Patent ID: 11857491
Assignee: BREG, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. A cold therapy treatment method comprising:
storing a cold reservoir coolant in a reservoir container;
positioning a reservoir coolant mixing chamber and a cover enclosing said reservoir coolant mixing chamber within said reservoir container;
dividing said coolant in said reservoir container into a primary volume of coolant external to said cover within said reservoir container and a secondary volume of coolant internal to said cover within said reservoir coolant mixing chamber, wherein said primary volume of coolant is made up of said cold reservoir coolant at a cold reservoir coolant temperature and said secondary volume of coolant is made up of a coolant inlet mixture at a coolant inlet mixture temperature;
submersing said cover in said primary volume of coolant;
mixing said cold reservoir coolant from said primary volume of coolant with a warmed reservoir coolant in said reservoir coolant mixing chamber to form said coolant inlet mixture, wherein said warmed reservoir coolant has a warmed coolant outlet temperature higher than said cold reservoir coolant temperature and said coolant inlet mixture temperature is between said warmed coolant outlet temperature and said cold reservoir coolant temperature;
positioning a coolant pump inlet and a coolant discharge within said reservoir coolant mixing chamber;
drawing said coolant inlet mixture into a coolant pump from said reservoir coolant mixing chamber via said coolant pump inlet;
conveying said coolant inlet mixture from said coolant pump through a pump outlet, a coolant inlet line and a coolant inlet port into a coolant compartment in a treatment pad mounted on a body of a user, wherein said coolant inlet mixture is conveyed by means of said coolant pump operating at a first coolant pump speed and said treatment pad has a treatment pad temperature dependent at least in part on said coolant inlet mixture temperature;
conveying said coolant inlet mixture along a pad flowpath in said coolant compartment wending from said coolant inlet port to a coolant outlet port;
warming said coolant inlet mixture in said pad flowpath by means of heat transfer with the body to form said warmed reservoir coolant;
conveying said warmed reservoir coolant from said pad flowpath into said reservoir coolant mixing chamber via a coolant outlet line and said coolant discharge; and
flowing said cold reservoir coolant into said reservoir coolant mixing chamber from said primary volume of coolant in said reservoir container external to said cover through a plurality of coolant openings formed in a perforated panel of said cover, wherein said cover has also a diverter panel free of any coolant openings, thereby preventing flow of fluid in either direction therethrough, wherein said diverter panel is positioned adjacent to said coolant discharge and oriented relative to said coolant discharge and said coolant pump inlet such that said warmed reservoir coolant is dispersed from said coolant discharge in a direction away from said coolant pump inlet and is redirected in an opposing direction back toward said coolant pump inlet by said diverter panel.