PHARMA-INFORMATICS SYSTEM

• US 20150150480A1
• Filed: 01/13/2015
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Zdeblick, Mark, Thompson, Andrew, Pikelny, Aleksandr, Robertson, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US14/596,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20150150480A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0462 Apparatus with built-in sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/162 Capsule shaped sensor housings, e.g. for swallowing or implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/07 Endoradiosondes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1473 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10168 the powering being adversely affected by environmental influences, e.g. unwanted energy loss in the interrogation signal due to metallic or capacitive objects in the proximity of the interrogation device or in the proximity of the interrogated record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An apparatus that includes a partial power source including a first material and a second material, the partial power source configured to generate, upon contact with a conducting medium, a potential difference between the first material and the second material to provide power to a control device, and generate, using the first material and the second material, a current flow within the conducting medium, the current flow including information encoded based on a variable conductance between the first material and the second material.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a partial power source comprising a first material and a second material, the partial power source configured to;

generate, upon contact with a conducting medium, a potential difference between the first material and the second material to provide power to a control device; and

generate, using the first material and the second material, a current flow within the conducting medium, the current flow comprising information encoded based on a variable conductance between the first material and the second material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device, the control device configured to produce the variable conductance between the first material and the second material when the partial power source is in contact with the conducting medium.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device, the control device comprising a switch disposed between the first material and the second material, the switch configured to control the variable conductance between the first material and the second material to encode the information when the partial power source is in contact with the conducting medium.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device, the control device comprising a switch disposed between the first material and the second material, the switch configured to short-circuit the partial power source when the partial power source is in contact with the conducting medium and the switch is closed.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first material is an anode and the second material is a cathode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conducting medium is a physiological fluid.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of time information, date information, or identity information associated with a composition coupled to the partial power source.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a power storage element configured to receive and store power from the partial power source, the power storage element configured to provide the power from the partial power source to the control device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the partial power source is ingestible.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the current flow is detectable by an external device.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a partial battery comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, the partial battery configured to;

generate, upon contact with a physiological fluid, a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode to provide power to a signal generation element; and

generate, using the first electrode and the second electrode, a current within the physiological fluid when in contact with the physiological fluid to conductively transmit a signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the signal encodes at least one of time information, date information, or identity information associated with a composition coupled to the partial battery.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first electrode is an anode and the second electrode is a cathode.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a power storage element configured to receive and store power from the partial battery, the power storage element configured to provide the power from the partial power source to the signal generation element.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a signal generation element, the signal generation element comprising a switch disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the switch configured to control the current within the physiological fluid to encode information in the signal when the partial battery is in contact with the physiological fluid.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a partial battery comprising a first material and a second material, the partial battery configured to;

generate, upon contact of the first material and the second material with a physiological fluid, a potential difference between the first material and the second material using the physiological fluid as an electrolyte of the partial battery to provide power to a control device; and

modulate a current flow within the physiological fluid being used as the electrolyte and based on a variable conductance within the control device and between the first material and the second material.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the variable conductance encodes at least one of time information, date information, or identity information associated with a composition coupled to the partial battery.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a control device, the control device configured to produce the variable conductance between the first material and the second material when the partial battery is in contact with the physiological fluid.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first material is an anode and the second material is a cathode.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a power storage element configured to receive and store power from the partial battery, the power storage element configured to provide the power from the partial battery to the control device.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a control device, the control device comprises a switch disposed between the first material and the second material, the switch configured to short-circuit the partial battery when the partial battery is in contact with the physiological fluid and the switch is closed.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a control device, the control device comprises a switch disposed between the first material and the second material, the switch configured to control the variable conductance between the first material and the second material to encode information when the partial power source is in contact with the physiological fluid.