Patents by Inventor Charles C. Horn

Charles C. Horn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20210268268
    Abstract: Disclosed are highly compliant bioelectronic neural interface devices with hydrogel adhesion. Example devices include adhesion-promoting functional groups that facilitate enhanced electrical contact with the nerve without the need for continuous application of pressure. A transfer process may be used to fabricate the device using a sacrificial material (e.g., polyacrylic acid (PAA)) that has tunable solubility in aqueous media, helping avoid the need for harsher release chemicals that may affect the properties of the hydrogel. The transfer process also helps achieve electrode contacts that are flush with a surface of the device and facilitate more intimate contact with the nerve. A gradual change in Young's modulus from a stiff contact pad region to a more compliant electrode contact region may be achieved via a varied amount of an epoxy-based material (such as SU-8 ) and with silicone-based material (such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) to encapsulate the device cable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicants: University of Pittsburgh - Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Carnegie Mellon University
    Inventors: Charles C. HORN, Gutian Xiao, Christopher Bettinger, Gary Keith Redder, Xiao Chuan Ong, Wel˜Chen Huang, Lee Erik Bartholomew Fisher, Rob Gaunt
  • Publication number: 20210128913
    Abstract: Small-diameter axons can be targeted for neuromodulation. A nerve modulating therapy can be configured to target the small diameter axons in a target area of a subject specifically. The nerve modulating therapy can be applied to the target area to modulate conduction in one or more small diameter axons within the target area to a greater degree than in large diameter axons within the target area. The nerve modulating therapy can be any therapy that affects an outer surface of the one or more small diameter axons (like a heat signal, a pressure wave, an optogenetic manipulation, and/or a pharmaceutical dosage).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Emilie H. Lothet, Kendrick M. Shaw, Eric Duco Jansen, Hillel J. Chiel, Michael W. Jenkins, Charles C. Horn