Magnet support of an implant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10893937-B2
Application number	US-201715492708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Apr 20, 2017
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

An implantable prosthesis, including an implantable component including an implantable magnet assembly, wherein the magnet assembly includes a magnet plated with a metallic substance, the magnet assembly includes a housing made at least in part of a polymer, wherein at least a portion of the housing made out of the polymer is in direct contact with the metallic substance, and the implantable component is configured to be implanted in a human such that the housing is exposed to body fluids thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An implantable prosthesis, comprising:
an implantable component including an implantable magnet assembly, wherein
the magnet assembly includes a magnet plated with a metallic substance,
the magnet assembly includes a housing made at least in part of a polymer, wherein the magnet is located in the housing, wherein at least a portion of the housing made out of the polymer is in direct contact with the metallic substance, and
the implantable component is configured to be implanted in a human such that the housing is exposed to body fluids thereof.

2. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the magnet is covered by plating established by the metallic substance, the plating having pin holes therein.

3. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the magnet is made of a material that readily corrodes when exposed to body fluids.

4. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the magnet is configured to be protected from the body fluids by a barrier consisting of the polymer of the housing and the metallic substance.

5. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the magnet is configured to be protected from the body fluids by a barrier consisting essentially of the polymer of the housing and the metallic substance.

6. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the magnet is made of a rare earth material, such as, for example, NdFeB or SmCo.

7. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the implantable magnet assembly is devoid of metals and ceramic materials covering the plating established by the metallic substance.

8. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the implantable magnet assembly is configured to be removably inserted into an implantable portion of a hearing prosthesis.

9. An implantable prosthesis, comprising:
an implantable functional component including an implantable first housing and an implantable magnet assembly, the first housing having electronics located therein, wherein
the magnet assembly includes a plated magnet located in a second housing,
the second housing is established by structural components that are carbon or silicone chain based components, and
the magnet assembly includes only one housing, the only one housing corresponding to the second housing.

10. The implantable prosthesis of claim 9 , wherein:
the second housing consists essentially of a polymer.

11. The implantable prosthesis of claim 9 , wherein:
the second housing is in direct contact with the plating of the magnet.

12. The implantable prosthesis of claim 9 , wherein:
the magnet assembly is supported in the implantable prosthesis via a silicone body supporting the housing and the first housing, wherein the magnet assembly is devoid of metallic components other than the magnet and the plating thereof and is devoid of ceramic materials.

13. The implantable prosthesis of claim 9 , wherein:
the magnet assembly is supported in the implantable prosthesis via a silicone body that also supports an RF inductance coil, wherein with respect to components of the implantable prosthesis located inboard of the RF inductance coil and outboard of the plated magnet, the components have a hardness of less than 80 A on the Shore A scale.

14. The implantable prosthesis of claim 9 , wherein:
the implantable prosthesis is configured to enable the magnet assembly to be removed, as a complete assembly, from the implantable functional component while the implantable functional component is implanted in the recipient.

15. A prosthesis system, comprising:
the implantable prosthesis of claim 9 ; and
an external component including a first RF inductance coil and a second magnet assembly including a second magnet concentrically located within the first RF inductance coil, wherein
the plated magnet of the magnet assembly is concentric with a second RF inductance coil of the implantable functional component,
the prosthesis system is configured to establish inductance communication between the first RF inductance coil and the second RF inductance coil,
the prosthesis system is configured to establish a magnetic coupling between the second magnet and the plated magnet so as to place the second RF inductance coil of the external component in a substantially concentric orientation with the first RF inductance coil of the implantable functional component via a magnetic field path extending from the surface of the plated magnet to the surface of the second magnet assembly that passes through at most only carbon based substances, silicon based substances, water based substances and air.

16. The prosthesis system of claim 15 , wherein:
the second magnet is plated; and
the magnetic field path extending from the plated magnet to the second magnet extends from the plating of the plated magnet to the plating of the second magnet without passing through a metallic component.

17. An implantable magnet assembly, comprising:
a magnet coated with a substance, the magnet being located in a housing, wherein
the implantable magnet assembly is configured to be implanted in a human such that the housing is exposed to body fluids thereof, and
the assembly is configured to protect the magnet from body fluids via a system that consists of the substance that coats the magnet and one or more non-metallic pliable components.

18. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
the implantable magnet assembly consists of the magnet and the housing.

19. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
the housing is made of a non-metallic, non-ceramic, substance.

20. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
the substance coating the magnet is nickel based plating.

21. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
the assembly is configured to protect the magnet from body fluids via a system that consists of the substance that coats the magnet and the housing.

22. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
other than the magnet and the substance that coats the magnet, the implantable magnet assembly is devoid of metallic components.

23. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , wherein:
the implantable magnet assembly is devoid of ceramic components.

24. The implantable magnet assembly of claim 17 , further comprising:
a silicone body surrounding the system that consists of the substance that coats the magnet and one or more non-metallic pliable components.

25. A method, comprising:
establishing or breaking a magnetic attractive field between a first magnet of an external component of a prosthesis and a second magnet of an implanted component of the prosthesis, a portion of a magnetic path of the magnetic attractive field between the first magnet and the second magnet that extends through the recipient to the second magnet passing though at most only carbon based substances, silicon based substances, air, and water based substances, in addition to also passing through a metallic coating of the second magnet.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein:
a portion of the magnetic path of the magnetic attractive field between the first magnet and the second magnet that extends from a surface of the skin of the recipient to the first magnet passes though only non-metallic substances other than a metallic coating of the first magnet, if present.

27. The method of claim 26

Assignees

• Leigh Charles Roger Aaron
• Cochlear Ltd

Inventors

• Leigh Charles Roger Aaron

Classifications

• H04R25/606 Primary

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• H04R2225/67

  Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606 · CPC title

• A61F2002/183

  Ear parts · CPC title

• A61F2/18 Primary

  Internal ear or nose parts, e.g. ear-drums {(implants for middle ear ventilation or drainage A61F11/202)} · CPC title

• A61F2210/009

  magnetic · CPC title