Apparatus for temporarily arresting arthritic pain

• US 3,902,502 A
• Filed: 09/13/1974
• Issued: 09/02/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George Feldstein, Saul Liss
• Original Assignee: George Feldstein, Saul Liss
• Inventors: Liss, Saul, Feldstein, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/505,864
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 128/419R,421,422,423,2.1R,1C,172.1
• US Class Current: 607/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain

Abstract

The present invention pertains to portable electronic apparatus which is locally applied to relieve an arthritic condition and as a treatment relieves the pain for a time period of 1 hour to 8 hours. No curative effects are claimed or anticipated by this apparatus, however, the temporary relief appears to equal or surpass local cortisone shots in joints, inflamed muscles or other arthritic afflicted areas and without the side effects of cortisone. The present apparatus preferably as a small electronic device employs a current source provided by a battery having nominally eighteen volts d.c. This current is comprised of two major frequency components and is applied to local areas and controlled so that a current of 0.8 milliamperes or less is the peak current applied and is indicated on a meter scale measuring the flow through the contacts applied at the affected part. This current flow is in one direction and is limited to 10 to 40 cycles at a 75 percent duty cycle imposed upon a current flow of between 20 kilocycles and one megacycle.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus for temporarily arresting at local areas a patient'"'"''"'"'s arthritic pain and the like, said apparatus having conducting leads for carrying the output of the apparatus to contact ends to conductivEly apply to the skin of the patient and at a localized area a forward going pulse which is automatically continued for a short period such as 3 to 4 minutes, said apparatus including:

(a) a power source providing a d.c. voltage to the apparatus;

(b) switch means which when closed at least momentarily initiates a flow of d.c. voltage from the power source to a pulse forming apparatus;

(c) means for limiting the time duration of the d.c. current flow to the pulse forming apparatus;

(d) a first astable square wave multivibrator having a asymmetrical duty cycle which may be as little as two-thirds of the cycle and as great as five-sixths of the cycle and operating at a selected rate of not less than ten and not more than 40 hz., said vibrator connected to and providing a gate control for;

(e) a second astable square wave multivibrator having a duty cycle of 50 percent and operating at a selected rate of not less than 20 khz. and not more than 1 mhz., the combined forward going pulsed wave being fed to;

(f) an automatic current control by which the output level of the pulsed wave is maintained at a selectively set level not exceeding eight-tenths of a milliampere, and (g) means for conducting said output to two contact members in local contact on the skin of the patient, the automatic current control maintaining the selected set level no matter what changes in impedance occur in the transmission of said current locally through the skin of the patient.

2. An electronic apparatus as in claim 1 in which the switch means is a spring-biased switch which is urged to its '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'off'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' condition and when closed causes a timer circuit to be initiated and with a power supply control circuit feeds the d.c. voltage to the first and second multivibrator and the automatic gate control.

3. An electronic apparatus as in claim 2 in which a microampere-meter is connected to the output conductor leading from the automatic current control to the skin contact member, said micro-ampere-meter arranged so as to provide a visual indication of the output level flowing through the local skin area.

4. An electronic apparatus as in claim 1 in which the voltage source is about eighteen volts d.c.

5. An electronic apparatus as in claim 1 in which the voltage source is a rechargeable d.c. battery system and the apparatus circuit includes a charging circuit disposed to feed rectified current as received from an A.C. current supplied charger to the rechargeable battery.

6. An electronic apparatus as in claim 5 in which the electronic circuit includes a diode so connected in the circuit that the charging current sent to the d.c. battery source from the charger is prevented from flowing in a reverse direction to the automatic current control and first and second multivibrator.

7. An electronic apparatus as in claim 6 in which the apparatus and power source is encased in a small housing to make the apparatus portable and in which the means for conducting the output current are conductive leads to the patient and include disconnecting means provided at one of the walls of the housing by which the conductive leads may be disconnected and connected as desired.

8. An electronic apparatus as in claim 7 in which the disconnecting means includes jacks of two different configurations and mating receptacles so that reconnection can be achieved only in one arrangement, and in which the charger is provided with two conductors, one terminating at a jack adapted for connection with one receptacle and the other conductor terminating at a jack adapted for connection to the other receptacle, said charger thus being able to be connected to the apparatus only when the conductors for the skin contactors are disconnected.

9. An electronic apparatus as in claim 1 in which the first multivibrator has a duty cycle of three-fourths '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'on'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' and one-fourth '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'off.'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'

10. An electronic apparatus as in claim 1 in which the means for limiting the time is a timer circuit wHich is preset to provide between 3 and 4 minutes.