Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100198298 | IMPLANT SYSTEM AND METHOD USING IMPLANTED PASSIVE CONDUCTORS FOR ROUTING ELECTRICAL CURRENT - The present invention provides improvements to an implant, system and method using passive electrical conductors which route electrical current to either external or implanted electrical devices, to multiple target body tissues and to selective target body tissues. The passive electrical conductor extends from subcutaneous tissue located below either a surface cathodic electrode or a surface anodic electrode a) to a target tissue to route electrical signals from the target body tissue to devices external to the body; b) to implanted electrical devices to deliver electrical current to such devices, or c) to multiple target body tissues or to selective target body tissues to stimulate the target body tissues. The conductor has specialized ends for achieving such purposes. | 08-05-2010 |
20130013041 | IMPLANT, SYSTEM AND METHOD USING IMPLANTED PASSIVE CONDUCTORS FOR ROUTING ELECTRICAL CURRENT - The present invention provides improvements to an implant, system and method using passive electrical conductors which route electrical current to either external or implanted electrical devices, to multiple target body tissues and to selective target body tissues. The passive electrical conductor extends from subcutaneous tissue located below either a surface cathodic electrode or a surface anodic electrode a) to a target tissue to route electrical signals from the target body tissue to devices external to the body; b) to implanted electrical devices to deliver electrical current to such devices, or c) to multiple target body tissues or to selective target body tissues to stimulate the target body tissues. The conductor has specialized ends for achieving such purposes. | 01-10-2013 |
20140172053 | IMPLANT, SYSTEM AND METHOD USING IMPLANTED PASSIVE CONDUCTORS FOR ROUTING ELECTRICAL CURRENT - The present invention provides improvements to an implant, system and method using passive electrical conductors which route electrical current to either external or implanted electrical devices, to multiple target body tissues and to selective target body tissues. The passive electrical conductor extends from subcutaneous tissue located below either a surface cathodic electrode or a surface anodic electrode a) to a target tissue to route electrical signals from the target body tissue to devices external to the body; b) to implanted electrical devices to deliver electrical current to such devices, or c) to multiple target body tissues or to selective target body tissues to stimulate the target body tissues. The conductor has specialized ends for achieving such purposes. | 06-19-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080249588 | Electrode Array - The present invention is an electrode array for neural stimulation. In particular, the present invention provides electrode shapes and electrode coating advantageous in maximizing the charge dissipation without harming neural tissue. Neurotophic factors are used to further improve electrode performance. | 10-09-2008 |
20080294224 | Visual Color Prosthesis - The present invention is a visual color prosthesis. The prosthesis creates the perception of a color image by electrically stimulating visual neurons in patterns consistent with the electrically patterns naturally produced by the retina in response to a color image. | 11-27-2008 |
20090005835 | Low Profile Package for an Implantable Device - The present invention is a low profile hermetic package for an implantable medical device. The package includes a non-conductive substrate including a plurality of straight conductive vias through the non-conductive substrate. A conductive cover hermetically enclosing an electronics circuit is bonded to the non-conductive substrate. The device is low profile. The width of the non-conductive substrate is grater than the height of the cover. | 01-01-2009 |
20090204212 | Logarithmic Light Intensifier for use with Photoreceptor-Based Implanted Retinal Prosthetics and those Prosthetics - This invention is for directly modulating a beam of photons onto the retinas of patients who have extreme vision impairment or blindness. Its purpose is to supply enough imaging energy to retinal prosthetics implanted in the eye which operate essentially by having light (external to the eye) activating photoreceptors, or photoelectrical material. The invention provides sufficient light amplification and does it logarithmically. While it has sufficient output light power, the output light level still remains at a safe level. Most preferred embodiments of this invention provide balanced biphasic stimulation with no net charge injection into the eye. Both optical and electronic magnification for the image, as for example, using an optical zoom lens, is incorporated. Otherwise, it would not be feasible to zoom in on items of particular interest or necessity. Without proper adjustment, improper threshold amplitudes would obtain, as well as uncomfortable maximum thresholds. Therefore, to adjust for these, a way of proper adjustment for the threshold amplitudes and maximum comfortable thresholds is provided. Furthermore, to the extent that the individual stimulation sites in the retina give different color perceptions, upon stimulation, then colors of the viewed scene is correlated with specific stimulation sites to provide a certain amount of color vision. | 08-13-2009 |
20110224805 | STRAPLESS PROSTHETIC ARM - Permanent magnets or electromagnets or a combination of such magnets are provided to retain a prosthetic device on an extremity or limb, such as an amputated arm. The prosthesis utilizes the opposing forces, which are developed by virtue of like magnetic poles being in proximity to each other, to urge the prosthesis to remain attached to the extremity. The prosthesis is prevented from rotation by virtue of a centering force that is provided by an attachment magnet in the prosthesis being placed between two implanted magnets. A removable mounting ring is placed over the prosthesis to maintain it on the extremity. | 09-15-2011 |
20110288612 | Video Processing Methods for Improving Visual Acuity and/or Perceived Image Resolution - A method and apparatus for improving visual acuity when providing a visual image from a “high” resolution input device to a “low” resolution output device. The described invention is of particular use when the output device is an array of electrodes as part of a retinal prosthesis used to restore vision to a visually-impaired patient. In that various limitations may, within the foreseeable future, limit the density of such an electrode array (and thus the resolution of the output image), the present invention teaches techniques to assign processed pixel subsets of a higher resolution image to a single electrode. By varying the pixel subsets, e.g., by jittering, and/or altering the processing criteria, the perceived visual acuity may be further improved. Alternatively and additionally, such processing may be further extended to drive neighboring electrodes in combination to thus stimulate virtual electrode sites and thus further enhance visual acuity. | 11-24-2011 |
20110313271 | STIFFNESS ENHANCED FILAMENTS - An embodiment of the invention includes a biocompatible stiffness enhanced pliable electrically conductive filament configured for contact with living tissue and electrical communication with such tissue. The pliability of the filament allows the distal end of the filament to remain at the original site of penetration into the tissue despite the movement of the tissue relative to its surrounding environment. To temporarily stiffen the filament, a soluble stiffness enhancing coating is disposed over the filament. The coating may be in the form of a liquid which dries to a solid state after being applied to the filament and renders the filament sufficiently rigid such that under appropriate force, the filament is capable of penetrating into dense tissue. Once in place the stiffness enhancing coating dissolves due to contact with body fluids, the filament, in the absence of such coating, returns to its initial pliability. An electrical insulating layer is disposed over a portion of the filament to render it non-conductive with tissue in the area adjacent the insulating layer. For a filament with such insulating layer, the stiffness enhancing coating would be disposed over the insulating layer. The filament may also include anchoring means configured to further anchor the filament in place. | 12-22-2011 |
20130096661 | Package for an Implantable Device - The present invention is an implantable electronic device formed within a biocompatible hermetic package. Preferably the implantable electronic device is used for a visual prosthesis for the restoration of sight in patients with lost or degraded visual function. The package is formed from a thin film of hermetic biocompatible material to minimize the size of the implanted device. | 04-18-2013 |
20140194950 | Visual Prosthesis with User Interface - The present invention is a visual prosthesis for the restoration of sight in patients with lost or degraded visual function. The visual prosthesis includes a user interface which controls function of the visual prosthesis to optimize operation for each individual patient. The user interface controls functions such as brightness, contrast, magnification, frequency, pulse width, or amplitude. The user interface may also individually control points of neural stimulation. | 07-10-2014 |
20140207252 | NEURAL PROSTHETIC WITH TOUCH-LIKE SENSING - An apparatus and method is related to providing sensing functions that are similar to “human touch” when located in a prosthetic device such as a BION microstimulator that is implanted in a patient. The apparatus includes a power circuit, a communication circuit and a sensor circuit. The power circuit provides power to the communication circuit and the sensor circuit. The sensor cooperates with the communication circuit, which communicates to the brain. The sensor uses various techniques to detect changes in the environment for the surrounding tissue using criteria such as reflectivity, impedance, conductivity, return signal spectrum, return signal rate and return signal phase to name a few. For example, the impedance observed by the sensor changes when: the skin tissue is deformed around the sensor, or when the skin is surrounded by water. The sensory information is interpreted by the brain as an analog of touch or feel. | 07-24-2014 |
20140213885 | SYSTEM FOR DETERIMING RELATIVE DISTANCE(S) AND/OR ANGEL(S) BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO POINTS - Systems and method utilizing microelectronic devices for determining relative positions such as distances and/or angles between at least two points is described. The points may be locations of parts of the body such as the fingers on a person's hand. A first microelectronic device is adapted to emit magnetic signals and at least one second microelectronic device is adapted to receive the magnetic signals, wherein a controller is adapted to communicate with the first and second microelectronic devices. The second microelectronic device and/or the controller are adapted to determine a distance and angle between the first and the second microelectronic devices based on the strength of the magnetic signals received by the second microelectronic device. | 07-31-2014 |
20150335891 | Stimulation Patterns for a Visual Prosthesis - The present invention is a visual prosthesis for the restoration of sight in patients with lost or degraded visual function. The visual prosthesis includes an implantable portion which stimulates visual neural tissue according to stimulation patterns sent by a programmable video processing unit. The video processing unit controls stimulation patterns including programmable wave forms to provide monopolar, bipolar, and multipolar wave forms. | 11-26-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140379631 | TRANSACTIONAL KEY-VALUE DATABASE WITH SEARCHABLE INDEXES - During a search technique, indexes associated with user accounts of users that are using the communication application are opened in memory from a transactional key-value database. These indexes encompass messages (such as emails) communicated using the communication application, and each of the users has at least one separate, associated index. When a search query associated with a target user account is received from the communication application, a search based on the search query is performed by reading the associated index in the memory from the transactional key-value database without managing the index using a file system. Then, a result for the search query is returned. | 12-25-2014 |
20150127611 | MULTI-TENANCY STORAGE NODE - A multi-tenancy storage node is provided. The storage node hosts partitions of multiple databases accessed by multiple applications. Each database is governed by a corresponding service-level agreement (SLA) or policy that specifies a maximum load or level of operation of the database in terms of one or more metrics (e.g., number or frequency of reads/writes, maximum size of reads/writes). To determine whether another database can be hosted by the node, a snapshot of the node's database operations is replayed on a test node, along with operations that exercise the other database. If maximum thresholds of the node for the metrics are not exceeded, the other database can be added to the storage node. An SLA is generated for it automatically, based on the metrics it exhibited during the operations on the test node. The storage node may enforce the SLA by rate-limiting activity of one or more applications. | 05-07-2015 |
20150248739 | RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO MEMBERS IN A SOCIAL NETWORK - A system and method are provided for recommending courses to members of a social networking system. The social networking system stores a plurality of member profiles associated with a plurality of members of the social networking system, wherein each member profile includes one or more skills associated with the member. Then, for a respective first member in the plurality of members, the social networking system determines one or more suggested skills for the respective first member based on the one or more skills stored in the respective first member's profile. The social networking system then selects one or more educational courses from a plurality of available educational courses based on the determined suggested skills and transmits the one or more selected educational courses to an electronic device associated with the member for display. | 09-03-2015 |
20150302020 | MULTI-TENANCY STORAGE NODE - A multi-tenancy storage node is provided. The storage node hosts partitions of multiple databases accessed by multiple applications. Each database is governed by a corresponding service-level agreement (SLA) or policy that specifies a maximum load or level of operation of the database in terms of one or more metrics (e.g., number or frequency of reads/writes, maximum size of reads/writes). To determine whether another database can be hosted by the node, a snapshot of the node's database operations is replayed on a test node, along with operations that exercise the other database. If maximum thresholds of the node for the metrics are not exceeded, the other database can be added to the storage node. An SLA is generated for it automatically, based on the metrics it exhibited during the operations on the test node. The storage node may enforce the SLA by rate-limiting activity of one or more applications. | 10-22-2015 |