Remote control of substance delivery system

• US 8,114,065 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• 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): Lucchesi, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLICK, JASON E
• Application Number:
  US12/589,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 604/20
• US Class Current: 604/890.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14513 with secondary fluid driving or regulating the infusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0288 Electro-rheological or magneto-rheological materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/36 related to heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/002 Devices for releasing a drug at a continuous and controlled rate for a prolonged period of time artificial gland structures or devices A61F2/022; intra-uterine contraceptive devices A61F6/14; tampons for introducing into the vagina A61F13/20, A61L15/00; suppositories or bougies for intra-vaginal or intra-uterine application A61K9/02; physical forms of medicinal preparations for sustained or differential drug release A61K9/20, A61K9/50
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/145 using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00

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.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a material, comprising:

introducing a delivery device into an environment, the delivery device including an electromagnetically responsive control element, a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a quantity of a primary material, the primary material being distributed between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form according to a first distribution in which the primary material has a first effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid, and wherein the electromagnetically responsive control element is configured to modify the distribution of primary material between the first active form and the second form within the fluid-containing structure, and a pump, the pump being activatable for pumping delivery fluid from the fluid-containing structure to a downstream location; and

delivering an electromagnetic distribution control signal to the environment with signal characteristics selectively receivable by the electromagnetically responsive control element and sufficient to produce a change in the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form to a second distribution within the fluid-containing structure, the primary material distributed according to the second distribution having a second effective concentration in the delivery fluid within the fluid-containing structure.

2. The method of claim 1, including activating the pump to pump delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration out of the fluid-containing structure.

3. The method of claim 1, including activating the pump prior to introducing the delivery device into the environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pump is activated upon introduction of the delivery device into the environment.

5. The method of claim 1, including activating the pump subsequent to introducing the delivery device into the environment.

6. The method of claim 1, including delivering the electromagnetic distribution control signal to the environment by transmitting the electromagnetic distribution control signal with a remote controller.

7. The method of claim 1, including generating the electromagnetic distribution control signal with a remote controller.

8. The method of claim 7, including generating the electromagnetic distribution control signal from a model-based calculation.

9. The method of claim 7, including generating the electromagnetic distribution control signal based on a stored pattern.

10. The method of claim 7, including generating the electromagnetic distribution control signal based on a feedback control scheme.

11. The method of claim 7, including:

receiving a feedback signal with the remote controller, the feedback signal corresponding to one or more parameters sensed from the environment; and

generating the electromagnetic distribution control signal based on the feedback signal.

12. The method of claim 7, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the delivery device with the remote controller, the feedback signal corresponding to one or more parameters sensed from the delivery device; and

generating the electromagnetic distribution control signal based on the feedback signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the electromagnetically responsive control element include a frequency of the electromagnetic distribution control signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the electromagnetically responsive control element include an orientation of the electromagnetic distribution control signal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the electromagnetically responsive control element include a phase of the electromagnetic distribution control signal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the electromagnetically responsive control element include a polarization of the electromagnetic distribution control signal.

17. A method of delivering a material, comprising:

introducing a delivery device into an environment, the delivery device including an electromagnetically responsive control element, a fluid-containing structure containing a delivery fluid and a quantity of a primary material, the primary material being distributed between a first active form carried in the delivery fluid and a second form according to a first distribution in which the primary material has a first effective concentration in the delivery fluid equal to the concentration of the first active form in the delivery fluid, and wherein the electromagnetically responsive control element is configured to modify the distribution of primary material between the first active form and the second form, and a pump, the pump being activatable for pumping delivery fluid from the fluid-containing structure to a downstream location;

delivering an electromagnetic distribution control signal to the environment with signal characteristics selectively receivable by the electromagnetically responsive control element and sufficient to produce a change in the distribution of the primary material between the first active form and the second form to a second distribution, the primary material distributed according to the second distribution having a second effective concentration in the delivery fluid; and

subsequent to introducing the delivery device into the environment, delivering an electromagnetic delivery control signal having signal characteristics selectively receivable by a second electromagnetically responsive control element in the delivery device to produce the pumping of the delivery fluid containing the primary material at the second effective concentration out of the fluid-containing structure.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the second electromagnetically responsive control element include a frequency of the electromagnetic delivery control signal.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the second electromagnetically responsive control element include an orientation of the electromagnetic delivery control signal.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the second electromagnetically responsive control element include a phase of the electromagnetic delivery control signal.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal characteristics selectively receivable by the second electromagnetically responsive control element include a polarization of the electromagnetic delivery control signal.