MEDICAL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20110237981A1
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Switech Medical AG
• Original Assignee: Switech Medical AG
• Inventors: VOSS, Axel
• Application Number:
  US13/013,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20110237981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00988 Means for storing information, e.g. calibration constants, or for preventing excessive use, e.g. usage, service life counter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0008 Destruction of fat cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

The application pertains to a medical device including a treatment unit for treating patients, an activation device for activating the treatment unit, and an input device for entering an activation code, the input device being coupled to the activation device, and the activation device is arranged to activate the treatment unit for a limited number of treatments and/or for a limited period when a predetermined activation code is entered via the input device.

Claims

1. Medical device including:

a treatment unit for treating patients;

an activation device for activating the treatment unit; and

an input device for entering an activation code, the input device being coupled to the activation device, wherein the activation device is arranged to activate the treatment unit for a limited number of treatments and/or for a limited period when a predetermined activation code is entered via the input device.

2. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the treatment unit includes an ultrasonic treatment head for introducing ultrasonic energy into human tissue, the ultrasonic head configured for performing a lipolysis treatment on a patient by emitting ultrasonic waves of an intensity of about 3 W/sqcm and/or at a frequency of between 0.9 and 4 MHz.

3. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the treatment unit includes a pressure wave treatment head for introducing pressure wave energy into human tissue, the pressure wave head configured for performing a tissue regeneration treatment on a patient by emitting high energy pressure waves, preferably of an intensity of about 0.01 mJ/sqmm to 1.5 mJ/sqmm.

4. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises an alphanumerical and/or a numerical keyboard, a numeric keypad and/or a touch screen.

5. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the activation device is arranged to receive, via the input device, a 10 to 16 digit activation code.

6. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the activation device includes an analyzer for analyzing the correctness of the activation code entered via the input device in order to activate the treatment unit, the analyzer taking into account a unique system identifier of the medical device, information of the system clock and/or information as to used and unused activation codes stored in a memory.

7. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the activation device includes a storage device for storing unused and/or used activation codes,the storage device for permanently storing the unused and/or used activation codes such as a hard disk, a memory, a flash memory and/or an optical drive.

8. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the activation device receives an input from a system clock for recording the elapsed treatment time and correlating it with the activated treatment period, wherein the activation device is set to deactivate the treatment unit as soon as the activated treatment period has been used up.

9. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the activation device includes a counter for counting the number of treatments performed and for correlating the number of treatments performed with the activated number of treatments, wherein the activation device is set to deactivate the treatment unit as soon as the activated number of treatments has been used up.

10. Medical device according to claim 1, wherein the activation device communicates with the user via a display.

11. Method for operating a medical device, including the steps of:

receiving an activation code entered via an input device;

activating via an activation device a treatment unit for performing a treatment on a patient if a predetermined activation code is entered, wherein the treatment unit is activated for a limited number of treatments and/or for a limited period only.

12. Method according to claim 11, including the additional step of activating an ultrasonic treatment head for introducing ultrasonic energy into human tissue, the ultrasonic head configured for performing a lipolysis treatment on a patient, by emitting ultrasonic waves of an intensity of about 3 W/cm² and/or at a frequency of between 0.9 and 4 MHz.

13. Method according to claim 11, including the additional step of activating a pressure wave treatment head for introducing pressure wave energy into human tissue, the pressure wave head configured for performing a tissue regeneration treatment on a patient, by emitting high intensity pressure waves, preferably of an intensity of about 0.01 mJ/sqmm to 1.5 mJ/sqmm.

14. Method according to claim 11, wherein the activation code received is a 10 to 16 digit activation code.

15. Method according to claim 11, including the further step of receiving an input from a system clock, recording the elapsed treatment time and correlating it, in the activation device, with the activated treatment period, wherein the activation device deactivates the treatment unit as soon as the activated treatment period has been used up.

16. Method according to claim 11, including the further step of counting the number of treatments performed and correlating, in the activation device, the number of treatments performed with the activated number of treatments, wherein the activation device deactivates the treatment unit as soon as the activated number of treatments has been used up.

17. Method according to claim 11, including the further step of storing unused and/or used activation codes and assessing, in the activation device, whether the activation code received via the input device corresponds to a used and/or unused activation code and deactivating the treatment unit if the activation code entered corresponds to a used activation code.