Phototherapy Device Thermal Control Apparatus and Method

• US 20140171929A1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Channel Investments, LLC
• Original Assignee: TRIA Beauty Incorporated (Channel Investments, LLC)
• Inventors: Weckwerth, Mark V., Island, Tobin C., Grove, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,342,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00057 Light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00061 spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00066 intensity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00172 Pulse trains, bursts, intermittent continuous operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2261 with scattering, diffusion or dispersion of light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure

Abstract

A cordless, hand-held dermatologic hair-regrowth-inhibiting apparatus may include: a self-contained housing configured for gripping by a person'"'"'s hand for cordless manipulation in a hair-regrowth-inhibiting procedure; a light source comprising one or more diode laser bars within the housing; a direct drive electrical circuit within the housing comprising one or more batteries for energizing the light source to produce output light pulses, wherein the electrical circuit does not include any storage capacitors that energize the light source by capacitor discharge; and a light path within the housing including an aperture through which the output light pulses are propagated out of the housing having properties sufficient for at least temporary hair-regrowth inhibition.

Claims

1-89. -89. (canceled)

90. A dermatologic hair-regrowth-inhibiting apparatus that is cordless and sufficiently compact as to be hand-held, comprising:

(a) a self-contained housing configured for gripping by a person'"'"'s hand for cordless manipulation in a hair-regrowth-inhibiting procedure;

(b) a light source comprising one or more diode laser bars within the housing;

(c) a direct drive electrical circuit within the housing comprising one or more batteries for energizing the light source to produce output light pulses, wherein the electrical circuit does not include any storage capacitors that energize the light source by capacitor discharge; and

(d) a light path within the housing including an aperture through which the output light pulses are propagated out of the housing having properties sufficient for at least temporary hair-regrowth inhibition.

91. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein a light pulse emitted by the apparatus has a peak power between 10 watts and 120 watts.

92. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein a light pulse emitted by the apparatus has a pulse duration between 10 milliseconds and 1 second.

93. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein a light pulse emitted by the apparatus has an output fluence between 4 J/cm² and 100 J/cm².

94. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein a majority of the energy of a light pulse emitted by the apparatus is contained within the spectral band of 700 nm to 1100 nm.

95. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein a light pulse emitted by the apparatus at the aperture has a spot size between 0.25 cm² and 5 cm².

96. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein the cordless apparatus has a total weight of no more than one kilogram, and occupies a volume of no more than 1500 cm³.

97. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein the one or more batteries supply a battery voltage Vbat, and the electrical circuit comprises one or more field effect transistors FETs and a voltage supply, wherein the voltage supply drives gates of the FETs at a voltage greater than the battery voltage Vbat.

98. A dermatologic hair-regrowth-inhibiting apparatus that is cordless and sufficiently compact as to be hand-held, comprising:

(a) a self-contained housing configured for gripping by a person'"'"'s hand for cordless manipulation in a hair-regrowth-inhibiting procedure;

(b) a light source comprising one or more diode laser bars within the housing;

(c) a direct drive electrical circuit within the housing comprising one or more batteries for energizing the light source to produce output light pulses, wherein the energizing comprises generating current pulses for producing output light pulses without a transformer; and

(d) a light path within the housing including an aperture through which the output light pulses are propagated out of the housing having properties sufficient for at least temporary hair-regrowth inhibition.

99. The apparatus of claim 98, wherein the light source is not energized by the full or partial discharge of any storage capacitors.

100. A dermatologic hair-regrowth-inhibiting apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

one or more diode laser bars;

an electrical circuit disposed within the housing, the electrical circuit comprising one or more batteries that energize the one or more diode laser bars to produce a light pulse, and a direct drive circuit such that during the light pulse the current flow through the one or more batteries is substantially equal to the sum of the current flow through the one or more diode laser bars; and

a light path within the housing, the light path including an aperture through which the light pulse propagates out of the housing with properties sufficient for at least temporary inhibition of hair regrowth.