Patent Grant
11534543
This application relates generally to patch-sized fluid delivery systems and methods.
Many potentially valuable medicines or compounds, including biologicals, are not orally active due to poor absorption, hepatic metabolism or other pharmacokinetic factors. Additionally, some therapeutic compounds, although they can be orally absorbed, are sometimes required to be administered so often it is difficult for a patient to maintain the desired schedule. In these cases, parenteral delivery is often employed or could be employed.
Effective parenteral routes of drug delivery, as well as other fluids and compounds, such as subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, and intravenous (IV) administration include puncture of the skin with a needle or stylet. Insulin is an example of a therapeutic fluid that is self-injected by millions of diabetic patients. Users of parenterally delivered drugs would benefit from a wearable device that would automatically deliver needed drugs/compounds over a period of time.
To this end, there have been efforts to design portable devices for the controlled release of therapeutics. Such devices are known to have a reservoir such as a cartridge, syringe, or bag, and to be electronically controlled. These devices suffer from a number of drawbacks including the malfunction rate. Reducing the size, weight and cost of these devices is also an ongoing challenge.
In various embodiments of the present invention, a patch-sized housing for a fluid delivery system may include a reusable portion and a disposable portion that is removably engageable with the reusable portion. In terms of fluid delivery management, the disposable portion generally includes all of the fluid management components that come into contact with the fluid (e.g., a fluid path having various valve, pump, and/or dispensing regions bounded by flexible membrane material), while the reusable portion generally includes fluid management components that do not come into contact with the fluid (e.g., various valve actuators, pump actuators, and sensors that interface with the fluid path through the flexible membrane material). The reusable portion generally also includes most, if not all, of the components that would be considered reusable or non-disposable, such as, for example, a controller, an active mechanical assembly including a pump with valve and/or pump actuators and pump motor(s), one or more sensors (e.g., a fluid flow/volume sensor, a temperature sensor), one or more electrical power sources (e.g., a rechargeable battery) and related circuitry (e.g., a battery recharging circuit and a coil for inductively coupling the battery charging circuit to an external power supply), a network interface (e.g., a wireless transceiver with antenna, a wireline interface such as USB), and user interface components (e.g., a pushbutton control). The disposable portion generally includes single-use or limited-use components relating to fluid management, but may also include an integral fluid reservoir and other components, such as a backup power source, a small processor (e.g., to continue certain device operations in the event of a failure, to generate an alarm in the event of a failure, or to provide status information to the reusable portion), and/or an alarm output. The disposable portion may also include, or be configured to support, so-called “sharps” components (e.g., a cannula with cannula delivery needle and an analyte sensor) and an assembly for inserting the sharps into a patient (e.g., a cartridge that holds the sharps and an actuator for inserting the sharps). The substrate and the flexible membrane material of the disposable portion may constitute a fluidic assembly that is configured to fit within a disposable base.
In certain embodiments, the disposable portion includes a substrate having flexible membrane material thereon and incorporating therein a fluid channel, the fluid channel being part of a fluid path in the disposable portion from a reservoir port to a cannula port and including a series of regions exposed to the flexible membrane material, at least one of such regions being a valve region. The reusable portion includes a control assembly having an active mechanical assembly that interacts mechanically with the regions through the membrane material in such a manner as to achieve pumping of fluid along the fluid path, the active mechanical assembly including a valve actuator that operates on the valve region. The disposable portion may also include a pump region, and the active mechanical assembly may include a pump actuator that operates on the pump region. The series of regions may be exposed to a single flexible membrane of the flexible membrane material.
The active mechanical assembly generally includes a motor for operation of the valve actuator and/or the pump actuator under control of the control assembly. The valve actuator and the pump actuator may be interconnected by a plate for coordinated operation of the valve actuator and the pump actuator. The motor may include one or more shape-memory actuators. The motor may include a heater for operating the shape-memory actuator(s). Alternatively, the shape-memory actuator(s) may be operated through changes in electrical current passed through at least a portion of the shape-memory actuator. Multiple shape-memory actuators may be used for redundancy and/or to provide different modes of operation (e.g., a normal pumping mode and a high-powered pumping mode). The motor may include multiple shape-memory actuators of different lengths or gauges.
The disposable portion may include an integral fluid reservoir or may include a reservoir interface for coupling with a fluid reservoir. The reservoir interface may include a cannulated needle for introduction into the fluid reservoir so as to provide fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid path or may include a septum for penetration by a fluid reservoir cannulated needle so as to provide fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid path. At least one of the reusable portion and the disposable portion may include a recess for receiving the fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir and the corresponding recess may be eccentrically shaped and/or keyed so as to prevent incorrect orientation of the fluid reservoir within the housing.
The disposable portion may be configured to support a cannulus in fluid communication with the fluid path and an analyte sensor in communication with the control assembly. Interconnection between the control assembly and the analyte sensor may be established upon engagement of the reusable portion and the disposable portion. In this regard, the control assembly may include an analyte sensor interface for direct interconnection with the analyte sensor. Alternatively, the communication path between the control assembly and the analyte sensor may include a portion of the disposable unit or may be wireless.
One challenge in such a patch-sized device is fitting all of the components into the reusable and disposable portions while also providing sufficient space for a fluid reservoir that holds a substantial amount of fluid and a pump that is capable of delivering a relatively large volume of fluid per day. Therefore, in certain embodiments of the present invention, elongated components (e.g., strips of shape-memory material and/or portions of the fluid path) may be “folded” within the housing, for example, using coil or serpentine shaped paths. One or more pulleys may be used to fit a length of shape-memory material into the housing.
Because the fluid delivery system may be used to deliver life-critical therapeutic fluids to a patient, it may be advantageous to have so-called “fail safe” operation so that a device failure will not allow fluid to be delivered to the patient at an unsafe flow rate. Therefore, certain embodiments of the present invention include a finite fluid impedance downstream of the regions so as to prevent delivery of fluid at an unsafe flow rate. The fluid impedance may be passive and/or may include a conduit. The conduit may be integral to the disposable unit (e.g., an in-molded channel) or may be a separate component, such as tubing. The conduit may have a specified minimum inside diameter (e.g., to reduce the likelihood of blockage) such that it may be necessary or desirable for the conduit to be elongated in order to achieve a desired impedance. In order to fit such an elongated conduit within the housing, the conduit may be tortuous (e.g., coiled or serpentine). For further fail safe operation, the device may operate with a non-pressurized fluid reservoir so that failure or shut-down of the pump effectively prevents further delivery of fluid to the patient.
Particularly in the context of delivering therapeutic fluid to a patient, it may be necessary or desirable to very precisely measure and control the volume of fluid delivered to the patient over time. Thus, in various embodiments of the present invention, the disposable portion may include in the fluid path a dispensing chamber bounded by flexible membrane material, and the reusable portion may include a fluid sensor (e.g., an acoustic volume sensor) in communication with the dispensing chamber for measuring fluid flow through the dispensing chamber. The fluid path may include a finite fluid impedance (e.g., of the types described above) downstream of the dispensing chamber so that the dispensing chamber membrane expands in response to the pumping of fluid. A resilient dispensing spring may be provided (e.g., in the reusable portion or in the dispensing chamber membrane itself) to facilitate contraction of the dispensing chamber membrane.
In order to reduce the number of components in the device, it may be advantageous to utilize certain components for more than one function. For example, in embodiments that include an acoustic volume sensor having a loudspeaker and/or a microphone, the loudspeaker may be used to produce audible alarms, while the microphone may be used to monitor operation of mechanical components such as a fluid pump (e.g., by “listening” for sounds and vibrations generated by the mechanical components). Also, in embodiments that include both a battery recharging circuit and a wireless transceiver, a single coil (e.g., a solenoid) may be included for both inductively coupling the battery recharging circuit with an external power source and conveying radio frequency signals to and from the wireless transceiver. Also, a user input (e.g., a pushbutton control) may be included to allow manual control of various functions, such as power on/off and manual actuation of the pump for such things as priming, air purging, and emergency delivery of a quantity of fluid.
It may also be advantageous to eliminate or minimize the number of user interface components supported by the housing. User interface components such as a LCD screen and a keyboard can add cost, size, weight, and complexity to the device as well as consume valuable battery power. Therefore, rather than including a full-featured user interface in the device, the user interface may be provided exclusively or partially through a remote controller that communicates with the device through a network interface. The network interface may include a wireless interface (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared) or may include a wireline interface (e.g., USB port). The device may include certain types of user inputs, such as a pushbutton control to allow for manual actuation of the pump (e.g., for priming, air-purging, or delivering an emergency dose of fluid).
Particularly in a medical context, it may be necessary or desirable to include certain redundant systems to reduce the likelihood of complete device failure. For example, a pump motor may include multiple actuators (e.g., multiple strands of shape-memory material) in order to maintain pump operation in the event one of the actuators fails, a backup electrical power source (e.g., a battery or supercapacitor) may be included in order to provide electrical power in the event of a failure of a primary power source (e.g., a rechargeable battery), and multiple alarm outputs (e.g., audible, visual, tactile, and/or wireless alarm outputs) may be provided so that status information (e.g., low battery level, low fluid level, occlusion or air bubble detected, etc.) can be conveyed to the patient in multiple modes. Also, a backup processor or controller may be included (e.g., in the disposable portion) to either continue device operation in the event of a failure of a primary controller (e.g., in the reusable portion) or at least generate an alarm to indicate that a failure has occurred.
It may also be advantageous for the reusable portion to take certain remedial actions (e.g., prevent or terminate operation of the device, change a mode of operation of the pump, and/or generate an alarm) in certain situations. Alarms may include audible alarms (e.g., via a speaker or buzzer), visual alarms (e.g., via an LED), tactile alarms (e.g., via a vibrating mechanism), and/or wireless alarms (e.g., transmitting an alarm signal to a remote controller or caretaker), to name but a few. Alarm components may be included in the reusable portion and/or the disposable portion and may be actuated by a controller in the reusable portion and/or a controller in the disposable portion. Alarms may be generated using multiple mechanisms simultaneously or concurrently.
For example, the reusable portion may be configured to take remedial actions upon detection of a fault condition. Fault conditions may include such things as a low power level, a low fluid level, an abnormal temperature level, a problem with a primary or backup power supply, detection of an occlusion, detection of an air bubble, detection of a fluid leak, detection of abnormal vibration from the pump, and detection of lack of vibration from the pump, to name but a few.
Furthermore, the reusable portion may be configured to take remedial actions upon detection of a problem with any of the disposables, which may include the disposable portion itself and other types of disposable components that may be used in or with the disposable portion, such as, for example, a fluid reservoir and a sharps cartridge (such components may be integral with the disposable portion or installed into the disposable portion in various embodiments). For example, upon engagement of the disposable portion with the reusable portion, the reusable portion may read or otherwise obtain information about the disposables such as, for example, manufacturer, model number, serial number, shelf life, maximum exposure, maximum operation temperature, expiration date, and safe dispensing limits for the therapeutic, to name but a few. The reusable portion may obtain such information, for example, through communication with a processor in the disposable portion, a bar code reader, and/or RFID technology, to name but a few. If the reusable portion detects a problem with the disposables (e.g., invalid model number for use with the reusable portion or expiration date of the fluid has passed), then the reusable portion may prevent or terminate operation of the device and generate an appropriate alarm.
The reusable portion may be configured to generate alarms to indicate an operational condition. Operational conditions may include such things as a power on condition, proper operation of the control assembly, and proper delivery of fluid within a predetermined set of parameters. In certain embodiments, an alarm may be generated upon an attempted manual actuation of the pump in order to alert the patient or caretaker of the attempt and solicit a confirmation before proceeding with pump actuation.
The reusable portion may be configured to generate alarms to test and report on patient responsiveness. For example, the reusable portion may be configured to test patient responsiveness by generating an alarm (e.g., an audible and/or tactile alarm) and awaiting a response from the patient (e.g., actuation of a pushbutton control). Such a test may be performed at various times (e.g., every five minutes) or upon detection of a condition such as an abnormal analyte level monitored via an analyte sensor or an abnormal body temperature monitored via a temperature sensor. If the patient does not provide an appropriate response within a predetermined amount of time, the reusable portion may send an alarm to a remote controller or caretaker. Such testing and reporting might be particularly valuable for patients who could become unconscious or incapacitated, either from a device malfunction or otherwise.
In order to deliver fluid to a patient, the patch-sized device is typically secured against the skin, for example, using straps or adhesive. In certain exemplary embodiments, the disposable portion may be placed against the skin before or after insertion of sharps into the patient's skin and before or after installation of the fluid reservoir (if necessary), and the reusable portion may then be engaged with the disposable portion in order to place the device into an operational configuration. Alternatively, the entire device may be assembled prior to placement against the skin. In any case, one or more pads may be situated between the underside of the disposable portion and the patient's skin so as to provide separation between the disposable portion and the patent's skin. The pad(s) may provide, or may be configured to provide, air flow to a portion of the patient's skin covered by the disposable portion when placed on the patient (e.g., air flow may be provided by passageways through the pad, passageways between pads, and/or construction of the at least one pad from a porous material). The pad(s) may be provided with an adhesive for securing the device to the patient. Alternatively, the device may be secured to the patient using tethers that are coupled to the device and adhesive members for securing the tethers to a patient's skin.
It should be noted that the reusable portion, the disposable portion, the fluid reservoir, and the sharps cartridge may be considered as separate embodiments of the invention. It is envisioned that these components will be manufactured separately and will be sold separately or packaged in different configurations. Thus, for example, one type of kit might include a reusable unit packaged together with one or more disposable units. Another type of kit might include a disposable unit and a sharps cartridge. Other types of kits are of course possible.
It should also be noted that patches with different combinations of the described features may be considered as separate embodiments of the invention. Thus, for example, a patch with a pump and an acoustic volume sensor, a patch with redundant actuators, a patch with redundant power sources, a patch with redundant alarms, a patch with redundant controllers, a patch that is configured to take remedial actions upon detection of a problem with the disposables, a patch that is configured to test and report patient responsiveness, and others may be considered as separate embodiments of the invention.
Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing including a reusable portion and a disposable portion that is removably engageable with the reusable portion. The disposable portion includes a substrate having flexible membrane material thereon and incorporating therein a fluid channel, the fluid channel being part of a fluid path in the disposable portion from a reservoir port to a cannula port and including a series of regions exposed to the flexible membrane material, at least one of such regions being a valve region. The reusable portion includes a control assembly having an active mechanical assembly that interacts mechanically with the regions through the membrane material in such a manner as to achieve pumping of fluid along the fluid path, the active mechanical assembly including a valve actuator operating on the valve region.
In various alternative embodiments, the series of regions may be exposed to a single flexible membrane of the flexible membrane material.
In other alternative embodiments, the fluid path may include a fluid impedance (e.g., a passive fluid impedance and/or a tortuous conduit, which may be an integral part of the fluid channel, may comprise coiled tubing, may have a serpentine shape, may have a length greater than a largest dimension of the housing, may have an effective internal diameter or length selected to provide a predetermined impedance based on at least one of a viscosity and a density of the fluid, or may have an internal diameter sufficiently large to prevent occlusion due to flow of a therapeutic liquid through the conduit) downstream of the regions so as to prevent pumping of fluid along the path at an unsafe flow rate.
In still other alternative embodiments, the substrate may include a dispensing chamber formed in the fluid channel of the substrate, such chamber bounded by flexible membrane material forming a dispensing chamber membrane. The fluid path may include a finite fluid impedance downstream of the dispensing chamber, the fluid impedance sufficiently high so as to cause the expansion of the dispensing chamber membrane in response to the pumping of fluid induced by the active mechanical assembly. The control assembly may include at least a first pump mode in which the dispensing chamber is permitted to substantially empty between pump strokes and a second pump mode in which the dispensing chamber is not permitted to fully empty between pump strokes. The reusable portion or the dispensing chamber membrane may include a resilient dispensing spring (e.g., a spiral shape, a fan shape, or having multiple helical grooves) positioned atop the dispensing chamber membrane to facilitate contraction of the dispensing chamber membrane. The control assembly may include a fluid sensor (e.g., an acoustic volume sensor) in communication with the dispensing chamber for measuring fluid flow through the dispensing chamber. An acoustic volume sensor may include a loudspeaker that can be used by the control assembly for both acoustic volume sensing and audible alarm generation An acoustic volume sensor may include a microphone that can be used by the control assembly for both acoustic volume sensing and monitoring pump operation.
In still other alternative embodiments, the disposable portion may include a pump region, and wherein the active mechanical assembly further includes a pump actuator operating on the pump region. The active mechanical assembly may include a motor for operation of at least one of the valve actuator and the pump actuator under control of the control assembly. The active mechanical assembly may include a plate coupled to the valve actuator, the pump actuator, and the motor for coordinated operation of the valve actuator and the pump actuator. The valve region may be positioned between the reservoir port and the pump region and operation of the valve actuator and the pump actuator may be coordinated so as to prevent backflow of fluid toward the reservoir port. The motor may include one or more shape-memory actuators and may include at least one pulley for folding a shape-memory actuator to fit within the reusable portion. The shape-memory actuator may be operated through changes in heat, and the motor may include a heater for operating the shape-memory actuator. Alternatively, the shape-memory actuator may be operated through changes in electrical current passed through at least a portion of the shape-memory actuator. A shape-memory actuator may be electrically coupled so as to provide a plurality of electrical paths of different lengths through the shape-memory actuator for providing different actuation forces or stroke lengths, and a shorter electrical path may be used during normal operation of a pump and a longer electrical path may be used during priming and air-purging of the pump. The motor may include a plurality of shape-memory actuators. The plurality of shape-memory actuators may be of the same length/gauge or may be of different lengths/gauges, and may be used for providing redundant operation of the active mechanical assembly and/or for providing different actuation forces or stroke lengths (e.g., a shorter shape-memory actuator used during normal operation of a pump and a longer shape-memory actuator used during priming and air-purging of the pump).
In still further alternative embodiments, the substrate and the flexible membrane material of the disposable portion may constitute a fluidic assembly, and the disposable portion may further include a disposable base into which the fluidic assembly fits. An adhesive pad may be coupled to a bottom of the disposable base.
In still other alternative embodiments, the reservoir port may include a reservoir interface for coupling with a fluid reservoir. The reservoir interface may include a cannulated needle for introduction into the fluid reservoir so as to provide fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid path or may include a septum for penetration by a fluid reservoir cannulated needle so as to provide fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid path. At least one of the reusable portion and the disposable portion may include a recess for receiving a fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir may be eccentrically shaped so as to deter incorrect orientation of the fluid reservoir within the housing.
In yet more alternative embodiments, the reusable portion and the disposable portion may include a latching mechanism for permitting selective engagement and disengagement of the reusable and disposable portions. The reusable portion may include at least one latch actuator for permitting selective coupling and decoupling of the reusable and disposable portions.
In other alternative embodiments, the control assembly may include an electrical power source for providing electrical power to electronics in at least one of the reusable portion and the disposable portion. The electrical power source may include a rechargeable battery. The control assembly further may further include a battery recharging circuit for recharging a battery, and may also include a coil for inductively coupling the battery recharging circuit with an external power source for recharging the rechargeable battery. The control assembly may also include a backup electrical power source, such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Additionally or alternatively, the disposable portion may include an electrical power source, such as a battery or supercapacitor, for providing electrical power to electronics in at least one of the reusable portion and the disposable portion.
In still other alternative embodiments, the control assembly may include a network interface, such as a wireless transceiver and/or a wireline interface, for communication with a remote controller. With regard to a wireless transceiver, the control assembly may include a coil coupled to the wireless transceiver for conveying radio frequency signals to and from the wireless transceiver. The control assembly may also include a battery recharging circuit for recharging a rechargeable battery, wherein the coil is further coupled to the battery recharging circuit for inductively coupling the battery recharging circuit with an external power source. The control assembly may receive configuration information from the remote controller and send status information to the remote controller via the network interface.
In yet other alternative embodiments, various types of input/output devices and sensors, such as an audible output (e.g., a speaker), a visual output (e.g., an LED), a tactile output (e.g., a vibrating mechanism), a wireless output, an audio input (e.g., a microphone), and/or a temperature sensor (e.g., for sensing fluid, AVS, skin, or ambient temperature) may be disposed in the reusable portion and/or the disposable portion for audible alarm generation. The reusable portion and/or the disposable portion may be configured to generate an alarm to alert the user or a third party to an indicate such things as an operational condition (e.g., power on condition, proper operation of the control assembly, or proper delivery of fluid within a predetermined set of parameters) and a fault condition (e.g., a low power level, a low fluid level, an abnormal temperature level, a problem with a primary or backup power supply, detection of an occlusion, detection of an air bubble, detection of a fluid leak, decoupling of the reusable portion and the disposable portion, communication failure between the reusable portion and the disposable portion, expiration of the disposable portion, attempted re-use of the disposable portion, detection of abnormal vibration from the pump, or detection of lack of vibration from the pump). The disposable portion may include a processor for at least one of continuing device operation in the event of a failure, generating an alarm to indicate that a failure has occurred, and providing status information to the control assembly (e.g., operational history of the disposable portion, characteristics of the disposable portion (e.g., manufacturer, model number, serial number), or usage information (e.g., shelf life, maximum exposure, maximum operation temperature, expiration date, safe dispensing limits for the therapeutic). The control assembly may be configured to selectively prevent operation of the active mechanical assembly and generate an alarm based on status information received from the processor.
In additional embodiments, the control assembly may include a user input, operable from outside of the housing, for actuating the mechanical assembly to deliver a predetermined quantity of fluid. The predetermined quantity may be programmable, e.g., from a remote controller, and may be delivered as a single bolus or a plurality of pulses. The user input may include a manual control, accessible from outside of the housing, for manual actuation of the mechanical assembly. Additionally or alternatively, the user input may include a network interface for remote actuation of the mechanical assembly from a remote controller. The control assembly may be configured to generate an alert (e.g., audible alert, a visual alert, a tactile alert, or a query provided from a remote controller) upon attempted actuation of the mechanical assembly via the user input and to require a user confirmation before actuating the mechanical assembly to deliver the predetermined quantity of fluid. The control assembly may be configured to generate an alert after completing delivery of the predetermined quantity of fluid.
In further additional embodiments, the disposable portion may be configured to support a cannulus in fluid communication with the fluid path and an analyte sensor in communication with the control assembly. Interconnection between the control assembly and the analyte sensor may be established upon engagement of the reusable portion and the disposable portion. The control assembly may include an analyte sensor interface for direct interconnection with the analyte sensor.
In still further additional embodiments, at least one pad may be situated between an underside of the disposable portion and a patient's skin so as to provide separation between the disposable portion and a patent's skin. The at least one pad may be secured to the underside of the disposable portion and/or may include adhesive for securing the disposable portion to the patient's skin. Alternatively, the at least one pad may be placed loosely between the underside of the disposable portion and the patient's skin. The at least one pad may be configured to provide for air flow to a portion of the patient's skin covered by the disposable portion when placed on the patient. For example, air flow may be provided by at least one of passageways through the pad, passageways between pads, and construction of the at least one pad from a porous material.
In still more additional embodiments, the housing may be affixed to a human body using an adhesion system including a first set of three or more members, each member including an adhesive material on at least one side so as to attach to the body upon application of pressure, the members disposed around a central region; and a second set of three or more members, each member including an adhesive material on at least one side so as to attach to the body upon application of pressure, the members disposed around the central region, wherein the members of the first set are spaced to allow the members of the second set to attach to the body in spaces provided between the members of the first set, and wherein the members of the second set spaced to allow members of the first set to detach from the body without detaching the members of the second set. At least one member may be perforated so as to allow facile tearing off of the member. At least one peelable backing strip may also be provided. Members of the first set may be a first color and the members of the second set may be a second color different from the first color.
In further embodiments, the housing may be secured using a plurality of tethers coupled to the housing and a plurality of adhesive members for securing the tethers to a patient's skin.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a disposable unit for a patch-sized fluid delivery device, the disposable unit removably engageable with a corresponding reusable unit, the disposable unit including a substrate having flexible membrane material thereon and incorporating therein a fluid channel, the fluid channel being part of a fluid path in the disposable unit from a reservoir port to a cannula port and including a series of regions exposed to the flexible membrane material, at least one of such regions being a valve region, so that an active mechanical assembly in the resusable portion can interact mechanically with the regions through the membrane material in such a manner as to achieve pumping of fluid along the fluid path, the active mechanical assembly including a valve actuator operating on the valve region.
In various alternative embodiments, the series of regions may be exposed to a single flexible membrane of the flexible membrane material. A fluid impedance may be included in the fluid path downstream of the regions to as to prevent pumping of fluid along the fluid path at an unsafe flow rate. Such a fluid impedance may include at least one of a tortuous conduit that is an integral part of the fluid channel and tubing that is in fluid communication with the fluid channel. The substrate may include a dispensing chamber formed in the fluid channel of the substrate, such chamber bounded by flexible membrane material forming a dispensing chamber membrane. The dispensing chamber membrane may include a resilient dispensing spring to facilitate contraction of the dispensing chamber membrane. The series of regions may also include a pump region for operation by a corresponding pump actuator in the reusable unit through the flexible membrane material. The substrate and the flexible membrane material may constitute a fluidic assembly, and the disposable unit may include a disposable base into which the fluidic assembly fits. An adhesive pad may be coupled to a bottom of the disposable base. The reservoir port may include a reservoir interface for coupling with a fluid reservoir, the reservoir port including one of a needle for introduction into the fluid reservoir and a septum for penetration by a fluid reservoir needle so as to provide fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid path. A latching mechanism may be provided for permitting selective engagement and disengagement with the reusable unit. An electrical power source may be included for providing electrical power to electronics in at least one of the reusable unit and the disposable unit. At least one output selected from the group consisting of an audible output, a visual output, a tactile output, and a wireless output may be included. The disposable unit may be configured for at least one of inserting and supporting a cannulus for fluid communication with the fluid path and an analyte sensor for communication with a control assembly of the reusable unit. The disposable unit may include a mechanism for attaching the disposable unit to a patient. The disposable unit may include a processor for at least one of continuing device operation in the event of a failure, generating an alarm to indicate that a failure has occurred, and providing status information to the reusable portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a reusable unit for a patch-sized fluid delivery device, the reusable unit removably engageable with a corresponding disposable unit including a substrate having a flexible material thereon and incorporating a fluid channel, the reusable unit including a control assembly having an active mechanical assembly that interacts mechanically with regions of the fluid channel in the substrate, including a valve region, through the flexible membrane material in such a manner as to achieve pumping of fluid along a fluid path including the fluid channel, the active mechanical assembly including a valve actuator for operating on the valve region.
In various alternative embodiments, the disposable unit may include a dispensing chamber bounded by flexible membrane material, and the reusable unit may include a fluid sensor for communication with the dispensing chamber for measuring fluid flow through the dispensing chamber. A resilient dispensing spring may be provided to facilitate contraction of the dispensing chamber membrane. The fluid sensor may be an acoustic volume sensor. The acoustic volume sensor may include a loudspeaker, and the loudspeaker may be used by the control assembly for both acoustic volume sensing and audible alarm generation. The acoustic volume sensor may include a microphone, and the microphone may be used by the control assembly for both acoustic volume sensing and monitoring pump operation. The reusable unit may include a pump actuator for operating on a pump region of the disposable unit through flexible membrane material. The active mechanical assembly may include a motor for operation of at least one of the valve actuator and the pump actuator under control of the control assembly, the motor including at least one shape-memory actuator. The reusable unit may include a latching mechanism for permitting selective engagement and disengagement with the disposable unit. The control assembly may include at least one electrical power source for providing electrical power to electronics in at least one of the reusable unit and the disposable unit. The control assembly may include a battery recharging circuit for recharging a battery and a mechanism (e.g., a coil) for providing electrical power to the battery recharging circuit. The control assembly may include a network interface for communication with a remote controller. The control assembly may include at least one alarm output selected from the group consisting of an audible output, a visual output, a tactile output, and a wireless output. The control assembly may include a temperature sensor. The control assembly may include a user input for user actuation of the mechanical assembly to deliver a predetermined quantity of fluid. The control assembly may be configured to selectively prevent operation of the active mechanical assembly and generate an alarm based on a status of the disposable portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing and an active mechanical assembly disposed within the housing, the active mechanical assembly including a mechanical pump and a motor for operation of the mechanical pump, the motor including a plurality of actuators, each capable of operating the pump independently of the other actuators so as to provide for redundancy in the event of failure an actuator.
In various alternative embodiments, the motor may include one or more shape-memory actuators and may include at least one pulley for folding a shape-memory actuator to fit within the reusable portion. The shape-memory actuator may be operated through changes in heat, and the motor may include a heater for operating the shape-memory actuator. Alternatively, the shape-memory actuator may be operated through changes in electrical current passed through at least a portion of the shape-memory actuator. A shape-memory actuator may be electrically coupled so as to provide a plurality of electrical paths of different lengths through the shape-memory actuator for providing different actuation forces or stroke lengths, and a shorter electrical path may be used during normal operation of a pump and a longer electrical path may be used during priming and air-purging of the pump. The motor may include a plurality of shape-memory actuators. The plurality of shape-memory actuators may be of the same length/gauge or may be of different lengths/gauges, and may be used for providing redundant operation of the active mechanical assembly and/or for providing different actuation forces or stroke lengths (e.g., a shorter shape-memory actuator used during normal operation of a pump and a longer shape-memory actuator used during priming and air-purging of the pump).
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing enclosing a fluid delivery assembly and a plurality of electrical power sources for providing electrical power to the fluid delivery assembly. The housing may include a reusable portion and a disposable portion that is removably engageable with the reusable portion, and the plurality of electrical power sources are disposed solely in the reusable portion, solely in the disposable portion, or in both the reusable portion and the disposable portion. The plurality of electrical power sources may include a primary electrical power source and a backup electrical power source. The primary electrical power source may be a rechargeable battery, and the backup electrical power source may be one of a battery and a supercapacitor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing enclosing a fluid delivery system, the fluid delivery system including a controller and a plurality of outputs in communication with the controller, the controller operably coupled generate an alarm through actuation of the plurality of outputs.
In various alternative embodiments, the plurality of outputs may be selected from the group consisting of an audible output, a visual output, a tactile output, and a wireless output. The alarm may be used to indicate at least one of an operational condition (e.g., power on condition, proper operation of the control assembly, or proper delivery of fluid within a predetermined set of parameters) and a fault condition (e.g., a low power level, a low fluid level, an abnormal temperature level, a problem with a primary or backup power supply, detection of an occlusion in the fluid path, detection of an air bubble in the fluid path, detection of a fluid leak, decoupling of the reusable portion and the disposable portion, communication failure between the reusable portion and the disposable portion, expiration of the disposable portion, attempted re-use of the disposable portion, detection of abnormal vibration from the pump, or detection of lack of vibration from the pump).
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing including a reusable portion and a disposable portion that is removably engageable with the reusable portion, the reusable portion including a control assembly having an active mechanical assembly for use in pumping fluid along a fluid path, the disposable portion including at least one attribute (e.g., operational history of the disposable portion, a characteristic of the disposable portion, or an attribute for usage of the disposable portion) discernable by the control assembly, wherein the control assembly is operably coupled to selectively prevent operation of the active mechanical assembly and generate an alarm based on the at least one attribute.
In various alternative embodiments, the disposable portion may include a processor for providing attribute information to the control assembly.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing including a reusable portion and a disposable portion that is removably engageable with the reusable portion, the reusable portion including a main controller, the disposable portion including a backup controller capable of at least one of continuing an operation normally provided by the main controller and generating an alarm to indicate a failure of the main controller.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising a patch-sized housing enclosing a fluid delivery system, the fluid delivery system including a controller and a user interface in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is operably coupled to control delivery of fluid to a patient and to test and report responsiveness of the patient via the user interface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a wearable device for parenteral delivery of fluid, the device having at least a reservoir, a pump having a motor, and an exit assembly, and separable reusable and disposable portions, wherein the motor resides in the disposable portion.
In various alternative embodiments, all wetted parts may reside in the disposable portion. The motor may include one or more shape-memory actuators to convert a source of potential energy (e.g., heat or electricity) into kinetic energy.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a system for pumping fluid to a subject. The system includes a first separable component and a second separable component. The first separable component includes an inlet fluid path in communication with a fluid source; a pumping chamber for receiving fluid from the inlet fluid path; a dispensing chamber for receiving fluid from the pumping chamber; and an outlet fluid path for carrying fluid from the dispensing chamber to an exit assembly. The second separable component includes a force application assembly for compressing the pumping chamber and means for sensing flow conditions through the line.
In various alternative embodiments, the force application assembly may cause flow of fluid to the pumping chamber from the inlet fluid path to be restricted while urging fluid from the pumping chamber to the dispensing chamber. The first separable component may include a reservoir as a fluid source.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a base sled for holding separable components of a device for delivery of a therapeutic fluid. The device includes a bottom adapted for adhesion to the skin of a patient; a fluidic path portion having a pumping chamber and an outlet; and a groove for securely receiving one or more of a fluid cannula and a probe cannula. The sled is adapted to receive a disposable insulin cartridge and a reusable portion.
In various alternative embodiments, three or more adhesive members may be provided for adhesive attachment to the skin of the patient. The members may be disposed around a central region. An attachment means may be provided for joining the adhesive members to the device. The reusable portion may include a component selected from the group consisting of: a flow sensor, an assembly for application of force to the pumping chamber, a power source, transceiver electronics, a microprocessor, and an alarm. A mating feature (e.g., a septum or needle) may be provided for the attachment of a fluid reservoir. Leads may be provided for the establishment of signal communication between a probe attached to the probe cannula and the reusable portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided an irregularly shaped fluid reservoir adapted for holding a supply of a therapeutic fluid within a patch-sized housing having a correspondingly shaped reservoir holding chamber, the fluid reservoir having a cavity defined by a rigid reservoir body and a flexible reservoir membrane that is sealingly attached to the rigid reservoir body around the periphery of the cavity, the flexible reservoir membrane including at least one portion that collapses as therapeutic fluid is withdrawn, the irregular shapes of the fluid reservoir and the corresponding reservoir holding chamber providing for proper orientation of the fluid reservoir within the reservoir holding chamber.
In various alternative embodiments, the reservoir may include a port through which the reservoir can be placed in fluid communication with a corresponding fluid path in the housing. The port may include a septum for penetration by a fluid path needle or a needle for introduction into the fluid path for providing fluid communication between the reservoir and the fluid path. The port may be seated in a neck extending from a reservoir body.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the appended claims and accompanying drawings.
The foregoing features of the invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
It should be noted that the foregoing figures and the elements depicted therein are not necessarily drawn to a consistent scale or to any scale.
As used in this description and the accompanying claims, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless the context otherwise requires:
A “user input” of a device includes any mechanism by which a user of the device or other operator can control a function of the device. User inputs may include mechanical arrangements (e.g., switches, pushbuttons), wireless interfaces for communication with a remote controller (e.g., RF, infrared), acoustic interfaces (e.g., with speech recognition), computer network interfaces (e.g., USB port), and other types of interfaces.
A “button” in the context of a user input such as the so-called “bolus button” discussed below may be any type of user input capable of performing a desired function, and is not limited to a pushbutton.
An “alarm” includes any mechanism by which an alert can be generated to a user or third party. Alarms may include audible alarms (e.g., a speaker, a buzzer, a speech generator), visual alarms (e.g., an LED, an LCD screen), tactile alarms (e.g., a vibrating element), wireless signals (e.g., a wireless transmission to a remote controller or caretaker), or other mechanism. Alarms may be generated using multiple mechanisms simultaneously, concurrently, or in a sequence, including redundant mechanisms (e.g., two different audio alarms) or complementary mechanisms (e.g., an audio alarm, a tactile alarm, and a wireless alarm).
“Fluid” shall mean a substance, a liquid for example, that is capable of flowing through a flow line.
“Impedance” shall mean the opposition of a device or flow line to the flow of fluid therethrough.
“Wetted” describes a component that comes into direct contact with the fluid during normal fluid delivery operations. Since a fluid is not limited to a liquid, a “wetted” component will not necessarily become wet.
A “patient” includes a person or animal who receives fluid from a fluid delivery device, whether as part of a medical treatment or otherwise.
“Cannula” shall mean a disposable device capable of infusing fluid to a patient. A cannula as used herein can refer to a traditional cannula or to a needle.
“Analyte sensor” shall mean any sensor capable of determining the presence of an analyte in a patient. The embodiments of analyte sensors include, but are not limited to, sensors capable of determining the presence of any viral, parasitic, bacterial or chemical analyte. The term analyte includes glucose. An analyte sensor may communicate with other components within the fluid delivery device (e.g., a controller in a non-disposable portion) and/or with a remote controller.
“Dispensing assembly sensor” shall mean a mechanism for determining the volume of fluid present in the dispensing chamber.
A “sharp” shall mean anything that is capable of puncturing or poking an animal's skin, especially a human's skin. A Sharp may include a cannula, a cannula insertion device, an analyte sensor, or an analyte sensor insertion device. Sharps may be provided individually or may be provided together, for example, in a cartridge.
“Disposable” refers to a part, device, portion or other that is intended to be used for a fixed duration of time, then discarded and replaced.
“Non-disposable” refers to a reusable portion that is intended to have an open-ended duration of use.
“Patch-sized” shall mean of a size sufficiently small as to be secured, by means such as adhesive or straps, to the skin of a patient and worn as a medical device over a course of administration of substance contained within the device. A medical device small enough to function as an implant is within the scope of this definition.
“Normally present finite fluid impedance” shall mean a finite fluid impedance that is present in the routine course of fluid delivery, i.e., when a fault condition (e.g., an occlusion) is absent.
A “passive” impedance is one that is not actively controlled during a pumping cycle.
“Acoustic volume measurement” shall mean quantitative measurement of a relevant volume using acoustical techniques such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,349,852 and 5,641,892, as well as the techniques described herein.
A “temperature sensor” includes any mechanism for measuring temperature and communicating temperature information to a controller. The device may include one or more temperature sensors for measuring such things as skin temperature, AVS temperature, ambient temperature, and fluid temperatures.
Embodiments of the device, pumping mechanism, system and methods described herein relate to fluid delivery including pumping and volume measurement of fluid as well as the actuation and control of same. Embodiments of the device include a portable or non-portable device for fluid delivery. Some embodiments of the device include a base portion that is disposable and a top portion that is non-disposable. The device includes embodiments where an infusion device is inserted through the base portion and directly into a patient. These device embodiments are patch pump devices. The patch pump may be adhered to the patient using an adhesive, a strap, or other suitable arrangement. The adhesive may have a protective peelable strip which may be removed to expose the adhesive prior to use.
However, in other embodiments, the fluid delivery device is a portable device where tubing is connected to a fluid line. The tubing is typically connected to a patient through a cannula.
In some embodiments where a disposable base and non-disposable top are implemented, the base portion includes parts that are wetted, while the parts included in the non-disposable top portion are typically non-wetted parts.
Various embodiments of the pumping mechanism include an upstream inlet valve, a pumping actuation member, a downstream exit valve and a moveable member. In some embodiments, the pumping actuation member and downstream valve functions are implemented using the same device. The pumping mechanism pumps fluid from a reservoir through a fluid line to an exit. The pumping mechanism is typically employed with a non-pressurized reservoir, however, the scope of the present invention is not limited accordingly.
In one embodiment of the fluid delivery system, the device includes an analyte sensor housing. An analyte sensor is introduced into the patient through the analyte sensor housing of the base portion of the device. In these embodiments, an infusion device is also introduced through a cannula housing on the base portion of the device. In these embodiments, the device is worn by the user as a patch pump.
The system typically includes a controller, which may include a wireless transceiver. Thus, the device may be controlled exclusively or in part through a wireless controller device. The controller device may receive information through wireless communication from the analyte sensor and/or the fluid delivery device. The patient or a third party can control the function of the fluid delivery device using the controller device.
In one embodiment of the fluid delivery device, the device is an insulin pump and the analyte sensor is a blood glucose sensor. The controller, receiving information relating both to the volume of insulin delivered (or the number of pump strokes over time) and blood glucose data, assists the user in programming the actuation schedule for the pump mechanism.
An exemplary dispensing assembly and volume sensing device is described herein. The dispensing assembly includes at least one microphone and a loudspeaker. The assembly determines the volume change in a dispensing chamber to determine the volume of fluid pumped. The volume sensing data is used to determine the status of the fluid delivery device. Thus, various controls may rely on the volume sensing data.
In an embodiment of the invention, a user configures the fluid-delivery device via a user interface in order to cause the fluid-delivery device to deliver a fluid in an appropriate manner. In one embodiment, the user interface resides on a separate hand-held user-interface assembly that may communicate wirelessly with the patch. The patch may be disposable, or partially disposable.
An exemplary use of embodiments of the device is for the delivery of insulin to diabetic patients, but other uses include delivery of any fluid, as described above. Fluids include analgesics to those in pain, chemotherapy to cancer patients and enzymes to patients with metabolic disorders. Various therapeutic fluids may include small molecules, natural products, peptide, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, nanoparticulate suspensions, and associated pharmaceutically acceptable carrier molecules. Therapeutically active molecules may be modified to improve stability in the delivery device (e.g., by pegylation of peptides or proteins). Although illustrative embodiments herein describe drug-delivery applications, embodiments may be used for other applications including liquid dispensing of reagents for high throughput analytical measurements such as lab-on-chip applications and capillary chromatography. For purposes of description below, terms “therapeutic” or “fluid” are used interchangeably, however, in other embodiments, any fluid, as described above, can be used. Thus, the device and description included herein are not limited to use with therapeutics.
Typical embodiments include a reservoir for holding a supply of fluid. In the case of insulin, the reservoir may be conveniently sized to hold an insulin supply sufficient for delivery over one or more days. For example, a reservoir may hold about 1 to 2 ml of insulin. A 2 ml insulin reservoir may correspond to about 3 days supply for about 90% of potential users. In other embodiments, the reservoir can be any size or shape and can be adapted to hold any amount of insulin or other fluid. In some embodiments, the size and shape of the reservoir is related to the type of fluid the reservoir is adapted to hold. The fluid reservoir may be eccentrically or irregularly shaped and/or may be keyed in order to deter incorrect installation or usage.
Some embodiments of the fluid delivery device are adapted for use by diabetics, thus, in these embodiments, the device delivers insulin which supplements or replaces the action of the patient's pancreatic islet beta cells. Embodiments adapted for insulin delivery seek to mimic the action of the pancreas by providing both a basal level of fluid delivery as well as bolus levels of delivery. Basal levels, bolus levels and timing can be set by the patient or another party by using a wireless handheld user interface. Additionally, basal and/or bolus levels can be triggered or adjusted in response to the output of an integral or external analyte sensor, such as a glucose monitoring device or blood glucose sensor. In some embodiments, a bolus can be triggered by a patient or third party using a designated button or other input means located on the fluid-delivery device. In still other embodiments, the bolus or basal can be programmed or administered through a user interface located on the fluid delivery device.
Although the fluid delivery device 10 is shown worn on the arm of a patient 12 in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring again to
Still referring to
The use of a partially collapsible non pressurized reservoir 20 may advantageously prevent the buildup of air in the reservoir as the fluid in the reservoir is depleted. The reservoir 20 may be connected to the fluid line 310 through a septum (not shown). Air buildup in a vented reservoir could prevent fluid egress from the reservoir 20, especially if the system is tilted so that an air pocket intervenes between the fluid contained in the reservoir and the septum of the reservoir 20. Tilting of the system is expected during normal operation as a wearable device.
Referring now to
In contrast to prior-art fluid delivery systems that have an active downstream valve, which may be generally considered to create, in a functional sense, an infinite fluid impedance, the flow restrictor 340 creates a finite fluid impedance. The impedance is also normally present; in contrast to prior-art systems than may occasionally be impeded due to an occlusion. As a result of the finite nature of the fluid impedance, in embodiments that include a dispensing chamber 122, fluid may leak through the exit even while the dispensing chamber 122 is expanding.
Referring now to
The embodiment shown in
Alternately, to reduce background noise from the microphone, the loudspeaker 1202 and the sensing microphone 1203 may be coupled to the variable volume chamber 121 via separate ports. As schematically shown in
In embodiments to be further described, it may be convenient to separate the sensor and metering chamber portions of the dispensing assembly such that the dispensing chamber is detachable and disposable. In this case, the dispensing chamber resides in a disposable section of the patch, while the sensor resides in the reusable section. The dispensing chamber may be bounded by a resilient fluid dispensing diaphragm (as shown in
As shown in
A reference microphone 1208 is shown in acoustic communication with fixed volume 129, while a signal microphone 1209 is acoustically coupled to measurement chamber 121. The volume of measurement region 121 may be determined from electronic signals provided by one or more microphones 1208, 1209 on the basis of pressure variations (or, equivalently, acoustic signal) measured at their respective positions within the acoustically contiguous region 1290. Phase measurements may be performed by comparing the phase of response at one or more microphones relative to the phase of acoustic excitation or relative to the phase of response at a position of another microphone. The volume of measurement region 121, and, by implication, of dispensing chamber 122, is determined, on the basis of phase and/or amplitude measurements, as discussed below, by a processor 1210, which derives power from power source 1211, shown, representatively, as a battery.
For the purposes of precise delivery of minute amounts of therapeutic agents, the delivery of small, but very accurately metered, quantities per pump stroke is desirable. However, if minute volumes of fluid are to be pumped through line 110 during the course of each pump stroke, extremely high resolution is required of the metering process. Consequently, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, changes in volume are measured by sensor 550 with a resolution of at least 10 nanoliters. Measurements of resolution 0.01% of the empty volume of measurement region 121 may be achieved in some embodiments of the invention. In accordance with other embodiments of the invention, sensor 550 provides resolution of better than 13 nanoliters. In other embodiments yet, sensor 550 provides resolution of better than 15 nanoliters, and in yet further embodiments, resolution of better than 20 nanoliters is provided. In such cases, the total volume of acoustically contiguous region 1290 may be less than 130 μl, and, in other embodiments, less than 10 μl.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, use may be made of a priori modeling of the response of the volume of dispensing chamber 122, and, consequently of variable-volume chamber 121 (which may also be referred to, herein, as a “metering volume”), based upon the filling of the dispensing chamber due to a pumped volume of fluid entering through input 123. While other models are within the scope of the present invention, one model that may be employed expresses the volume of fluid within dispensing chamber 122, in response to a pumped influx of fluid and a outlet of fixed flow impedance, as the sum of a baseline volume VB and an exponentially decaying volume characterized by a peak displacement VD, such that the metering chamber volume during a measurement is characterized as a function of time t, as:
In order to fit a parameterization of the modeled exponential decay (or other functional model) to a succession of acoustic measurements, the response of systems such as depicted in
The ideal adiabatic gas law can be written in terms of a mean pressure, P, and volume, V, and a small time-dependent perturbation on top of those pressures, p(t), v(t):
(P+p(t))(V+v(t))γ=K.
Differentiating this equation yields
{dot over (p)}(t)(V+v(t))γ+γ(V+v(t))γ−1(P+p(t)){dot over (v)})(t)=0
Or, simplifying,
If the acoustic pressure levels are much less than the ambient pressure the equation can be further simplified to:
Applying the ideal gas law, P=ρ RT, and substituting in for pressure gives the result:
This can be written in terms of the speed of sound, a=√{square root over (γRT)}, as:
Also, an acoustic impedance for a volume is defined as:
In accordance with one set of models, the acoustic port is modeled assuming that all of the fluid in the port essentially moves as a rigid cylinder reciprocating in the axial direction. All of the fluid in the channel (port 128) is assumed to travel at the same velocity, the channel is assumed to be of constant cross section, and the “end effects” resulting from the fluid entering and leaving the channel are neglected.
Assuming laminar flow friction of the form Δp=Rρ{dot over (v)}, the friction force acting on the mass of fluid in the channel can be written: F=RρA2{dot over (x)}.
A second order differential equation can then be written for the dynamics of the fluid in the channel:
ρLA{umlaut over (x)}=ΔpA−RρA2{dot over (x)}
or, in terms of volume flow rate:
The acoustic impedance of the channel can then be written:
Using the volume and port dynamics define above, the acoustic volume sensor system can be described by the following system of equations (with index k denoting the speaker, and r denoting the resonator):
Following the same convention, {dot over (v)}k>0⇒{dot over (p)}1<0 and {dot over (v)}r>0⇒{dot over (p)}1>0,
In addition, {dot over (v)}r>0⇒{dot over (p)}2<0,
The volume tends to accelerate in a positive direction if p2 is larger than p1.
Reducing the number of equations (treating p0 as input), and substituting
This leads to one simple expression using these equations:
These equations can also be expressed in transfer function form. The “cross-speaker” transfer function, p1/p0, is:
Similarly, the “cross system” transfer function, based on measurements on either end of port 128, is p2/p0, is given by:
Volume Estimation Using Cross-System Phase
Similarly, using the same principles, a transfer function is readily derived, expressing a pressure in the fixed volume chamber 129 in terms of the pressure in the variable volume chamber 121 to which it is coupled via port 128. In particular, the transfer function is:
In either of the foregoing cases, the resonant frequency of the system may be expressed as a function of the variable volume, V2:
Since all of the other parameters are known, variable volume V2 can be calculated based, for example, on the resonant frequency, although other methods of deriving V2 may be advantageous, and are described further in the course of the present application. The one parameter that is not a constant in this equation is the speed of sound, a, which may be calculated, based on a knowledge of the pertinent temperature, or otherwise derived or measured.
As stated, various strategies may be employed to interrogate the system so as to derive volume V2. In accordance with certain embodiments of the current invention, the system is excited by driving member 1214 at a single frequency, while monitoring the response of one or more transducers (microphones 1208 and 1209, in
The response of the signal microphone 1208 may be corrected to reject common-mode effects due to the frequency-dependent characteristics of the exciting loudspeaker 1202 (shown in
Expressed, in transfer function form, in analogy, to a second-order mechanical Helmholtz resonator, the signal may be represented as:
Here, normalization variables have been introduced so as to maintain relevant parameters within a computationally useful dynamic range of order unity. The final expression is expressed in terms of the real and imaginary parts over a common denominator. Taking the ratio of the real μ to the imaginary v parts, (i.e., the phase cotangent),
the error may be defined as:
with N and D denoting the numerator and denominator, respectively of the model.
If the error is minimized with respect to each of the model parameters, a best-fit has been achieved. Any method may be employed for fitting the model parameters. In one embodiment of the invention, a gradient-descent method is employed to find the minima:
The intervals over which each successive temporal sample is obtained, and the number of intervals sampled in order to fit the parameters of the temporal model are advantageously optimized for each specific application of the invention. Where fluid flows at a slow but relatively constant rate, as in basal insulin delivery, sampling over a period from τ/3 to 3τ has been found efficacious. On the other extreme, where a relatively large bolus of fluid is to be delivered, the fluid may reside in dispensing volume 122 for only a short period of time, on the time scale of the exponential decay time constant. In that case, sampling is performed over a shorter fraction of the characteristic decay time.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, volume of fluid dispensed through dispensing volume 122 is determined on the basis of a fit to a model of volume vs. time, based on cross-system phase measurements made at monotonic frequency of excitation. During the initial portion of a pump stroke, moreover, preliminary measurements are made in order to calibrate system operation, as now described, in conjunction with the measurement protocol, with reference to the flowchart shown in
Either prior to, or at the beginning 1171 of, each pump stroke, or both, processor 1210 initiates a Self-Calibration Phase 1172 of the AVS system. Measurements are held-off until electronic transients due to activation of the pump have substantially decayed. Microphone and speaker gains are set, and driving member 1214 is actuated, in step 1173, at a succession of frequencies, where typically five frequencies are employed, in the general proximity of the resonance of contiguous acoustic region 1290 (otherwise referred to herein as the “acoustic chamber”). Frequencies in the range of 6-8 kHz are typically employed, though the use of any frequencies is within the scope of the present invention. At the onset of activation of each successive frequency, data collection is delayed, for a period of approximately 5 ms, until acoustic transients have substantially decayed.
For a duration of approximately 64 acoustic cycles, data are collected as follows: the temperature reading provided by temperature sensor 132 (shown in
On the basis of measurements at each frequency, taken over the course of approximately 200 ms per frequency, a set of means and variances are derived for each of the real and imaginary parts of the signal at each frequency and for the temperature readings. Analysis, in step 1175, of these values, permits a determination of whether errors are within specified bounds. An anomalous transfer function may advantageously indicate system faults that include, but are not limited to, faults in the microphones or other sensors, speaker, transducer, electronics, mechanical components, fluid ingress, poor acoustic seal, excessive ambient noise, and excessive shock and vibration. Additionally, the functional dependence of the phase angle of the signal as a function of frequency is determined in step 1176. The phase angle of the signal, namely the arctangent of the ratio of imaginary to real portions thereof, may be used as a measure of phase, however any measure of phase may be used within the scope of the invention. The functional dependence may be derived by polynomial fit of the phase to the frequency, or otherwise. On the basis of the polynomial fit, or otherwise, the slope of phase vs. frequency is determined at the volume measurement frequency, and volume measurement proceeds, in step 1177. Additionally, and significantly, an anomalous slope of phase vs. frequency is indicative of a gaseous bubble in the fluid contained within dispensing chamber 122.
For a succeeding portion of each pump stroke, driving member 1214 is actuated at substantially a single frequency, thereby acoustically exciting the gas within acoustically contiguous region 1290 at that frequency. Signal data, based typically on the complex ratio of output signals of signal microphone 1209 with respect to reference microphone 1208 are collected and averaged over specified sampling intervals of approximately 64 cycles. Real and imaginary components of the signal, as well as temperature data, are recorded for each sampling interval. Based on the sampled and collected data, a fit is performed to a temporal model. In various embodiments of the invention, a gradient-descent method is employed, as described above, in order to minimize error in fitting the model parameters, namely the baseline volume VB, peak displacement VD, and decay time τ, of the variable volume chamber 121 during the course of each pump stroke, thereby providing the volume of fluid delivered through dispensing chamber 122.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In the described system, fault conditions are detected by volume measurements rather than by pressure measurements, thus, faults may be determined in seconds.
Low volume conditions are shown in
Accordingly the updated parameter indicates the net quantity of fluid that has entered the dispensing chamber 122. The fluid entering the dispensing chamber 122 is approximately equal to the volume that has been dispensed by the device 10 if there is sufficient delay between pulses. Alternately, the sensor 550 can repeatedly measure the increase in the volume of gas in the variable volume chamber 121 to determine the amount dispensed by the device (if there is a sufficient delay between pulses). Acoustic spectra are compared to model spectra in a lookup table that may correspond to any or all of a dispensing chamber 122 with a bubble, without a bubble, or with bubbles of varying sizes (step 2621). The lookup table may hold data acquired experimentally, determined using a model, or determined to work empirically. The lookup table may contain data representing varying bubble containing and/or normal conditions for multiple degrees of expansion of dispensing chamber 122. If the spectrum and updated sum fit a model of normal flow (step 2631), another acoustic spectrum is acquired and the cycle is repeated at step 2611. If the spectrum and/or the updated sum do not fit a model of normal flow, the presence of a low or occluded flow will be determined (step 2641). A low or occluded flow may be indicated by a persistently out-of-range volume of the variable volume chamber 121, by an updated sum that is lower than a predicted or set value, or both. If a low or occluded flow condition is detected, an alarm will be triggered (step 2671). Alarms may include audible signals, vibrations, or both. If no condition of low or occluded flow is found, the device determines if the spectrum fits a model corresponding to a condition of a bubble in the dispensing chamber 122 (step 2661). If a bubble is determined to be present, a reaction is initiated that may include an alarm and/or compensatory action which may include temporarily increasing the rate of pumping (step 2651) and the cycle will begin again at step 2611. If it is determined that no bubble is present, an alarm is triggered to indicate an undetermined fault condition (step 2671). Embodiments of the present invention may also utilize bubble detection using AVS technology as disclosed in co-pending U.S. Patent Application, Ser. No. 60/789,243, which is incorporated herein by reference. The pumping assembly 16 of
In an alternate embodiment shown in
In many of the embodiments described below, the poppet for the inlet valve 21, the poppet for the exit valve 22 and the pumping actuation member 54 are all either directly or indirectly (e.g., as in
In the embodiment shown in
This pumping arrangement has the advantage of partitioning the moving parts and wetted line components to opposite sides of a flexible barrier membrane 2356. As a result, the moving parts may be located in a reusable component and the wetted parts (fluidic line 310) may be located in a disposable component.
In a preferred embodiment of the pumping mechanism, the fluid source is a non-pressurized reservoir. When the moveable member of the inlet valve is in the open position, and a negative pressure exists in the pumping chamber, a pressure differential exists that pulls the fluid from the reservoir towards the inlet valve. This negative pressure may be created by the resiliency of the membrane in the pumping chamber. In one alternative embodiment, a spring—which may be built into the membrane—may be used to assist in the recoil of the membrane in the pumping chamber. The non-pressurized reservoir may be collapsible, so that when fluid is drawn from it, a corresponding collapse in the reservoir reduces its volume. As a result, build-up of negative pressure, or air in the reservoir is prevented.
In a preferred embodiment of the pumping mechanism, after the inlet valve is closed, pressure is applied to the pumping chamber forcing fluid from the pumping chamber towards the exit valve. Pressure created by the pumping motion opens the exit valve and allows fluid to flow through the exit valve's fluid exit.
The moveable member can be anything capable of functioning as described above. In some embodiments, the moveable member is a flexible membrane or a resilient pumping diaphragm. In other embodiments, the moveable member is a ball-shaped rigid structure or another object capable of preventing fluid from flowing out of an opening in the fluid path.
In practice, the pumping mechanism may be primed prior to use. Thus, the pumping mechanism cycles through a number of strokes, purging air from the fluid line, until most or all of the air in the fluid line is purged. Many of the pumping mechanisms disclosed herein have the ability to “self-prime” because the fluid volume contained outside the pumping chamber, but between the valves, is small. When the pump squeezes air in the pump chamber, it generally builds up enough pressure to blow past the exit valve. The subsequent return stroke can therefore develop sufficient negative pressure for the pump to pull liquid from the reservoir. If the “dead” volume of the pump is too large, the air in the pumping chamber may not build up enough pressure to escape the exit valve. As a result, the pump may stall.
The pumping mechanism of
The term “poppet” is used to denote a member that applies pressure against the moveable member (i.e., the membrane) to affect the position of the membrane. Although other designs may be used, some specific examples of spring-loaded poppet valves that utilize structures and principles of mechanical advantage are described below (in connection with
In the embodiment shown in
Referring now to
As shown in
The fluid line 310 is partially defined by a membrane 2356. In this embodiment, the membrane 2356 separates parts of the pumping mechanism from the fluid. Thus, the fluid line 310 is wetted and the pumping actuator 54 and the valve poppets 9221, 9222 are not wetted. However, alternative embodiments of the pumping assembly do not need to include a membrane 2356 that is in contact with the fluid line 310. Instead, a different moveable member may be used for the valves and/or pump. In still other embodiments, only parts of the fluid line 310 are separated from the pumping mechanism, thus partially wetting the pumping assembly.
The inlet poppet 9221 includes an end 8018 referring to the surface area of the inlet poppet that contacts the membrane portion of the fluid line 310. The pumping actuation member 54 includes an end 8012 that contacts the membrane portion of the fluid line 310. Likewise, the exit poppet 22 includes an end 8022 that contacts the membrane portion of the fluid line 310. The ends 8018, 8022 of the valve poppets apply pressure onto their respective areas of the membrane 2356, blocking or unblocking the respective portions of the flow path 310. The end 8012 of the pressure actuation member also applies pressure onto its respective area of the membrane, so as to cause flow through the fluid line 310.
The pumping actuation member 54 is surrounded by a plunger biasing spring 8004. The plunger biasing spring 8004 has both a terminus at the pump plate 8000 and at 8014, a support structure that also holds the pumping actuation member.
The inlet poppet 21 is surrounded by an inlet poppet spring 8002, although in alternate embodiments, the inlet poppet itself is resilient and so serves the function of the spring. The inlet poppet spring 8002 has both a terminus at the pump plate 8000 and near the end 8018 of the inlet poppet 9221.
The exit poppet 9222 is surrounded by a passive exit poppet spring 8006. The exit poppet spring 8006 has both a terminus at an exit poppet plate 8024 and the lip 8020 near the end of the exit poppet 9222.
In each case, the springs 8002, 8004, 8006 terminate before the respective ends and do not interfere with the surface areas 8018, 8012, 8022 that contact the membrane 2356.
In a preferred embodiment, the fluid pumping device also includes at least one shape memory actuator 278 (e.g., a conductive shape-memory alloy wire) that changes shape with temperature. The temperature of the shape-memory actuator(s) may be changed with a heater, or more conveniently, by application of an electric current.
The shape memory actuator 278 connects to the pump plate 8000 through connector 8008. Connector 8008 is described in more detail below. The shape memory actuator 278 connects to a fluid pumping device by way of terminus connector 8010. Depending on the device or system in which the pumping mechanism is used, the terminus connection location will vary. The terminus connector 8010 is described in more detail below.
Referring next to
Simultaneously, the pumping actuation member 54 begins its path towards the pumping chamber 2350. During this process, as the inlet poppet spring 8002 is compressed (at this point, the inlet poppet end 8018 is pressing firmly against the fluid line 310), the pump plate 8000 and pumping actuation member 54 continue traveling towards the fluid line 310. The inlet poppet spring 8002 allows the pump plate 8000 to continue moving toward the fluid line 310 with the pump actuation member 54 even when the inlet poppet 9221 can not travel any further.
Referring now to
During the work stroke, the pump actuation member spring 8004 is loaded. Eventually, the pump actuation member spring 8004 will pull the pump actuation member 54 away from the membrane 2356. As a result, during the relaxation stroke, the spring 8004 returns the pump actuation member 54, and pumping plate 8000 to the relaxed position of
The pump plate 8000, reaching a threshold distance where the inlet poppet spring 8002 is at the same level as the pump plate 8000, will unload with the pump actuation member spring 8004. The membrane 2356 in the pumping chamber 2350, being resilient, will return to its starting position. This creates a negative pressure and as the inlet valve opens, fluid will flow through the inlet valve's fluid inlet to the fluid exit and towards the pumping chamber 2350. Thus, the pumping mechanism will now be in the state as shown in
The entire pump sequence described with respect to
The membranes referred to herein, including membrane 2356, may be made from any resilient material capable of imparting the necessary characteristics to function as described herein. Additionally, the membrane material may include a biocompatible material so as not to impede operation of the pump or diminish the therapeutic value of the fluid. Multiple biocompatible resilient materials may be suitable, including nitrile and silicone. However, different therapeutic fluid compositions may require different choices of resilient material.
The pumping mechanism described above and also various embodiments as described herein can be described in terms of stroke length. One way to determine stroke length is by the total change in the length of the shape memory actuator during one cycle of contraction and expansion of the shape memory actuator. This difference will determine the total distance the pump rod travels and thus, the total amount of fluid that flows out of the inlet chamber 2354 to the pumping chamber 2350, to the exit chamber 2352 and finally, out the exit chamber 2352. Another way to determine stroke length is the travel distance of the pump plate 8000. For a partial stroke, the pump plate 8000 will not reach its maximum travel distance. In one embodiment, very small or micro-strokes are initiated continuously, pumping micro-liter volumes of fluid on a continuous or regular basis, from the reservoir to the exit. For example, a micro-stroke may displace less than 20%, 10% or 1% of the volume of the pumping chamber 2350.
With respect to varying stroke using the shape memory actuator variables, for a given length of shape memory actuator, the stroke is dependent on a number of variables: 1. total time electricity/heat is applied; 2. total voltage of the electricity; and 3. the diameter of the shape memory actuator. Some variable embodiments are shown in
Additionally, the timing of the application of heat or electric current to the shape memory actuation can vary to control the stroke. Each time the shape memory actuator is heated can be termed a pulse. Factors such as the pulse frequency, pulse duration, and stroke length may affect the amount of fluid delivered over time.
Referring now to
Referring now to
When a reservoir is first attached to a flow line having a pumping assembly, the pumping mechanism (item 16 in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Various embodiments of the pumping mechanism are shown in herein. The pumping mechanisms may include an inlet valve, a pumping actuation member and an exit valve. As discussed above, different types of one way valves may be used in alternative embodiments. Although the schematic shown in
Referring now to
Referring to both
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
An alternate embodiment of the pumping mechanism is shown in
As can be seen from
Referring now to
Now referring to
Referring now to
The pumping actuation member 2320 is shown as a ball shape in
Referring now to
Referring now to
An alternate embodiment of the valving pump 2200 of
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Electric current causes the shape memory actuator 278 to contract and the lever 273 pivots about the fulcrum 274. The pivoting places the valve actuated hammer 2946 in position to force the inlet valve 2941 closed. As the shape memory actuator 278 continues to contract, the lever 273 continues pivoting and the pump actuation hammer 2948 forces the pump actuation member 2942 against the pumping chamber 2350, even while further compressing the elongate spring member 2910. Upon achieving sufficient pressure, the fluid pressure opens the exit valve 22, and fluid exits through the valve.
During the relaxation stroke, the return spring 276 unloads and returns the lever 273 to the starting position, releasing the pumping actuation member 2942. The inlet valve 2941 opens. The resiliency of the pumping chamber 2350 causes the pumping chamber 2350 to refill.
Referring now to
In some of the embodiments of the pumping mechanism described above, one or more aspects of the following valving operation description is relevant. Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The flow biasing valve 4000 substantially reduces or prevents retrograde flow from the dispensing chamber 122 into the pumping chamber 2350. As in
The pumping mechanism described in the various embodiments above can be used in various devices to pump fluid. As an exemplary embodiment, the pumping mechanism described in
Referring
Referring now to
Referring now to
In both
Referring now to
The volume of fluid delivered is determined using the dispensing assembly 120 which includes an acoustic volume sensing (AVS) assembly, as described above, a variable volume delivery chamber 122, and a dispensing spring 130. Similarly to the pumping mechanism, a membrane 2356 forms the variable volume dispensing chamber 122. The membrane is made of the same material (or, in some embodiments, different material) from the membrane 2356 in the pumping mechanism 16 (described in detail above). The AVS assembly is described in greater detail above.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The fluid delivery device embodiment shown in
Although various embodiments have been described with respect to
The schematics of a fluid pumping device described above can be implemented in a device usable by a patient. There are a number of embodiments. The device can be a stand-alone device or be integrated into another device. The device can be any size or shape. The device can be either portable or non-portable. The term “portable” means a patient can, transport the device either in a pocket area, strapped to the body, or otherwise. The term “non-portable” means that the device is in a healthcare institution or in the home, but the patient does not carry the device almost everywhere they move. The remainder of this description will focus on portable devices as the exemplary embodiment.
With respect to portable devices, the device can be worn by a patient or carried by a patient. In the embodiments where the device is worn by a patient, this is referred to as a “patch pump” for purposes of this description. Where the device is carried by a patient, this is referred to as a “portable pump” for purposes of this description.
The following description is applicable to various embodiments for either the patch pump embodiments or the portable pump embodiments. In various embodiments, the device includes a housing, a pumping mechanism, a fluid line, a moveable member, a reservoir, a power source and a microprocessor. In various embodiments, a dispensing assembly, for example a volume sensing device, which in some embodiments includes an AVS assembly, are included in the device. Also, an embodiment can also include a fluid restrictor, although it is not depicted in the following figures, as the fluid line is shown as homogeneous to simplify the illustration. For purposes of this description, where a dispensing assembly is included, the exemplary embodiment will include an AVS assembly. Although an AVS assembly is a preferred embodiment, in other embodiments, other types of volume sensing device can be used. In some embodiments, however, no volume sensing device is used, but rather, either the reservoir itself will determine the volume of fluid delivered, the pump stroke is used to roughly determine the amount of volume delivered. It should be understood that the schematic devices shown herein are meant to illustrate some of the variations in the device. The embodiments represented by these schematics can each also include a sensor housing, a vibration motor, an antenna, a radio, or other components that are described with respect to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The patch pump device also includes a cannula housing 5030. This is the area the cannula line 5031 is located. Part of the fluid line 310, the cannula line 5031 allows a cannula (or other infusion device) to receive the fluid and deliver the fluid to a patient (not shown).
Referring now to
Referring again to
Referring now to
The cannula 5010, which is inserted through the cannula housing 5030 so that it mates by way of the cannula septum 5060 to the cannula line 5031, is inserted into a patient 12. However, as shown and described above with respect to
As described below, the adhesive patch can have many embodiments and in some cases, the patch is placed on top of the device. Thus, the patch shown in these embodiments is only one embodiment. As described above, a pad, if used, would be placed in the same location as the patch in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The following description of these components and the various embodiments thereof are applicable to both device types, and further, to the various embodiments described with respect to each device type. Referring now to
The device contains at least one microprocessor 271. This can be any speed microprocessor capable of processing, at a minimum, the various electrical connections necessary for the device to function. In some embodiments, the device contains more than one microprocessor, as seen in
The microprocessor 271 (or in some embodiments, microprocessors) is connected to the main printed circuit board (hereinafter, the “PCB” refers to the term “printed circuit board”) 13. A power source, which in some embodiments is a battery 15, is connected to the main PCB 13. In one embodiment, the battery 15 is a lithium polymer battery capable of being recharged. In other embodiments, the battery can be a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery of any type.
In some embodiments, the device includes a radio 370 connected to the main PCB 13. The radio 370 communicates to a remote controller 3470 using the antenna 3580. The communication between the device 10 and the remote controller 3470 is therefore wireless.
In some embodiments, the device contains a vibration motor 3210. The vibration motor 3210 is connected to a motor driver 3211 on the main PCB 13 motor driver 3211.
Some embodiments include a bolus button 3213. The bolus button 3213 functions by a user applying force to a button form 3213, which can be made from rubber or any other suitable material. The force actuates the bolus button actuation, which is attached to a bolus button switch 3214 on the main PCB 13. The switch 3214 activates a single bolus which will indicate a particular pre-determined volume of fluid is to be delivered to the patient. After the user presses the bolus button 3213, in some embodiments, the device 10 will generate an alarm (e.g., activate the vibration motor 3210 and/or send a signal to the remote controller) to signal to the user that the button 3213 was pressed. The user will then need to confirm the bolus should be delivered, for example, by depressing the button 3213. In still other embodiments, the remote controller 3470 queries the user to confirm the bolus should be delivered.
A similar query/response sequence may be used in various embodiments to test and report on patient responsiveness. For example, the device may be configured to test patient responsiveness by generating an alarm (e.g., an audible and/or tactile alarm) and awaiting a response from the patient (e.g., actuation of the button 3213). Such a test may be performed at various times (e.g., every five minutes) or upon detection of a condition such as an abnormal analyte level monitored via an analyte sensor or an abnormal body temperature monitored via a temperature sensor. If the patient does not provide an appropriate response within a predetermined amount of time, the reusable portion may send an alarm to a remote controller or caretaker. Such testing and reporting might be particularly valuable for patients who could become unconscious or incapacitated, either from a device malfunction or otherwise.
The NITINOL circuit (referring to the shape memory actuator, which in some embodiments, is a NITINOL strand) 278 on the main PCB 13 provides electrical current to the NITINOL connectors. As shown in
In some embodiments, the device includes a temperature sensor 3216 shown on
The AVS speaker 134 is connected to the speaker drive 135 on the main PCB 13. The AVS speaker 134, in one embodiment, is a hearing aid speaker. However, in other embodiments, the speaker 134 (a speaker containing a voice coil, a magnet with an electromagnetic coil) is a piezo speaker (shown in
Referring still to
Referring to
In accordance with an alternate embodiment, the disposable portion 2610 may include the reservoir 20 and optionally, a battery. The reservoir 20 may be integral to the disposable portion or otherwise coupled to the disposable portion. The battery may be the primary or sole power source for the device or may be a backup power source, and may be used to provide electrical power to electronics on the reusable portion and/or the disposable portion. Both the reservoir 20 and the battery will typically require regular replacement, so including both of these components in the disposable portion 2610 may provide to the user the increased convenience of simultaneous replacement. Additionally, by replacing the battery every time the reservoir is changed, the user may be less likely to allow the battery to run down.
The disposable portion 2610 could additionally or alternatively include a processor that may be used, for example, to continue certain device operations in the event of a failure (e.g., a failure of a main controller in the reusable portion), to generate an alarm in the event of a failure, or to provide status information to the reusable portion. With regard to status information, the processor could keep track of the operation history and various characteristics of the disposable and hold status information for access by the user, the fluid delivery device 10, and/or the user interface 14 including during installation of the disposable portion 2610. For instance, the processor can store status related to shelf life, maximum exposure or operation temperature, manufacturer, safe dispensing limits for the therapeutic, etc. If any of these status indicators is determined by the device to be unacceptable, the device can refuse to power the pumping assembly and dispensing assembly and indicate to the user that the disposable is not usable. The processor may be powered by a battery in the reusable portion or the disposable portion.
More generally, the device may be configured to obtain status information from any of the disposables (including, for example, the disposable portion 2610 and any disposable component used therewith, such as the fluid reservoir, battery, or sharps cartridge or individual sharps component), for example, from a processor disposed in disposable portion, via bar code reader, or via RFID technology. If the device detects a problem with the disposables (e.g., invalid model number for use with the reusable portion or an expiration date of the fluid has passed), then the device may take remedial action, such as, for example, preventing or terminating operation of the device and generating an appropriate alarm.
Additional components may be included in some embodiments. For example, redundant failure detection and announcement mechanisms can be employed. The device may employ an audible alarm. The loudspeaker 1202 of the sensor 550 may be used for the audible alarm or an additional speaker may be included loudspeaker and used for the audible alarm. The device vibrating mechanism 3210 can also be used as an alarm. If a system failure is detected that requires immediate attention, both alarms can be activated. Additionally, a secondary battery or supercapacitor may be employed as a backup to the primary battery. If either battery fails, the controller can activate one or more alarms so that at least one announcement of battery failure occurs.
The alarms can also be used to indicate to a user that the device is working properly. For example, a user might program the device for a bolus delivery over a certain period of time. The user may desire to know that the programmed delivery is occurring properly. The processor can use the vibrating motor or an audio sound to indicate successful programmed delivery. Thus, some mechanisms can be employed in some embodiments of the device to provide feedback, whether positive or negative, to the patient or user.
A microphone may also be used to detect any abnormal vibration or lack of normal vibrations and trigger an alarm condition. In various embodiments, a microphone of the acoustic volume sensing system may be used to perform such monitoring, or a separate microphone may be included for such monitoring. Periodic checks can also be performed to determine that the device is operating by checking for expected pump vibrations with the microphone. If improper vibrations are detected, or if proper vibrations are not detected by the microphone, an alarm can be activated.
Referring now to
In many embodiments, the base Y and the reservoir 20 are disposable portions and the top X is a non-disposable portion. Both the infusion device 5010 and the analyte sensor are also disposable.
As previously discussed, the patch pump device may be entirely or partially disposable.
The reusable portion X includes elements of the dispensing assembly 120 except the variable volume dispensing chamber 122, which is located on the disposable portion Y. In some embodiments, the dispensing assembly 120 is an AVS assembly. The AVS assembly is described in detail above. Referring now to
Referring now to
In the
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
When assembled, the device 10 may be adhered together using a center region of the adhesive (not shown). Alternately, the device 10 may be locked together mechanically using any of many embodiments described herein for latching. Although some embodiments are described below herein, many others will be apparent and as the shape of the device varies, in many cases, the latch will also.
Referring now to
The reservoir 20, infusion device 5010 and sensor 5020 are shown. The infusion device 5010 and sensor 5020 can be inserted through the base Y and into a patient (not shown). The base Y is shown with an adhesive 3100 or pad 3220 underneath. In practice, the adhesive 3100 or pad 3220 can be first adhered to the skin and base Y. Next, the infusion device 5010 and sensor 5020 are inserted through the base Y into a patient (not shown, shown in
The base Y includes those components that are wetted. The base Y is disposable. The top X includes non wetted components. The top X is non-disposable. Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring next to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The base Y is disposable and includes the wetted parts of the device 10. The sensor 5020, the cannula 5010, the variable volume dispensing chamber 122, the inlet valve area 21, the exit valve area 22 and the pumping chamber 2350. The volume dispensing chamber, the inlet valve area 21, the exit valve area 22 and the pumping chamber 2354 are all covered by membrane material, which may be in the form of a single membrane or distinct membranes.
The device 10 is clamped together by a latch mechanism 654 on the top X and the base Y. Referring now to
A cover (not shown) may be provided for use in any of the embodiments of the device, to replace the reservoir and top portion when the reservoir is removed while the base is connected to the patient. The cover would not contain electrical components, thus, could be used in wet conditions. However, in some instances, the reservoir can be removed without the use of any cover.
Cannula and Inserter
Referring now to
In other embodiments, the infusion device 5010 is a needle and does not require an introduction needle 5240. In these embodiments, the infusion device 5010 is inserted into the patient and the septum 5060 seals with a fluid source.
In both
The bridge can be made from any material desired, including plastic. The cannula can be any cannula in the art. The septum 5060 can be made from rubber or plastic and have any design capable of imparting the functions desired. In the embodiments where the infusion device is a needle, any needle may be used. In embodiments where introduction needles are used, any needle, needle device or introduction device can be used.
The infusion and sensor assembly requires force be applied in order to be inserted into a patient. As well, the infusion and sensor assembly requires that the infusion device and sensor are released from the infusion and sensor assembly. Thus, both the force and the release can be actuated manually, i.e., a person performs these functions, or an insertion device may be used to actuate the assembly properly. Referring now to
The inserter 5011 could be operated manually, but could also be incorporated into another inserter device such that a mechanical advantage can be applied. Referring now to
Various insertion devices are described herein. However, in other embodiments, different insertion devices are used or the infusion device and sensor are introduced manually.
Features may be included for securing the infusion and sensor assembly 5040 to an automatic inserter. For example, the releases shown in
The infusion and sensor assembly may be preloaded in the inserter 5100 prior to distribution to an end user. As shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In an alternate embodiment, insertion of an infusion device and/or sensor is assisted by a vibration motor coordinated with a fluid delivery device. Simultaneously with the insertion of the infusion device and/or sensor, a vibration motor may be activated.
Adhesion
Referring now to
Fluid delivery device 10 is securely held under a central region 3130 of the adhesive patch 3100, which is attached to the skin of a patient by adhesive members 3111. These adhesive members 3111 emanate from a central region 3130 in a radial pattern and are spaced apart from each other by intervening regions 3121. The radial arrangement of the adhesive members 3111 allows for attachment of the device 10 to the patient in secure manner. In some embodiments, the central region 3130 covers the entire device 10, however, in other embodiments, the central region 3130 covers a portion of the device 10. The central region 3130 may also include interlocking attachment features (not shown) that may be held by complementary interlocking features (not shown) of the device 10. In an alternate embodiment, the device 10 is securely attached atop the central region 3130 (for example, by an adhesive or interlocking feature).
The adhesive patch 3100 is typically flat and composed of a polymeric sheet or fabric. The adhesive patch 3100 may be supplied with adhesive affixed on one side and protected by a peelable backing such as a peelable sheet of plastic to which the adhesive will adhere more loosely that to the patch 3100. The backing may be a single continuous piece, or may be divided into regions that may be removed separately.
In an illustrative embodiment, the backing for the central region 3130 may be removable without removing the backing to the adhesive members 3111. To use the adhesive patch 3100, a user removes the backing of the central region 3130 and presses the device 10 against the newly exposed adhesive of the central region to attach the device 10 to the central region 3130. The user then places the device against the skin, removes the backing from an adhesive member 3111, affixes the adhesive member to the skin, and repeats the affixation process with additional members. A user may affix all of the adhesive members 3111 or only some of the members, and save additional adhesive members 3111 for application on another day. Since adhesives typically used for attachment to skin only remain securely attached for several days, application of sets of adhesive members 3111 on different days (for example, staggered by 3 to 5 days) should extend the amount of time that the device 10 remains securely attached to the skin and reduce the of time, expense and discomfort that is often involved in reapplication of the device. The varying tabs may have indicia such as different colors or numbers to indicate to the appropriate time to affix the various adhesive members 3111. The adhesive members 3111 may include perforations to render them frangible with respect to the central region 3130 so that used adhesive members may be removed after use. Additional embodiments for extending the duration during which device 10 remains affixed are discussed above with reference to
Referring now to both
As shown in the perspective view of
The adhesive used in the embodiments described in
Clamping and Latching
An alternate embodiment for clamping together the portions of a device is shown in
Reservoir
Exemplary embodiments of collapsible reservoirs for holding fluids are shown in
Referring now to
A septum 6270 is seated in a neck 6240 extending from the body 6200. The septum 6270 serves as an interface between the cavity 2645 and a fluid line. In some devices, the fluid line terminates in a needle (not shown). In these embodiments, the needle may be inserted through the septum 6270 to access a needle chamber 6280 portion of the cavity 2645. The septum 6270 location can be maintained by its location between a cap 6250 and a ledge (not shown) formed at the junction of the inner wall 6281 of the needle chamber 6280 and the cap bore 6282. The cap 6250 may be held by a friction fit within the cap bore 6282. Upon insertion of the cap 6250, its position is limited by the wall 6261 of the cap bore 6282. The portion of the cap 6250 closest to the septum 6270 may have a central aperture to allow insertion of the needle through the cap 6250 and into the septum 6270. Alternately, the cap 6250 may be punctured by the needle.
Certain fluids are sensitive to storage conditions. For example, insulin may be somewhat stable in the glass vials in which it is typically shipped, but may be unstable when left in prolonged contact with certain plastics. In some embodiments, the reservoir 20 is constructed of such a plastic. In this case, the reservoir 20 may be filled with fluid just prior to use so that the fluid and plastic are in contact for a shorter period time.
Reservoir Filling Station
Referring now to
Referring now to
A fluid delivery system typically includes a fluid delivery device and an external user interface, although in some embodiments a complete or partial internal user interface is included in the device. The device can be any device as described herein or a variation thereof.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Wireless Communication
Referring now to
Referring now to
Still referring to
Many types of data may be transmitted in this way, which include, but are not limited to:
Data related to the timing of pump actuation and volume measurements and other data from the dispensing assembly may be transmitted to the intermediate transceiver 6600 and, in turn, to the user interface assembly 14;
Alarm signals may be transmitted to and from the fluid delivery device 10;
Signals to confirm the receipt of data may be transmitted from the user interface 14 to the intermediate transceiver 6600 and from the intermediate transceiver 6600 to the fluid delivery device 10;
Control signals to change the operating parameters of the device 10 may be transmitted from the user interface assembly 14 to the fluid delivery device 10 using the intermediate transceiver 6600.
Referring now to
Optionally, the microprocessor 6630 analyzes received data to detect the presence of malfunctions or maintenance needs associated with the device. Some examples of fault conditions include, but are not limited to:
a lack of received data for a time period that exceeds a set limit;
a lack of data receipt confirmation signal from the device or the user interface assembly;
an overflow or near overflow condition of the appliance memory 6620;
low power;
overly high, low or improperly timed volume measurements received from the fluid delivery device 10.
Based on this fault analysis, the microprocessor 6630 may trigger an alarm 6650 (e.g., a bell or buzzer). The microprocessor 6630 may also communicate an alarm condition to a remote device. The remote device may be, for example, the user interface assembly using the long range transceiver 6640, the fluid delivery device 10 using the short range transceiver, or both the user interface assembly and fluid delivery device. Upon receiving an alarm signal, the user interface assembly may then relay the alarm signal over longer distances to a medical professional or patient guardian (e.g., by pager or telephone call or other methods of communication).
The power supply 6670 may be rechargeable, and may store sufficient energy to operate continuously for a period of time, for example, at least 10 hours. However, the operation time will vary based on use and device. The size of the fluid delivery device may be reduced so that it may easily be carried in a pocket, purse, briefcase, backpack or the like. One embodiment of the device includes a means to withstand routine shocks or spills. Additional features may be included in some embodiments, including, but not limited to, decorative features, or any of a wide range of consumer electronics capabilities such as the ability to play video games, send and receive instant messages, watch digital video, play music, etc. Third party controls may be included to remove or limit the use of such functions during some or all hours of the day. Alternately, the device may be as small and simple as possible, and only serve to repeat short range signals over a longer range. For example, the memory and analysis capability may be omitted.
Referring now to
Battery Recharger
Referring now to
The various embodiments described herein include different types and configurations of elements such as, for example, pump architectures, pump actuators, volume sensors, flow restrictors, reservoirs (and reservoir interfaces), sharps inserters, housings, latching mechanisms, user interfaces, on-board peripherals (e.g., controllers, processors, power sources, network interfaces, sensors), and other peripherals (e.g., hand-held remote controller, base station, repeater, filling station). It should be noted that alternative embodiments may incorporate various combinations of such elements. Thus, for example, a pump architecture described with reference to one embodiment (e.g., the pump shown and described with reference to
Furthermore, while various embodiments are described herein with reference to a non-pressurized reservoir, it should be noted that a pressurized reservoir may be used in certain embodiments or under certain conditions (e.g., during priming and/or air purging). Among other things, a pressurized reservoir might facilitate filling of the pump chamber, for example, following retraction of the pump actuation member 54 shown and described with reference to
Additionally, while various embodiments are described herein with reference to a pump motor disposed in a reusable portion of a housing, it should be noted that a pump and/or a pump motor may alternatively be situated in the disposable portion, for example, along with various components that come into contact with the fluid. As with some of the other motors described herein, a motor disposed in the disposable portion may include one or more shape-memory actuators.
It should be noted that section headings are included for convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
In various embodiments, the herein disclosed methods including those for controlling and measuring flow of a fluid and for establishing communication amongst linked components may be implemented as a computer program product for use with a suitable controller or other computer system (referred to generally herein as a “computer system”). Such implementations may include a series of computer instructions fixed either on a tangible medium, such as a computer readable medium (e.g., a diskette, CD-ROM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or fixed disk) or transmittable to a computer system, via a modem or other interface device, such as a communications adapter connected to a network over a medium. The medium may be either a tangible medium (e.g., optical or analog communications lines) or a medium implemented with wireless techniques (e.g., microwave, infrared or other transmission techniques). The series of computer instructions may embody desired functionalities previously described herein with respect to the system. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that such computer instructions can be written in a number of programming languages for use with many computer architectures or operating systems.
Furthermore, such instructions may be stored in any memory device, such as semiconductor, magnetic, optical or other memory devices, and may be transmitted using any communications technology, such as optical, infrared, acoustic, radio, microwave, or other transmission technologies. It is expected that such a computer program product may be distributed as a removable medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the network (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web). Of course, some embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a combination of both software (e.g., a computer program product) and hardware. Still other embodiments of the invention are implemented as entirely hardware, or substantially in software (e.g., a computer program product).
It should be noted that dimensions, sizes, and quantities listed herein are exemplary, and the present invention is in no way limited thereto. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a patch-sized fluid delivery device may be approximately 6.35 cm (˜2.5 in) in length, approximately 3.8 cm (˜1.5 in) in width, and approximately 1.9 cm (˜0.75 in) in height, although, again, these dimensions are merely exemplary, and dimensions can vary widely for different embodiments.
While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.
This present application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/715,054, filed May 18, 2015 and entitled Patch-Sized Delivery Systems and Methods, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,335,557, issued Jul. 2, 2019, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/394,944, filed Feb. 27, 2009 and entitled Patch-Sized Fluid Delivery Systems and Methods, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,033,921, issued May 19, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/704,886, filed Feb. 9, 2007 and entitled Patch-Sized Fluid Delivery Systems and Methods, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,545,445, issued Oct. 1, 2013, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which claims priority from the following U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: Ser. No. 60/772,313, filed Feb. 9, 2006 and entitled Portable Injection System; Ser. No. 60/789,243, filed Apr. 5, 2006 and entitled Method of Volume Measurement for Flow Control; and Ser. No. 60/793,188, filed Apr. 19, 2006 and entitled Portable Injection and Adhesive System. This application may also be related to one or more of the following U.S. patent applications filed on even date herewith, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/704,899, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,414,522, for “Fluid Delivery Systems and Methods”; Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/704,896, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,377, for “Pumping Fluid Delivery Systems and Methods Using Force Application Assembly”; Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/704,897, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,113,244, for “Adhesive and Peripheral Systems and Methods for Medical Devices”; and Provisional Application No. 60/889,007 for “Two-Stage Transcutaneous Inserter”.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2122722 | O'Neill | Jul 1938 | A |
| 2308974 | Harper | Jan 1943 | A |
| 2677372 | Barnish, Jr. | May 1954 | A |
| 3261330 | Arant | Jul 1966 | A |
| 3631847 | Hobbs, II | Jan 1972 | A |
| 3722557 | Huggins | Mar 1973 | A |
| 3752510 | Windischman et al. | Aug 1973 | A |
| 3762673 | Koslovsky | Oct 1973 | A |
| 3811121 | Heim | May 1974 | A |
| 3811122 | Raber | May 1974 | A |
| 3833030 | Waldbauer, Jr. et al. | Sep 1974 | A |
| 3837339 | Aisenberg | Sep 1974 | A |
| 3887393 | La Rue | Jun 1975 | A |
| 3951147 | Tucker et al. | Apr 1976 | A |
| 3965946 | D'Alo | Jun 1976 | A |
| D248873 | Raitto | Aug 1978 | S |
| 4123631 | Lewis | Oct 1978 | A |
| D254446 | Raitto | Mar 1980 | S |
| 4206274 | Peels | Jun 1980 | A |
| 4215701 | Raitto | Aug 1980 | A |
| 4269908 | Stemme | Mar 1981 | A |
| 4265241 | Portner et al. | May 1981 | A |
| 4270532 | Franetzki | Jun 1981 | A |
| 4273121 | Jassawalla | Jun 1981 | A |
| 4278225 | Phelps | Jul 1981 | A |
| 4282872 | Franetzki | Aug 1981 | A |
| 4296949 | Muetterties et al. | Oct 1981 | A |
| 4303376 | Siekmann | Dec 1981 | A |
| 4331262 | Snyder | May 1982 | A |
| 4371594 | Ohara | Feb 1983 | A |
| 4373527 | Fischell | Feb 1983 | A |
| 4391883 | Williamson | Jul 1983 | A |
| 4392849 | Petre | Jul 1983 | A |
| 4395259 | Prestele | Jul 1983 | A |
| 4437859 | Whitehouse | Mar 1984 | A |
| 4443218 | Decant | Apr 1984 | A |
| 4452532 | Grollimund et al. | Jun 1984 | A |
| 4464170 | Clemens | Aug 1984 | A |
| 4469481 | Kobayashi | Sep 1984 | A |
| 4474061 | Parker | Oct 1984 | A |
| 4475901 | Kraegen | Oct 1984 | A |
| 4486190 | Reinicke | Dec 1984 | A |
| 4494950 | Fischell | Jan 1985 | A |
| 4498843 | Schneider | Feb 1985 | A |
| 4525165 | Fischell | Jun 1985 | A |
| 4533346 | Cosgrove | Aug 1985 | A |
| 4542532 | McQuilkin | Sep 1985 | A |
| 4543093 | Christinger | Sep 1985 | A |
| 4550731 | Bartina | Nov 1985 | A |
| 4559037 | Franetzki | Dec 1985 | A |
| 4559038 | Berg | Dec 1985 | A |
| 4562751 | Nason | Jan 1986 | A |
| 4596575 | Rosenberg | Jun 1986 | A |
| 4604090 | Reinicke | Aug 1986 | A |
| 4633878 | Bombardieri | Jan 1987 | A |
| 4645489 | Krumme et al. | Feb 1987 | A |
| 4673396 | Urbaniak | Jun 1987 | A |
| 4678408 | Nason | Jul 1987 | A |
| 4685903 | Cable | Aug 1987 | A |
| 4690878 | Nakamura | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4696671 | Epstein | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4699615 | Fischell et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
| 4731051 | Fischell | Mar 1988 | A |
| 4731726 | Allen | Mar 1988 | A |
| 4735441 | Stephens | Apr 1988 | A |
| 4741731 | Starck | May 1988 | A |
| 4743895 | Alexander | May 1988 | A |
| 4747828 | Tseo | May 1988 | A |
| 4790028 | Ramage | Dec 1988 | A |
| 4803625 | Fu | Feb 1989 | A |
| 4804368 | Skakoon | Feb 1989 | A |
| 4809697 | Causey | Mar 1989 | A |
| 4811595 | Marciniak et al. | Mar 1989 | A |
| 4826810 | Oaki | May 1989 | A |
| 4849852 | Mullins | Jul 1989 | A |
| 4856340 | Garrison | Aug 1989 | A |
| 4871351 | Feingold | Oct 1989 | A |
| 4880712 | Gardecki | Nov 1989 | A |
| 4881063 | Fawcett | Nov 1989 | A |
| 4898578 | Rubalcaba | Feb 1990 | A |
| 4919650 | Feingold | Apr 1990 | A |
| 4930494 | Takehana et al. | Jun 1990 | A |
| 4959640 | Hall | Sep 1990 | A |
| 4972508 | King | Nov 1990 | A |
| 4976162 | Kamen | Dec 1990 | A |
| 4988337 | Ito | Jan 1991 | A |
| 4997423 | Okuda | Mar 1991 | A |
| 5009646 | Sudo | Apr 1991 | A |
| 5019974 | Beckers | May 1991 | A |
| 5034004 | Crankshaw | Jul 1991 | A |
| 5049141 | Olive | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5050612 | Matsumura | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5055830 | Cousins | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5056744 | Ludwig | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5063291 | Buehring | Nov 1991 | A |
| 5067532 | Lang et al. | Nov 1991 | A |
| 5075653 | Ito | Dec 1991 | A |
| 5078683 | Sancoff | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5080653 | Voss | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5101814 | Palti | Apr 1992 | A |
| 5102388 | Richmond | Apr 1992 | A |
| 5103216 | Sisselman | Apr 1992 | A |
| 5104374 | Bishko | Apr 1992 | A |
| 5150314 | Garratt | Sep 1992 | A |
| 5153827 | Couture | Oct 1992 | A |
| 5165407 | Wilson | Nov 1992 | A |
| 5174716 | Hora | Dec 1992 | A |
| 5176502 | Sanderson | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5176644 | Srisathapat | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5176662 | Bartholomew | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5187746 | Narisawa | Feb 1993 | A |
| 5191855 | Conforti | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5197322 | Indravudh | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5197895 | Stupecky | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5211201 | Kamen et al. | May 1993 | A |
| 5216597 | Beckers | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5217442 | Davis | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5222946 | Kamen | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5248569 | Pine | Sep 1993 | A |
| 5254093 | Bartlett | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5254096 | Rondelet | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5257971 | Lord | Nov 1993 | A |
| 5257980 | Van Antwerp | Nov 1993 | A |
| 5266013 | Aubert | Nov 1993 | A |
| 5270702 | Krolak | Dec 1993 | A |
| 5290639 | Mallory | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5307263 | Brown | Apr 1994 | A |
| 5314416 | Lewis | May 1994 | A |
| 5317506 | Couture | May 1994 | A |
| 5337215 | Sunderland | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5338157 | Blomquist | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5339821 | Fujimoto | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5341291 | Roizen | Aug 1994 | A |
| 5349852 | Kamen | Sep 1994 | A |
| 5350411 | Ryan | Sep 1994 | A |
| 5357427 | Langen | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5364346 | Schrezenmeir | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5368562 | Blomquist | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5370622 | Livingston | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5372133 | Hogan Esch | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5376070 | Purvis | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5380173 | Hellstrom | Jan 1995 | A |
| 5383865 | Michel | Jan 1995 | A |
| 5390671 | Lord | Feb 1995 | A |
| 5391157 | Harris | Feb 1995 | A |
| 5399166 | Laing | Mar 1995 | A |
| 5399823 | Mccusker | Mar 1995 | A |
| 5403648 | Chan | Apr 1995 | A |
| 5426602 | Hauser | Jul 1995 | A |
| 5433710 | Van Antwerp | Jul 1995 | A |
| 5456940 | Funderburk | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5460618 | Harreld | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5462525 | Srisathapat | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5464392 | Epstein | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5466218 | Srisathapat | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5472317 | Field | Dec 1995 | A |
| 5476460 | Montalvo | Dec 1995 | A |
| 5478211 | Dominiak | Dec 1995 | A |
| 5482446 | Williamson | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5487738 | Sciulli | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5497772 | Schulman | Mar 1996 | A |
| 5505709 | Funderburk | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5514103 | Srisathapat | May 1996 | A |
| 5526844 | Kamen et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5527307 | Srisathapat | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5528359 | Taguchi | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5533381 | Seale | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5533389 | Kamen et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5543588 | Bisset | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5545140 | Conero | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5545152 | Funderburk | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5558640 | Pfeiler | Sep 1996 | A |
| 5569186 | Lord | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5569187 | Kaiser | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5573506 | Vasko | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5575310 | Kamen et al. | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5575631 | Jester | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5582893 | Hultman | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5584813 | Livingston | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5586868 | Lawless et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5593390 | Castellano | Jan 1997 | A |
| 5594638 | Iliff | Jan 1997 | A |
| 5607418 | Arzbaecher | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5609060 | Dent | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5609575 | Larson | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5620312 | Hymann | Apr 1997 | A |
| 5626144 | Tacklind | May 1997 | A |
| 5630710 | Tune | May 1997 | A |
| 5637095 | Nason | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5637420 | Jones | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5641892 | Larkins et al. | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5643212 | Coutre | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5647853 | Feldmann | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5651775 | Walker | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5658133 | Anderson et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
| 5660176 | Iliff | Aug 1997 | A |
| 5660529 | Hill | Aug 1997 | A |
| 5665065 | Colman | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5669887 | Cooper | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5678568 | Uchikubo | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5681285 | Ford | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5685844 | Martilla | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5687734 | Dempsey | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5704366 | Tacklind | Jan 1998 | A |
| 5713857 | Pierre | Feb 1998 | A |
| 5713865 | Manning et al. | Feb 1998 | A |
| 5716725 | Riveron | Feb 1998 | A |
| 5727241 | Yamana | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5733673 | Kunert | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5752940 | Nicolai | May 1998 | A |
| 5755683 | Houle et al. | May 1998 | A |
| 5755744 | Shaw | May 1998 | A |
| 5764159 | Neftel | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5772635 | Dastur | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5772637 | Heinzmann et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5779665 | Mastrototaro | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5785681 | Indravudh | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5788673 | Young | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5788678 | Van Antwerp | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5795337 | Grimard | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5800387 | Duffy | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5800420 | Gross | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5807336 | Russo | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5814015 | Gargano | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5822715 | Worthington | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5827262 | Neftel et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5832448 | Brown | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5840020 | Heinonen | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5840026 | Uber, III | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5851197 | Marano | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5851692 | Potts | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5861018 | Feierbach | Jan 1999 | A |
| 5868669 | Iliff | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5871465 | Vasko | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5871478 | Berrigan | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5879163 | Brown | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5882256 | Shropshire | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5885245 | Lynch | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5897493 | Brown | Apr 1999 | A |
| 5899855 | Brown | May 1999 | A |
| 5913310 | Brown | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5918603 | Brown | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5925021 | Castellano | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5927351 | Zhu et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5928202 | Linnebjerg | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5931791 | Saltzstein | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5933136 | Brown | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5935105 | Manning et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5940801 | Brown | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5951521 | Mastrototaro | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5954697 | Srisathapat | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5954700 | Kovelman | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5956501 | Brown | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5957890 | Mann | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5960403 | Brown | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5973623 | Gupta | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5997476 | Brown | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6007941 | Hermann | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6009339 | Bensten | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6014587 | Shaw | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6032119 | Brown | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6056718 | Funderburk | May 2000 | A |
| 6073036 | Heikkinen | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6090081 | Sudo | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6093172 | Funderburk | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6101478 | Brown | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6110152 | Kovelman | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6119684 | Nohl et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6135949 | Russo | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6165154 | Gray et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6171287 | Lynn | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6206856 | Mahurkar | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6211856 | Choi | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6225711 | Gupta | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6241704 | Peterson | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6246992 | Brown | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6248093 | Moberg | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6253804 | Safabash | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6254586 | Mann | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6259587 | Sheldon | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6269340 | Ford | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6270455 | Brown | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6280416 | Van Antwerp | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6283943 | Dy | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6293925 | Safabash | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6309375 | Glines | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6311868 | Krietemeier | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6321158 | Delorme | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6362591 | Moberg | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6364859 | St. Romain | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6375638 | Nason | Apr 2002 | B2 |
| 6416293 | Bouchard | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6423035 | Kusal | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6427088 | Bowman | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6428509 | Fiedler | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 6447481 | Duchon | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| 6453956 | Safabash | Sep 2002 | B2 |
| 6458102 | Mann | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6459424 | Resman | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6461329 | Van Antwerp | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6461331 | Van Antwerp | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6466203 | Van Ee | Oct 2002 | B2 |
| 6475183 | Epstein et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6475196 | Vachon | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6485461 | Mason | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6485465 | Moberg | Nov 2002 | B2 |
| 6520938 | Funderburk | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| 6537268 | Gibson | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6549423 | Brodnick | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6551276 | Mann | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6551277 | Ford | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6554798 | Mann | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6554800 | Nezhadian | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6555986 | Moberg | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6558320 | Causey | May 2003 | B1 |
| 6558351 | Steil | May 2003 | B1 |
| 6562001 | Lebel | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6564105 | Starkweather | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6571128 | Lebel | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6572542 | Houben | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6577899 | Lebel | Jun 2003 | B2 |
| 6581648 | Zolentroff et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| RE38189 | Walker | Jul 2003 | E |
| 6585644 | Lebel | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6585695 | Adair | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6591876 | Safabash | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6592551 | Cobb | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6595756 | Gray | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6607509 | Bobroffe | Aug 2003 | B2 |
| D480477 | Bush | Oct 2003 | S |
| 6641533 | Causey | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6642936 | Engholm | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6648821 | Lebel | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6652510 | Lord | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6656148 | Das | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6656158 | Mahoney | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6656159 | Flaherty | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6659948 | Lebel | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6665909 | Collins | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6669669 | Flaherty | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6684058 | Karacaglu | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| 6685678 | Evans | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6687546 | Lebel | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6689091 | Bui | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6691043 | Ribeiro | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6692457 | Flaherty | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6694191 | Starkweather | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6699218 | Flaherty | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6704034 | Rodriguez | Mar 2004 | B1 |
| 6716195 | Nolan | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6723072 | Flaherty et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6733446 | Lebel | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6740059 | Flaherty | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6740072 | Starkweather | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6740075 | Sebel | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6743205 | Nolan | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6744350 | Blomquist | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6749586 | Vasko | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6749587 | Flaherty | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6752299 | Shetler | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6752785 | Van Antwerp | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6752787 | Causey | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 6758810 | Lebel | Jul 2004 | B2 |
| 6768425 | Flaherty | Jul 2004 | B2 |
| 6770067 | Lorenzen | Aug 2004 | B2 |
| 6772650 | Ohyama | Aug 2004 | B2 |
| 6800071 | McConnell | Oct 2004 | B1 |
| 6801420 | Talbot | Oct 2004 | B2 |
| 6805693 | Gray | Oct 2004 | B2 |
| 6810290 | Lebel | Oct 2004 | B2 |
| 6811533 | Lebel | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6811534 | Bowman | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6813519 | Lebel | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6817990 | Yap | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6827702 | Lebel | Dec 2004 | B2 |
| 6830558 | Flaherty | Dec 2004 | B2 |
| 6845465 | Hashemi | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| 6852104 | Blomquist | Feb 2005 | B2 |
| 6854620 | Ramey | Feb 2005 | B2 |
| 6872200 | Mann | Mar 2005 | B2 |
| 6873268 | Lebel | Mar 2005 | B2 |
| 6879930 | Sinclair | Apr 2005 | B2 |
| 6902207 | Lickliter | Jun 2005 | B2 |
| 6930602 | Villaseca | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6932584 | Gray | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6936029 | Mann | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6945760 | Gray | Sep 2005 | B2 |
| 6950708 | Bowman | Sep 2005 | B2 |
| 6958705 | Lebel | Oct 2005 | B2 |
| 6960192 | Flaherty | Nov 2005 | B1 |
| 6960195 | Heinz | Nov 2005 | B2 |
| 6964643 | Hovland | Nov 2005 | B2 |
| 6974437 | Lebel | Dec 2005 | B2 |
| 6978517 | Collins | Dec 2005 | B2 |
| 6979326 | Mann | Dec 2005 | B2 |
| 6994619 | Scholten | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6997905 | Gillespie | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6997907 | Safabash | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6997910 | Howlett | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6997920 | Mann | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6997921 | Gray | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6999854 | Roth | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 7011608 | Spencer | Mar 2006 | B2 |
| 7018360 | Flaherty | Mar 2006 | B2 |
| 7021560 | Gray et al. | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7024245 | Lebel | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7025226 | Ramey | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7025743 | Mann et al. | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7029455 | Flaherty | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7029456 | Ware | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7033339 | Lynn | Apr 2006 | B1 |
| 7041082 | Blomquist | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7045361 | Heiss | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7046230 | Zadesky | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7050927 | Sinclair | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7052251 | Wasco | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7061140 | Zhang | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7063684 | Moberg | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7066029 | Beavis et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7074209 | Evans | Jul 2006 | B2 |
| 7075512 | Fabre | Jul 2006 | B1 |
| 7098803 | Mann | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7109878 | Mann | Sep 2006 | B2 |
| 7115113 | Evans | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| 7131967 | Gray | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7137964 | Flaherty | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7144384 | Carl | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7146977 | Beavis et al. | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7238164 | Childers et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| 7297132 | Perlo et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| 7303549 | Flaherty | Dec 2007 | B2 |
| 7305984 | Altobelli et al. | Dec 2007 | B2 |
| 7342660 | Altobelli et al. | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| 7548314 | Altobelli et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
| 7559524 | Gray | Jul 2009 | B2 |
| 7766885 | Olsen | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| 7806166 | Tilton et al. | Oct 2010 | B1 |
| 7867189 | Childers et al. | Jan 2011 | B2 |
| 8137314 | Mounce et al. | Mar 2012 | B2 |
| 20010034502 | Moberg | Oct 2001 | A1 |
| 20010041869 | Causey | Nov 2001 | A1 |
| 20010056258 | Evans | Dec 2001 | A1 |
| 20020002326 | Causey | Jan 2002 | A1 |
| 20020013613 | Haller | Jan 2002 | A1 |
| 20020022807 | Duchon | Feb 2002 | A1 |
| 20020038392 | De La Huerga | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020040208 | Flaherty et al. | Apr 2002 | A1 |
| 20020043951 | Moberg | Apr 2002 | A1 |
| 20020045856 | Jaafar et al. | Apr 2002 | A1 |
| 20020052539 | Haller | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020052574 | Hochman | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020056114 | Fillebrown | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020077852 | Ford | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020082665 | Haller | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020091454 | Vasko | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020107481 | Reilly | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020116080 | Birnbach et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020123672 | Christophersom | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020126036 | Flaherty | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020143290 | Bui | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020158838 | Smith | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020169439 | Flaherty | Nov 2002 | A1 |
| 20020173748 | McConnell | Nov 2002 | A1 |
| 20020193679 | Malave | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20020193846 | Pool | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20030028346 | Sinclair | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030076306 | Zadesky | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030088238 | Poulsen | May 2003 | A1 |
| 20030114836 | Estes | Jun 2003 | A1 |
| 20030125672 | Adair | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20030132922 | Philipp | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20030141981 | Bui | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20030161744 | Vilks | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20030163089 | Bynum | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20030163090 | Blomquist | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20030187525 | Mann | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030191431 | Mann | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030195462 | Mann | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030198558 | Nason et al. | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030212364 | Mann | Nov 2003 | A1 |
| 20030212379 | Bylund | Nov 2003 | A1 |
| 20030229311 | Morris | Dec 2003 | A1 |
| 20030233069 | Gillespie | Dec 2003 | A1 |
| 20040003493 | Adair | Jan 2004 | A1 |
| 20040059315 | Erickson et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040059316 | Smedegaard | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040064088 | Gorman et al. | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040064096 | Flaherty et al. | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040068230 | Estes | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040073095 | Causey | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040073161 | Tachibana | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040082918 | Evans | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040092873 | Moberg | May 2004 | A1 |
| 20040115067 | Rush et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040116893 | Spohn | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040116905 | Pedersen et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040121767 | Simpson | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040127958 | Mazar | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040133166 | Moberg | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040140304 | Leyendecker | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040152961 | Carlson et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20040158193 | Bui | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20040162528 | Horvath | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20040172301 | Mihai | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040176667 | Mihai | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040176725 | Stutz | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040193090 | Lebel | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040204673 | Flaherty | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040207404 | Zhang | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040235446 | Flaherty | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040243065 | McConnell | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040260233 | Garibotto et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050015056 | Duchon | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050021000 | Adair | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050022274 | Campbell | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050027254 | Vasko | Feb 2005 | A1 |
| 20050035956 | Sinclair | Feb 2005 | A1 |
| 20050048900 | Scholten | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050052429 | Philipp | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050055242 | Bello | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050055244 | Mullan | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050062732 | Sinclair | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050063857 | Alheidt | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050065464 | Talbot | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050065817 | Mihai | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050069425 | Gray et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050085760 | Ware | Apr 2005 | A1 |
| 20050137530 | Campbell | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050137573 | McLaughlin | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050148938 | Blomquist | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20050171512 | Flaherty | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050171513 | Mann | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050177111 | Ozeri | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050182366 | Vogt | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050182389 | Laporte et al. | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050187515 | Varrichio et al. | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050187593 | Housworth | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050192494 | Ginsberg | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050197654 | Edman et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050203461 | Flaherty | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050215982 | Malave | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050224705 | Tobiason | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050234404 | Vilks | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050238503 | Rush | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050238507 | Dilanni | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050250368 | Singer | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| 20050261660 | Choi | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| 20050267363 | Duchon | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050267550 | Hess | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050273059 | Mernoe et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050273081 | Olsen | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050273082 | Olsen | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050285880 | Lai | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20060016800 | Paradiso | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060025663 | Talbot | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060026535 | Talbot | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060026536 | Hotelling | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060038791 | MacKey | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060041229 | Garibotto | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060066581 | Lyon | Mar 2006 | A1 |
| 20060097991 | Hotelling | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20060100591 | Alheidt | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20060106346 | Sullivan | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20060122577 | Poulsen et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060129112 | Lynn | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060144942 | Evans | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060160670 | Spencer | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060161870 | Hotelling | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060161871 | Hotelling | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060173406 | Hayes | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060173444 | Choy | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060178633 | Garibotto | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060178836 | Bai | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060184084 | Ware | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060184123 | Gillespie | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060184154 | Moberg | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060200257 | Kirste | Sep 2006 | A1 |
| 20060227117 | Proctor | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20060229557 | Fathallah | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20060232554 | Wong | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20060236262 | Bathiche | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20060236263 | Bathiche | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20060253085 | Geismar | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060264894 | Moberg | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060282290 | Flaherty | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20070049870 | Gray et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070118405 | Mizuno | May 2007 | A1 |
| 20070167912 | Causey et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20070179549 | Russie | Aug 2007 | A1 |
| 20070219480 | Kamen | Sep 2007 | A1 |
| 20070219496 | Kamen | Sep 2007 | A1 |
| 20070219597 | Kamen | Sep 2007 | A1 |
| 20070228071 | Kamen | Oct 2007 | A1 |
| 20070265533 | Tran | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20080009824 | Moberg et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
| 20080097375 | Bikovsky | Apr 2008 | A1 |
| 20080097381 | Moberg | Apr 2008 | A1 |
| 20080125064 | Das et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
| 20080160492 | Campbell et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
| 20080161757 | Nayak et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
| 20080294094 | Mhatre et al. | Nov 2008 | A1 |
| 20080294142 | Patel et al. | Nov 2008 | A1 |
| 20080312584 | Montgomery et al. | Dec 2008 | A1 |
| 20080312585 | Brukalo et al. | Dec 2008 | A1 |
| 20090198215 | Chong et al. | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| 20090213373 | Altobelli et al. | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| 20090275896 | Kamen et al. | Nov 2009 | A1 |
| 20090299277 | Kamen et al. | Dec 2009 | A1 |
| 20090299289 | Kamen et al. | Dec 2009 | A1 |
| 20110009824 | Yodfat et al. | Jan 2011 | A1 |
| 20110029260 | Altobelli et al. | Feb 2011 | A1 |
| 20110079220 | Altobelli et al. | Apr 2011 | A1 |
| 20110144616 | Michaud et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
| 20110190694 | Lanier, Jr. et al. | Aug 2011 | A1 |
| 20120209187 | Kamen | Aug 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1556716 | Dec 2004 | CN |
| 4329229 | Mar 1995 | DE |
| 19627619 | Jan 1998 | DE |
| 338671 | Oct 1989 | EP |
| 420620 | Apr 1991 | EP |
| 554995 | Aug 1993 | EP |
| 763368 | Mar 1997 | EP |
| 806738 | Nov 1997 | EP |
| 970655 | Jan 2000 | EP |
| 1095668 | May 2001 | EP |
| 1338295 | Feb 2003 | EP |
| 830597 | Aug 2004 | EP |
| 1464351 | Oct 2004 | EP |
| 1109586 | Nov 2004 | EP |
| 1473050 | Nov 2004 | EP |
| 1115435 | Aug 2005 | EP |
| 1347705 | Dec 2005 | EP |
| 1007137 | Jan 2006 | EP |
| 1423079 | Jul 2006 | EP |
| 1135056 | Aug 2006 | EP |
| 1688085 | Aug 2006 | EP |
| 1702635 | Sep 2006 | EP |
| 1545657 | Nov 2006 | EP |
| 1546556 | Dec 2006 | EP |
| 1341569 | Jan 2007 | EP |
| 1461070 | Jan 2007 | EP |
| 1309366 | Feb 2007 | EP |
| 944648 | Mar 2007 | EP |
| 1646412 | Mar 2007 | EP |
| 2218831 | Nov 1989 | GB |
| 3155758 | Apr 2001 | JP |
| 2005-507688 | Mar 2005 | JP |
| 2006-504476 | Feb 2006 | JP |
| 1131285 | Apr 1995 | RU |
| 2111018 | May 1998 | RU |
| 92008957 | May 1992 | WO |
| 94008647 | Apr 1994 | WO |
| 95024229 | Sep 1995 | WO |
| 95031233 | Nov 1995 | WO |
| 96008281 | Mar 1996 | WO |
| 96014100 | May 1996 | WO |
| 96020745 | Jul 1996 | WO |
| 96036389 | Nov 1996 | WO |
| 96040330 | Dec 1996 | WO |
| 96041156 | Dec 1996 | WO |
| 97009923 | Mar 1997 | WO |
| 97021456 | Jun 1997 | WO |
| 97040482 | Oct 1997 | WO |
| 98014234 | Apr 1998 | WO |
| 98020439 | May 1998 | WO |
| 98024358 | Jun 1998 | WO |
| 98042407 | Oct 1998 | WO |
| 98049659 | Nov 1998 | WO |
| 98059487 | Dec 1998 | WO |
| 99008183 | Feb 1999 | WO |
| 99010801 | Mar 1999 | WO |
| 99018532 | Apr 1999 | WO |
| 99022236 | May 1999 | WO |
| 99048546 | Sep 1999 | WO |
| 99059663 | Nov 1999 | WO |
| 00010628 | Mar 2000 | WO |
| 00028217 | Mar 2000 | WO |
| 00030529 | Jun 2000 | WO |
| 01000261 | Jan 2001 | WO |
| 01502990 | Jul 2001 | WO |
| 01601616 | Aug 2001 | WO |
| 01070304 | Sep 2001 | WO |
| 01076684 | Oct 2001 | WO |
| 02004047 | Jan 2002 | WO |
| 02020073 | Mar 2002 | WO |
| 02028454 | Apr 2002 | WO |
| 02034331 | May 2002 | WO |
| 02040083 | May 2002 | WO |
| 02049509 | Jun 2002 | WO |
| 02056945 | Jul 2002 | WO |
| 02067122 | Aug 2002 | WO |
| 02068015 | Sep 2002 | WO |
| 02070049 | Sep 2002 | WO |
| 02074406 | Sep 2002 | WO |
| 03024504 | Mar 2003 | WO |
| 03033051 | Apr 2003 | WO |
| 03053498 | Jul 2003 | WO |
| 03059372 | Jul 2003 | WO |
| 03059422 | Jul 2003 | WO |
| 03063932 | Aug 2003 | WO |
| 03071930 | Sep 2003 | WO |
| 03074121 | Sep 2003 | WO |
| 03090509 | Nov 2003 | WO |
| 03090819 | Nov 2003 | WO |
| 03090838 | Nov 2003 | WO |
| 03094075 | Nov 2003 | WO |
| 03099351 | Dec 2003 | WO |
| 03103758 | Dec 2003 | WO |
| 03103763 | Dec 2003 | WO |
| 2004006981 | Jan 2004 | WO |
| 2004006982 | Jan 2004 | WO |
| 2004007133 | Jan 2004 | WO |
| 2004008956 | Jan 2004 | WO |
| 2004009160 | Jan 2004 | WO |
| 2004022136 | Mar 2004 | WO |
| 2004028596 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| 2004030716 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| 2004030717 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| 2004030726 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| 2004032994 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| 2004035116 | Apr 2004 | WO |
| 2004041330 | May 2004 | WO |
| 2004058327 | Jul 2004 | WO |
| 2004060436 | Jul 2004 | WO |
| 2004069095 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| 2004070548 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| 2004070557 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| 2004070994 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| 2004070995 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| 2004093648 | Nov 2004 | WO |
| 2004098390 | Nov 2004 | WO |
| 2004098454 | Nov 2004 | WO |
| 2004098683 | Nov 2004 | WO |
| 2004098684 | Nov 2004 | WO |
| 2005000378 | Jan 2005 | WO |
| 2005000382 | Jan 2005 | WO |
| 2005009514 | Feb 2005 | WO |
| 2005010796 | Feb 2005 | WO |
| 2005016411 | Feb 2005 | WO |
| 2005019766 | Mar 2005 | WO |
| 2005019987 | Mar 2005 | WO |
| 2005039671 | May 2005 | WO |
| 2005094920 | Oct 2005 | WO |
| 2005097235 | Oct 2005 | WO |
| 2005101279 | Oct 2005 | WO |
| 2005102416 | Nov 2005 | WO |
| 2005112899 | Dec 2005 | WO |
| 2005121938 | Dec 2005 | WO |
| 2006001929 | Jan 2006 | WO |
| 2006015922 | Feb 2006 | WO |
| 2006018425 | Feb 2006 | WO |
| 2006018447 | Feb 2006 | WO |
| 2006023147 | Mar 2006 | WO |
| 2006024671 | Mar 2006 | WO |
| 2006024672 | Mar 2006 | WO |
| 2006032652 | Mar 2006 | WO |
| 2006042811 | Apr 2006 | WO |
| 2006061354 | Jun 2006 | WO |
| 2006072416 | Jul 2006 | WO |
| 2006075016 | Jul 2006 | WO |
| 2006077262 | Jul 2006 | WO |
| 2006077263 | Jul 2006 | WO |
| 2006081975 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006083831 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006084464 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006086980 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006089547 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006089548 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006089965 | Aug 2006 | WO |
| 2006096746 | Sep 2006 | WO |
| 2006097453 | Sep 2006 | WO |
| 2006108775 | Oct 2006 | WO |
| 2006108809 | Oct 2006 | WO |
| 2006116997 | Nov 2006 | WO |
| 2006120253 | Nov 2006 | WO |
| 2006125692 | Nov 2006 | WO |
| 2007000425 | Jan 2007 | WO |
| 2007000426 | Jan 2007 | WO |
| 2007000427 | Jan 2007 | WO |
| 2007052277 | May 2007 | WO |
| 2007092618 | Aug 2007 | WO |
| 2007092637 | Aug 2007 | WO |
| 2007104756 | Sep 2007 | WO |
| 2009137777 | Nov 2009 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability with Written Opinion, dated Aug. 12, 2008, received in international patent application No. PCT/US2007/003634, 9 pgs. |
| Examination Report from corresponding European Application No. 07 763 303.0 dated Aug. 4, 2009 (4 pages). |
| Examination report, dated Feb. 22, 2010, received in European Patent Application No. 07763498.8, 5 pgs. |
| Examination Report from corresponding European Application No. 07 750 336.5 dated Aug. 26, 2010 (7 pages). |
| Office Action from corresponding Chinese Application No. 200780007416.4 dated Dec. 6, 2010 (15 pages with translation). |
| Office Action from corresponding Chinese Application No. 200780007335.4 dated Jan. 18, 2011 (7 pages with translation). |
| Office Action from corresponding Chinese Application No. 200780007306.8 dated Jan. 31, 2011 (16 pages with translation). |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion from corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2010/042150 dated Jun. 28, 2011 (14 pages). |
| Extended Search Report from corresponding European Appln. No. 11154417. 7 dated Jul. 21, 2011 (7 pages). |
| Partial Search Report from corresponding European Appln. No. 11154414.4 dated Jul. 21, 2011 (7 pages). |
| Extended Search Report from corresponding European Appln. No. 11154418.5 dated Jul. 21, 2011 (7 pages). |
| Decision on Grant issued in corresponding Russian App In. No. 2008136190/14(046261) dated Oct. 11, 2011 and its English translation (26 pages). |
| Partial European Search Report issued in corresponding European Appln. No. 11154419.3 dated Nov. 14, 2011 (6 pages). |
| Official Action issued in corresponding Japanese Appln. No. 2008-554411 dated Nov. 18, 2011 with translation (9 pages). |
| Official Action issued in corresponding Japanese Appln. No. 2008-554376 dated Dec. 15, 2011 with translation (10 pages). |
| Notice of Opposition from corresponding European Appln. No. 07763686.8 dated Mar. 26, 2012 (47 pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability from International Appln. No. PCT/US2010/062443 dated Jul. 4, 2012 (12 pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability from International Appln. No. PCT/US2010/062426 dated Jul. 4, 2012 (8 pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability issued in corresponding International Appln. No. PCT/US2011/022073 dated Jul. 24, 2012. |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability issued in corresponding International Appln. No. PCT/US2011/023757 dated Aug. 7, 2012. |
| Official Action issue in corresponding Japanese application No. 2010-540955 dated Mar. 5, 2013 with translation (10 pages). |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion from PCT/US2012/071280 dated Mar. 7, 2013 (13 pages). |
| Office Action issued in corresponding Russian Application No. 2010132226 dated May 13, 2013 with translation (8 pages). |
| International Search Report with Written Opinion, dated Oct. 2, 2007, received in international patent application No. PCT/US07/003634, 13 pgs. |
| International Search Report with Written Opinion, dated Oct. 17, 2007, received in international patent application No. PCT/US07/003567, 14 pgs. |
| International Search Report with Written Opinion, dated Nov. 12, 2007, received in international patent application No. PCT/US07/003587, 14 pgs. |
| International Search Report with Written Opinion, dated Nov. 28, 2007, received in international patent application No. PCT/US07/003490, 16 pgs. |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability from International Application No. PCT/US2007/003490 dated Aug. 12, 2008 (12 pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability from International Application No. PCT/US2007/003587 dated Aug. 12, 2008 (10 pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability, dated Aug. 21, 2008, received in international patent application No. PCT/US07/003567, 10 pgs. |
| International Search Report from International Application No. PCT/US2008/088688 dated Jul. 10, 2009 (7 pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability from International Application No. PCT/US2008/088688 dated Jul. 6, 2010 (11 pages). |
| Partial International Search Report from International Application No. PCT/US2010/042150 dated Jan. 12, 2011 (7 pages). |
| U.S. Appl. No. 14/715,054, filed May 18, 2015. |
| U.S. Appl. No. 12/394,944, filed Feb. 27, 2009. |
| U.S. Appl. No. 11/704,886, filed Feb. 9, 2007. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190336681 A1 | Nov 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60772313 | Feb 2006 | US | |
| 60789243 | Apr 2006 | US | |
| 60793188 | Apr 2006 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14715054 | May 2015 | US |
| Child | 16459007 | US | |
| Parent | 12394944 | Feb 2009 | US |
| Child | 14715054 | US | |
| Parent | 11704886 | Feb 2007 | US |
| Child | 12394944 | US |
