Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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- TEMPERATU~E CONTROLLED BODY PADS
DESCRIPrION
Back~round of the In~ention
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to temperature control systems
and more particularly to a light weight portable
temperature control system integrating a variety of face
0 and body pads that will conform to the various contours of
the face and body to aid in the therapeutic treatment of
sports injuries and other ~orms of trauma, to relieve post
operative pain, and to control swelling, bruising and
engorgement.
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2. Description of Prior Art
Localized temperature control of various areas and
parts of the human body, after injury and surgery, requires
the use of cumbersome heating pads, ice packs, frozen gels,
etc., and to maintain the body, or a portion thereof, at a
temperature substantially below the body's normal
température of 98.6 F requires the use of refriseration
-~ systems which are large and bulky and require addltional
heating elements to~ raise or control the temperature
relative to the ambient.
The use of ice pacts, for instance, when taken
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directly from a freezer, have been found to induce frost
bite where the ice~ pact was not allowed to warm above 32
degrees Fahrenheit. Upon placing the ice pack on a
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patient, it begins to melt and warm up rather uickly,
thereby providing a constantly changing temperature at the
areas of contact. In the area of cosmetic surgery, the
necessity to maintain a constant temperature, slightly ;
above freezing, say in the range of 34 - ~0 degrees
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Fahrenheit, is extremely important to reduce internal
bleeding, bruising and swelling.
After surgery, it has been found that controlling the
swelling that normally occurs will aid in expediting the
healing. The various cooling techniques presently in use
fail to satisfactorily maintain 2 constant temperature on
t~e desired body areas. -
Not only is there a problem in maintaining a constanttemperature on the selected areas, there is also a need for
iO a body pad that will comfortably and securely fit the
contours of the area being treated as well as a need for
providing portability of this type of equipment.
The present invention effectively overcomes the above
noted problems by providing a light weight portable cooler
1~ coupled to a form fitting mask or pad having the capability
for precisely controlling temperatures over an extended
period of time, along with the option of alternating cycles
of heating and cooling.
SummarY of the Invention
This invention utilizes an arrangement of
thermoelectric elements to effect a light weight portable
cooler. These thermo electric elements or couples, heat or
cool-depending on the direction of the current flow through
the elements (Peltier effect). The cooler is precisely
temperature çontrolled and coupled through quick
disconnects to a body conforming pad for effecting the
therapeutic result so desired.
Brief DescriDtion of the ~rawinas
Figure 1 shows a generalized system block diagram of
the instant invention;
~ Figure 2 shows one embodiment of a body conforming pad
.~ depicting the invention;
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Figures 3a, 3b and 3c show the various views of a
detailed arrangement of the serpentine fluid jacket of
Figure 2; and
Figures 4-12 show various designs of the body, head
and face pads as en~isioned by this invention.
escri~tion of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring now to the generalized block diagram of
Figure 1, which shows a typical system for controlling the
temperature of a body pad as envisioned by this invention,
one realizes the complexities of packaging such a system
into a light weight portable system, but in the preferred
embodiment the components have been miniaturized to fit
into a briefcase and at the extreme, into a small piece of
luggage. The novelty in this invention lies in separate
and distinct improvements in several components of the
system and not in the specific system. For instance, each
of the elements shown as pump 10, TE cooler 11, and Fan 13,
have been improved to function as a DC driven system with
a voltage converter which will allow operation of `an
international input power supply on either 40 to 60 cycles
and 90-270 volts AC input or as a totally portable unit on
battery power. A thermo electric (TE) cooler 11 is shown
to be the desired cooler in this.instance, even though
other coolers,.such as a split cycle cooler could be used
where portability and weight are not the primary concerns~
The TE cooler is well known in the art and essentially
consists of an arrangement of P and N-type semiconductor
materials connected electrically for effecting a Peltier
effect upon the circulation of current therethrough, and
thermally in parallel for effecting a heat sink and a cold
sin~, in which instance the cooler may be utilized as
either a heater or cooler in accordance with the direction
~- of current flow. Also shown is a heat exchanger 12 and a
WO94/~86 2 1 1 6 1 2 1 PCT/US92/0533~
fan 13. The exchanger is so coupled to the cooler that
upon directing the air flow from the fan thereacross, the
heat laden air is removed. The temperature controller 14
has been refined and made programmable for minute
adjustment of the temperature of the liquid flowing ~hrough
the system with temperature control to ~2 F or better.
Several fluids may be used, but one of the most desirable
fluids has been found to be a mixture of 80% de-ionized
distilled water and 20% propylene glycol. The liquid
1~ exchanger lS is also coupled to the TE cooler 11 in such a
manner that the liquid flowing through the system is
precisely controlled in accordance with the temperature
setting of a microprocessor controller 14. The
microprocessor controller also can automatically provide a
lS cooling and heating cycle for sports injuries. It can be
programmed, for example, to provide desired periods of
cooling and heating. The microprocessor is integrated into
the temperature controller 14 and may be operated manually
or in an automatic mode. In the manual mode, the user may
set the desired fluid temperature. This regulates the
power supply to control the current flow through the TE
cooler 11 of Figure 1 and is automatically adjusted to meet
the temperature setting. In the automatic mode, the user
merely sets a temperature cycle to be observed. For
example, the user can have the temperature set at a low
(cool) setting for a predetermined period of time followed
by a higher (hot) temperature setting for another
predetermined period. This cycle can continue and be
repeated indefinitely. An extremely important feature of
0 this invention is the therapy pad 16 which is discussed in
- further detail hereinafter. Pad 16 is connected in the
system with two sets of quick disconnects, one shown as 1~,
being a coupling to the liquid heat exchanger 15 and the
other being 18, which is coupled to the pump lo, for return
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of the fluid. The quick disconnects allow a pad, which is
precharged with liquid, to be quickly connected and
disconnected to the portable cooling machine. Eventhough
the cooler as shown in Figure 1 shows a single therapy pad
16, the design allows for multiple ports for treating
several body parts simultaneously and even at different
~emperatures. The therapy pad 16, as shown in Figure 2,
-epresents a significant improvement over the treatment
pads described in U.S. Patents 4,114,620, Moore et al and
0 3,867,939, Moore et al. Both patents teach the use of
laminated plastic film panels defining a -passage
therebetween for circulating a fluid to effect a heat
_ransfer between the pad and a patient. Such pads could be
used in the instant~~case but fail to provide the body
conforming adaptability of the instant invention. Note
particularly that one of the major advantages of this
system lies in the body conforming pad génerally shown in
Figure 2. The gel layer 20 actually represents an
alternative embodiment of this invention and is shown
sandwiched between a sterile pad shown as layer 21
contacting the body and a layer of fluid carrying conduits
shown as layer 22 compose of flexible serpentine fluid
conduit passageways, more clearly shown in Figure 3b. The
gel 20 is a soft readily moldable material having a good
2~ temperature conducting characteristic such that the entire
cooled or heated area maintains an even temperature
gradient and as such, maintains a more constant temperature
at the point of treatment. Note also that a thermal layer
23 insulates the pad from the outside environment in order
to maintain a constant temperature at the point of contact
with the body. This layer 23 may take various forms but in
the preferred embodiment it is envisioned as one or more
layers of material, such as polyvinylchloride, of a
thickness of approximately 0.008 mil, having an air pocket
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to provide flexibility and good insulative qualities. The
body pad may take the form of the area being treated and
may be of any reasonable size from that of a small pad to
treat a specific joint or a large body pad to treat all or
a large portion of the body. Layer 21 of the pad may be
fabricated as a sterile disposable pad, such as
polyproplene, or as a removable and reusable pad which is
durable and capable of being sterilized repeatedly. This
layer 21 may be affixed to the cooling pad by various
techniques, one being by use of Velcro strips to allow for
ease of replacement. It should be recognized that the pad
shown in Figure 2 is by way of representation only and may
be fabricated of multiple layers to meet the particular
need. Specifically designed body pads, such as face masks,
and other body conforming designs are envisioned as
applications of this invention. Looking now more
specifically at igure 3b, note the quick disconnects 17
and 18 which are used for ease of coupling and decoupling
the pad. The fluid flow lines are designed such that the
pad bends around the body contour with the flow lines
parallel to the pad bend and are preferably fabricated of
a polyvinylchloride material. This will enable the
pressurized fluid within the lines to conform to the body
port without crimping the flow. Note also that the quick
disconnects 17 and 18 are located as far apart as possible
on the pad to maintain as even a temperature across the pad
as~possible.
E~enthough the fluid passageways 19 of the pad shown
in Figure 3b are shown in a parallel configuration, as
noted earlier they are actually configured in each
specifically designed pad to bend and flex with the contour
. of the body part to which the pad is to conform. This
design is necessary to assure that the fluid flow through
the passageways is not restricted or pinched off. Note
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Figure 3c which shows a cutaway side view of the pad,
further showing the extremely high percentage of surface
area of the pad functioning as a fluid flow and temperature
control area. Referring to Figure 3a, strips 30 and 31 are
shown as VELCRO strips whereby the pad may be securely
attached to a body part being treated by fastening the
strap, also having a VELCRO strip 32 shown in Figure 3b
around the body part to mate the respective VELCRO strips
30 and 31 to the strip 32.
~o Various types of pads are shown in Figures 4 through
12. The pads are designed for specific areas of the body
and are shown for i1'ustrative purposes only. They do not
sAow the required qulck disconnects or speci__c attachment
~eans as exemplified in the basic design of Figures 3a, 3b
and 3c. In Figures 4 a, b, c, d, e, and f, a universal pad
is shown adapted to the knee, elbow, arm, thigh, shin and
torso, respectively.
Figures 5 a, b and c, show the application of the pad
as a headband and Figure 6a shows the pad designed as a
sinus mask. Figure 6b shows a face mas~ which is
configured to conform to ones face for cosmetic surgery or
Cacial injury recuperation. The mask may be held securely
in place by adjustable straps attached thereto for coupling
in a comfortable arrangement around the head.Figure 7 is
~5 designed to show the pad as conforming to the head as a
chemo cap to reduce the loss of hair as a result of chemo
therapy.
~ Figures 8 a and b show shoulder and hip pads while
Figure 9 shows a collar pad and Figure lO shows the use as
a wrist band for carpol tunnel, fatigue and sports
injuries.
Figures ll a, b, and c show uses as bac~, neck and
seat pads while Figures 12 a, b, and c show applications to
- the finger, thumb and toe.
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While this invention has been described in terms of
specific applications to various parts of the human body,
the representations have been made for illustrative
purposes only and other, as well as more varied uses, may
be made thereof, such as in the treatment of animals in the
practice of veterinary.
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