Systems configured to deliver energy out of a living subject, and related appartuses and methods

• US 8,463,391 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• 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: Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Rivet, Dennis J., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertram, Eric D.
• Application Number:
  US12/456,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20100065097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 607/60, 607/61
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to systems configured to deliver energy out of a living subject to power at least one external device, and related apparatuses, and methods of use.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an electricity generator configured to convert internal body energy of a living subject to electrical energy; and

an internal power transmitter configured to be disposed in the living subject, the internal power transmitter operably coupled to the electricity generator to receive at least a portion of the electrical energy therefrom, the internal power transmitter includes a transducer configured to convert the at least a portion of the electrical energy to a second type of energy, the internal power transmitter further configured to deliver the second type of energy out of the living subject.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electricity generator includes at least one of fluid-flow generator, a fluid-pressure generator, a muscle-motion generator, an acceleration-motion generator, or a thermal-electric generator.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an energy-storage device configured to store the electrical energy generated by the electricity generator, the internal power transmitter coupled to the energy-storage device to receive the at least a portion of the electrical energy therefrom.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the energy-storage device includes a battery.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second type of energy is transdermally transmittable out of the living subject.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes an electrical-optical converter configured to output the second type of energy as one or more optical power signals.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes a converter configured to output the second type of energy as electromagnetic energy.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes an electrical-magnetic converter configured to output the second type of energy as magnetic energy.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes one or more ultrasonic elements configured to output the second type of energy as ultrasonic energy.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes a heating element configured to output the second type of energy as thermal energy.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes a radio-frequency device configured to output the second type of energy as radio-frequency energy.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter includes one or more electrical conductors configured to transmit the energy therethrough as an electrical current.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter is configured to output the second type of energy such that the second type of energy is transdermally transmittable out of the living subject.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising an external device positionable to receive at least a portion of the second type of energy from the internal power transmitter and configured to be powered by the at least a portion of the second type of energy.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the external device is configured to convert the received at least a portion of the second type of energy to one or more electrical power signals to power the external device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the external device includes at least one of a hearing aid, a cellular phone, a therapeutic device, a sensor, or a personal data assistant.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising an external device positionable to receive at least a portion of the second type of energy from the internal power transmitter and configured to store the at least a portion of the second type of energy.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power converter configured to convert the electrical energy from a first format to a second format.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal power transmitter is configured to output the energy with the power at about 1 W to about 100 W.

20. A method, comprising:

generating electrical energy internally within a living subject with an electricity generator;

converting at least a portion of the electrical energy to a second type of energy with a transducer; and

delivering the second type of energy out of the living subject from an internal power transmitter to charge or power an external device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the electricity generator includes at least one of a fluid-flow generator, a fluid-pressure generator, a muscle-motion generator, an acceleration-motion generator, or a thermal-electric generator.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising storing the electrical energy in an energy-storage device disposed within the living subject.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the second type of energy includes at least one of one or more optical signals, electromagnetic energy, magnetic energy, ultrasonic energy, thermal energy, or radio-frequency energy.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein delivering the second type of energy out of the living subject from an internal power transmitter to an external device includes transdermally transmitting the second type of energy out of the living subject.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein delivering the second type of energy out of the living subject from an internal power transmitter to an external device includes transmitting the second type of energy through a portal disposed in the living subject.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein transmitting the second type of energy through a portal disposed in the living subject includes transmitting one or more optical signals through an optical portal.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein transmitting the second type of energy through a portal disposed in the living subject includes transmitting one or more electrical power signals through the portal.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the power is about 100 mW to about 1 W.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the power is about 1 W to about 100 W.

30. A method, comprising:

generating electrical energy internally within a living subject with an electrical generator;

converting at least a portion of the electrical energy to a second type of energy with a transducer;

delivering the second type of energy out of the living subject from an internal power transmitter;

converting the second type of energy to electrical power;

powering at least one device located externally to the living subject using the electrical power; and

utilizing the powering to control an operation of the at least one device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the electricity generator includes at least one of a fluid-flow generator, a fluid-pressure generator, a muscle-motion generator, an acceleration-motion generator, or a thermal-electric generator.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the second type of energy includes at least one of one or more optical signals, electromagnetic energy, magnetic energy, ultrasonic energy, thermal energy, or radio-frequency energy.