USOO8000784B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,000,784 B2 Ferren et al. (45) Date of Patent: Aug. 16, 2011 (54) LUMEN-TRAVELING DEVICE (51) Int. Cl. (75) Inventors: Bran Ferren, Beverly Hills, CA (US); A61N I/05 (2006.01) W. Daniel Hillis, Encino, CA (US); (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................................... 607A2 Roderick A. Hyde, Redmond, WA (US); (58) Field of Classification Search ....................... 607/2 Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Livermore, CA See application file for complete search history. (US); Edward K. Y. Jung, Bellevue, WA (US); Eric C. Leuthardt, St. Louis,MO (US); Nathan P. Myhrvold, Medina, (56) References Cited WA (US); Elizabeth A. Sweeney, Seattle, WA (US); Clarence T. Tegreene, U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Bellevue, WA (US); Lowell L. Wood, 3,391,697 A 7, 1968 Greatbatch Jr., Bellevue, WA (US); Victoria Y. H. (Continued) Wood, Livermore, CA (US) FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS (73) Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC, Bellevue, WA (US) CN 99810271.7 10, 2001 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this (Continued) patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 1229 days. OTHER PUBLICATIONS (21) Appl. No.: 11/645,358 UK Examination Report Under Section 18(3): App. No. GB082 1524. 6; bearing a date of May 6, 2010 (received by our Agent on May 7, (22) Filed: Dec. 21, 2006 2010); pp. 1-3. (65) Prior Publication Data (Continued) US 2007/O156211 A1 Jul. 5, 2007 Primary Examiner — Eric D. Bertram Related U.S. Application Data (63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 10/949,186, (57) ABSTRACT filed on Sep. 24, 2004, and a continuation-in-part of Lumen-traveling devices and associated methods and sys application No. 10/827.576, filedon Apr. 19, 2004, and tems are described. Lumen-traveling devices capable of trav a continuation-in-part of application No. 10/827,578, eling within a body lumen may include a propelling mecha filed on Apr. 19, 2004, and a continuation-in-part of nism to produce movement of the lumen-traveling device application No. 10/827,572, filed on Apr. 19, 2004, within the lumen, as well as additional components such as a now Pat. No. 7,850,676, and a continuation-in-part of sensor, an active portion, and/or control circuitry. In some application No. 10/827,390, filedon Apr. 19, 2004, and embodiments, a sensor may be used to detect a local condi a continuation-in-part of application No. 1 1/403.230, tion, and an action may be performed within the body lumen. filed on Apr. 12, 2006, and a continuation-in-part of Actions that may be performed include, but are not limited to, application No. 1 1/417,898, filed on May 4, 2006, and transmitting information, releasing a material within the a continuation-in-part of application No. 1 1/478.368, lumen, performing a Surgical step, or collecting a sample, filed on Jun. 28, 2006, and a continuation-in-part of among others. application No. 1 1/485,619, filed on Jul. 11, 2006, and a continuation-in-part of application No. 1 1/645,357, filed on Dec. 21, 2006. 33 Claims, 48 Drawing Sheets moving a self-propelling lunen-traveling device through a body unen including movinghising ! theincluding lumen-traveling moving throughlamentiveling the body device lumen-travelingE. device device through the eartially through the body lumen body lumen in a indicoof with a steering control substantially enoeconosystem portion on the lumen random or pseudo traveling device. at leastintermittently permitting flow of fluid through the body lumen and pasta fluid-contacting portion of the lumen-traveling device detecting a treatment target based at least in part upon detection of a condition of interestin the body lunter with a sensor on the luten-traveling device producing a response initiation signal at least in partin response to detection of the condition of interest with response initiation circuitry located at least in part on the lumer-traveling device delivering a treatment to the treatment target with an active portion of the lumen traveling device in response to the response initiation signal US 8,000.784 B2 Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 6,004,269 12, 1999 Crowley et al. 6,016,449 1, 2000 Fischell et al. 3,837,339 9, 1974 Aisenberg et al. 6,019,729 2, 2000 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