Substance delivery system
First Claim
1. A method of delivering a material, including:
- receiving a first electromagnetic control signal with a first electromagnetically responsive control element in a delivery device, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a primary material distributed between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form within the fluid containing structure, the primary material having a first effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid;
responsive to receipt of the first electromagnetic control signal by the first electromagnetically responsive control element, modifying the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form within the fluid containing structure through one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding of the electromagnetically responsive control element, the primary material having a second effective concentration in the delivery fluid following the modification of the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form;
pumping the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration from the fluid-containing structure of the delivery device to a downstream location; and
filtering the second form of the primary material from the delivery fluid prior to pumping the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration from the fluid-containing structure of the delivery device to a downstream location.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled substance delivery device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to some embodiments, a delivery device or related device may be placed in an environment in order to pump a material into the environment or into an additional fluid handling structure within the device. Exemplary environments include a body of an organism, a body of water, or an enclosed volume of a fluid. The concentration of a substance in the fluid to be delivered may be modified by a remote control signal. In selected embodiments, a magnetic field, an electric field, or electromagnetic control signal may be used.
264 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of delivering a material, including:
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receiving a first electromagnetic control signal with a first electromagnetically responsive control element in a delivery device, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a primary material distributed between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form within the fluid containing structure, the primary material having a first effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid; responsive to receipt of the first electromagnetic control signal by the first electromagnetically responsive control element, modifying the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form within the fluid containing structure through one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding of the electromagnetically responsive control element, the primary material having a second effective concentration in the delivery fluid following the modification of the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form; pumping the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration from the fluid-containing structure of the delivery device to a downstream location; and filtering the second form of the primary material from the delivery fluid prior to pumping the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration from the fluid-containing structure of the delivery device to a downstream location.
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2. A method of delivering a material, including:
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receiving a first electromagnetic control signal with a first electromagnetically responsive control element in a delivery device, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a primary material distributed between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form within the fluid containing structure, the primary material having a first effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid; responsive to receipt of the first electromagnetic control signal by the first electromagnetically responsive control element, modifying the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form within the fluid containing structure through one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding of the electromagnetically responsive control element, the primary material having a second effective concentration in the delivery fluid following the modification of the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form; pumping the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration from the fluid-containing structure of the delivery device to a downstream location; and modifying the rate of pumping of the delivery fluid to the downstream location responsive to receipt of a second electromagnetic control signal by a second electromagnetically responsive control element. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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6. A delivery system, comprising:
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a plurality of delivery devices, two or more of the plurality of delivery devices including; a fluid-containing structure having at least one outlet through which fluid may exit the fluid-containing structure; a delivery fluid contained within the fluid-containing structure; a primary material contained within the fluid-containing structure and having a controllable effective concentration in the delivery fluid; and at least one electromagnetically responsive control element responsive to an incident electromagnetic control signal by one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding to modify the distribution of the primary material between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form within the fluid-containing structure in response to the incident electromagnetic control signal to modify the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid, the effective concentration being the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid; and a remote controller including; an electromagnetic signal generator capable of producing the electromagnetic control signal sufficient to activate the electromagnetically responsive control elements of the two or more delivery devices located in an environment to change the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid within the fluid-containing structure of the delivery devices; and an electromagnetic signal transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the electromagnetically responsive control element of the delivery device in the environment, wherein the remote controller is configured to produce a rotating electromagnetic signal, the rotating electromagnetic signal capable of activating two or more of the plurality of delivery devices independently as a function of the orientation of the rotating electromagnetic signal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of delivering a material including:
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pumping a delivery fluid containing a primary material from a delivery reservoir of a delivery device to a downstream location at a first pumping rate, wherein the first pumping rate is a constant pumping rate; controlling the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid within the delivery reservoir through one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding of an electromagnetically responsive control element in response to a remotely transmitted electromagnetic control signal; and varying the rate of delivery of the primary material to the downstream location by varying the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid in response to the remotely transmitted electromagnetic control signal.
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16. A method of delivering a material including:
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pumping a delivery fluid containing a primary material from a delivery reservoir of a delivery device to a downstream location at a first pumping rate, wherein the first pumping rate is a time-varying pumping rate; controlling the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid within the delivery reservoir through one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding of an electromagnetically responsive control element in response to a remotely transmitted electromagnetic control signal; and controlling the rate of delivery of the primary material to the downstream location by controlling both the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid and the pumping rate.
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17. A method of delivering a material, including:
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receiving a first electromagnetic control signal with a first electromagnetically responsive control element in a delivery device, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a primary material distributed between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form within the fluid containing structure, the primary material having a first effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid; responsive to receipt of the first electromagnetic control signal by the first electromagnetically responsive control element, modifying the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form within the fluid containing structure through one or more of heating, cooling, vibrating, expanding, stretching, unfolding, contracting, deforming, softening, or folding of the electromagnetically responsive control element, the primary material having a second effective concentration in the delivery fluid following the modification of the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form; and pumping the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration from the fluid-containing structure of the delivery device to a downstream location, wherein the primary material has a different stability, immunogenicity, reactivity, or activity in the first active form than in the second form. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification