Acoustically controlled substance delivery device

• US 8,083,710 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2006
• 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: Hood, Leroy E., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Jung, Edward K. Y., Langer, Robert, Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirmons, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/217,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20090005727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 604/65, 604/891.1, 604/890.1, 604/892.1, 424/423
• US Class Current: 604/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0092 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic vibrations, e.g. phonophoresis

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, an acoustic control signal may be used.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a recordable signal-bearing medium bearing one or more instructions related to controlling delivery of a material from a delivery device, the one or more instructions including;

instructions for generating an acoustic control signal including frequency components absorbable by an acoustically responsive control element of a delivery device in an environment, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a quantity of primary material, the primary material being distributed between a first active form and a second form and having an effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid, wherein the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid is controllable by the acoustically responsive control element, wherein the instructions for generating the acoustic control signal include instructions for calculating the acoustic control signal based on a model; and

instructions for controlling the transmission of the acoustic control signal to the delivery device with signal characteristics sufficient to activate the acoustically responsive control element in the delivery device to control the effective concentration of primary material in the delivery fluid in the delivery device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions include:

instructions for receiving a feedback signal corresponding to one or more parameters sensed from the environment; and

instructions for generating the acoustic control signal based at least in part upon the received feedback signal, the acoustic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired feedback signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions include:

instructions for receiving user input of one or more control parameters; and

instructions for generating the acoustic control signal based at least in part upon the one or more control parameters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions include:

instructions for performing encryption of the acoustic control signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions include:

instructions for performing an authentication procedure between a remote controller transmitting the acoustic control signal and a delivery device including the acoustically responsive control element intended to be activated by the acoustic control signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the instructions for generating the acoustic control signal and the instructions for controlling the transmission of the acoustic control signal are executable in distributed fashion on a plurality of microprocessors.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions include:

channel allocation instructions configured to control the allocation of control signal transmission channels for transmission of a plurality of control signals to a corresponding plurality of delivery devices.

2. A system comprising:

a recordable signal-bearing medium bearing one or more instructions related to controlling delivery of a material from a delivery device, the one or more instructions including;

instructions for generating an acoustic control signal including frequency components absorbable by an acoustically responsive control element of a delivery device in an environment, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a quantity of primary material, the primary material being distributed between a first active form and a second form and having an effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid, wherein the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid is controllable by the acoustically responsive control element, wherein the instructions for generating the acoustic control signal include instructions for generating the acoustic control signal based on a pattern stored in a data storage location; and

instructions for controlling the transmission of the acoustic control signal to the delivery device with signal characteristics sufficient to activate the acoustically responsive control element in the delivery device to control the effective concentration of primary material in the delivery fluid in the delivery device.

3. A system comprising:

a recordable signal-bearing medium bearing one or more instructions related to controlling delivery of a material from a delivery device, the one or more instructions including;

instructions for generating an acoustic control signal including frequency components absorbable by an acoustically responsive control element of a delivery device in an environment, the delivery device including a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a quantity of primary material, the primary material being distributed between a first active form and a second form and having an effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid, wherein the effective concentration of the primary material in the delivery fluid is controllable by the acoustically responsive control element, wherein the instructions for generating the acoustic control signal include instructions for generating the acoustic control signal based upon a feedback control algorithm; and

instructions for controlling the transmission of the acoustic control signal to the delivery device with signal characteristics sufficient to activate the acoustically responsive control element in the delivery device to control the effective concentration of primary material in the delivery fluid in the delivery device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions for generating the acoustic control signal include instructions for generating the acoustic control signal based upon a variable feedback control algorithm.