Patent ID: 8257414

Claim:
A thermal pump system comprising: a pump container having a dry compartment that contains a motor, a wet compartment that contains a propeller, and a shaft system that interconnects the motor to the propeller; the wet compartment has a water inlet; the propeller pulls water from a water bath into the wet compartment through the water inlet and pushes the water into a conduit toward a heating block and to a patient application device; the heating block has a heating pad and/or a cooling pad; and a therapy management device that controls the thermal energy provided by the heating pad and/or the cooling pad to (a) direct the water's temperature toward a first predetermined temperature at a first rate that can be sensed by a patient when the patient application device is applied to the patient, wherein the first rate is more than 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit per minute, (b) direct the water's temperature toward a second predetermined temperature at a second rate that is not normally sensed by the patient when the patient application device is applied to the patient, wherein the second rate has a magnitude less than said first rate, and wherein (i) if the first predetermined temperature is obtained by raising the water's temperature then the second predetermined temperature is obtained by lowering the water's temperature and (ii) if the first predetermined temperature is obtained by lowering the water's temperature then the second predetermined temperature is obtained by raising the water's temperature; and (c) repeat step (a).