Patent ID: 8039727

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: an implantable housing that includes a first portion that is metallic and thermally conductive and a second portion that is metallic and thermally conductive, the first portion and the second portion joined and hermetically sealed together defining an interior volume, with the first portion in direct thermal conduction with the second portion; a thermal shunt disposed and sealed in the interior volume of the housing, with the thermal shunt thermally conductive to the first portion of the housing; and thermoelectric energy converter electronics disposed and sealed in the interior volume of the housing, the thermoelectric energy converter electronics including a hot pole and a cold pole, with the hot pole thermally conductive to the first portion of the housing and the thermal shunt and the cold pole thermally conductive to the second portion of the housing, wherein the thermoelectric energy converter electronics are adapted to convert a temperature differential between the first portion of the housing and the second portion of the housing to provide power for at least part of the apparatus.