Devices and methods for nerve stimulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12594418-B2
Application number	US-202519266246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2025
Priority date	Mar 10, 2011
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

Devices and methods for the non-invasive stimulation of nerves, such as the vagus nerve, include a housing and an electrode coupled to the housing. The electrode is configured to be positioned adjacent to, or in contact with, an outer skin surface of a patient. A source of energy is coupled to the housing and operably coupled to the electrode. The source of energy emits an electrical signal to the electrode such that the electrical signal passes through the outer skin surface of the user to a nerve at a target region in the patient sufficient to modulate the nerve. The electrical impulse comprises burst periods and constant periods and each burst period includes a plurality of pulses. The pulses have a frequency of about 1 kHz to about 20 kHz and alternate between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each burst period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
positioning a device adjacent an outer skin surface of a user; generating an electrical signal; and transmitting the electrical signal from the device through the outer skin surface to a target nerve within the user, wherein the electrical signal comprises burst periods and constant periods, wherein each burst period includes a plurality of pulses, wherein the pulses have a frequency of about 1 kHz to about 20 kHz and alternate between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each burst period.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the burst periods have a frequency of about 1 Hz to about 100 Hz.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each burst period comprises 2 to 20 pulses.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a voltage generated during the constant periods has a magnitude of about zero.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the constant periods have a longer duration than the burst periods.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the target nerve is a vagus nerve.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a duration of the burst periods is less than about 20,000 microseconds.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the duration of the burst periods is less than about 2,000 microseconds.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the duration of the bursts periods if about 1,000 or less.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a duration of the pulses is about 50 microseconds to about 1,000 microseconds.

11 . A device comprising:
a housing having a contact surface for contacting an outer skin surface of a user; and an energy source coupled to the housing, the energy source being configured to generate an electrical signal within the housing and transmit the electrical impulse through the outer skin surface to a target nerve within the user, wherein the electrical signal comprises burst periods and constant periods, wherein each burst period includes a plurality of pulses, wherein the pulses have a frequency of about 1 kHz to about 20 kHz and alternate between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each burst period.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the burst periods have a frequency of about 1 Hz to about 100 Hz.

13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein each burst period comprises 2 to 20 pulses.

14 . The device of claim 11 , wherein a voltage generated during the constant periods has a magnitude of about zero.

15 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the constant periods have a longer duration than the burst periods.

16 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the target nerve is a vagus nerve.

17 . The device of claim 11 , wherein a duration of the burst periods is less than about 20,000 microseconds.

18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the duration of the burst periods is less than about 2,000 microseconds.

19 . The device of claim 11 , wherein a duration of the pulses is about 50 microseconds to about 1,000 microseconds.

20 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the energy source is within the housing.

Assignees

• Electrocore Inc

Inventors

• Simon Bruce J
• Errico Joseph P
• Raffle John T

Classifications

• A61N2/006

  for magnetic stimulation of nerve tissue · CPC title

• A61N1/40

  Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling (microwave apparatus A61N5/00); {Applying radio-frequency signals} · CPC title

• A61N1/36053

  adapted for vagal stimulation (A61N1/36114 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61N1/36014

  External stimulators, e.g. with patch electrodes (external pacemakers A61N1/3625) · CPC title

• A61N1/0472

  Structure-related aspects · CPC title