(s) are provided. A first impedance is provided to a lead. An indication of a possibility of a coupled energy is received. Based upon sa... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8160717 | Model reference identification and cancellation of magnetically-induced voltages in a gradient magnetic field Systems and methods of dynamically controlling an implanted medical device located within a patient's body in the presence of a gradient magnetic field or other external interference are disclosed. The system can include a reference model of the implanted medical de... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8086321 | Selectively connecting the tip electrode during therapy for MRI shielding A medical device includes a pulse generator and an electrode configured to contact tissue in a body vessel. The medical device includes a lead that includes a lead connector. The lead connector connects a pulse generator with an electrode via a conductive path. An e... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8060216 | Method and apparatus to provide safety checks for neural stimulation Electronic neural tissue stimulators for controlling the level of electrical stimulation in order to prevent damage to the neural tissue. Methods presented in the disclosure include detecting current leakage via electrode impedance measurement, electrode capacitance... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8055351 | MRI-safe high impedance lead systems Some embodiments are directed to MRI/RF compatible medical interventional devices. A plurality of spaced apart high impedance circuit segments are configured to have a high impedance at a high range of radiofrequencies and a low impedance at a low range of frequenci... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8046082 | Method and apparatus for stimulating a nerve of a patient Single-use electrical leads for a nerve stimulator include a status flag element such as a fuse, which is deliberately blown after use of the leads has begun to indicate that the leads are not to be reused. The nerve stimulator has a “test mode” that determines ... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8000801 | System for terminating abandoned implanted leads to minimize heating in high power electromagnetic field environments An energy management system facilitates the transfer of high frequency energy coupled into an implanted abandoned lead at a selected RF frequency or frequency band, to an energy dissipating surface. This is accomplished by conductively coupling the implanted abandon... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7966075 | Switched diverter circuits for minimizing heating of an implanted lead in a high power electromagnetic field environment An energy management system that facilitates the transfer of high frequency energy induced on an implanted lead or a leadwire includes an energy dissipating surface associated with the implanted lead or the leadwire, a diversion or diverter circuit associated with t... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7761168 | Peltier unidirectional and selective nerve stimulation Apparatus is provided including an assembly (22) and a control unit (36). The assembly (22) includes a housing (34) configured to be applied to a nerve (20) of a subject, and at least one cathode (30) and at least one Peltie... | 07/20/2010 |
| 7751903 | Frequency selective passive component networks for implantable leads of active implantable medical devices utilizing an energy dissipating surface Decoupling circuits are provided which transfer energy induced from an MRI pulsed RF field to an energy dissipating surface. This is accomplished through broadband filtering or by resonant filtering. In a passive component network for an implantable leadwire of an a... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7711436 | Medical device electrical lead design for preventing transmittance of unsafe currents to a patient An electrical lead including a conductor assembly, an electrode, and a thermally sensitive material. The conductor assembly has one or more conductors. The electrode is in electrical communication with one of the conductors and has an outer contact adapted for conta... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7689288 | Frequency selective passive component networks for implantable leads of active implantable medical devices utilizing an energy dissipating surface Decoupling circuits are provided which transfer energy induced from an MRI pulsed RF field to an energy dissipating surface. This is accomplished through broadband filtering or by resonant filtering. In a passive component network for an implantable leadwire of an a... | 03/30/2010 |
| 7463931 | Electrical stimulation of tissue for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes Electrobiological stimulation is carried out transcranially by applying high frequency squarewave bursts exhibiting no d.c. term across the cranial region. Such stimulation is commenced employing ramp generators and positive and negative voltage converters which evo... | 12/09/2008 |
| 7433734 | Apparatus and method for blocking activation of tissue or conduction of action potentials while other tissue is being therapeutically activated A desired effect is produced by therapeutically activating tissue at a first site within a patient's body and a corresponding undesired side effect is reduced by blocking activation of tissue or conduction of action potentials at a second site within the patient's b... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7418296 | Wireless pacing system analyzer in a programmer system An external interface device provides telemetry between an implantable apparatus and a remote device. The interface device includes a battery powered circuit and a wireless transceiver. A power supply of the remote device is isolated from the implantable apparatus b... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7373200 | System and method for providing tachyarrhythmia therapy by implantable device in presence of system faults A system and method is disclosed by which an implantable cardiac device may deliver tachyarrhythmia therapy in the event of a system fault. A hardware-based safety core provides the logic circuitry for detecting tachyarrhythmias and delivering shock therapy in the e... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7369900 | Neural bridge devices and methods for restoring and modulating neural activity The neural bridge devices may be implanted between the endings of severed or damaged nerve cells. The operation of these devices may facilitate restoring conductivity of neural signals or responses within severed or damaged nerve cells. The neural bridge device may ... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7369898 | System and method for responding to pulsed gradient magnetic fields using an implantable medical device Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), are vulnerable to the powerful magnetic fields associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In particular, pulsed gradient components, if strong enough, can induc... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7343203 | Apparatus for electrotherapy In an apparatus for electrotherapy, comprising a circuit arrangement with a terminal for generation of a sequence of voltage pulses and two electrodes for application of these voltage pulses to a part of the body that is to be treated; one of the two electrodes havi... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7324101 | Electronic circuit, method of driving electronic circuit, electro-optical device, method of driving electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus The present invention provides an electronic circuit, a method of driving the electronic circuit, an electro-optical device, a method of driving the electro-optical device, and an electronic apparatus capable of improving yield or aperture ratio by reducing the numb... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7319902 | Method and device for electrochemical rejuvenation of skin and underlying tissue, and muscle building A method and device are disclosed for using electrochemistry to rejuvenate skin and underlying tissue and to build and strengthen muscles by applying pulses of DC electrical charge, at a duration in the range of about 0.2 to about 1 millisecond and a variable freque... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7304277 | Resonator with adjustable capacitor for medical device An apparatus, system and method of a resonator device with an adjustable capacitor for allowing the resonance frequency (F) of the resonator device to continue to be matched to the Larmor frequency of the MRI system. The resonator device includes an inductor coil, a... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7295880 | Stimulation control for brain stimulation System and method for end of battery life operation of an implantable bilateral brain stimulator. The present system and method automatically measures one or more levels of electrical parameters in a battery system of the implantable stimulator. The measurement can ... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7279664 | Resonator for medical device A resonator device including an induction coil, a conductive member positioned adjacent the induction coil, and a dielectric layer between at least a portion of the induction coil and the conductive member to form a capacitor structure. In one embodiment, the conduc... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7272441 | External defibrillator and methods for operating the external defibrillator Methods and apparatus are provided for minimizing the inherent time delays within external defibrillators and allowing operators to administer CPR therapy as close in time as possible to the delivery of a defibrillation shock to a patient. The methods and apparatuse... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7263401 | Implantable medical device with a nonhermetic battery An implantable medical device (IMD) including a nonhermetic battery is described. The IMD includes components and a power source module that includes the nonhermetic battery. The IMD also includes a barrier to substantially impede movement of substances from the non... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7260433 | Subcutaneous cardiac stimulation device providing anti-tachycardia pacing therapy and method An implantable subcutaneous cardiac device includes at least two subcutaneous electrodes adapted for placement external to a heart beneath the skin of a patient. The device further includes an arrhythmia detector that detects a sustained tachyarrhythmia of the heart... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7254446 | System and method for stimulus calibration for an implantable pulse generator A system, method, and computer program product for calibrating a stimulation device such as an implantable pulse generator (IPG). An IPG, whether it is a self-contained implantable pulse generator (SCIPG) or externally-powered implantable pulse generator (EPIPG), co... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7248927 | Implantable heart stimulator with electrodes for an infection control current An implantable heart stimulator has an electrically conductive housing containing a pulse generator, with an electrode lead connected to the housing. The electrode lead has a proximal portion extending substantially from the housing to a location, after implantation... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7242981 | System and method for controlling an implantable medical device subject to magnetic field or radio frequency exposure A system for controlling an implantable medical device (e.g., a drug delivery device) susceptible to malfunctioning during exposure to a magnetic field and/or Radio Frequency field (e.g., during a magnetic resonance imaging procedure) and a method for operating the ... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7236827 | Single-use medical device An electrical therapy device has a blocking triggering unit and a re-use blocking unit. The re-use blocking unit prevents the functions of the electrical therapy device during implantation in dependence on the condition of the blocking triggering unit. The blocking ... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7231256 | Neurostimulation site screening The disclosure describes a process for non-invasively screening a patient to select a stimulation site for treatment of head, neck or facial pain and tension symptoms caused by disorders such as occipital neuralgia. The screening process involves application of a tr... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7228179 | Method and apparatus for providing complex tissue stimulation patterns The invention relates to a stimulation device for creating complex or multi-purpose tissue stimulation. Many typical stimulation devices suffer from deficiencies in providing complex stimulation patterns. Using a circuitry operable or programmable to repeat and skip... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7228184 | Viral-inhibiting method A hand-held viral inhibitor and related methodology which transfer between space exposed electrodes an electric current signal of reversing polarity through the viral-laden tissue are disclosed. ... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7227390 | Apparatus and method for a driver with an adaptive drive strength for a class D amplifier A circuit for adaptively adjusting the drive strength of output power transistors in a class D amplifier is provided. The circuit includes a driver circuit and a low-voltage detect circuit. The low-voltage detect circuit is arranged to assert a low-voltage detect si... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7214197 | Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring system An intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring system includes an adaptive threshold detection circuit adapted for use in monitoring with a plurality of electrodes placed in muscles which are enervated by a selected nerve and muscles not enervated by the nerve. Ner... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7216001 | Apparatus for intraoperative neural monitoring An intraoperative neural monitoring system includes a power source and a simulator powered by the power source to deliver a cycle of electrical stimulation to a patient as a first group of positive or negative phase pulses automatically followed by a second group of... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7212859 | Dual-chamber implantable cardiac stimulation system and device with selectable arrhythmia termination electrode configurations and method An implantable cardiac stimulation system delivers arrhythmia termination pulses to the ventricles and the atria of a heart. The system includes an implantable cardiac stimulation device, including a conductive enclosure, ventricular arrhythmia termination pulse gen... | 05/01/2007 |
