Iontophoretic treatment apparatus

• US 4,340,047 A
• Filed: 02/08/1980
• Issued: 07/20/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Tapper
• Original Assignee: Robert Tapper
• Inventors: Tapper, Robert, Sweeley, Gordon F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US06/119,844
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 128/207.21, 128/419 R, 128/419 S, 128/420 R, 128/421, 128/422, 128/423 R, 128/803
• US Class Current: 604/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0428 Specially adapted for iontophoresis, e.g. AC, DC or including drug reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/18 Applying electric currents by contact electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/325 for iontophoresis, i.e. transfer of media in ionic state by an electromotoric force into the body electrodes for external use A61N1/0428

Abstract

A method and apparatus for applying iontophoretic treatment to a living body is provided by which a unidirectional treatment current is periodically interrupted by a relatively short pulse of current in the opposite direction in order to prevent the formation of undesirable vesicles and bulla in the skin being treated. The apparatus and method are arranged to impose the treatment current gradually at the beginning of each treatment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, comprising:

a pair of electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other;

a supply capacitor coupled across the electrodes for supplying electrical current for conduction through the body, from one electrode to the other;

switch means for charging the supply capacitor at regular intervals of time; and

means for controllably adjusting the frequency at which the switch means operates to charge the supply capacitor, to adjust the magnitudes of the voltage on the capacitor and the electrical current supplied by the capacitor, correspondingly.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for controllably adjusting includes delay means, operable when the iontophoretic treatment is initiated by the apparatus, for slowly increasing the frequency at which the switch means operates, whereby application of full treatment current is delayed for a prescribed time duration.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the delay means includes

a delay capacitor, and

means for charging the delay capacitor to a prescribed reference voltage; and

the frequency at which the switch means operates to charge the supply capacitor varies in accordance with the charge on the delay capacitor.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the switch means charges the supply capacitor by a substantially constant amount each time it operates.

5. An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, while minimizing concomitant vesicle formation, the apparatus comprising:

first and second electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other;

direct current means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting direct current through the body, from the first electrode to the second electrode; and

reverse pulse means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting a short duration pulse of current through the body, from the second electrode to the first electrode, at regular intervals of time, the reverse pulse means including

a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being electrically coupled to the two electrodes, and

means electrically coupled to the primary winding of the transformer for conducting a primary current pulse of prescribed magnitude and duration through the primary winding, at regular intervals of time, termination of each primary current pulse inducing in the secondary winding the short duration pulse of current for conduction through the body.

6. An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, while minimizing concomitant vesicle formation, the apparatus comprising:

first and second electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other;

direct current means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting direct current through the body, from the first electrode to the second electrode;

reverse pulse means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting a short duration pulse of current through the body, from the second electrode to the first electrode, at regular intervals of time; and

delay means for delaying the conduction of a full treatment current through the body, the delay means including

a delay capacitor electrically coupled to the direct current means, the current conducted by the direct current means varying in accordance with the voltage on the delay capacitor,

means for charging the delay capacitor in a prescribed fashion, whereby the direct current means conducts a full treatment current through the body only after a prescribed time duration,

means for detecting an open circuit between the two electrodes and for generating a corresponding control signal, and

means responsive to the control signal for rapidly discharging the delay capacitor.

7. In an apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, the apparatus including a pair of electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other, and current means for conducting a treatment current through the body, from one electrode to the other, in a prescribed fashion, an improvement comprising:

delay means for delaying the conduction of a full treatment current through the body, the delay means including

a delay capacitor electrically coupled to the current means, the current conducted by the current means varying in accordance with the voltage on the delay capacitor,

means for charging the delay capacitor in a prescribed fashion, whereby the current means conducts a full treatment current through the body only after a prescribed time duration,

means for detecting an open circuit between the two electrodes and for generating a corresponding control signal, and

means responsive to the control signal for rapidly discharging the delay capacitor.