Iontophoretic treatment apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, comprising: a pair of electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other; a supply capacitor coupled across the electrodes for supplying electrical current for conduction through the body, from one electrode to the other; switch means for charging the supply capacitor at regular intervals of time; and means for controllably adjusting the frequency at which the switch means operates to charge the supply capacitor, to adjust the magnitudes of the voltage on the capacitor and the electrical current supplied by the capacitor, correspondingly.

Claim 2

An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, comprising: a pair of electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other; a supply capacitor coupled across the electrodes for supplying electrical current for conduction through the body, from one electrode to the other; switch means for charging the supply capacitor at regular intervals of time; and means for controllably adjusting the frequency at which the switch means operates to charge the supply capacitor, to adjust the magnitudes of the voltage on the capacitor and the electrical current supplied by the capacitor, correspondingly.

Claim 6

An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, while minimizing concomitant vesicle formation, the apparatus comprising: first and second electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other; direct current means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting direct current through the body, from the first electrode to the second electrode; and reverse pulse means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting a short duration pulse of current through the body, from the second electrode to the first electrode, at regular intervals of time, the reverse pulse means including a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being electrically coupled to the two electrodes, and means electrically coupled to the primary winding of the transformer for conducting a primary current pulse of prescribed magnitude and duration through the primary winding, at regular intervals of time, termination of each primary current pulse inducing in the secondary winding the short duration pulse of current for conduction through the body.

Claim 7

An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, while minimizing concomitant vesicle formation, the apparatus comprising: first and second electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other; direct current means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting direct current through the body, from the first electrode to the second electrode; and reverse pulse means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting a short duration pulse of current through the body, from the second electrode to the first electrode, at regular intervals of time, the reverse pulse means including a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being electrically coupled to the two electrodes, and means electrically coupled to the primary winding of the transformer for conducting a primary current pulse of prescribed magnitude and duration through the primary winding, at regular intervals of time, termination of each primary current pulse inducing in the secondary winding the short duration pulse of current for conduction through the body.

Claim 8

An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, while minimizing concomitant vesicle formation, the apparatus comprising: first and second electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other; direct current means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting direct current through the body, from the first electrode to the second electrode; reverse pulse means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting a short duration pulse of current through the body, from the second electrode to the first electrode, at regular intervals of time; and delay means for delaying the conduction of a full treatment current through the body, the delay means including a delay capacitor electrically coupled to the direct current means, the current conducted by the direct current means varying in accordance with the voltage on the delay capacitor, means for charging the delay capacitor in a prescribed fashion, whereby the direct current means conducts a full treatment current through the body only after a prescribed time duration, means for detecting an open circuit between the two electrodes and for generating a corresponding control signal, and means responsive to the control signal for rapidly discharging the delay capacitor.

Claim 9

An apparatus for applying an iontophoretic treatment to a living body, while minimizing concomitant vesicle formation, the apparatus comprising: first and second electrodes adapted to contact the skin of the body, in spaced relationship to each other; direct current means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting direct current through the body, from the first electrode to the second electrode; reverse pulse means electrically coupled to the two electrodes for conducting a short duration pulse of current through the body, from the second electrode to the first electrode, at regular intervals of time; and delay means for delaying the conduction of a full treatment current through the body, the delay means including a delay capacitor electrically coupled to the direct current means, the current conducted by the direct current means varying in accordance with the voltage on the delay capacitor, means for charging the delay capacitor in a prescribed fashion, whereby the direct current means conducts a full treatment current through the body only after a prescribed time duration, means for detecting an open circuit between the two electrodes and for generating a corresponding control signal, and means responsive to the control signal for rapidly discharging the delay capacitor.