Adjustable Geometry Wearable Electrodes
Patent No. US11357434 (titled "Adjustable Geometry Wearable Electrodes") was filed by Ceribell Inc on May 13, 2019.
What is this patent about?
’434 is related to the field of wearable bio-potential electrodes, specifically those used for EEG, EKG, and EMG monitoring. These electrodes are placed on the skin to measure electrical activity. A key challenge is maintaining good electrical contact, especially in the presence of hair or when the patient is lying down for extended periods. Existing electrodes can be uncomfortable, require skin preparation, and lose effectiveness over time due to gel drying or displacement.
The underlying idea behind ’434 is to create a more comfortable and reliable electrode assembly that minimizes skin irritation and maintains good contact even with hair. This is achieved by incorporating a collapsible or compressible electrode body that conforms to the skin, a reservoir for conductive gel, and a mechanism for dispensing the gel. A key aspect is the inclusion of a skin-preparing surface that can clear away hair and debris to improve contact.
The claims of ’434 focus on an electrode assembly with an electrode body that has an internal reservoir for conductive gel and a bottom opening for dispensing it. Crucially, the electrode body includes both a skin-preparing surface near the opening and an adaptor for an external gel dispenser . The adaptor allows the dispenser to be removably coupled and moved (translated, rotated, or pivoted) to clear skin or hair using the skin-preparing surface.
In practice, the electrode assembly would be part of a wearable sensor, such as a headband. Before use, an external dispenser (like a syringe) is connected to the adaptor and used to fill the internal reservoir with conductive gel. The dispenser can then be manipulated to use the skin-preparing surface to gently abrade or clear the skin. When the sensor is worn, the collapsible or compressible electrode body allows it to conform to the skin, even when the patient is lying down, while the gel ensures good electrical contact.
This design differentiates itself from prior approaches by combining gel dispensing, skin preparation, and a comfortable, conforming electrode body in a single assembly. The ability to use an external dispenser for both filling and skin preparation simplifies the process and allows for refilling the gel as needed. The collapsible body and skin-preparing surface address the issues of comfort and contact reliability, making it suitable for long-term monitoring applications.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the late 2010s when ’434 was filed, wearable sensors for physiological monitoring were becoming increasingly common, at a time when signal acquisition from the body was typically implemented using conductive gels or adhesives to ensure good contact between electrodes and the skin. When systems commonly relied on direct skin contact for accurate readings, hardware or software constraints made maintaining consistent signal quality in the presence of hair or skin debris non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the prior art references, taken individually or in combination, did not teach or suggest an electrode body comprising both a skin-preparing surface adjacent to the bottom opening and an adapter for an external dispenser of conductive fluid or gel. Furthermore, the prior art did not disclose a skin-preparing surface with a plurality of elongate elements, or an adapter configured for removable coupling to an external dispenser that is movable by translation, rotation, or pivoting.
Claims
This patent contains 22 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to an electrode assembly with a reservoir for conductive fluid, a skin preparing surface, and an adaptor for an external dispenser. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific features and configurations of the electrode assembly described in the independent claim, such as the shape of the reservoir, the components of the electrode body, the type of external dispenser, the properties of the skin preparing surface, and the movement of the electrode body relative to other components.
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Date
Description
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US11357434
- Application Number
- US16410297
- Filing Date
- May 13, 2019
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jun 25, 2038
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents