Patent ID: 8790819

Claim:
An implantable medical assembly, which comprises: a) a medical device comprising: i) an electrically conductive device housing comprising a device housing end surrounding a device contact opening, and ii) at least one electrical circuit contained within and electrically connected to the device housing; and b) an electrochemical cell comprising: i) an electrically conductive cell casing comprising a casing sidewall extending from a distal casing opening to a proximal casing opening; ii) an electrically non-conductive insulator disposed along a first interior portion of the casing sidewall adjacent to the proximal casing opening; iii) a cathode active material contained within the insulator; iv) a separator disc comprising a polymeric material that permits ionic flow between opposed first and second major disc faces spaced apart from each other by a disc thickness providing a disc edge that is contiguous with a second interior portion of the casing sidewall, wherein the first major disc face is in contact with the cathode active material contained within the insulator; v) an anode active material in direct contact with the second major disc face and with a third interior portion of the casing sidewall adjacent to the distal casing opening so that the cell casing serves as an anode terminal, wherein the first and second major disc faces are continuous surfaces that prevent the anode active material from physical contact with the cathode active material; vi) a lid sealed to the distal casing opening; vii) a glass-to-metal seal hermetically sealed to the proximal casing opening, wherein the glass-to-metal seal comprises a terminal pin extending through a sealing glass in the proximal casing opening and through the device contact opening in the device housing end, the terminal pin having a proximal pin portion within the cell casing in contact with the cathode active material to thereby serve as a cathode terminal and a distal pin portion as a positive contact electrically connected to the at least one electrical circuit contained within the device housing; and viii) an electrolyte activating the anode active material and the cathode active material, c) wherein the electrically conductive cell casing at the proximal casing opening is directly electrically connected to the device housing at the device contact opening so that there is electrical continuity from the cell casing as the anode terminal to the device housing as a negative electrical contact connected to the at least one electrical circuit and then the terminal pin as the positive electrical contact and the cathode terminal to thereby power the at least one electrical circuit in the device housing.