Patent US20140257448 – Head Worn Brain Stimulation Device and Method – Google Patents

Just because I ran across it today looking for something else. I started my blog in 2012. A device of this nature was obvious to me then. The patent was filed in 2013 and granted in December of 2014.  Do you see anything novel in this device? Will the trolls now come calling whenever a head-mounted stimulation device gains any traction in the consumer market? I’m naive when it comes to patents but this looks overly broad and obvious. Considering  other previous patents listed in the application I wonder how this one could have been awarded.

Head Worn Brain Stimulation Device and Method
US 20140257448 A1
Abstract

A self-contained portable head worn device and methods to stimulate a portion of the brain of a wearer are presented. A first electrode is held by the head worn device against the scalp of the wearer in a first location and a second electrode is held against the scalp of the wearer in a second location. A pulse generator generates a first electric signal received by the first electrode and a second electric signal received by the second electrode. A power source is connected to the pulse generator.

patentUS20140257448A1-20140911-D00000

via Patent US20140257448 – Head Worn Brain Stimulation Device and Method – Google Patents.

4 thoughts on “Patent US20140257448 – Head Worn Brain Stimulation Device and Method – Google Patents

  1. Hi Mike, John, and All,

    I secured the patent for Intellihat for the inventors, who have been leaders in the field of neuromodulation since its inception. We model neurological disorders and how to treat them. We have no intention of interfering with any transcranial electric stimulation (TES) DIYer. In one sense the patent is narrow, which is why it was granted. As opposed to medical devices, the Intellihat is designed to treat cognitive decline, which is defined by various psychological, not medical, tests. The claims are dependent on that intended result. Compare to Brocke http://www.google.com/patents/US8554324, which is a very broad TES medical device patent. Our patent *is* broad tho in the sense that cognitive decline addresses an enormous market – everyone over age 50.

    So we wish you happy stimulating – but for all our sake, keep it safe. The Intellihat is sub-threshold stimulation, which is not intended to fire neurons, just to lower their threshold so that their likelihood to fire when stimulated by normal activity is comparable to that of a younger person.

  2. Well, the Foc.us was released mid-2013 I think, and I know there were other DIY or kit options available before that (GoFlow, probably others). So it definitely seems like a patent should not have been granted with even a cursory search of the relevant field.

    • Thanks! I’m working on another post that follows the patent to an actual product. It’s interesting. Check back in about a half hour.

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