Disposable electrodes for electrical stimulation of muscles and nerves of the head

Claim 1

A disposable electrode assembly for electrical stimulation of facial muscles with a pulsing electrical current from a pulse generating apparatus comprising: a pair of input electrodes, each of the input electrodes comprising: (1) a flexible, electrically non-conductive, planAr, synthetic plastic sheet having a thickness ranging from 1 to 3 mils. and having an adhesive coating on one side thereof, the sheet having a projecting tab extending from one edge of the sheet for connection to a flexible lead wire and a shoulder portion extending outwardly from an adjacent edge of the sheet for fitting under the earlobe of the patient to correctly place the electrode on the face of the patient for electrical stimulation of the fifth and seventh cranial nerves through the mandibular notch region; (2) an electrically conductive foil sheet adhered to the adhesive coated surface of the projecting tab and extending part way across the central area of the plastic sheet; (3) a flexbile, fine mesh, electrically nonconductive screen material having a surface area smaller than the surface area of the nonconductive plastic sheet and overlapping the portion of the foil sheet extending across the central area of the planar sheet from the tab and leaving an exposed area of the adhesive coated surface around the remaining edges thereof for adhering the adhesive-coated planar sheet to the skin of the patient, the overlapped portion of the screen material and foil creating a pocket when the electrode is adhered to the skin of the patient for injection of a gel electrolyte: a common dispersal electrode comprising: (1) a flexible, electrically nonconductive, planar plastic sheet having an adhesive coating on one side thereof adapted to be secured to the skin of the patient, the sheet having a projecting tab extending from one edge thereof for connection to a flexible lead wire, (2) an electrically conductive foil sheet adhered to the adhesive coated surface of the projecting tab and extending part way across the central area of the planar sheet, (3) a planar, flexible, fine mesh, electrically non-conductive screen material having a surface area smaller than the surface area of the planar sheet and overlapping the portion of the foil sheet extending across the central area of the planar sheet to leave an exposed area of adhesive around the remaining edges thereof for adhering the electrode to the skin of the patient, the overlapped portion of the screen material and the foil creating a pocket when the electrode is adhered to the skin of the patient for injection of a liquid gel electrolyte therein, and flexible lead wires connected to the dispersal electrode and the input electrodes for receiving current from a pulse generating apparatus.