Pain relief device

Abstract

The Pain relief device uses low voltage DC power sources to relieve pain and promote faster healing in the bodies of humans and animals safely. It has long been known that electrical stimulation to the body can relieve pain. The afflicted area of the body receives a positive (+) charge while the negative electrode (−) is placed on a different part of the body. The problem with attaching electrodes to the body is that if sufficient electricity is applied to accomplish the task of relieving pain, electrical burns to the skin can occur at the site of the negative (−) electrode. In the case of The Pain Relief Device, only the positive (+) electrode touches the skin as the negative (−) electrode is completely shielded with insulation. The electrical stimulation occurs harmlessly, because the shielded negatively (−) charged electrode or insulated pad, being an insulated sheet of aluminum foil produces an electric field in the body that is strong enough to cause a current to flow into the body at the site of the positive (+) electrode. No current can flow at the site of the negative (−) electrode because it is insulated and therefore no burns to the skin.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention known as ‘The Pain Relief Device’ referred to as the ‘device’ in this document allows for the production and manufacture of therapeutic devices that, when placed on the injured part of the body can safely relieve pain, particularly in joints and muscles to promote faster recovery from injuries in the bodies of humans and animals. The invention uses a low voltage, 0.0-7.0 volts, DC (direct current) electrical power source to power the devices that are to be worn by a subject experiencing pain. These devices may be made portable if an attachable battery pack is used as a power source.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In the year 2000, it was discovered that a large flat sheet of aluminum foil, insulated on both sides could be used to induce an electric field in the body. This basic sheet of aluminum foil turned into a large flat electrode when wired to the negative (−) pole of a battery is in contact with, but insulated from the body. This part is called the insulated pad. When an electrode, connected to the positive (+) pole of the same battery, is placed on the skin on a different part of the body, a weak current will be produced in the electrode connected to the positive (+) pole. When this electrode, thus wired, is placed on the skin at the site of an injury, a beneficial therapeutic affect occurs, relieving pain and promoting faster healing. This affect occurs at low (0.0-7.0 volts DC) voltages and is gradual requiring about a two hour session per application. The device was further refined by using a sheet of aluminum foil for the electrode connected to the positive (+) pole of the battery with the whole sheet of aluminum foil laid across and covering the skin over the injury providing a uniform charge across a larger skin surface relieving pain from a larger area. With a little reinforcement on the back of the aluminum foil electrode for durability, the conducting pad is produced. The conducting pad's size depends only on the size of the injury being treated and can even be a point electrode, however the insulated pad as it is the most important component of the device must contain the largest flat sheet electrode practical, completely insulated on each side and the edges so that none of its conducting material is exposed or able to come in contact with the skin. The key to the functioning of the device is the large flat insulated pad that when charged up by the negative (−) pole of a weak DC power source, produces an electric field in the body that causes a weak current to flow from the positively (+) charged conducting pad electrode into the body at the site of an injury causing a gradual decrease in pain and a gradual healing affect. The major part of the discovery is that it works.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0003] The device invented creates a type of electrotherapy for people who have a sore joint or muscle and want relief from pain. The device consists of two pad-type electrodes, or pads, wired to a DC power source such as a battery; one pad to the positive (+) pole and the other pad to the negative (−) pole. The pads are broad, flat, and thin, and could be any shape or size above a square inch in area, (See FIG. 1A) and are placed flat against the body. One pad, the conducting pad, is placed on the skin of the body at the site of the injury. This pad consists of a single sheet of aluminum foil or other like material only, and this sheet of aluminum foil is large enough to completely cover the area of the injury. This sheet of aluminum foil is converted into a flat sheet like electrode after it is electrically connected to the positive (+) pole of a low voltage DC power source by insulated electrical wire. When on the body, in full contact with the skin of the injured area, and wired as above, the positive (+) charge of the DC power source is distributed equally throughout the sheet of aluminum foil as aluminum is an excellent conductor of electricity. Where the aluminum foil, thus charged up, is in contact with the skin, the positive (+) charge of the aluminum foil sets up a positive charge on the skin around the site of the injury. This affect, and how it is used will be explained below following the description of the insulated pad.

[0004] The insulated pad is also a flat sheet like electrode such as a sheet of aluminum foil and has roughly the same area or is larger than the above mentioned conducting pad's conducting sheet. This electrode of aluminum foil is hard wired to the negative (−) pole of the same DC power source as the conducting pad above. Besides the polarity differences in wiring, to this point, the electrodes being used in the insulated pad and the conducting pad are basically the same, being flat sheets of aluminum foil with the same general shape and area. The insulated pad is fabricated by taking the negatively (−) charged, aluminum foil electrode and completely covering it, on both sides, of the aluminum foil sheet, by insulation. The flat, aluminum foil sheet electrode becomes completely shielded electrically, in that no current can pass from the electrode within the insulated pad to the outside of the insulated pad, thus earning its name. When the insulated pad is placed on the skin of the body, it produces a negatively (−) charged electric field in the body centered at the location of the insulated pad and radiating outward through the body.

[0005] When these two pads, wired as above, are placed on the body simultaneously, an electric field is set up flowing through the body from the positively (+) charged pad to the negatively (−) charged pad. At the location of the insulated pad, no current can flow from the body to the negative (−) electrode within as it is completely electrically insulated. The negative (−) electric field created by the electrode will still, however, flow through the insulation and flow throughout the body. When the positively (+) charged conducting pad is placed on the skin on the injured region of a body when it is being charged by an insulated pad from the opposite side of the body from the injury, there is an interaction of the electric fields at the site of the conducting pad. The excess positive (+) charge build up in the conducting pad is drawn to the negative (−) field in the body produced by the insulated pad. When this negatively (−) charged field is set up in the body, charged particles in the body will be attracted to the appositely charged electrodes, or pads. Although none of these charged particles can pass from the body through the skin into the insulated pad, there is nothing to stop the appositely charged particles from passing through the skin of the body at the location of the conducting pad as it is a bare aluminum foil electrode on exposed, bare, skin. This minute flow of current at the site of the conducting pad creates an environment that relieves pain and promotes faster healing in the joint or muscle being treated.

[0006] The effectiveness of the device will vary depending on the voltage used, the surface area of the pads, and the placement of the pads on the body, all which will affect the electric field set up between the two pads through the body. The best results occur when the pads are as close as they can be to each other on the body while being on the opposite side of the body from each other. The electric field is perpendicular to the surface created by the flat pads. Having the pads directly facing each other from opposite sides of the body is ideal. The reason for this is because we are trying to focus the electric field so that it flows through the location of the injury to maximize the affect of the conducting pad.

[0007] A large insulated pad placed on the stomach can be used as alternative way to create the negative (−) field in the body. From the stomach, it will cause a negatively (−) charged electric field to flow throughout the whole body. If the conducting pad is placed elsewhere on the body, (back, knee, elbow, hip, shoulder, etc.), to treat an injury, the electric field produced by the insulated pad on the stomach will produce an electric current in the conducting pad and produce a positive therapeutic affect on the injury being treated.

[0008] The voltages being used for all these devices has ranged from 0.0 volts up to 7.0 volts DC. Devices using 1.5-3.0 volts are universally well tolerated and produce excellent results.

[0009] Once the pads are positioned on the body as described above they should be left in this manner as long as is possible and comfortable to the subject, until the pain goes away. FIG. 3. demonstrates the placement, configuration, and general dimensions of a device designed to treat lower back pain as one of many examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a view of the configuration of the Pain Relief Device showing the pads and their conducting sheets and how they are connected electrically to the DC power source or battery used.

[0011] FIG. 2. shows how the pads are constructed in more detail (insulated pad) and how the conducting sheets of the pads are connected electrically to the DC power source or battery.

[0012] FIG. 3. shows how the invention can be adapted to relieve pain in the lower back.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The basic invention may be constructed with ordinary DC batteries, two pieces of insulated wire, two sheets of flexible conducting material such as aluminum foil, and thin flexible insulating material such as vinyl, plastic, paper, duct tape, leather or dense fabric. Thin flat, flexible pads connected to a low voltage DC power source such as a battery are used in this device (see FIG. 1). There are two types of pads used. Both pads have a thin sheet of conducting material such as aluminum foil as their electrodes. One pad is made by insulating both sides of one of the conducting sheets so that it is completely insulated. The conducting sheet within shall be called the core and the pad thus made will be called the ‘insulated pad’ (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The sheet of aluminum foil and its electrical contact with an insulated wire has overlapping sheets of vinyl bonded to each side so that no aluminum or electrical contact is exposed. See FIG. 2. The other end of the protruding insulated wire is connected to the negative (−) pole of a two AA battery pack, as an example, providing approximately 3 volts DC.

[0014] The conducting pad is made by insulating only one side of the conducting sheet leaving one side exposed. The insulation in this case is used for structural support, strengthening the delicate sheet of aluminum foil only, and really has no electrical function. This pad shall be called the ‘conducting pad’ (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The insulated wire electrically connected to the conducting sheet of the conducting pad is connected to the positive (+) pole of the same battery pack as the above mentioned insulated pad. Both pads thus constructed are flat very thin and flexible as they have been made out of flexible materials. These pads will have a surface area according to the application which will determine their size and shape. This particular device has the voltage set at a constant 3.0 volts DC.

[0015] As an example, if the lower back is injured and one wishes to treat it with this device using this principle. The pads of the device and the electrical wiring would be constructed and put together exactly as described and seen in FIG. 2. This example is for a 200 LB. man of average height, the x-y and x′-y′ dimensions of the respective pads (see FIG. 2), would be 5 in. by 14 in. for both the conducting sheet of the conducting pad and the core of the insulated pad. This particular device uses two AA batteries in a battery pack wired in series providing approximately 3 volts DC. This device can be affixed easily to someone if the pads and battery pack wired as above are held in place by a wide belt. (See FIG. 3). The exposed conducting surface of the conducting pad is placed against the skin of the lower back while the insulated pad is placed against the skin of the stomach or abdomen. (See FIG. 3.) This configuration will relieve pain in the lower back and promote faster healing. Rather than using a separate belt, a large belt made from the insulating material can be used instead of separate pieces of insulation for each pad as seen in FIG. 3.

[0016] It should be noted that the system will not work at all unless the device is wired and used exactly as described above. That is, no reduction of pain or any other therapeutic affect will result. It will not work if the poles on the battery are reversed going to the conducting and insulated pads or if the insulated negative (−) pad is placed over the injury. It only works if the positive (+) pole of the DC power source or battery is wired to the conducting sheet of the conducting pad and placed on the site of the injury while the negative (−) pole of the DC power source or battery is connected to the insulated pad and positioned opposite, or on another location of the body as described above. The conductive side of the conductive pad must also be in contact with the skin and not its insulated side. No pain relief will occur unless the exposed aluminum foil in this case, of the conducting pad is in direct contact with the skin at the site of the injury.

[0017] Devices based on this principal have been adapted to ease pain and speed healing in the knee, shoulder, wrist, elbow, ankle, feet, and neck with positive results. Indeed any injured or strained muscle or joint in the body could benefit from this treatment. It has been used to treat the sore hip of a dog as well using a metal brush type adapter for the conducting pad with each tooth of the brush charged with the same voltage used in the insulated pad. The brush is used so that the fur on the animal can be penetrated so that the electrodes in the brush are in contact with the animal's skin. There is no reason why this technology wouldn't work just as well on any other mammal.

[0018] Patent Protection Requested

[0019] 1) Protection is requested against the manufacture and sale of these devices constructed in the manner herein described specifically for the purpose of being placed on the bodies of humans or other animals to provide therapy is being requested. Description of the construction of the device is explained in the specifications of this application however the essence of the device and how it is used are as follows:.

[0020] a) Two pads connected to a low voltage DC power source such as a battery are used. Both pads are made of a sheet of thin flexible conducting material such as aluminum foil, that has a surface area suited to the area of the injury to be treated. One pad has the conducting surface of the pad exposed completely on one side, herein known as the ‘conducting pad’, while the other pad's conducting surface, known as the ‘core’, is completely covered by thin flexible insulating material and is herein known as the ‘insulated pad’. See FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0021] b) Low voltage DC (1.5-7.0 volts DC) power are used to power these devices.

[0022] c) Both pads on the devices will have the same voltage applied to them which is between 1.5 and 7.0 volts DC.

[0023] d) The positive (+) pole of the battery or other DC power sources is connected to the conducting sheet of the conducting pad. The conducting sheet of the conducting pad is placed against the skin of the body at the site of an injury to be treated.

[0024] e) The core of the insulated pad is connected to the negative (−) pole of the battery or other DC power source. This pad is placed on the skin of the body opposite to the location of the conducting pad.

[0025] f) Both pads must be directly connected to the battery such that the both pads are charged and be in contact with the skin on the body as described above at the same time for the therapeutic affect to occur.

[0026] g) If a location opposite the placement of the conducting pad is unavailable or difficult for the placement of the insulating pad, the device will also work if the insulated pad is placed against the skin of the abdomen even though the injury may be the shoulder, neck etc. The devices will work as long as the conductive sheet of the conducting pad is connected to the positive (+) pole of a battery and is in contact with the injured area and the core of the insulated pad is connected to the negative (−) pole of the same battery and the insulated pad is placed on another part of the body preferably but not necessarily opposite to the placement of the conducting pad.

[0027] 2) Protection is requested against the manufacture and sale of these devices using the above construction and circuitry regardless of how it is intended to be used or how or where it is placed on the body.

[0028] 3) Protection is requested against the manufacture and sale of these devices using any thin sheet-like flexible conducting materials and any thin sheet-like flexible insulating materials that could be used to construct a device with the specifications described in the specification above, as the actual materials used in the construction of the devices as long as the conducting pad is connected to the positive (+) pole of a battery or other DC source, and the core of the insulated pad is connected to the negative (−) pole of the same power source. Any flexible conducting material such as aluminum, copper, silver, gold, platinum, or any other alloy of these or other metals shaped into a foil or screen or multiple thin layers can be used for the conducting pad and the core of the insulated pad. Any flexible thin insulating material such as vinyl, latex, plastic, duct tape, fabric, cloth, leather, paper, felt, etc. can be used to cover and insulate the core of the insulated pad.

[0029] 4) Protection against the manufacture and sale of these devices regardless of the pad size and shape is requested as the pads are custom designed to fit the aerial size and shape of the injured area which will vary greatly depending on the size of the injury and the size of the subject's body.

[0030] 5) Protection against the manufacture and sale of these devices for the purpose of treating any ailment of the bodies of humans and animals not specifically mentioned here. The device was originally used in the treatment of sore muscles and joints, however the possible uses are far reaching and protection against any use of this device for healing any ailment of the body of humans or other animals is also requested.

[0031] 6) Protection against the manufacture and sale of these devices regardless of what type of power supply is used to put the DC charge on the conducting sheet of the conducting pad and core of the insulated pad in the range between 0.0 and 7.0 volts DC is requested.

[0032] 7) Protection against the manufacture and sale of devices that use a conducting pad or an insulated pad as described above connected to any type of power source whatsoever used as a therapeutic device on humans or other animals is requested.

[0033] 8) Protection against the manufacture and sale of devices that use an insulated pad as described above and any type of positively (+) charged electrode used as a therapeutic device on humans or other animals is requested.

Claims

1. the Pain Relief Device, which is a therapeutic device using electrical stimulus in a way that has been previously unrecognized for its beneficial results, that can relieve pain and promote faster recovery from injuries in humans and animals and has

(a) a conducting pad that has conducting sheet on one side, an insulated pad which has a conducting sheet electrically insulated within, and a low voltage DC power source such as a battery, of from 0.0 volts to 7.0 volts that charges the device, and the conducting sheets are thin flat sheets of conducting material such as but not exclusively aluminum foil, that have a surface area depending on the application, the lower back case may have a surface area of 75 square inches where as one for the shoulder may only have a surface area of 18 square inches for both the conducting and insulated pads, and the device is in operation when the conducting sheet of the conducting pad is held firmly against the skin of the body at the site of the injury and the insulated pad is simultaneously placed on the skin on a location diametrically opposed to or on the opposite side of the body from the location of the injury charged by a DC power source

(b) a DC power source, using the convention that the positive (+) and negative (−) discussed in these claims are the same positive (+) and negative (−) as labeled on the poles on standard AAA, AA, A, and any other batteries or DC power sources, is wired into the device such that the conducting sheet of the conducting pad is electrically connected to the positive (+) pole of the DC power source and the conducting sheet of the insulated pad or ‘core’ is connected to the negative (−) pole of said DC power sources.

(c) a conducting pad and an insulated pad that have one conducting sheet each which become electrodes when connected, using insulated wire, to a DC power source as above and

(d) an insulated pad that is produced by completely insulating, on both sides, by sandwiching the conducting sheet electrode between two sheets of thin flexible insulating material, such as, but not limited to, vinyl, so that when the conducting sheet is bonded to the vinyl on each side by contact cement or some other adhesive, such that so assembled produces a thin, flat, shaped, pattern such as a square or rectangle or any other shape, made of vinyl, with an insulated wire protruding from its side, that is connected electrically to the slightly smaller patterned, thin conducting material of the conducting sheet, spread out perfectly flat within the vinyl sandwich and that after construction, none of the conducting sheet can be protruding through the vinyl of the insulated pad, nor can any exposed wires be permitted on the insulated pad part of this device and no part of the insulated pad thus made can conduct electricity through the insulation for voltages well in excess of the voltages indicated above.

(e) a conducting pad, which is also made from a thin sheet electrode, such as aluminum foil electrically wired to the positive pole of the DC power source, requires no insulation as it is to be in direct contact with the skin, flat across the body at the site of the injury, can be reinforced on the back of the conducting sheet by bonding it to a thin flexible material such as vinyl and that after construction, the conducting pad will be a thin flexible pattern of vinyl or some other flexible material with one side covered with exposed aluminum foil or other like material with a wire leading from the aluminum of the conducting pad to the positive (+) pole of the DC power source.

(f) in its basic form, a DC power source and separate wires leading to two thin pads, the conducting pad that has its aluminum electrode showing its conducting sheet's surface area exposed, the other, the insulated pad, showing no exposed conducting material at all, the conducting sheet electrode, or core, within completely electrically insulated, and two wires leading from the DC power source, one each to the conducting pad and the insulated pad such that the positive (+) pole of a DC power source (battery) is wired to the conducting sheet of the conducting pad and the negative pole of the same DC power source is wired to the conducting sheet or core within the insulated pad.

2. the Pain Relief Device in accordance with claim 1. above that has two pads and a DC power source and

(a) the dimensions and shape of the pads used in a particular therapy is determined by the area of affliction, such as the lower back of 200 Lb. man of average height where a conducting pad having a dimension large enough to cover the whole lower back should be about 14 inches by 4½ to 5 inches on the side to 6 or seven inches in the middle measured from the top of the pad when centered horizontally on the lower back, the conducting sheet within the insulated pad should have roughly the same surface area or greater than the area of the conducting sheet of the conducting pad and for this 200 LB man the conducting sheet within the insulated pad could be 14 inches by 5 or 6 inches and

(b) the two pads and the battery can be attached to a belt used to hold the pads securely against the skin, conducting pad flat against the lower back, aluminum side down, insulated pad flat against the front, stomach, or abdomen, opposite to where the conducting pad is and

(c) similar configurations can be devised for other parts of the body using different sized pads for different parts of the body to be treated such as a shoulder that has a flexible conducting pad of say 6 inches by 4 inches placed on the shoulder aluminum side down, and an insulated pad the same size, placed on the lower upper arm, powered by batteries or use a very large insulated pad, of 14 inches by 5 inches placed against the abdomen wired to the same power source and the same shoulder conducting pad and the shoulder will receive positive therapeutic results including pain relief and faster recovery and

(d) if one large insulated pad placed on the abdomen similar to the lower back pain device such as above is used, several conducting pads can be used simultaneously, by wiring the conducting pads into the same battery in series and the various sized conducting pads placed on different afflicted parts of the body at the same time such as a shoulder-knee, elbow-ankle or even, knee-elbow-shoulder-ankle would create a positive therapeutic affect on these afflicted areas simultaneously as there would still be the same electrical response set up between the many conducting pads and the single insulated pad as the more awkward, one on one approach, or method using separate pads and power source for each individual affliction all affixed by some sort of harness, or tape, etc.

3. the Pain Relief Device in accordance with claim 1, and claim 2. above is a device developed for harmlessly providing electrical stimulus to an afflicted area of the body to relieve pain, which sprang from the discovery

(a) that by bringing a positively (+) charged electrode powered by a low voltage DC power source such as a battery, in contact with the skin at the site of an injury and using an insulated negatively (−) charged conducting sheet powered by the same DC power source as the positively charged electrode, which is a large sheet like conductor, such as aluminum foil, within insulating material to form the insulated pad which is completely insulated and allows no current to flow from the conducting sheet within to the outside of the insulation of the insulated pad and the negatively (−) charged insulated pad when placed on the other side of the body from the positively (+) charged electrode sets up an electric field which flows through the body and causes a weak current to flow from the positively (+) charged electrode through the skin and to the injury causing the relief of pain and promoting faster recovery

(b) that the total current flowing into the body at the site of the positively (+) charged electrode is absorbed by the body, as the insulated pad, having its electrode completely insulated allows no current flow from the skin where it is located to the electrode of the insulated pad

(c) that a positively charged (+) single point electrode, or even multiple point electrodes will work therapeutically when used in conduction with a negatively (−) charged non conducting or insulated pad.

(d) that the conducting pad, using a sheet of aluminum foil to act as the positive (+) electrode, as a sheet of conducting material such as aluminum foil can cover much more surface area allowing larger injured areas such as the lower back to be treated.

(e) that the insulated pad is best placed on the other (opposite) side of the body from the injury, but regardless of where it is placed, the electric field set up between it and the conducting pad through the body will still exist and some current will still flow from the positive electrode into the injury providing some positive therapeutic affects.

(f) that if a larger insulated pad is used, such as in the lower back device, on the stomach or abdomen, and the conducting pad, placed remotely on a different part of the body, an electric field will still be set up causing current to flow from the conducting pad to the injury.

(g) that for animals such as dogs or cats that have fur, the conducting pad with a conducting sheet can be replaced by a conducting pad made like a flexible metal brush with each prong of the brush being positively (+) charged such that the prongs are individual point electrodes long enough to penetrate through the fur and come in direct contact with the skin of the animal and will act as a type of conducting sheet and will have a positive therapeutic affect when used in conjuction with the insulated pad in the same manner as above.

4. the Pain Relief Device in accordance with claims 1, 2, and 3 above which is a therapeutic device to relieve pain in humans and animals that can be constructed using a variety of materials as long as the conducting material used to construct the conducting sheets is thin, flexible, and conducts electricity, and the insulating material used to insulate the conducting sheet of the insulated pad is also thin, flexible and does not conduct electricity and

(a) the conducting sheets used in both the insulated and conducting pads can be made of aluminum foil or any thin flexible material as long as it conducts electricity and can include iron, copper, aluminum, gold, silver and all other metals and their alloys or other composite materials which can conduct electricity and

(b) the insulated material used to insulate the conducting sheet within the insulated pad can be made of any thin flexible material as long as the material will not conduct any electricity, including, but not limited to, vinyl, leather, rubber, latex, plastic, tape, fabric, cloth, paper, felt, etc., and

(c) a metal brush used as a conducting pad as in 3 h above can also be made of any material as long as the prongs on the brush conduct electricity and are anchored to a flexible material, such that the prongs are all wired to a positive (+) DC charge and the prongs are long enough to penetrate the fur and come in contact with the skin of the animal.

5. the Pain Relief Device, in accordance with claims 1, 2, 3 and 4 above, which can be worn under the clothing if attached in place by straps and or tape or a harness designed for the purpose and can be completely portable in that the subject can be completely mobile if a battery pack is used for the DC power source and,

(a) since only low voltage DC (0.0 to 7.0 volts) power sources are required to power the device and no current is flowing through the body, which allows the use of alkaloid battery power sources, the device can be worn as long as desired and the subject can be completely mobile at the same time, and

(b) With four AA batteries, it is simple to produce a charge of approximately 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, or 6.0 volts DC by wiring the batteries in series with a switch that brings from 1 to 4 of the batteries on line. Switches like these are readily available and are also small and light weight. The subject could decide which voltage is working best for them and set the switch accordingly, and

(d) any DC power source that produces a voltage anywhere in the range of 0.0 and 7.0 volts used with an insulated pad and any type of electrode on the positive (+) pole will produce a beneficial therapeutic result.