Disposable Printed Conductive Lead Elements for Medical Applications

• US 20160000347A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikomed USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Core Medical Concepts LLC
• Inventors: Epstein, Stephen T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,111,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/222 Electrical cables or leads therefor, e.g. coaxial cables or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/274 using snap or button fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6832 using adhesives A61B5/259 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/266 of base or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2839 with release or antistick coating

Abstract

A conductive lead that connects a medical sensor or probe to a monitoring or analytical machine. The conductive lead is flexible, lightweight and can be manufactured at a very low cost. The conductive lead has a dielectric flexible substrate. Conductive ink is printed upon the flexible substrate. The conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines on the flexible substrate. The connection lines electrically interconnect the various conductive pads. An insulation layer covers the connection lines The insulation layer can be dialectic ink that is printed atop the conductive ink. Peel-away protective covers are used to cover the contact pads. Any one of the contact pads can be exposed for use by removing the protective cover that covers it. The contact pads are used to electrically interconnect with both the sensor and the machine.

Claims

1. A conductive lead for connecting a medical sensor to a machine, said conductive lead comprising:

a dielectric flexible substrate;

conductive ink supported upon said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines that interconnect said contact pads;

an insulation layer that covers said connection lines, wherein said connection lines are interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer; and

peel-away protective covers that cover said contact pads, wherein selected ones of said contact pads can be exposed by removal of said peel-away protective covers that protect said selected ones of said contact pads.

2. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said conductive ink is printed on said flexible substrate.

3. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate is coated with a primer and said conductive ink is printed upon said primer.

4. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said insulation layer is a dielectric ink printed atop said conductive ink.

5. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said peel-away protective covers are printed atop said contact pads of said conductive ink.

6. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate is a plastic film having a film thickness between 5 mils and 20 mils.

7. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said contact pads of conductive ink are at least twice as wide as said connection lines atop said flexible substrate.

8. The conductive lead according to claim 1, wherein said conductive ink is printed to form multiple contact pads and multiple connection lines, wherein some of said contact pads are electrically isolated from others of said contact pads.

9. A conductive lead and sensor assembly, comprising:

a sensor that connects to the human body;

a conductive lead having a first contact pad and a second contact pad that are electrically interconnected by a conductive connection line, wherein said first contact pad electrically interconnects to said sensor, and wherein said first contact pad and said conductive connection line are printed in conductive ink upon a common dielectric flexible substrate, and wherein said conductive connection line is covered in a dielectric insulation layer, wherein said conductive connection line is interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer; and

a peel-away protective cover that covers said second contact pad, wherein said second contact pad is exposed by removal of said peel-away protective cover.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said conductive ink contains silver.

11. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said flexible substrate is coated with a primer and said conductive ink is printed upon said primer.

12. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said dielectric insulation layer is a dielectric ink printed atop said conductive ink.

13. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said peel-away protective cover is printed atop said second contact pad.

14. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said flexible substrate is a plastic film having a film thickness between 5 mils and 20 mils.

15. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said second contact pad is at least twice as wide as said conductive connection line.

16. A method of forming a conductive lead for a medical sensor, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a dielectric flexible substrate;

printing conductive ink upon said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines that interconnect said contact pads;

applying protective covers over said contact pads; and

applying an insulation layer that covers said connection lines, wherein said connection lines are interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of applying protective covers over said contact pads includes printing said protective covers onto said contact pads.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of applying an insulation layer includes printing said insulation layer as a dielectric ink over said conductive ink.