Method of forming a large number of metal-ion-deposition islands on the scalp by a rapid series of brief electrode-contact events

• US 9,566,431 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pilogics LP
• Original Assignee: Pilogics LP
• Inventors: Ingman, Dov, Manor, Erez
• Primary Examiner(s): Koharski, Christopher D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Natasha
• Application Number:
  US14/246,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20150283377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0464 Specially adapted for promoting tissue growth
• 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 1/0502 Skin piercing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/205 for promoting a biological process
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/322 Electromedical brushes, combs, massage devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/326 for promoting growth of cells, e.g. bone cells

Abstract

A method of treating or preventing a hair-condition of a user comprising: subjecting the user'"'"'s scalp to at least 200 distinct electrode-scalp contact events during a time-interval of at most one minute and dividable into 5 non-overlapping equal-duration sub-intervals covering the time-interval, method performed such that i. for at least a majority of the electrode-scalp contact events, no electrode of the event enters into the dermis; ii. a duration of each electrode contact event is at most 100 milliseconds; and iii. for each electrode contact event, an electrical current flows between the electrode and the scalp so as to deposit electrode-released ions of a first metal or of a second metal on the scalp, thereby forming a respective metal-ion-deposition island on the user'"'"'s scalp.

Claims

1. A method of treating or preventing a hair-condition of a user, the user'"'"'s scalp dividable into a scalp-patch-set of n mm ×

n mm non-overlapping square scalp patches, n being a positive number having a value of at most 5, the method comprising;

subjecting the user'"'"'s scalp to at least q distinct electrode-scalp contact events within a time-interval of at most one minute, the time interval being dividable into m non-overlapping equal-duration sub-intervals covering the time-interval, m being a positive integer having a value of at least 5, q being a positive integer having a value of at least 200, the method performed such that;

i. for at least a majority of the electrode-scalp contact events, no electrode of the event enters into the dermis;

ii. a duration of each electrode-scalp contact event is at most 100 milliseconds;

iii. an electrode-scalp contact area for each electrode-scalp contact event is at most 10 mm²;

iv. for each electrode-scalp contact event, an electrical current flows between the electrode and the scalp so as to deposit electrode-released ions of a first metal or of a second metal on the scalp, thereby forming a respective metal-ion-deposition island on the user'"'"'s scalp;

v. for each of the m non-overlapping equal-duration sub-intervals, at least p electrode-scalp contact events occur, p being a positive integer having a value of at least 1;

vi. at least 5% of the electrode-scalp contact events are first-metal-depositing and at least 5% of the electrode-scalp contact events are second-metal-depositing; and

vii. at least one first-metal-deposition-island and at least one second-metal-deposition-island are both respectively and distinctly formed on each n mm ×

n mm scalp scalp-patch selected from a 10-member scalp-patch sub-set of the scalp-patch set.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein during at least some of the electrode-scalp contact events, externally-generated electrical current is respectively forced between the electrode and the scalp so as to respectively deposit or increase a deposition-rate of electrode-released ions of the first or second metal onto the scalp.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a value of q is at least 1000.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a value of p is at least 5.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a value of m is at least 10.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a value of p is at least 5.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein for at least 75% of the electrode-scalp contact events, no electrode enters into the dermis.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least 20% of the events are first-metal-depositing.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least 20% of the events are second-metal-depositing.

10. The method of claim 1 performed so that at least four metal-deposition-islands are respectively and distinctly formed on each n mm ×

n mm scalp-patch selected from a 10-member scalp-patch sub-set of the scalp-patch set, the four metal-deposition islands comprising at least two first-metal-depositing islands and at least two second-metal-depositing-islands.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein a duration of each electrode contact event is at most 50 milliseconds.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a duration of each electrode contact event is at most 25 milliseconds.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein an electrode-scalp contact area for each electrode-scalp contact event is at most 5mm².

14. The method of claim 1 wherein during each of a majority of the electrode-scalp contact events, the scalp is respectively subjected to an electrode-applied pressure of at least 0.5 mega-Pascals.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein during each of at least 75% of the electrode-scalp contact events, the scalp is respectively subjected to an electrode-applied pressure of at least 0.5 mega-Pascals.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein during each of a majority of the electrode-scalp contact events, the scalp is respectively subjected to an electrode-applied pressure of at least 1 mega-Pascal.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein during each of at least 75% of the electrode-scalp contact events, the scalp is respectively subjected to an electrode-applied pressure of at least 1 mega-Pascal.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein a value of q is at least 250, and wherein for each of the electrode-scalp contact events, at least some of the released metal-ions deposited on the scalp are provided from an electrode interior of the electrode and/or from an electrode metal-coating that is integrally formed with the electrode.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein during a majority of the electrode-scalp contact events, externally-generated electrical current is forced between the electrode and the scalp so as to deposit or increase a deposition-rate of electrode-released ions of the first or second metal onto the scalp.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein each electrode-scalp contact event is performed by an electrode having a rounded tip.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein each electrode-scalp contact event is performed by an electrode that is at least partially constructed from the first or second metal.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein each electrode-scalp contact event is performed by an electrode having disposed therein a reservoir of the first or second metal.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein each electrode-scalp contact event is performed by an electrode that is coated with the first or second metal.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(i) the method is performed by a device comprising a roller having a disposed thereon a plurality of electrode-protrusions; and

(ii) rotational motion of the roller drives the electrode-scalp contact events.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein (i) the method is performed by a device comprising a motor and one more electrodes mechanically coupled to the motor, (ii) operation of the motor causes motion of the one or more electrodes, to drive the electrode-scalp contact events.