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US5269304A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Electro-therapy apparatus

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1991-09-04
•
Granted: 1993-12-14
•
Expires: 2011-09-04
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Abstract

Abstract An electro-therapy apparatus includes at least two electrodes adapted to feed oscillating current to selected sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface remote from a treatment site. A common return electrode is provided at the treatment site which is subjected to the sum of the currents from the two feed electrodes. The feed electrodes may be contact feed electrodes or capacitative feed electrodes. The feed electrodes may operate at different frequencies so that the treatment site is stimulated by the beat frequency. This may be at or about 80 or 130 Hz, if an anaesthetizing effect is required.

Inventors

  • 👤 Tony Matthews

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-23 04:57
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61N; A61N1/00; A61N1/40; A61N1/18; A61N1/32; A61N1/36; A61N1/36014; A61N1/36021; A61N1/36017

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim 104 words
Electro-therapy apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a treatment site of a patient, comprising means for providing two independent oscillating or pulsing electric alternating currents, of frequencies which differ from each other by up to about 250 Hz, but each being of frequency at least about 1 KHz, two feed electrodes respectively adapted to feed said electric currents to selected feed sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, and a return electrode common to said feed electrodes and adapted to be positioned on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, locally to said treatment site.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 104 words
Electro-therapy apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a treatment site of a patient, comprising means for providing two independent oscillating or pulsing electric alternating currents, of frequencies which differ from each other by up to about 250 Hz, but each being of frequency at least about 1 KHz, two feed electrodes respectively adapted to feed said electric currents to selected feed sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, and a return electrode common to said feed electrodes and adapted to be positioned on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, locally to said treatment site.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 18 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing two electric currents comprises two independent oscillators.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 25 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing two electric currents is adapted to provide two electric currents each of sinusoidal waveform.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 11 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, having one return electrode only.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 11 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, having two feed electrodes only.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 21 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means for operating one or a plurality of feed electrodes on a varying frequency.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 13 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means for operating feed electrodes intermittently.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 34 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a casing for electrical components, and one or more capacitive feed electrodes located internally of the casing, the casing being an insulator and acting as a dielectric.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 13 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, comprising one or more contact feed electrodes.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 24 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a casing for electrical components and one or more capacitive feed electrodes located externally of the casing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 17 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 10, comprising a chair in which a capacitive feed electrode is located.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 24 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the return electrode is adapted to be positioned on a gum adjacent a tooth to be treated.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 21 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the summated area of the feed electrodes exceeds the area of the return electrode.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 25 words
Electro-therapy apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said feed electrode summated area exceeds said return electrode summated area by a factor of more than 4.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 91 words
Electro-therapy apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a treatment site of a patient, comprising means for providing two independent oscillating or pulsing electric currents, two feed electrodes, adapted respectively to feed said electric currents to selected feed sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, and a plurality of return electrodes common to the feed electrodes adapted to be positioned on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, adjacent to said treatment site, and means for switching the return electrodes into circuit sequentially.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 91 words
Electro-therapy apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a treatment site of a patient, comprising means for providing two independent oscillating or pulsing electric currents, two feed electrodes, adapted respectively to feed said electric currents to selected feed sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, and a plurality of return electrodes common to the feed electrodes adapted to be positioned on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, adjacent to said treatment site, and means for switching the return electrodes into circuit sequentially.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 33 words
Electro-therapy apparatus comprising: electrical circuitry apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a patient; a casing for said electrical circuitry apparatus; and one or more capacitive feed electrodes located internally of said casing.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 33 words
Electro-therapy apparatus comprising: electrical circuitry apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a patient; a casing for said electrical circuitry apparatus; and one or more capacitive feed electrodes located internally of said casing.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 43 words
Electro-therapy apparatus comprising: electrical circuitry apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a patient; a casing for said electrical circuitry apparatus; one or more capacitive feed electrodes located externally of said casing; and a chair in which a capacitive feed electrode is located.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 43 words
Electro-therapy apparatus comprising: electrical circuitry apparatus for providing therapeutic electric current to a patient; a casing for said electrical circuitry apparatus; one or more capacitive feed electrodes located externally of said casing; and a chair in which a capacitive feed electrode is located.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 135 words
Electro-therapy apparatus for providing a targeted therapeutic effect, which apparatus comprises: means for providing at least one therapeutic oscillating or pulsing electric current; at least one feed electrode adapted to feed said electric current to a selected feed site on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient; and at least one return electrode adapted to be positioned on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, locally to said treatment site, wherein the area of the feed electrode, or summated area of the feed electrodes, when there is more than one, exceeds the area of the return electrode, or summated area of the return electrodes, when there is more than one (with reference to the electrodes which are operational at any given moment), by a factor of more than 4.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 135 words
Electro-therapy apparatus for providing a targeted therapeutic effect, which apparatus comprises: means for providing at least one therapeutic oscillating or pulsing electric current; at least one feed electrode adapted to feed said electric current to a selected feed site on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient; and at least one return electrode adapted to be positioned on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, locally to said treatment site, wherein the area of the feed electrode, or summated area of the feed electrodes, when there is more than one, exceeds the area of the return electrode, or summated area of the return electrodes, when there is more than one (with reference to the electrodes which are operational at any given moment), by a factor of more than 4.
Claim 24
Independent Claim 83 words
A method of therapy, comprising providing two feed electrodes, feeding via said feed electrodes two independent oscillating or pulsing electric currents to a patient, to respective selected feed sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, said currents each being of frequency at least about 1 KHz and differing from each other by up to about 250 Hz, and providing a return electrode common to said feed electrodes on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient.
Claim 25
Independent Claim 83 words
A method of therapy, comprising providing two feed electrodes, feeding via said feed electrodes two independent oscillating or pulsing electric currents to a patient, to respective selected feed sites on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient, said currents each being of frequency at least about 1 KHz and differing from each other by up to about 250 Hz, and providing a return electrode common to said feed electrodes on or beneath the epidermal or mucous surface of the patient.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 25 words
A method of therapy according to claim 19, herein the said frequencies differ by a frequency in the range about 60 to about 150 Hz.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 17 words
A method of therapy according to claim 20, wherein the said frequencies differ by about 80 Hz.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim 17 words
A method of therapy according to claim 20, wherein the said frequencies differ by about 130 Hz.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim 24 words
A method of therapy according to claim 19, wherein each of the two feed electrodes operates at a frequency up to about 200 KHz.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim 23 words
A method of therapy according to claim 19, wherein each of the two frequencies is in the range about 4 to 5 KHz.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim 22 words
A method of therapy according to claim 19, wherein said feed electrodes are located at feed sites remote from said treatment site.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4572214A Cited
US4637405A Cited
US4841973A Cited
US4895154A Cited
US4863157A Cited
US4924880A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1996-12-13 1997-06-14 1997-12-14 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2000-12-13 2001-06-14 2001-12-14 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2004-12-13 2005-06-14 2005-12-14 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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