Changeable tattoos

Patent 6192890 Issued on February 27, 2001. Estimated Expiration Date:

March 30, 2019. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Programmable subcutaneous visible implant
Patent #: 5638832
Issued on: 06/17/1997
Inventor: Singer, et al.

Tattoo inks Patent #: 6013122
Issued on: 01/11/2000
Inventor: Klitzman, et al.

Inventors

Application

No. 280496 filed on 03/30/1999

US Classes:

128/899Devices placed entirely within body and means used therewith (e.g., magnetic implant locator)

Examiners

Primary: Gilbert, Samuel

International Class

A61B 019/00

Abstract

A changeable tattoo system with an electrically modifiable ink that includes biocompatible microspheres or particles encapsulated in a clear microsphere shell of diameter 30-150 microns. A hard overcoat is used to reduce deformation under loading from the skin. Tattoos are implanted with a novel tattoo needle with a flat or concave forward tip. A conformable set of drive electrodes is applied to the skin to manipulate the tattoo image using magnetic or electrophoretic techniques that include the use of an electrophetic backplane of the body's core capacitence. A capactive coupling electrode is used to establish this connection. Greyscale and color gradient images are created by calibrating the system before use and pulsing EM fields.