Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100145316 | DEVICE FOR DELIVERY OF A SUBSTANCE - A device for delivering a substance in situ in a body comprising at least one permeable expandable container having a first dimension and a second dimension and having contained therein the substance to be delivered; and at least one expandable particle comprising a swellable material contained within the container and capable of expanding when contacted with a fluid; whereby when the device is positioned in situ, bodily fluid permeates the container causing the at least one expandable particle contained therein to swell and the container to expand from the first dimension to the second dimension so that the device remains in situ for a period of time sufficient to achieve the desired delivery of the substance is provided. | 06-10-2010 |
20100215732 | INGESTIBLE IMPLEMENT FOR WEIGHT CONTROL - An orally administrable implement for expanding in a stomach of an animal, including a mammal, to fill a space in the stomach, is provided for weight control. The implement includes: a fluid-permeable expandable container having a first dimension and a second dimension; and a plurality of clusters comprising a swellable material contained within the container and capable of swelling when contacted with a fluid; whereby when the implement is ingested, the fluid in the stomach enters the container causing the clusters therein to swell and the container to expand from the first dimension to the second dimension. | 08-26-2010 |
20110082419 | BEZOAR-FORMING UNITS FOR WEIGHT CONTROL - Bezoar-forming units for forming at least one temporary bezoar in a gastrointestinal organ of an animal, including a mammal, to fill a space in the said organ, are provided for weight control. The units include biodegradable fiber-based configurations of various length and shape having a first dimension and a second dimension; whereby when the bezoar-forming units are located in the given gastrointestinal organ, at least one temporary, permeable bezoar is formed. | 04-07-2011 |
20140148840 | INGESTIBLE IMPLEMENT FOR WEIGHT CONTROL - An orally administrable implement for expanding in a stomach of an animal, including a mammal, to fill a space in the stomach, is provided for weight control. The implement includes: a fluid-permeable expandable container having a first dimension and a second dimension; and a plurality of clusters comprising a swellable material contained within the container and capable of swelling when contacted with a fluid; whereby when the implement is ingested, the fluid in the stomach enters the container causing the clusters therein to swell and the container to expand from the first dimension to the second dimension. | 05-29-2014 |
20140330210 | Device for Delivery of a Substance - A device for delivering a substance in situ in a body comprising at least one permeable expandable container having a first dimension and a second dimension and having contained therein the substance to be delivered; and at least one expandable particle comprising a swellable material contained within the container and capable of expanding when contacted with a fluid; whereby when the device is positioned in situ, bodily fluid permeates the container causing the at least one expandable particle contained therein to swell and the container to expand from the first dimension to the second dimension so that the device remains in situ for a period of time sufficient to achieve the desired delivery of the substance is provided. | 11-06-2014 |
20150150544 | Apparatuses and Methods for Endoscope and/or With Tool Actuated by Shape Memory Alloy Element - Apparatuses and methods for capsule endoscopes with tools actuated by a combination of a shape memory alloy (SMA) element and a biasing element (e.g., spring). Apparatuses and methods for biopsies actuated by an SMA element. | 06-04-2015 |
20150335571 | Pseudobezoar-Based Intraluminal Gastrointestinal Transplant - The present disclosure describes an orally administrable implement comprising expandable material designed specifically to swell in a targeted gastrointestinal (GI) organ of a mammai, including human to form a pseudobezoar. The said pseudobezoar is integrated with a gastrointestinal transplant, whether synthetic or obtained from a donor. Upon swelling of the pseudobezoar in targeted organ GI organ, the gastrointestinal transplant integrated with it is delivered to the targeted gastrointestinal organ in a timed and controllable fashion. In one design, a feedback mechanism reporting on the delivery timing, pattern, and details can be included. | 11-26-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080200964 | GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY CONTROL - A method and a multichannel implantable device are described for partial or complete restoration of impaired gastrointestinal motility, or for disturbing and/or partially or completely blocking normal gastrointestinal motility using one or multiple microsystem-controlled channels of circumferentially arranged sets of two or more electrodes which provide externally-invoked synchronized electrical signals to the smooth muscles via the neural pathways. | 08-21-2008 |
20090314546 | In-drilling alignment - To limit the growth of errors of an inertial navigation system for measurement-while-drilling, in-drilling alignment methods can be used. A pneumatics-based design of an apparatus for an in-drilling alignment method and its implementation downhole are described. | 12-24-2009 |
20100222841 | FEEDBACK CONTROLLED GASTRO-INTESTINAL STIMULATION - Neural Gastric Electrical Stimulation (NGES) is a new method for invoking gastric contractions under microprocessor control. However, optimization of this technique using feedback mechanisms to minimize power consumption and maximize effectiveness has been lacking. An apparatus and method are provided for inducing controlled gastro paresis. The apparatus comprises a contraction sensor, a stomach contraction generator, and a controller. The contraction sensor is responsive to circumferential contractions of the stomach, and outputs a signal indicative of a circumferential contraction. The stomach contraction generator induces a circumferential contraction upon receipt of an electrical signal from the controller. The controller sends the electrical signal to the generator upon receipt of the output signal from the sensor. The method comprises the steps of sensing a circumferential contraction of the stomach, and invoking a circumferential contraction of the stomach in response to sensing the circumferential contraction. | 09-02-2010 |
20120078074 | Methods and Apparatuses for Monitoring Gastroesophageal Reflux Volume with Ultrasonic Catheter - Ultrasonic catheters and methods for determining and/or monitoring reflux volumes during gastroesophageal reflux events. | 03-29-2012 |
20130030261 | MAGNETIC LEVITATION OF AN INTRALUMINAL MICROELECTRONIC CAPSULE - A method and apparatus for magnetically levitating and further steering of an intraluminal device, such as a swallowable microelectronic capsule, for monitoring bodily functions is provided. The method comprises diamagnetically-stabilized levitation, followed by dynamic modification of the external magnetic field producing the said levitation, so that the levitating intraluminal device can be steered in desired direction. The said intraluminal device contains appropriate sensors and reports in real time the forces and pressures exerted on it, as well as its position, so that the levitation and the steering can be dynamically adjusted using appropriate dynamic control of external magnetic devices such as solenoids. | 01-31-2013 |
20140343452 | Pseudobezoar-Based Intraluminal Gastrointestinal Cleansing and Biospy - The present disclosure describes an orally administrable implement comprising expandable material designed specifically to swell in a targeted gastrointestinal (Gl) organ of a mammal, including human to form a pseudobezoar, so that upon swelling it touches the walls of the targeted organ. In one design, the swollen pseudobezoar provides sponge-like cleansing of the targeted Gl organ to prepare the said organ for further examination. In another design the expandable material scrapes the walls of the targeted Gl organ by creating a sufficient friction tension between its permeable wails and the mucosa of the Gl organ walls to collect enough adequate tissue samples, occult blood, or both, for the purpose of tissue sample analysis, DNA analysis, occult blood analysis, or a combination thereof. Safety mechanisms for the controlled disintegration of the pseudobezoars in cases of possible obstruction are also described. | 11-20-2014 |
20140378764 | Self-stabilized encapsulated imaging system - Wireless capsule endoscope technology has been used to image portions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, particularly the small bowel. However in other GI organs, especially those having larger-lumens, the capsule may become destabilized and tumble, precluding meaningful interpretation of the acquired images. The present invention describes a method and apparatus for permitting capsule imaging of organs having larger-lumens without tumbling, and includes an outer shell surrounding the capsule that targets the colon, as an example. Once the colon has been reached, the shell breaks or dissolves, and allows expansion of expandable materials attached to each end of the capsule, thereby stabilizing the capsule in the targeted organ, while permitting it to be moved by peristalsis and/or other means for locating the capsule. Imagers and light emitting diodes (LEDs) are activated during the expansion process, and enable overlapping of images. The capsule is moved through the colon, taking images at chosen frame rates with data being wirelessly transmitted by means of an RF transmitter, and is eventually expelled from the body. | 12-25-2014 |
20150032176 | GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY CONTROL - A method and a multichannel implantable device are described for partial or complete restoration of impaired gastrointestinal motility, or for disturbing and/or partially or completely blocking normal gastrointestinal motility using one or multiple microsystem-controlled channels of circumferentially arranged sets of two or more electrodes which provide externally-invoked synchronized electrical signals to the smooth muscles via the neural pathways. | 01-29-2015 |