Electrode assembly

• US 6,134,480 A
• Filed: 03/13/1997
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bio-Medical Research Limited
• Original Assignee: BMR Research & Development Limited
• Inventors: Minogue, Conor
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US08/816,843
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 600/382-384, 600/391-394, 600/386, 600/395, 607/152
• US Class Current: 607/152
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0452 Specially adapted for transcutaneous muscle stimulation [TMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence

Abstract

An electrode assembly for application to a patient'"'"'s skin comprises an electrically insulating substrate 13 bearing at least two spaced apart electrodes 18, and an electrically conductive layer 14 on the substrate which covers the electrodes and which in use of the assembly is applied to the patient'"'"'s skin. The electrical impedence of the region of the layer 14 overlying each electrode 18 is less than the electrical impedence between the electrodes laterally through the layer.

Claims

1. An electrode assembly for application to a patient'"'"'s skin, the assembly comprising an electrically insulating substrate bearing at least two spaced apart electrodes and an electrically conductive layer on the same side of the substrate as the electrodes, the layer covering the electrodes and extending continuously over the substrate between the electrodes and being applied to the patient'"'"'s skin in use of the assembly, and the electrical impedance through the thickness of the layer in the region overlying each electrode being less than the electrical impedance between the electrodes laterally through the layer, wherein the assembly includes at least two spaced apart conductive members each having a base on the side of the substrate which bears the electrically conductive layer and an upstanding stud which passes through a hole in the substrate, and wherein each electrode is constituted solely by the base of a respective conductive member and the stud enables contact to be made to the respective electrode from the opposite side of the substrate.

2. A method of manufacturing an electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, including the steps of providing a conductive layer removably adhered to a carrier layer, applying a substrate bearing a plurality of spaced apart electrodes to the electrically conductive layer so that the layer covers the electrodes, punching the substrate and conductive layer to define a plurality of electrode assemblies removably adhered to the carrier layer and each including at least two electrodes, and removing the electrode assemblies from the carrier layer.

3. An electrode assembly according to claim 1, wherein the said conductive member comprises the male part of a male/female connector, the connector having a female part with a base on the other side of the substrate to the base of the male part and an upstanding socket which snap engages over the stud, the part of the substrate surrounding the said hole being sandwiched between the bases of the male and female parts.

4. An electrode assembly according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the substrate is waisted between the two electrodes.

5. An electrode assembly according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the electrically conductive layer is a hydrogel layer.