Laser patch and laser patch procedure set including same

Provided is a laser patch including a patch body having a through hole for laser transmission, a circuit substrate disposed in the patch body, a built-in battery facing the circuit substrate and disposed in the patch body, a laser diode element electrically connected to the circuit substrate and emitting a low-output laser beam to the outside of the patch body by using its own power coming from the built-in battery, and a charging terminal provided in the patch body for selectively supplying electricity to the built-in battery from an external charger.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same, and more particularly, to a laser patch configured to include a built-in battery to be repeatedly used through charging and to have a relatively small thin plate shape such that the laser patches may be combined to be selectively used in local areas and a laser patch treatment set including the laser patch.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, external preparations called patches or pain relief patches are medications which are attached to a human body to relieve pain of a diseased area. Patches have a bandage form to which a patch solution mixed with an adhesive solution is applied and are attached to a diseased area to be used. Patches include warm packs, cold packs, and the like according to ingredients or types of applied patch solutions. Recently, patches including a magnet, an acupuncture needle, or the like disposed in a center for further improving blood flow have been provided.

However, in the above-described patches, side effects such as skin trouble caused by applied adhesive solutions or patch solutions, lack of air circulation during attachment, or the like, serious or slight burns, skin rashes, sores, and the like occur. Particularly, due to such side effects, it is difficult for people who inherently have delicate skin or children to use such patches. Also, since general patches provide a limitative effect which is not a fundamental therapy and most are used once and discarded, there are disadvantages such as the cost burden for long-term use and not being eco-friendly.

Meanwhile, it is well known through a variety of clinical data that low level lasers (LLLs) provides a variety of effects such as pain relief, blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, skin regeneration, cell activation, lipolysis, cell stimulation, and the like according to particular wavelength ranges. Particularly, in comparison to high level lasers used for destruction, intentional injuries, or necrosis of skin tissue, LLLs are relatively safe and have functions of boosting metabolism, activating cells, and increasing a level of immunity so as to restore injured cell tissue. Particularly, it is known that when LLLs of a particular wavelength range are selectively emitted toward acupoints on a body, effects like those of acupuncture or moxa cautery treatment are provided such that pain of skin or muscles is relieved and complete recovery of a diseased area is promoted.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

The present invention is directed to providing a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same using a low level laser (LLL) light source which provides high treatment effects without the skin trouble of general patches such as skin rashes, occurrence of allergies, burns, and the like.

The present invention is directed to providing a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same configured to have a patch structure including relatively small thin plate-shaped patches to perform treatment in local areas such that a user may combine and use laser patches according to a necessary treatment type and desired local areas.

The present invention is directed to providing a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same which include laser patches to which a built-in battery capable of being repeatedly used through electrical charging is applied such that a user may perform self-treatment with the same effects at no additional cost for a long time and resources may be prevented from being wasted to be eco-friendly in comparison to general patch or pain relief patches.

The present invention is directed to providing a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same which are configured to connect to a user terminal on which an application, which guides a user of the laser patch with an accurate procedure for acupuncture or moxa cautery treatment, which is a Korean medicine treatment, is loaded such that an ordinary user who has no or lacks Korean medicine treatment knowledge may also simply and accurately perform Korean medicine self-treatment.

Technical Solution

One aspect of the present invention provides a laser patch including a patch body which comprises a through hole for transmitting a laser, a circuit board disposed inside the patch body, a built-in battery disposed in the patch body to be opposite the circuit board, a laser diode device which is electrically connected to the circuit board and emits a low level laser (LLL) toward the outside of the patch body by using own power from the built-in battery, and a charging terminal provided in the patch body for optional power supply to the built-in battery from an external charger. Another aspect of the present invention provides a laser patch which is an LLL patch having at least one purpose of pain relief, blood flow improvement, cell activation, cell generation, lymph node stimulation, and edema relief. The laser patch includes a patch body having a plate shape which includes a through hole for transmitting a laser, a circuit board disposed in the patch body, a built-in battery disposed in the patch body, and a laser diode device which is electrically connected to the circuit board, receives power from the built-in battery, and emits an LLL toward the outside of the patch body. Here, the laser diode device includes a first device which emits an LLL having a wavelength range of 630 nm to 680 nm and a second device which emits an LLL having a wavelength range of 780 nm to 990 nm.

Still another aspect of the present invention provides a laser patch treatment set including a laser patch which comprises a built-in battery capable of being repeatedly charged and emits an LLL by using own power of the built-in battery and a user terminal which is connected to the laser patch by using a communication technology and on which an application for guiding a user with use information of the laser patch is loaded.

Advantageous Effects

According to embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same includes relatively small plate-shaped laser patches to perform treatment in a local area such that the patches can be appropriately combined to fit a necessary treatment type and a desired local area by a user.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same can perform treatments for pain relief, blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, skin regeneration, cell activation, lipolysis, cell stimulation, and the like without the skin trouble such as a skin rash, an allergy, a burn, and the like which are problems caused by an adhesive and a patch in comparison to general patches or pain relief patches.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same can allow a user to perform self-treatment with the same effect at no additional cost for a long time and prevent resource waste to be eco-friendly in comparison to general patches or pain relief patches.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same is configured to connect to a user terminal on which an application, which guides a user of the laser patch with an accurate procedure for acupuncture or moxa cautery treatment, which is a Korean medicine treatment, is loaded such that an ordinary user who has no or lacks Korean medicine treatment knowledge may also simply and accurately perform Korean medicine self-treatment.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

MODE FOR INVENTION

Advantages and features of the present disclosure and a method of achieving the same will become apparent with reference to the attached drawings and embodiments described below in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and may be embodied in a variety of different modifications. The embodiments may be provided to completely disclose the present invention and to allow one of ordinary skill in the art to completely understand the scope of the present invention. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

The terms used herein are for explaining the embodiments but are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Throughout the specification, unless particularly defined otherwise, singular forms include plural forms. The terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” are used herein as meanings which do not exclude presence or addition of one or more other components, stages, operations, and/or elements in addition to stated components, stages, operations, and/or elements.

Also, the embodiments will be described with reference to cross-sectional views and/or plan views which are exemplary views of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, detailed sizes, forms, thicknesses, curvatures, and the like of components are exaggerated or schematized for an effective description on the technical content and may be modified by allowable errors and the like.

Hereinafter, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1is a view of the laser patch treatment set according to one embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 2is a view illustrating a patch bandage of the laser patch treatment set according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, a laser patch treatment set10according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a patch bandage20, a charger30, a laser patch100, and a packaging box (not shown) for accommodating and storing the components.

The laser patch100may be an apparatus which emits a relatively low level laser, that is, a low level laser (LLL) toward skin. As an example, the laser patch100may emit an LLL of about 80 mW or lower. The laser patch100may have a relatively small thin plate shape. The laser patch100may have a variety of shapes of planes such as a disc-shaped plane, a quadrangular plane, an oval plane, and the like. A plurality of such laser patches100are provided in one packaging box such that a user may use a variety of combinations of the plurality of laser patches100.

The patch bandage20may allow the user to fix the laser patch100to a desired area on the user's skin. As shown inFIG. 2(a), the patch bandage20according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a fixing portion22for fixing one laser patch100and a bandage portion24connected to the fixing portion22. The bandage portion24may dispose the laser patch100on the desired area and fix the laser patch100to a human body. In this case, the fixing portion22is provided as an opening formed in the bandage portion24such that the user may insert the laser patch100into the fixing portion22and then put the bandage portion24around the user's body to use.

As shown inFIG. 2(b), a patch bandage20aaccording to another embodiment of the present invention may include a fixing portion22awhich has Velcro attached on one surface as form to be fitted onto the laser patch100and a bandage portion24awith Velcro detachably attached to the Velcro of the fixing portion22a. In this case, the user may attach the fixing portion22ato the bandage portion24aat a desired position corresponding to the desired area so as to use the laser patch100, with which the fixing portion22ais combined.

As shown inFIG. 2(c), the patch bandage20baccording to still another embodiment of the present invention includes a fixing portion22bwhich is used while fitted onto the laser patch100.

Also, an adhesive material capable of adhering to or being in close contact with and being fixed to skin may be applied to one surface of the fixing portion22b. In this case, the user may closely attach the laser patch100to the patch bandage20band then may attach the patch bandage20bto a desired area to use.

The charger30may be used for charging the laser patch100. The charger30may include a charging gender32which is separate from or integrated with the charger30so as to charge a plurality of laser patches100at the same time.

Subsequently, the laser patch according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Here, a redundant description on the above-described laser patch100may be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 3is a perspective view of the laser patch according to one embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 4is a cross-sectional view illustrating components of the laser patch shown inFIG. 3.

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, the laser patch100according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a patch body110, a circuit board120, a built-in battery130, a laser device140, a sensing device150, and a controller160.

The patch body110may have a thin plate shape overall and may provide an internal space for protecting, arranging, and supporting the components120,130,140,150, and160. As an example, the patch body110may include a first body112aand a second body112bwhich are assembled with each other to form a thin plate-shaped body112. The first body112amay have one surface which comes into close contact with a human body during treatment, and the second body112bmay have the other surface which is exposed during treatment. A through hole112cfor transmitting an LLL may be provided in the one surface of the first body112a. The second body112bmay include an operational light115which allows the user to recognize emission of the LLL or operation of the laser patch100.

Meanwhile, a lens113for diffusion of the LLL may be further provided in the through hole112cof the first body112a. As an example, the lens113may be configured to reduce linearity of light of a general laser so as to emit the light toward a wider area in a human body. For this, a convex lens may be used as the lens113such that the LLL which passes through the through hole112cmay be transmitted through the lens113and then may diffuse so as to penetrate a relatively wide human body area. In this case, it may be suitable for advantageous purposes, that is, pain relief, lymph node stimulation, edema relief, skin stimulation, and the like to dispersedly emit LLLs toward a relatively wide area.

As another example, the lens113may be provided to maintain or strengthen linearity of the LLL. For this, a concave lens or a general transmission plate may be used as the lens113such that the LLL which passes through the through hole112cmay be transmitted through the lens113and then may converge or be maintained so as to penetrate a relatively narrow human body area. In this case, it may be suitable for purposes of blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, cell activation, and the like which need intensive emission of the LLL toward a relatively narrow area.

A charging portion116may be provided in the patch body110for connecting the charger30to charge the built-in battery130. The charging portion116may include a charging terminal116aand a first charge light116band a second charge light116cfor allowing recognition of whether or not charging is completed or a residual battery amount. The first charge light116bmay include a green light emitting diode (LED) which indicates completion of charging, and the second charge light116cmay include a red LED which indicates charging.

Also, the patch body110may include a variety of control buttons118for setting a treatment condition of the laser patch100. For example, the control buttons118may include an on/off button118afor turning on/off the LLL device140, a laser level adjusting button118bfor adjusting a laser output intensity of the LLL device140, and a timer button118cfor setting an operation time of the laser patch100. The user may set treatment conditions of the laser patch100by setting the above-described control buttons118.

The circuit board120may be disposed inside the patch body110. The circuit board120may be disposed to be adjacent to and face the first body112ain comparison to the built-in battery130. The circuit board120may include at least one printed circuit board (PCB).

The built-in battery130may be a battery able to be repeatedly charged. The built-in battery130may be charged by the charger30and may supply power for laser emission of the LLL device140as internal power. A lithium polymer battery may be used as the built-in battery130for reducing the risk of explosion and ignition. The built-in battery130may allow the laser patch100to operate due to its own power without additional external power.

The LLL device140may be provided on the circuit board120to emit an LLL to the outside through the through hole112c. A general LLL is known as having a variety of effects such as pain relief, blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, cell activation, lymph node stimulation, edema relief, skin stimulation, and the like, and these effects are provided by LLLs having a certain wavelength range. For example, when LLLs are emitted toward a human body for 20 minutes or more as an output of 30 mW or more at a wavelength range of about 630 nm to 680 nm, effects of pain relief, lymph node stimulation, edema relief, cell activation, and the like are relatively high. When LLLs are emitted toward a human body for 20 minutes or more as an output of 30 mW or more at a wavelength range of about 780 nm to 990 nm, effects of blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, cell activation, and the like are relatively high. Accordingly, as the LLL device140, devices having a variety of wavelength ranges may be used according to the above-described purposes.

Here, the above-described LLL device140releases much heat outward when generating a laser. The heat of the LLL device140may shorten the lifetime of a device, deteriorate the reliability and safety of a product, and particularly, may cause a patient to be burned during treatment. Accordingly, a means capable of effectively releasing heat of the LLL device140is necessary. As the means, an additional heat sink (not shown) may be disposed near the LLL device140. However, in this case, a thickness of the laser patch100increases due to at least a degree of protrusion from the circuit board120. However, the laser patch100according to one embodiment of the present invention may have a maximally thin thickness for user convenience. That is, the laser patch may further protrude toward skin as the thickness thereof increases such that a sense of difference or discomfort must increase when the laser patch100comes into close contact with the skin and aesthetics thereof are not good.

In order to address the above-described part, the laser patch100according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the patch body110formed of a material having relatively high thermal conductivity so as to be used as a heat sink for discharging the heat of the LLL device140outward or as a heat transfer plate for transferring heat to a human body during treatment. For this, the patch body110may include stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and a variety of other metal materials entirely or may include a multilayer structure having a biomaterial in which a skin contact surface is formed of a plastic material which satisfies biocompatibility and an inside thereof is formed of a metal material. In this case, in the laser patch100, the patch body110is partially or entirely heated due to heat generated by the LLL device140such that appropriate heat of the patch body110is transferred to the human body so as to perform thermal therapy. That is, the above-described laser patch100may be configured to perform basic LLL treatment and the thermal therapy using the own heat of the patch body110at the same time.

The sensing device150may be provided for safety during treatment of the laser patch100and provided to appropriately control treatment. For example, the sensing device150may include a contact sensor152and a temperature sensor154. The contact sensor152may sense whether one surface of the laser patch100comes into contact with the user's skin while the laser patch100is used. For this, as the contact sensor152, a pressure sensor, an impedance sensor, a magnetic sensor, a capacitance sensor, and the like may be used. Otherwise, the contact sensor152may be a sensor which senses a contact with skin by using a physical or mechanical means. For example, as the contact sensor152, a physical sensor which is provided with an ordinary protruding pin, and when coming into close contact with the skin, is inserted thereinto and senses whether contact is present.

The temperature sensor154may prevent a user from getting burned during treatment because the laser patch100is heated by heat generated by the LLL device140. As described above, the patch body110according to one embodiment of the present invention may be formed of a material having relatively high thermal conductivity and may be configured to use heat of the LLL device140for thermal therapy. However, in this case, since a burn may occur due to excessive heat generation of the laser patch110, a safety technique for preventing the occurrence of burns may be necessary. For this, the patch body110may include at least one temperature sensor154to sense a temperature of the patch body110. As an example, the temperature sensor154may be provided in the first body112aof the patch body110to sense a temperature of the first body112awhich comes into direct contact with a human body during treatment.

The controller160may receive a sensing signal from the sensing device150and may control the laser patch100. For example, the controller160may receive a contact sensing signal from the contact sensor152, may turn on the LLL device140when the patch body110comes into contact with a human body during treatment, and may turn off the LLL device140when the patch body110does not come into contact with the human body. Also, the controller160may receive a temperature sensing signal from the temperature sensor154, may turn off the LLL device140when a temperature of the patch body110deviates from a preset temperature, and may turn on the LLL device140when the temperature of the patch body110satisfies a preset temperature. Here, the preset temperature range may be a temperature range appropriate for thermal therapy. For example, the preset temperature range may be from about 40° C. to 55° C. During treatment, when the patch body110is less than about 40° C., a thermal therapy effect may be extremely slight. On the other hand, when the patch body110is more than about 55° C., a user may get burned.

Subsequently, an LLL self-treatment method using the above-described laser patch treatment set will be described in detail.

FIG. 5is a flowchart illustrating an LLL treatment method according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIGS. 3 to 5, first, treatment conditions may be set and started (S110). In more detail, a user may set an output time and intensity adjustment of an LLL of the laser patch100and set whether to perform an operation of turning on (On) by manipulating the control buttons118of the laser patch100. Setting values of the above treatment conditions may differ for each purpose such as pain relief, blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, skin regeneration, cell activation, lipolysis, cell stimulation, and the like.

As an example, when a purpose is pain relief, the output of the LLL is set to 40 mW by manipulating the laser level adjusting button118b, set to 30 minutes by manipulating the timer button118c, and the laser patch100may be turned on by manipulating the on/off button118ain the above condition. Also, the laser patch100may be selected and fixed to the patch bandage20which is suitable for skin tissue of a target and then may be attached to an area to be treated.

When the laser patch100is attached to the area to be treated, it may be determined whether the laser patch100comes into normal contact with a human body (S120). In more detail, the controller160may receive a contact sensing signal from the contact sensor152of the sensing device150and may determine whether one surface of the first body112aof the laser patch100is normally attached to the area to be treated. Here, when it is determined that the patch body110comes into normal contact with the area to be treated, the controller160may control the circuit board120such that the LLL device140may start emitting an LLL by using own power of the built-in battery140(S130). On the other hand, when it is determined that the patch body110does not come into contact with the area to be treated, the controller160may cause the LLL emission of the LLL device14to be on standby (S140).

That is, the LLL emission of the LLL device140may be performed only when the laser patch100comes into normal contact with the area to be treated and otherwise may always be on standby in an off state. Accordingly, the laser patch100is allowed to emit the LLL only when coming into normal contact with the area to be treated such that it is possible to prevent a negligent accident such as emitting an LLL toward eyes due to the negligence of a user.

Also, when emission of the LLL is performed, it may be determined whether a temperature of the laser patch100is within a preset temperature range (S150). In more detail, the controller160may receive a temperature sensing signal from the temperature sensor154of the sensing device150and may determine whether a temperature of the patch body110of the laser patch100is within the preset temperature range. Here, when the temperature of the patch body110is within the preset temperature range, the controller160may allow the LLL device140to continue the emission of the LLL (S160). On the other hand, when the temperature of the patch body110deviates from the preset temperature range, the controller160may control the circuit board120to stop the LLL emission of the LLL device140(S170).

That is, as described above, since the laser patch100according to one embodiment of the present invention uses heat of the LLL device140as heat for thermal therapy, when the temperature of the patch body110excessively increases, a problem such as burns may occur. Accordingly, the above-described laser patch100is allowed to emit the LLL only when the temperature does not deviate from a normal temperature range such that safety of treatment may increase.

During a process of performing the above-described laser treatment, it may be determined that a preset treatment time has passed (S180). For example, when 30 minutes which is set in the above-described operation S110have not passed, the controller160may return to the operation S120and may repeatedly perform the above-described operations S120to S170. On the other hand, when 30 minutes which is set in the above-described operation S110have passed, the LLL device140is turned off, i.e., the treatment is finished (S190), and then an alarm or external display such as an off light of the operational light115may be indicated to allow the user to recognize it.

As described above, the laser patch treatment set10according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the laser patches100which emit LLLs and the patch bandage20capable of fixing the laser patch100to the area to be treated. Each of the laser patches100may have a relatively small diameter and may have a thin plate shape. In this case, the laser patches100may be combined to be selectively arranged in local areas such as a painful area, blood apertures, lymph nodes, and the like such that a variety of self-treatments such as pain relief, blood flow improvement, lymph node stimulation, edema relief, skin stimulation, and the like may be performed. Accordingly, according to the embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same includes relatively small plate-shaped laser patches to perform treatment in a local area such that the patches may be appropriately combined to fit a necessary treatment type and a desired local area by the user.

Also, according to the embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch100and a laser patch treatment set10including the same may perform treatments for pain relief, blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, skin regeneration, cell activation, lipolysis, cell stimulation, and the like without skin troubles such as a skin rash, an allergy, a burn, and the like which are problems caused by an adhesive and a patch in comparison to general patches or pain relief patches.

Also, according to the embodiments of the present invention, a laser patch100and a laser patch treatment set10including the same may allow a user to perform self-treatment with the same effect at no additional cost for a long time and prevent resource waste to be eco-friendly in comparison to general patches or pain relief patches.

Subsequently, laser patches according to modified examples of the present invention will be described. Here, a description which overlaps with that of the laser patch100according to one embodiment of the present invention may be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 6is a view of a laser patch according to one modified example of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 6, a laser patch100aaccording to one modified example of the present invention may include the patch body110, the circuit board120, the built-in battery130, an LLL device140a, the sensing device150, and the controller160. The LLL device140amay include a first device142aand a second device144ahaving different laser wavelength values. As an example, the first device142amay include an LLL device140having a wavelength range of about 630 nm to 680 nm and an output intensity of about 80 mW or less. The first device142amay be used for purposes such as pain relief, lymph node stimulation, edema relief, cell activation, and the like. On the other hand, the second device144amay include an LLL device140having a wavelength range of about 780 nm to 990 nm and an output intensity of about 80 mW or less. The second device142amay be used for purposes such as blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, cell activation, and the like.

The numbers and arrangements of the first and second devices142aand144amay be variously changed. A user may select and control the first and second devices142aand144aby manipulating the control buttons118. For example, when the laser patch100ais used for pain relief, the user may set the control buttons118to turn on only the first device142aand use the laser patch100a. Otherwise, when the laser patch100ais used for blood flow improvement, the user may set the control buttons118to turn on only the second device144aand use the laser patch100a. When the user intends to use the laser patch100afor both pain relief and blood flow improvement at the same time, the user may turn on both the first and second devices142aand144aand then use the laser patch100a.

The laser patch100ahaving the above-described structure may emit, as one laser patch100a, lasers having different wavelengths so as to perform laser treatment having two wavelengths by a single laser patch100ain comparison to the laser patch100according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7is a view of a laser patch according to another modified example of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 7, a laser patch100baccording to another modified example of the present invention may include the patch body110, the circuit board120, the built-in battery130, the LLL device140, the sensing device150, the controller160, and an oscillator170. The oscillator170may be provided to further add purposes such as blood flow improvement and the like by transferring micro oscillations to an area to be treated during treatment. As the oscillator170, an ultrasonic oscillator, an electromagnetic motor oscillator, and the like may be used.

The laser patch100bhaving the above-described structure may simultaneously or separately perform LLL treatment and micro oscillation treatment as a single laser patch100b.

Hereinafter, a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Here, a description which overlaps with those of the above-described laser patches100,100a, and100bmay be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 8is a view of a laser patch treatment set according to another embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 9is a view illustrating a patch bandage of the laser patch treatment set according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIGS. 8 and 9, a laser patch treatment set12according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a patch bandage22, the charger30, a user terminal40, a web server50, a web client60, a laser patch200, and a packaging box (not shown) for accommodating and storing the components.

The laser patch200is an apparatus which emits an LLL toward skin and may have a relatively small thin plate shape. A user may perform self-treatment of Korean medicine treatments such as acupuncture, moxa cautery treatment, and the like by variously combining a plurality of such laser patches200.

The patch bandage22may allow the user to fix the laser patch200to a desired area on the user's skin. As shown inFIG. 9, the patch bandage22according to another embodiment of the present invention may be provided as an adhesive bandage which is attached to one surface of the laser patch200. For this, one surface of the patch bandage22which comes into contact with skin may be provided as a form to which an adhesive material which is harmless to a human body is applied, and the other surface thereof may be provided as a form which is attached to a laser emission surface of the laser patch200. The patch bandage22may include a plurality of holes formed therein so as not to interfere with a path for lasers emitted by the laser patch200. During treatment, the user may attach the patch bandage22to each of the laser patches200and then may allow the patch bandage22to come into close contact with desired skin tissue to use.

The charger30may be for charging the laser patch100. The charger30may include the charging gender32which is separate from or integrated with the charger30so as to charge a plurality of such laser patches200at the same time.

The user terminal40may be a device on which an application for allowing the user to check and control a method of using the laser patch200, a history, and the like is installed. As the user terminal40, a variety of portable terminals such as a smart phone and a tablet PC may be used. The user terminal40may wirelessly communicate with the laser patch200through Bluetooth, Zigbee, radio frequency (RF), and the like. Otherwise, the user terminal40may communicate with the laser patch200through wires using a USB connection portion and the like. The application may display a variety of pieces of information on LLL treatment such that the user may use the laser patch200on the basis of the information.

The web server50may include a database including treatment information data on Korean medicine treatments such as basic acupuncture and moxa cautery treatment and may check and manage the database. Also, basic information which is input by the user through the user terminal40may be recognized, and the user may be guided with treatment information in the database which is appropriate for the user and the method of using the laser patch200through preset conditions and a calculation program.

The web client60may receive a variety of pieces of treatment information and the history and data of the laser patch200from the user terminal40and the web server50.

Subsequently, the laser patch according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Here, a description which overlaps with those of the variously formed laser patches100,100a, and100bmay be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 10is a perspective view of a laser patch according to another embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 11is a perspective view illustrating the laser patch shown inFIG. 10when viewed from the other side.

Referring toFIGS. 10 and 11, the laser patch200according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a patch body210, a circuit board (not shown), a built-in battery (not shown), a laser device240, a sensing device250, and a controller (not shown). The circuit board, the built-in battery, the controller, and the like may be equal or similar to the components of the above-described laser patches100,100a, and100b.

The patch body210may include a first body212aand a second body212bwhich are assembled with each other to form a thin plate-shaped body212. The first body212amay have one surface which comes into close contact with a human body during treatment, and the second body212bmay have the other surface which is exposed during treatment. A charging portion216may be provided in the patch body210for connecting the charger30to charge the built-in battery. The charging portion216may include a charging terminal216aand a first charge light216band a second charge light216cfor allowing recognition of whether or not charging is completed or a residual battery amount.

The patch body210may include a variety of control buttons218for setting a treatment condition of the laser patch200. For example, the control buttons218may include the on/off button218afor turning on/off the LLL device240, a laser level adjusting button218bfor adjusting a laser output intensity of the LLL device240, and a timer button218cfor setting an operation time of the laser patch200. Also, the patch body210may further include an oscillator control button219for setting and operating an oscillator (not shown) provided in the laser patch200. For example, the oscillator control button219may include an on/off button219afor turning on/off the oscillator, selecting an oscillation mode, or the like, an increase button219bfor increasing the intensity of the oscillator, and a decrease button219cfor decreasing the intensity of the oscillator. The user may set treatment conditions of the laser patch200by setting the above-described control buttons218and219.

The LLL device240may include a first device242and a second device244having different laser wavelength values. As an example, the first device242may include an LLL device having a wavelength range of about 630 nm to 680 nm and an output intensity of about 80 mW or less. The first device242may be used for purposes such as pain relief, lymph node stimulation, edema relief, cell activation, and the like. On the other hand, the second device244may include an LLL device having a wavelength range of about 780 nm to 990 nm and an output intensity of about 80 mW or less. The second device242may be used for purposes such as blood flow improvement, blood flow strengthening, cell activation, and the like.

The numbers and arrangements of the first and second devices242and244may be variously changed. For example, at least one second device244may be disposed in a central area of one surface of the patch body210and a plurality of such first devices242may be arranged in a peripheral area of the one surface of the patch body210. In the LLL device240having the above-described structure, the second device244is located above a blood vessel of a user to increase or improve blood flow in a particular blood vessel and the other first devices242emit LLLs toward a relatively wide area to relief pain.

The sensing device250may be provided for safety during treatment of the laser patch200and provided to appropriately control treatment. For example, the sensing device250may include a contact sensor252and a temperature sensor254. The contact sensor252may sense whether one surface of the laser patch200comes into contact with skin of the user when the laser patch100is used, and the temperature sensor254may prevent the user from getting burned during treatment because the laser patch200is heated by heat generated by the LLL device240.

The controller may receive a sensing signal from the sensing device250and may control the laser patch200. For example, the controller may receive a contact sensing signal from the contact sensor252, may turn on the LLL device240when the patch body210comes into contact with a human body during treatment, and may turn off the LLL device240when the patch body210does not come into contact with the human body. Also, the controller may receive a temperature sensing signal from the temperature sensor254, may turn off the LLL device240when a temperature of the patch body210deviates from a preset temperature, and may turn on the LLL device240when the temperature of the patch body210satisfies a preset temperature.

Subsequently, an LLL treatment process using the above-described laser patch according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Here, a description which overlaps with those of the laser patches according to the above-described variety of embodiments may be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 12is a flowchart illustrating a laser treatment method using the laser patch according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIGS. 8 to 12, basic user information may be input by using an application of the user terminal40(S210). For example, a user may download a related application through the user terminal40and may input basic user items, for example, gender, age, weight, disease to be treated, and the like.

After inputting of the basic user information, the user may select a desired treatment (S220). In more detail, the user may input a treatment item and a position to be treated through the application. For example, when the user inputs pain treatment among pain treatment and blood flow improvement which are classified as major items, treatment areas such as arms, legs, shoulders, waist, and the like which are classified as intermediate items appear. When the shoulders among them are input, a right side, a left side, another detailed painful area, and the like may appear. The user may input the desired treatment and the most appropriate treatment item through the detailed classifications.

Treatment may be performed according to use information of the laser patch including appropriate treatment information data (S230). In more detail, when the user selects the desired treatment, the web server50may transmit the appropriate treatment information data from information basically stored in a database, to the user terminal40. The user may perform the treatment by sequentially attaching the laser patches200to an area to be treated according to a method or process of using the laser patches200which is shown through the user terminal40.

Particularly, the treatment information data may include a treatment guide having at least one purposes of pain relief, blood flow improvement, cell activation, cell regeneration, lymph node stimulation, and edema relief such that a treatment sequence and positions are set with respect to the laser patches through the treatment guide selected by previously input information of the user and the user is allowed to sequentially locate the laser patches in the set positions of the user according to the set treatment sequence and positions. Accordingly, the user may perform treatments as Korean medicine acupuncture or a moxa cautery process while sequentially attaching the laser patches200to particular positions such that an ordinary person may easily perform specialized Korean medicine self-treatment.

It may be determined whether a clinician uses the laser patches according to the guided use information in the above-described treatment process (S240). For example, the controller (not shown) may determine whether the user performs the treatment according to the treatment process guided through the user terminal40on the basis of whether the laser patch200comes into contact with a human body when the user attaches the laser patch200to the human body which is transmitted from the sensing device250. When the user performs the treatment by using the laser patches200according to the guided treatment process, it is determined to be normal use such that normal treatment may be performed (S260). Here, the normal treatment may include an LLL treatment which has been described above with reference toFIG. 5. On the other hand, when the user does not perform the treatment by using the laser patches200according to the guided treatment process, the user may be notified of it and the use information may be guided again so as to perform appropriate treatment (S250).

As described above, the laser patch200and the laser patch treatment set12including the same according to another embodiment of the present invention may include the laser patches200which perform LLL treatments, the user terminal40on which the application which communicates with the laser patches200and guides the method and process of using the laser patches200is installed, and the web server50connected to the user terminal40such that an ordinary user may be guided with a desired treatment procedure by using the application and may perform Korean medicine self-treatment by using the laser patches200. Accordingly, according to the embodiments of the present invention, there are provided a laser patch and a laser patch treatment set including the same which are configured to connect to a user terminal on which an application which guides a user of the laser patches with an accurate procedure for acupuncture or moxa cautery treatment, which is a Korean medicine treatment, is loaded such that an ordinary user who has no or lacks Korean medicine treatment knowledge may simply and accurately perform Korean medicine self-treatment.

Although the laser patch and the laser patch treatment set including the same according to the detailed embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is obvious that a variety of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments and should be determined by the following claims and equivalents thereof. The above-described embodiments should be understood as being exemplary and not limitative in every aspect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims rather than the detailed description.

It should be understood that all changes and modifications derived from the meaning, scope, and equivalents of the claims are included in the scope of the present invention.