Remote controller for in situ reaction device

• US 7,817,030 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Wood, Victoria Y. H., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Hood, Leroy E., Tegreene, Clarence T., Langer, Robert, Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Jung, Edward K. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US11/272,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/539.26, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 604/20, 604/65, 604/66, 604/67, 604/890.1, 604/892, 604/892.1, 600/300, 600/545
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/00 Medicinal preparations obtained by treating materials with wave energy or particle radiation ; Therapies using these preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0024 Solid, semi-solid or solidifying implants, which are implanted or injected in body tissue compositions for intravenous administration, normal injectable solutions or dispersions for, e.g. subcutaneous administration A61K9/0019; brain implants A61K9/0085; (coated) prostheses, catheters or stents A61L
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0097 Micromachined devices; Microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]; Devices obtained by lithographic treatment of silicon; Devices comprising chips intradermal microneedle arrays A61K9/0021; MEMS in general B81B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14513 with secondary fluid driving or regulating the infusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0288 Electro-rheological or magneto-rheological materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/36 related to heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/145 using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0006 Controlling or regulating processes controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00049 Controlling or regulating processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/02 by heating methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/20 : Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/363 : PCB's; PCP's
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/02 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0004 : Oxidoreductases (1.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0006 : acting on CH-OH groups as donors (1.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/10 : Transferases (2.) ribonucleases C12N9/22
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/12 : transferring phosphorus containing groups, e.g. kinases (2.7)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/14 : Hydrolases (3)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/88 : Lyases (4.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/90 : Isomerases (5.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/93 : Ligases (6)
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 : using a radio link

Abstract

Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled reaction device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to various embodiments, a reaction device is placed in an environment in order to perform a chemical reaction in an environment. Exemplary environments include a body of an organism, a body of water, or an enclosed volume of a fluid. In selected embodiments, a magnetic field, an electric field, or electromagnetic control signal may be used.

Claims

1. A remote controller for a reaction system, comprising:

an electromagnetic signal generator configured to produce an electromagnetic signal configured to be received by a remotely activatable control element of a reaction device located in an environment and to activate the remotely activatable control element mechanically, thermally or chemically to produce a desired rate of a chemical reaction in the reaction device; and

an electromagnetic signal device configured to transmit the electromagnetic signal to the remotely activatable control element.

2. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced at least in part according to a pre-programmed pattern.

3. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal has signal characteristics sufficient to produce a change in dimension in the remotely activatable control element.

4. The remote controller of claim 1, including a signal input adapted for receiving a feedback signal from the environment, wherein the electromagnetic signal is determined based at least in part upon the feedback signal.

5. The remote controller of claim 4, wherein the feedback signal corresponds to at least one of the concentration or activity of a chemical in the environment, the osmolality of the environment, the pH of the environment, the temperature of the environment, or the pressure of the environment.

6. The remote controller of claim 1, including a signal input adapted for receiving a feedback signal from the reaction device, wherein the electromagnetic signal is determined based at least in part upon the feedback signal.

7. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced based at least in part upon a predetermined activation pattern.

8. The remote controller of claim 7, including a memory configured to store the pre-determined activation pattern.

9. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced based on a model-based calculation.

10. The remote controller of claim 9, including a memory configured to store model parameters used in the model-based calculation.

11. The remote controller of claim 1, including software comprising:

instructions for generating the electromagnetic control signal; and

instructions for remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the remotely activatable control element.

12. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal generator includes at least one of electrical circuitry or a microprocessor.

13. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal has signal characteristics sufficient to produce a change in temperature, change in shape, change in volume, change in surface area, or change in orientation of the remotely activatable control element.

14. The remote controller of claim 13, wherein the electromagnetic signal has signal characteristics sufficient to produce a change in shape in a remotely activatable control element including at least one of a shape memory material, a shape memory metal, a shape memory polymer, a bimetallic structure, or a polymeric material.

15. The remote controller of claim 13, wherein the electromagnetic signal characteristics sufficient to produce a change in shape in the remotely activatable control element, and wherein the change in shape in the remotely activatable control element causes at least one of opening or closing of a valve, expansion of a reaction region, or increase in volume of a reaction space.

16. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal generator is configured to produce an electromagnetic signal that includes at least one of a static or quasi-static magnetic field, a static or quasi-static electrical field, non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation, microwave electromagnetic radiation, millimeter wave electromagnetic radiation, optical electromagnetic radiation, or ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation.

17. A method of controlling a reaction device, comprising:

generating an electromagnetic control signal including frequency components absorbable by a magnetically or electrically responsive control element of the reaction device in an environment; and

remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the reaction device in the environment with signal characteristics sufficient to produce mechanical, thermal or chemical activation of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element in the reaction device to control a chemical reaction occurring at a reaction region of the reaction device.

18. The method of claim 17, including generating and transmitting the electromagnetic control signal with a remote control signal source.

19. The method of claim 17, including:

receiving user input of one or more control parameters; and

based at least in part upon the one or more control parameters, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired rate of reaction in the reaction device.

20. The method of claim 17, including activating the magnetically or electrically responsive control element to produce heating or cooling, wherein the heating or cooling modifies the chemical reaction occurring at the reaction region.

21. The method of claim 17, including activating the magnetically or electrically responsive control element to produce a change in configuration of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element, wherein the change in configuration modifies the chemical reaction occurring at the reaction region.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the steps of generating an electromagnetic control signal and of remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the reaction device are performed according to instructions provided in the form of software, hardware or firmware.

23. The method of claim 17, including at least one of generating the electromagnetic control signal from a model-based calculation or generating the electromagnetic control signal from a stored pattern.

24. The method of claim 17, including:

receiving a feedback signal from at least one of the environment or the reaction device; and

based at least in part upon the feedback signal, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired feedback signal.