Communication Unit for a Person's Skin

• US 20080021519A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Therasolve NV
• Original Assignee: Therasolve NV
• Inventors: De Geest, Jan, De Geest, Wim
• Granted Patent: US 9,082,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/58
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

Electric communication unit to be placed on a person'"'"'s skin, comprising a support element (3), a series of body contacts (7), a pulse generator (6) provided for generating a series of pulses and for transmitting the series of pulses to said series of body contacts (7), said series of body contacts (7) being provided to transmit said series of pulses onto the skin of said person. The electric communication unit is in the form of a patch.

Claims

1. Electric communication unit provided to be placed on a person'"'"'s skin, said unit comprising:

a support element (3) comprising;

a series of body contacts (7),

a pulse generator (6) connected to the series of body contacts (7), and provided for generating a series of pulses upon receipt of a first signal and for transmitting the series of pulses to said series of body contacts (7), said series of body contacts (7) being provided to transmit said series of pulses onto the skin of said person, and

a power supply (2) connected to the pulse generator (6), characterised in that the electric communication unit is in the form of a patch provided to be placed onto the person'"'"'s skin and in that the pulse generator (6) further comprises a processing unit with a memory, said processing unit being provided;

to store a second signal, said second signal comprising data indicative at which time said first signal should be generated, and

to generate and transmit said first signal to said pulse generator (6).

2. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, wherein the pulse generator (6) comprises a voltage source for generating said series of pulses having a voltage ranging from 20 Vdc to 150 Vdc, preferably from 50 Vdc to 100 Vdc and more preferably around 75 Vdc.

3. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, wherein the pulse generator (6) comprises a current source for generating said series of pulses having an intensity ranging from imAdc to 150 mAdc, preferably from 10 mAdc to 50 mAdc and more preferably around 30 mAdc.

4. Electric communication unit according to claim 3 wherein the pulse generator (6) comprises a current limiter.

5. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, wherein the pulses have a width comprised between 1 μ

s and 10 ms, preferably between 10 μ

s and 1 ms, and more preferably around 30 μ

s and wherein the period between pulses ranges from 1 μ

s to 10 s, preferably from 100 μ

s to 100 ms, and more preferably around 1 ms.

6. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, wherein said series of pulses further comprises a plurality of bursts, each burst comprising a set of pulses, said bursts being separated from each other by a period of time without pulses.

7. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer (9) which is hypoallergenic.

8. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer (9) which is resistant to soapy water.

9. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, further comprising an area being a membrane on which a drug is adsorbed, said electric communication unit being further provided to be used as a trandermal patch.

10. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, further comprising biosensors or nanochips provided to measure biological, chemical and/or physical data and to transmit said data to the memory.

11. Electric communication unit according to claim 1, further comprising recording means provided to store and to transmit to the memory a confirmation data.

12. Electric communication system comprising said electric communication unit according to claim 1, and a base unit, wherein the electric communication unit comprises a receiver and wherein said base unit is a wireless transmitter to transmit said second signal to the receiver of said electric communication unit without opening a unit packaging enclosing said electric communication unit.

13. Use of the electric communication unit according to claim 1 in a medicine therapy.

14. Use of the electric communication unit according to claim 1 as a wake-up device.

15. Use of the electric communication unit according to claim 1 as general reminder device.

16. Use of the electric communication unit according to claim 1 in a LAN (local area network) or a BAN (body area network).

17. Use of the electric communication unit according to claim 1 as a medical control and follow-up device.

18. Use of the electric communication unit according to claim 1 as a confirmation device.