IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0072610
(2002-02-06)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Stern,Roger
- Levinson,Mitchell
- Weber,Bryan
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
116 인용 특허 :
262 |
초록
▼
A handpiece that includes a handpiece assembly, a handpiece housing and a cooling fluidic medium valve member. An electrode assembly is coupled to the handpiece housing. The electrode assembly has a least one RF electrode that is capacitively coupled to a skin surface when at least a portion of the
A handpiece that includes a handpiece assembly, a handpiece housing and a cooling fluidic medium valve member. An electrode assembly is coupled to the handpiece housing. The electrode assembly has a least one RF electrode that is capacitively coupled to a skin surface when at least a portion of the RF electrode is in contact with the skin surface.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A handpiece for non-invasively treating tissue using RF energy, comprising: a handpiece assembly including a handpiece housing; and an electrode assembly coupled to the handpiece housing, the electrode assembly including at least one RF electrode with a dielectric portion con
What is claimed is: 1. A handpiece for non-invasively treating tissue using RF energy, comprising: a handpiece assembly including a handpiece housing; and an electrode assembly coupled to the handpiece housing, the electrode assembly including at least one RF electrode with a dielectric portion configured to contact the tissue and a conductive portion disposed on the dielectric portion, the conductive portion further comprising a portion of a flex circuit, the RF electrode adapted to deliver RF energy to the tissue, and the dielectric portion and the conductive portion being arranged such that the RF energy is capacitively coupled from the conductive portion for delivery into the tissue by transmission through the dielectric portion. 2. The handpiece of claim 1, further comprising: a shroud coupled to the handpiece. 3. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the RF electrode is spring loaded. 4. The handpiece of claim 3, wherein the spring is pre-loaded. 5. The handpiece of claim 3, wherein the spring is configured to bias the RF electrode in a direction toward the handpiece housing. 6. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly includes a vent. 7. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the dielectric portion is positioned around at least a portion of a periphery of the conductive portion. 8. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the dielectric portion is positioned around an entirety of a periphery of the conductive portion. 9. The handpiece of claim 1, further comprising: leads coupled to the RF electrode. 10. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the conductive portion includes metal. 11. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is moveable within at least a portion of the handpiece housing. 12. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the conductive portion includes copper. 13. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is slideably moveable within at least a portion of the handpiece housing. 14. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the dielectric portion includes polyimide. 15. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the RF electrode includes a copper polyimide composite material. 16. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the RF electrode is rotatably positioned in the electrode assembly. 17. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit is configured to isolate flow of a cooling fluidic medium from a back surface of the RF electrode to a front surface of the RF electrode. 18. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit is configured to create a reservoir for a cooling fluidic medium that gathers at a back surface of the RF electrode. 19. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is coupled detachably to the handpiece housing. 20. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is coupled to the handpiece housing in a stationary position. 21. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit includes trace components. 22. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit include a force sensor coupled to the flex circuit. 23. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit includes a thermal sensor. 24. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the flex circuit further comprises the dielectric portion. 25. The handpiece of claim 1, further comprising: a force sensor coupled to the RF electrode. 26. The handpiece of claim 25, wherein the force sensor is configured to detect an amount of force applied by the RF electrode against a surface. 27. The handpiece of claim 25, wherein the force sensor is configured to zero out gravity effects of the weight of the electrode assembly. 28. The handpiece of claim 25, wherein the force sensor is configured to zero out gravity effects of the weight of the electrode assembly in any orientation of a front surface of the RF electrode relative to a direction of gravity. 29. The handpiece of claim 25, wherein the force sensor is configured to provide an indication of RF electrode contact with a skin surface. 30. The handpiece of claim 25, wherein the force sensor is configured to provide a signal indicating that a force applied by the RF electrode to a contacted skin surface is below a minimum threshold. 31. The handpiece of claim 25, wherein the force sensor is configured to provide a signal indicating that a force applied by the RF electrode to a contacted skin surface is above a maximum threshold. 32. The handpiece of claim 25, further comprising: a tare button coupled to the force sensor. 33. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the handpiece assembly further includes a valve member adapted to control delivery of a cooling fluidic medium that cools the electrode assembly. 34. The handpiece of claim 33, wherein the electrode assembly includes a channel coupled with the valve member for delivery of the cooling fluidic medium, the channel having an inlet and an outlet. 35. The handpiece of claim 34, wherein the outlet of the channel has a smaller cross-sectional area than a cross-sectional area of the inlet. 36. The handpiece of claim 33, further comprising: a fluid delivery member coupled to the valve member, wherein the fluid delivery member is configured to provide an atomizing delivery of the cooling fluidic medium to the RF electrode. 37. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member is positioned in the handpiece housing. 38. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member is positioned in the electrode assembly. 39. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member includes a nozzle. 40. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member is configured to deliver a controllable amount of the cooling fluidic medium to the RF electrode. 41. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member is configured to controllably deliver the cooling fluidic medium to a back surface of the RF electrode. 42. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member is configured to controllably deliver the cooling fluidic medium to a back surface of the RF electrode to evaporatively cool the RF electrode and conductively cool a skin surface in contact with the front surface of the RF electrode. 43. The handpiece of claim 36, wherein the fluid delivery member is configured to controllably deliver the cooling fluidic medium to a back surface of the RF electrode at substantially any orientation of the front surface of the RF electrode relative to a direction of gravity. 44. The handpiece of claim 33, wherein the electrode assembly is sufficiently sealed to minimize flow of the cooling fluidic medium from a back surface of the RF electrode to a skin surface in contact with a front surface of the RF electrode. 45. The handpiece of claim 33, wherein the valve member is configured to provide a pulsed delivery of the cooling fluidic medium. 46. The handpiece of claim 33, wherein the valve member includes a solenoid valve. 47. The handpiece of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is rotatably moveable relative to the handpiece housing. 48. A handpiece for non-invasively treating tissue using RF energy, comprising: a handpiece assembly including a handpiece housing; and an electrode assembly coupled to the handpiece housing, the electrode assembly including a thin and flexible flex circuit, the flex circuit including a dielectric layer and a conductive RF electrode layer disposed on the dielectric layer, and at least a portion of the RF electrode layer being capacitively coupled to the tissue when at least a portion of the flex circuit is in contact with a skin surface. 49. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the flex circuit is configured to isolate flow of a cooling fluidic medium from a back surface of the RF electrode to a front surface of the RF electrode. 50. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the flex circuit is configured to create a reservoir for a cooling fluidic medium that gathers at a back surface of the RF electrode. 51. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the flex circuit includes trace components. 52. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the flex circuit include a force sensor coupled to the flex circuit. 53. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the flex circuit includes a thermal sensor. 54. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the flex circuit includes a dielectric portion that contacts the skin surface. 55. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the handpiece assembly further includes a valve member adapted to control delivery of a cooling fluidic medium that cools the electrode assembly. 56. The handpiece of claim 48, wherein the electrode assembly is coupled detachably to the handpiece housing.
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