Patent ID: 9669159
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: A61F,A61M,A61N

Claim:
1. A tongue stimulation device adapted to stimulate a tongue of a user, the device comprising: a body configured to be placed entirely within a mouth of the user and atop the tongue of the user; an array of chemical-producing elements distributed on the body, wherein each of the chemical-producing elements is configured to apply a chemical to an area of the tongue adjacent the chemical-producing element; a wireless receiver coupled to the body and configured to receive stimulation information wirelessly from outside the mouth of the user; and at least one processing unit coupled to the body and configured to transform the received stimulation information into a stimulation signal for each of the chemical-producing elements, and to provide the stimulation signals to the chemical-producing elements; wherein at least one of the chemical producing elements comprises a degrading polymer configured to degrade into at least one chemical that causes a sensation in the area of the tongue adjacent the chemical-producing element in response to activation by the stimulation signal corresponding to the chemical-producing element.