Claims for Patent: 7,978,064

Summary for Patent: 7,978,064

Title:	Communication system with partial power source
Abstract:	The system of the present invention includes a conductive element, an electronic component, and a partial power source in the form of dissimilar materials. Upon contact with a conducting fluid, a voltage potential is created and the power source is completed, which activates the system. The electronic component controls the conductance between the dissimilar materials to produce a unique current signature. The system can be used in a variety of different applications, including as components of ingestible identifiers, such as may be found in ingestible event markers, e.g., pharma-informatics enabled pharmaceutical compositions.
Inventor(s):	Zdeblick; Mark (Portola Valley, CA), Robertson; Timothy (Belmont, CA), Pikelny; Aleksandr (Los Angeles, CA), Hafezi; Hooman (Redwood City, CA)
Assignee:	Proteus Biomedical, Inc. (Redwood City, CA)
Application Number:	12/564,017
Patent Claims:	1. A system comprising: a control device for altering conductance; and a partial power source comprising: a first material electrically coupled to the control device; and a second material electrically coupled to the control device and electrically isolated from the first material, wherein the first and second materials are selected to provide a voltage potential difference as a result of the materials being in contact with a conducting liquid, and wherein the control device alters the conductance between the first and second materials such that the magnitude of the current flow is varied to encode information in a signal radiated by the conducting liquid and the encoded information is remotely detectable by a receiver. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the control device comprises a switching module electrically coupled to the first and second materials and wherein the switching module alters the conductance between the first and second materials. 3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a support structure, wherein the first and second materials are physically associated with the support structure. 4. The system of claim 3 further comprising at least one current path extender associated with the support structure. 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the current path extender comprises a membrane. 6. The system of claim 3 wherein the first and second materials are positioned on opposite sides of the support structure and further comprising a non-conducting material positioned between the first and second materials. 7. An event marking apparatus for producing an identifiable current signature associated with ingestion of a pharmaceutical product, the apparatus comprising: a pharmaceutical product in an ingestible form; and a system secured to the product and activated upon contact with conductive fluid, the system comprising: a support structure; a control device secured to the support structure for controlling the conductance of the system; a first material physically associated with the support structure and electrically coupled to the control device; a second material electrically coupled to the control device and physically associated with the support structure at a location different from the location of the first material, such that the first and second materials are electrically isolated from each other; and a non-conductive membrane secured to the support structure and positioned relative to the first and second materials to facilitate extension of the electrical path between the first material and second material around said non-conductive membrane through the conductive fluid; wherein the first and second materials are selected to provide a voltage potential difference as a result of the materials being in contact with the conductive fluid thus providing a source of power; and wherein the control device comprises switching logic that is electrically coupled to the first material and the second material and wherein the switching logic controls the conductance between the first and second materials for producing an identifiable current signature radiated by the conductive fluid and the identifiable current signature is remotely detectable by a receiver. 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first material is an anode and the second material is a cathode. 9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first material and the second material are deposited on different sides of the support structure. 10. A method of producing an identifiable device that is operational upon contact with a conducting fluid, the method comprising the steps of: securing a control module on a support structure; depositing a first material onto the structure to produce an anode on the structure and electrically coupling the anode to the control module; depositing a second material onto the structure to produce a cathode on the structure at a location that is electrically isolated from the location of the anode and electrically coupling the cathode to the control module; and wherein the first and second materials are selected to provide a voltage potential difference as a result of the materials being in contact with the conducting fluid thus providing a source of power; and using the control module to vary the conductance between the anode and the cathode when the identifiable device comes into contact with the conducting fluid and produce a unique current signature radiated by the conducting fluid and the unique current signature is remotely detectable by a receiver. 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of boosting the unique current signature by positioning a non-conductive material between the anode and the cathode in order to increase the length of a current path between the anode and cathode. 12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of increasing the surface area of the anode and the cathode by providing a non-planar surface for the anode material and the cathode material. 13. A system for communicating through a conducting fluid, wherein the system uses variance in an ionic emission rate to encode information, the system comprising: a support structure; a first solid material physically associated with the support structure; a second solid material physically associated with the support structure, wherein the first material and the second material develop a voltage potential difference as a result of the materials being in contact with the conducting fluid to produce a source of power through ionic emission; and a control module electrically coupled to the first and second materials and physically associated with the support structure, wherein the control module varies conductance between the first material and the second material thereby controlling the rate of transfer of mass between the first material and the conducting fluid and wherein the control module communicates information through ionic emission rate so that the encoded information is radiated by the conducting fluid and is remotely receivable by a receiver. 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the control module varies the conductance between the first and second material to alter the rate of transfer of mass between the second material and the conducting fluid. 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the transfer of mass between the first material and the conducting fluid is an oxidation process and the transfer of mass between the second material and the conducting fluid is a reduction process. 16. The system of claim 13 further comprising a coating material surrounding the system to cause a delay in the enablement of the communication. 17. The system of claim 13 wherein the conducting fluid is physiological fluid.