Osmotic pump with remotely controlled osmotic flow rate
First Claim
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1. An osmotic pump device, comprising:
- a housing configured for placement in an environment;
a delivery reservoir capable of containing a delivery fluid;
an osmotic chamber;
an osmotic pressure-generating material contained within the osmotic chamber;
a pressure-responsive movable barrier separating the osmotic chamber from the delivery reservoir, the pressure-responsive barrier being substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material and configured to move in response to a change in pressure in the osmotic chamber to produce a change in at least one of pressure or volume of the delivery reservoir;
a semi-permeable membrane separating the osmotic chamber from an osmotic fluid source, the semi-permeable membrane being substantially permeable by fluid from the osmotic fluid source but substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material; and
at least one remotely controllable valve configured to regulate the pumping of the material from the delivery reservoir in an on-going fashion responsive to a time-varying electromagnetic field control signal.
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Abstract
Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled osmotic pump device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to some embodiments, an osmotic pump device is placed in an environment in order to pump a material into the environment or into an additional fluid handling structure within the osmotic pump device. Exemplary environments include a body of an organism, a body of water, or an enclosed volume of a fluid. In selected embodiments, a magnetic field, an electric field, or electromagnetic control signal may be used.
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Citations
92 Claims
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1. An osmotic pump device, comprising:
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a housing configured for placement in an environment;
a delivery reservoir capable of containing a delivery fluid;
an osmotic chamber;
an osmotic pressure-generating material contained within the osmotic chamber;
a pressure-responsive movable barrier separating the osmotic chamber from the delivery reservoir, the pressure-responsive barrier being substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material and configured to move in response to a change in pressure in the osmotic chamber to produce a change in at least one of pressure or volume of the delivery reservoir;
a semi-permeable membrane separating the osmotic chamber from an osmotic fluid source, the semi-permeable membrane being substantially permeable by fluid from the osmotic fluid source but substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material; and
at least one remotely controllable valve configured to regulate the pumping of the material from the delivery reservoir in an on-going fashion responsive to a time-varying electromagnetic field control signal. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 13, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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26. An osmotic pump system comprising:
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an osmotic pump device including;
a housing configured for placement in an environment;
a delivery reservoir capable of containing a delivery fluid;
an osmotic chamber;
an osmotic pressure-generating material contained within the osmotic chamber;
a pressure-responsive movable barrier separating the osmotic chamber from the delivery reservoir, the pressure-responsive barrier being substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material and configured to move in response to a change in pressure in the osmotic chamber to produce a change in at least one of pressure or volume of the delivery reservoir;
a semi-permeable membrane separating the osmotic chamber from an osmotic fluid source, the semi-permeable membrane being substantially permeable by fluid from the osmotic fluid source but substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material; and
at least one remotely controllable valve configured to regulate the pumping of the material from the delivery reservoir in an on-going fashion responsive to a time-varying electromagnetic field control signal; and
a remote control signal source capable of generating a time-varying electromagnetic field control signal sufficient to modify the concentration of osmotic pressure-generating material within the osmotic chamber of the osmotic pump. - View Dependent Claims (27, 85, 86)
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45. A remote controller for an osmotic pump device, comprising:
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an electromagnetic signal generator capable of producing a time-varying electromagnetic field control signal sufficient to adjust a remotely controllable valve in an osmotic pump device located in an environment to produce a desired time-varying pumping rate of delivery fluid from a delivery reservoir of the pump to the environment, the pumping rate depending on the flow rate of fluid through the valve; and
an electromagnetic signal transmitter capable of transmitting the electromagnetic signal to an electromagnetically responsive control element of the remotely controllable valve. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 65, 69, 78, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92)
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Specification