Details for Patent: 9,649,066

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 Digital Health, Inc. (Redwood City, CA)
Filing Date:	Sep 25, 2015
Application Number:	14/865,508
Claims:	1. A system comprising: a chassis; a control device coupled to the chassis; a first material located on the chassis and electrically coupled to the control device; a second material located on the chassis and electrically coupled to the control device, wherein the second material is physically separated from the first material, and wherein the first material and the second material are configured to generate a first voltage potential difference between the first material and the second material based on a difference in electrochemical potential between the first material and the second material, wherein the first material and the second material are configured to activate and to power the control device based on the difference in electrochemical potential, wherein the first material and the second material are in contact with an electrically conductive fluid; and a third material located on the chassis and electrically coupled to the control device, wherein the third material is physically separated from the first material and the second material, and wherein the first material and the third material are configured to generate a second voltage potential difference between the first material and the third material; wherein the control device is configured to alter the conductance between the first material and the second material to control a magnitude of current flow between the first material and the second material to encode information in the current flow based on the first voltage potential difference and the second voltage potential difference, wherein the current flow containing the encoded information is transmitted through the electrically conductive fluid to a receiver device. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first material and the third material are located on a first side of the chassis, and wherein the first material is physically separated from the third material by a non-conductive barrier. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second material is located on a second side of the chassis different from the first side. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second side of the chassis is opposite the first side of the chassis. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to alter the conductance between the first material and the second material to create a unique current flow. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control device is pre-programmed to create the unique current flow. 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the control device is configured to receive programming information to create the unique current flow. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first material and the second material comprise a coating configured to delay activation of the control device. 9. A system comprising: a control device electrically coupled to a first material and a second material; a sensor electrically coupled to the control device and a third material, wherein the third material is electrically isolated from the first material and the second material; wherein the first material and the second material are configured to power the control device and the sensor based on a difference in electrochemical potential between the first material and the second material, wherein the first material and the second material are in contact with an electrically conductive fluid; and wherein the sensor is configured to determine information associated with an environment of the sensor and communicate the information to the control device to encode the information in a current flow established between the first material and the second material through the electrically conductive fluid, wherein the current flow containing the encoded information is transmitted to a receiver device. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a first voltage potential difference between the first material and the third material and a second voltage potential difference between the second material and the third material, and wherein the sensor is configured to determine the information associated with the environment based on the first voltage potential difference and the second voltage potential difference. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor, a pH level sensor, or a conductivity sensor, or any combination thereof. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor is configured to communicate the information to the control device either in an analog signal or a digital signal. 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor is coupled to the control device through an electrically conductive element, and wherein the electrically conductive element is configured to deliver power to the sensor and communicate the information to the control device. 14. A system comprising: a control device electrically coupled to a first material, a second material, and a third material; a first sensor electrically coupled to the control device, wherein the first sensor is part of the control device; a second sensor electrically coupled to the control device, wherein the second sensor is separate from the control device and electrically coupled to the third material; wherein the first material and the second material are configured to activate the control device and the first and the second sensors based on a difference in electrochemical potential between the first material and the second material, wherein the first material and the second material are in contact with an electrically conductive fluid; and wherein the first and second sensors are configured to detect information associated with an environment of the respective sensor and communicate the information to the control device to encode the information in a unique current flow established between the first material and the second material through the electrically conductive fluid, wherein the unique current flow containing the encoded information is transmitted through the electrically conductive fluid to a receiver device. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the third material is electrically isolated from the first material and the second material. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the control device is configured to alter the conductance between the first material and the second material to encode the information in the unique current flow. 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the control device is configured to produce more than one unique current flow. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control device is configured to produce the unique current flows by altering the conductance between the first material and the second material in different patterns. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the control device is configured to repeat a pattern to be detected by the receiver device.