Implantable medical device and enclosure including vent

Abstract

Various embodiments of an enclosure for an implantable medical device (IMD) are disclosed. The enclosure includes a base and a cover configured to be connected to the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of a sidewall of the base and an outer surface of a lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent a sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. A first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression define an external port of the vent, and a second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

Description

IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE AND ENCLOSURE INCLUDING VENTCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 654,609, filed May 31, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to an implantable medical device and more particularly to an implantable medical device that includes an enclosure that has a vent.BACKGROUND

[0003] Implantable medical devices such as an implantable pacemaker can deliver pacing pulses to a patient’s heart and monitor conditions of the patient’s heart. In some examples, the implantable pacemaker includes a pulse generator and one or more electrical leads. The pulse generator may, for example, be implanted in a small pocket in the patient’s chest. The electrical leads can be coupled to the pulse generator, which may contain circuitry that generates pacing pulses and / or senses cardiac electrical activity. The electrical leads may extend from the pulse generator to a target site (e.g., an atrium and / or a ventricle) such that electrodes at the distal ends of the electrical leads are positioned at the target site. The pulse generator may provide electrical stimulation to the target site and / or monitor cardiac electrical activity at the target site via the electrodes.

[0004] Other implantable pacemakers are configured to be implanted entirely within a chamber of the heart. Such pacemakers can be referred to as intracardiac pacing devices or leadless pacing devices and can include one or more electrodes on their outer housings to deliver therapeutic electrical signals and / or sense intrinsic depolarizations of the heart. Such pacemakers can be positioned within or outside of the heart and, in some examples, can be anchored to a wall of the heart via a fixation mechanism.SUMMARY

[0005] The techniques of this disclosure generally relate to an enclosure for an implantable medical device (IMD) and an IMD that includes such enclosure. Theenclosure can include one or more vents disposed in any suitable portion or portions of the enclosure that can be utilized for a gas exchange between a first gas external to the enclosure and a second gas internal to the enclosure prior to hermetically sealing electronic components of the IMD within the enclosure. One or more embodiments of a vent can be defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of a sidewall of a base of the enclosure and an outer surface of a lip of the base. The vent can further be defined by a portion of an inner surface of a cover of the enclosure that is adjacent a sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. A first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression can define an external port of the vent, and a second end of the depression and a portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression can define an internal port of the vent. A seam defined between the sidewall edge of the sidewall of the base and the sidewall edge of the sidewall of the cover can be hermetically sealed using any suitable technique prior to performing the gas exchange. For example, in one or more embodiments, the seam can be hermetically sealed by disposing a seam weld along the seam using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. The external port of the vent, however, remains at least partially open after the seam weld has been disposed along the seam. Following the gas exchange, a back weld can be disposed over the external port of the vent using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. As a result, the seam weld and the back weld hermetically seal the seam and the vent.

[0006] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components. The enclosure includes a base having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the sidewall of the base and an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edgeof the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The depression extends between a first end disposed in the sidewall of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base. Further, the first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression define an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0007] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components. The enclosure includes a base having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the edge of the sidewall to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The depression extends between a first end disposed in the outer surface of the lip of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base. Further, a notch defined in the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that extends between the outer surface of the cover to the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression defines an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0008] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an implantable medical device including an enclosure and electronic components disposed at least partially within the enclosure. The enclosure includes a base having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base, where the cover includes a topsurface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the edge of the cover is adjacent the edge of the base to form a seam between the edge of the cover and the edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the sidewall of the base and an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The depression extends between a first end disposed in the sidewall of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base. The first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression define an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0009] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method that includes disposing a depression in an outer surface of a sidewall and an outer surface of a lip of a base of an enclosure of an implantable medical device, where the sidewall extends from a bottom surface of the base to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and where the lip of the base extends from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The method further includes disposing electronic components between the base and a cover of the enclosure, and connecting the cover of the enclosure to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall that extends from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The method further includes connecting the cover of the enclosure to the base including inserting the lip of the base into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to define a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. A vent is defined by the depression of the base and an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The method further includes disposing a seam weld along the seam that hermetically seals the seam, where an external port of the vent defined by a first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression is at least partially open when the seam weld is disposed along the seam. The method further includes disposing a back weld over the external port of the vent to hermetically seal the external port.

[0010] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components. The enclosure includes a base including a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base. The cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by the lip and the sidewall edge of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that faces the lip of the base when the cover is connected to the base. The sidewall edge of the base and the sidewall edge of the cover define an external port of the vent and the lip edge of the base and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0011] All headings provided herein are for the convenience of the reader and should not be used to limit the meaning of any text that follows the heading, unless so specified.

[0012] The terms “comprises” and variations thereof do not have a limiting meaning where these terms appear in the description and claims. Such terms will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated step or element or group of steps or elements but not the exclusion of any other step or element or group of steps or elements. The term “consisting of’ means “including,” and is limited to whatever follows the phrase “consisting of.” Thus, the phrase “consisting of’ indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory and that no other elements may be present. The term “consisting essentially of’ means including any elements listed after the phrase and is limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified in the disclosure for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase “consisting essentially of’ indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they materially affect the activity or action of the listed elements.

[0013] The words “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments of the disclosure that may afford certain benefits, under certain circumstances; however, otherembodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances.Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the disclosure.

[0014] In this application, terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are used interchangeably with the term “at least one.” The phrases “at least one of’ and “comprises at least one of’ followed by a list refers to any one of the items in the list and any combination of two or more items in the list.

[0015] As used herein, the term “or” is generally employed in its usual sense including “and / or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

[0016] The term “and / or” means one or all of the listed elements or a combination of any two or more of the listed elements.

[0017] As used herein in connection with a measured quantity, the term “about” refers to that variation in the measured quantity as would be expected by the skilled artisan making the measurement and exercising a level of care commensurate with the objective of the measurement and the precision of the measuring equipment used.Herein, “up to” a number (e.g., up to 50) includes the number (e.g., 50).

[0018] Also herein, the recitations of numerical ranges by endpoints include all numbers subsumed within that range as well as the endpoints (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, 5, etc.).

[0019] The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the techniques described in this disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. l is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of an implantable medical device (IMD) implanted in a patient.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-section view of the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an enclosure of the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the enclosure of FIG. 1 with a cover and a base of the enclosure made transparent for explanatory purposes.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the base of the enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a portion of the base of FIG. 6.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of the cover of the enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0028] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective cross-section view of a portion of a vent of the enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-section view of a portion of the enclosure of FIG.1 that further illustrates the vent of FIG. 9.

[0030] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of an inner surface of the base of the enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0031] FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of an inner surface of the cover of the enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of the enclosure of FIG. 1 with a seam weld disposed along a seam defined between a sidewall edge of the base and a sidewall edge of the cover.

[0033] FIG. 14 is a schematic side view of the enclosure of FIG. 1 with a back weld disposed over an external port of the vent.

[0034] FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-section view of a portion of another embodiment of an enclosure that can be utilized with the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0035] FIG. 16 is a schematic side view of a portion of another embodiment of an enclosure that can be utilized with the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0036] FIG. 17 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of an enclosure that can be utilized with the IMD of FIG. 1 with a cover and a base of the enclosure made transparent for explanatory purposes.

[0037] FIG. 18 is a schematic side view of the base of the enclosure of FIG. 17.

[0038] FIG. 19 is a schematic side view of the cover of the enclosure of FIG. 17.

[0039] FIG. 20 is a flowchart of one technique for manufacturing the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0040] FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of an enclosure that can be utilized with the IMD of FIG. 1.

[0041] FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective cross-section view of a portion of a vent of the enclosure of FIG. 21.

[0042] FIG. 23 is a schematic side view of the enclosure of FIG. 21 with a seam weld disposed along a first portion of a seam defined between a sidewall edge of the base and a sidewall edge of the cover.

[0043] FIG. 24 is a schematic side view of the enclosure of FIG. 21 with a back weld disposed over a second portion of the seam.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The techniques of this disclosure generally relate to an enclosure for an implantable medical device (IMD) and an IMD that includes such enclosure. The enclosure can include one or more vents disposed in any suitable portion or portions of the enclosure that can be utilized for a gas exchange between a first gas external to the enclosure and a second gas internal to the enclosure prior to hermetically sealing electronic components of the IMD within the enclosure. One or more embodiments of a vent can be defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of a sidewall of a base of the enclosure and an outer surface of a lip of the base. The vent can further be defined by a portion of an inner surface of a cover of the enclosure that is adjacent a sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. A first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression can define an external port of the vent, and a second end of the depression and a portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression can define an internal port of the vent. A seam defined between the sidewall edge of the sidewall of the base and the sidewall edge of the sidewall of the cover can be hermetically sealed using any suitable technique prior to performing the gas exchange. For example, in one or more embodiments, the seam can be hermetically sealed by disposing a seam weld along the seam using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. The external port of the vent, however, remains at least partially open after the seam weld has been disposed along the seam. Following the gas exchange, a back weld can be disposed over the external port of the vent using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. As a result, the seam weld and the back weld hermetically seal the seam and the vent.

[0045] Oftentimes, IMDs are assembled in a controlled gas environment. In such environments, a gas exchange between an environment external to the device and an environment internal to the device is performed. Further, a vacuum can be applied to the device such that any internal gases or ambient air within the device can be removed. Optionally, the device can be subjected to heat while under vacuum to remove any moisture from within the device. A vent can be disposed in an enclosure of the IMD that allows fluid communication between the external environment and space within the enclosure. The enclosure can be backfilled by exposing the device to an inert or low- reactive gas such as argon, nitrogen, helium, or combinations thereof, such that the gas enters the device through the vent. While still in an inert gas environment, a weld can be disposed over the vent and along a seam formed between a base and a cover of the enclosure when the cover is connected to the base such that the enclosure is hermetically sealed.

[0046] Some currently-available enclosures of medical devices include a vent formed in a lip of a base of the enclosure that is inserted into a cover to form the enclosure. Because the vent is disposed in the lip of the base, the vent is blocked when the lip is inserted into the cover. To maintain an open vent between the external and internal environments for gas exchange, a small opening is formed in the cover that is aligned with the vent in the lip. Such opening, however, requires an additional manufacturing step to form and an additional back weld to seal after a seam between the base and the cover has been partially sealed. Further, the opening is spaced from the seam and, therefore, can be challenging to locate such that this back weld can be performed.

[0047] One or more embodiments of an enclosure and an implantable medical device that includes such enclosure described herein can provide various advantages over these currently-available enclosures. For example, a vent can be at least partially formed in a lip of a base of the enclosure, where a depression that in part defines the vent extends from a lip edge of the lip through a sidewall edge of a sidewall of the base from which the lip extends. When the base is connected to a cover by inserting the lip into the cover, a portion of the depression extends into the sidewall of the base beyond the seam formed by the lip edge of the base and a sidewall edge of a sidewall of the cover. When the seam is welded, this portion of the depression remains at least partially open such that a backfill gas exchange can still be performed. Further, by forming the vent in this manner, anopening in the cover that is aligned with the depression in the lip of the base is no longer required. Because the portion of the depression in the lip that extends into the sidewall of the base is adjacent the seam, a back weld to seal the vent is more easily performed.

[0048] FIG. l is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of an implantable medical device (IMD) 10 implanted in a patient 2. The IMD 10 includes an enclosure or housing 12. The enclosure 12 can define an internal volume of the IMD 10 and is configured to contain one or more electronic components 24 (FIG. 3).

[0049] The IMD 10 can be configured to be electrically connectable with one or more external components, such as a medical lead 14. The one or more external components can be electrically connected to the one or more internal components via a feedthrough assembly 18 (FIG. 2), which can be positioned in a connector header 16. The connector header 16 can form a unitary part with, or can be coupled to, the enclosure 12. The connector header 16 can be configured to receive the one or more external components, such as the lead 14. For example, the connector header 16 can define a bore into which a portion of the lead 14 can be inserted. The lead 14 can have electrical contacts that electrically couple with respective electrical contacts in the connector header 16 when the lead is inserted into the bore. The electrical contacts in the connector header 16 can be electrically coupled to the electrical components 24 of the IMD 10 through one or more feedthroughs 20 of the feedthrough assembly 18.

[0050] The IMD 10 can include any suitable implantable medical device. Representative examples of such implantable medical devices include hearing implants, e.g., cochlear implants; sensing or monitoring devices; signal generators such as cardiac pacemakers or defibrillators, neurostimulators (such as spinal cord stimulators, brain or deep brain stimulators, peripheral nerve stimulators, vagal nerve stimulators, occipital nerve stimulators, subcutaneous stimulators, etc.), gastric stimulators; or the like.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the IMD 10, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-section view of the IMD. The IMD 10 can include the feedthrough assembly 18 disposed in any suitable portion of the enclosure 12. The assembly 18 includes one or more feedthroughs 20 each having a feedthrough pin 22. The feedthroughs 20 can each provide an electrical connection between electronic components external to the enclosure 12 and electronic components 24 disposed within the enclosure.

[0052] The IMD 10 can include any suitable electronic components 24 disposed within the enclosure 12. Suitable electronic components include any discrete and / or integrated electronic circuit components that implement analog and / or digital circuits capable of producing the functions attributed to the IMD 10 described herein. In one or more embodiments, the electronic components 24 can include devices or circuitry for sensing other physiological parameters, such as acceleration, pressure, sound, and / or impedance. Additionally, the enclosure 12 can also house a memory that includes instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry housed within housing, cause the IMD 10 to perform various functions attributed to the device herein. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 12 can house communication circuitry that enables the IMD 10 to communicate with other electronic devices, such as a medical device programmer. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 12 can house an antenna for wireless communication. One or more of the electronic components 24 can be disposed on a substrate 26. Further, the IMD 10 can include one or more power sources 28 (e.g., one or more batteries) also disposed within the enclosure.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 2-14, the enclosure 12 of the IMD 10 includes a base 30 and a cover 32 configured to be connected to the base. The base 30 has a bottom surface 34, a sidewall 36 extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge 38 of the sidewall that defines an open end 40 (FIGS. 6 and 11) of the base, and a lip 42 extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge 44.

[0054] The enclosure 12 further includes the cover 32 configured to be connected to the base 30. The cover 32 includes a top surface 46 and a sidewall 48 extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge 50 of the sidewall that defines an open end 52 (FIGS. 8 and 12) of the cover. The lip 42 of the base 30 is configured to be inserted into the cover 32 such that the sidewall edge 50 of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge 38 of the base to form a seam 54 (FIGS. 4-5) between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. In one or more embodiments, the lip 42 can engage or contact an inner surface 66 (FIGS. 9-10) of the cover 32 when the cover is connected to the base 30.

[0055] The enclosure 12 also includes a vent 56 (FIG. 5) defined by a depression 58 (FIG. 7) disposed in an outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 of the base 30 and an outer surface 62 of the lip 42 of the base and a portion 64 (FIGS. 9-10) of an inner surface 66 of the cover 32 adjacent the sidewall edge 50 of the cover and that faces the depression when the coveris connected to the base. As can be seen, e.g., in FIG. 7, the depression 58 extends between a first end 68 disposed in the outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 of the base 30 adjacent the sidewall edge 38 of the base and a second end 70 disposed at the lip edge 44 of the lip 42 of the base. The first end 68 of the depression 58 and a portion 72 (FIG. 9) of the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32 overlapping the depression define an external port 74 of the vent 56, and the second end 70 of the depression and the portion 64 of the inner surface 66 of the cover define an internal port 76 of the vent.

[0056] The enclosure 12 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. Further, the base 30 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. As illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the bottom surface 34 of the base 30 can have a generally flat or planer shape. In one or more embodiments, the bottom surface 34 can include one or more curved portions and one or more planer portions. Further, sidewall 36 of the base 30 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. The sidewall 36 intersects the bottom surface 34 at a bottom edge 78 (FIG. 4). The bottom edge 78 of the base 30 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the bottom edge 78 has a curved shape that can transition between the bottom surface 34 and the sidewall 36 and provide a smooth edge for implantation of the IMD 10 into the body. In one or more embodiments, the sidewall 36 of the base 30 can be a continuous sidewall that encircles or surrounds the entire base to form the open end 40 (FIG. 11) of the base. The sidewall 36 extends from the bottom surface 34 to the sidewall edge 38 of the sidewall that defines the open end 40 of the base 30. The sidewall edge 38 can be a continuous edge or a segmented edge and can take any suitable shape in a plane substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 34. Also, the sidewall edge 38 can take any suitable shape in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom surface 34 (FIG. 11).

[0057] Extending from the sidewall edge 38 is the lip 42, which can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. For example, the lip 42 can extend from the sidewall edge 38 to the lip edge 44 any suitable length or height. Further, the lip 42 can have any suitable thickness as measured in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom surface 34 of the base 30. In one or more embodiments, the thickness of the lip 42 can be less than a thickness of the sidewall 36 such that a ledge 80 (FIG. 6) is defined by the sidewall edge 38 and the lip. The width of the ledge 80 can be configured such that the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32 is flush with the outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 of thebase 30 when the cover is connected to the base as shown in FIGS. 3-5. In other words, a thickness of the ledge 80 can be substantially equal to a thickness of the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32.

[0058] The base 30 can include any suitable material, e.g., at least one of an inorganic or organic (e.g., polymeric) material.

[0059] Connected to the base 30 is the cover 32. The cover 32 includes the top surface 46 and the sidewall 48 that extends from the top surface to the sidewall edge 50 of the sidewall that defines the open end 52 (FIG. 12) of the cover. The top surface 46 of the cover 32 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. As shown in FIG. 8, the top surface 46 of the cover 32 is a substantially planer shape. In one or more embodiments, the top surface 46 can include one or more curved portions and one or more planer portions. Further, the sidewall 48 of the cover 32 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. The sidewall 48 can be connected to the top surface 46 by a top edge 82 as shown in FIG. 8. The top edge 82 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. As shown in FIG. 8, the top edge 82 is a curved shape that transitions the sidewall 48 to the top surface 46 and provides a smooth edge for implantation of the IMD 10 into the body. The sidewall 48 of the cover 32 can have a constant width around the sidewall edge 50 of the cover. In one or more embodiments, the sidewall 48 of the cover 32 can have a width as measured from the top surface 46 to the sidewall edge 50 that varies along the sidewall edge 50 such that a thickness of the enclosure 12 as measured between the bottom surface 34 of the base 30 and the top surface 46 of the cover 32 varies along any suitable direction of the enclosure.

[0060] The lip 42 of the base 30 is configured to be inserted into the cover 32 such that the sidewall edge 50 of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge 38 of the base to form or define the seam 54 (FIGS. 4-5). A gap 86 (FIG. 4) along the seam 54 between the sidewall edge 38 of the base 30 and the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32 can have any suitable width. In one or more embodiments, the width of the gap 86 is substantially equal to zero. In one or more embodiments, the sidewall edge 38 of the base 30 and the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32 can be hermetically sealed by a seam weld 88 (FIGS. 13-14) using any suitable technique as is further described herein.

[0061] The enclosure 12 further includes the vent 56 disposed in any suitable portion or portions of the enclosure. Although depicted as including one vent 56, the enclosure 12can include any suitable number of vents disposed in any suitable portion or portions of the enclosure. The vent 56 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. As shown, the vent 56 is defined by the depression 58 disposed in the outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 of the base 30 and the outer surface 62 of the lip 42 of the base, and the portion 64 of the inner surface 66 of the cover 32 adjacent the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32 that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. In one or more embodiments, the portion 64 of the inner surface 66 of the cover 32 is substantially parallel to the depression 58.

[0062] The depression 58 of the base 30 can take any suitable shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region 96 (FIG. 7) of the outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 and the outer surface 62 of the lip 42 where the depression is disposed, i.e., the plane of FIG. 7. In one or more embodiments, the depression 58 includes a triangular shape as projected onto this plane as is shown in FIG. 7. In one or more embodiments, at least one vertex 90 of this triangular-shape can have a rounded shape as is also shown in FIG. 7. In one or more embodiments, the depression 58 can have a rectangular shape as projected onto the plane. Further, in one or more embodiments, the depression 58 can have an elliptical shape as projected onto the plane. The depression 58 can also have any suitable dimensions and can extend any suitable distance into the sidewall 36 of the base 30 as measured from the sidewall edge 38 (i.e., depth).

[0063] The depression 58 extends from the first end 68 disposed in the sidewall 36 of the base 30 adjacent the sidewall edge 38 of the base and the second end 70 disposed at the lip edge 44 of the lip 42 of the base 30. The depression 58 can be disposed using any suitable technique, e.g., at least one of stamping, molding, etching, ablation, laser ablation, crimping, etc.

[0064] The vent 56 includes the external port 74 (FIG. 5) that is defined by the first end 68 of the depression 58 and the portion 72 of the sidewall edge 50 of the cover 32 that overlaps the depression as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 9. The external port 74 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. Further, the internal port 76 of the vent 56 is defined by the second end 70 of the depression 58 and the portion 64 of the inner surface 66 of the cover 32 that faces the depression as shown in FIGS. 9-10 The internal port 76 is, therefore, disposed within the enclosure 12 and is in fluid communication with the external port 74 such that the gas exchange can occur between the externalenvironment of the enclosure 12 and its internal environment. This fluid communication between the external port 74 and the internal port 76 is provided by a space between the portion 64 of the inner surface 66 of the cover 32 that faces the depression 58 and the depression itself. Such space provides a channel or slot 92 (FIGS. 9-10) that extends between the external port 74 and the internal port 76. The internal port 76 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions.

[0065] The base 30 and the cover 32 can be hermetically sealed using any suitable technique. As shown in FIG. 13-14, the seam weld 88 can be disposed along the seam 54 and hermetically seals the seam. Any suitable technique can be utilized to provide the seam weld 88, e.g., bonding, laser bonding, welding, laser welding, diffusion bonding, laser assisted diffusion bonding, etc. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 88 can include a laser weld formed using any suitable laser welding technique. For example, in one or more embodiments, seam weld 88 can be disposed along the seam 54 utilizing one or more laser diffusion bonding techniques described in co-owned U.S. Patent No. 10,124,559 B2, entitled KINETICALLY LIMITED NANO-SCALE DIFFUSION BOND STRUCTURES AND METHODS. In one or more embodiments, the lip 42 of the base 30 can be configured to block energy utilized to form the seam weld 88 from damaging electronic components 24 disposed within the enclosure 12 as the seam weld is disposed along the seam 54.

[0066] The seam weld 88 can be continuous or can include discrete welds that are connected. For example, the seam weld 88 can include a series of tack welds disposed in or over several portions of the seam 54. Further, in one or more embodiments, the seam weld 88 can extend along any portion of the seam 54. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 88 can be disposed along at least 1 percent of the seam 54. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 88 can be disposed along at least 50 percent of the seam 54. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 88 can be disposed along at least 90 percent of the seam 54. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 88 can be disposed along no greater than 99 percent of the seam 54. When disposing the seam weld 88 along the seam 54, the external port 74 of the vent 56 can remain at least partially open as shown in FIG. 13. Once a gas exchange between an internal environment of the enclosure 12 and the environment external to the enclosure has been performed, a back weld 94 can be disposed over the external port 74 of the vent 56 that hermetically seals the external port, therebyhermetically sealing the base to the cover 32 as shown in FIG. 14. The back weld 94 can extend in any suitable direction. In one or more embodiments, the back weld 94 can extend along an axis that is substantially orthogonal to the seam 54 and thus orthogonal to the seam weld 88 as is shown in FIG. 14.

[0067] The back weld 94 can be disposed over the external port 74 of the vent 56 using any suitable technique, e.g., the same techniques described herein regarding formation of the seam weld 88. Further, the back weld 94 can include a laser weld that can be disposed over the external port 74 using any suitable laser welding technique, e.g., the same laser welding techniques described herein regarding formation of the seam weld 88.

[0068] As mentioned herein, the slot 92 that is defined by the depression 58 of the base 30 and the inner surface 66 of the cover 32 adjacent the sidewall edge 50 of the cover can have any suitable dimensions. In one or more embodiments, a width of the slot 92, which is measured between the inner surface 66 of the cover 32 and the depression 58, can be increased by disposing a depression in the portion 64 of the inner surface of the cover 32.

[0069] For example, FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-section view of another embodiment of a portion of an enclosure 112. All design considerations and possibilities described herein regarding enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14 apply equally to enclosure 112 of FIG. 15 to the extent that they do not conflict. As shown in FIG. 15, a vent 156 is defined by depression 158 disposed in an outer surface 160 of the sidewall 136 of a base 130 of the enclosure 112 and an outer surface 162 of a lip 142 of the base that extends from a sidewall edge 138 of the sidewall, and a portion 164 of an inner surface 166 of a cover 132 of the enclosure adjacent a sidewall edge 150 of the cover that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 132 includes a depression 102 disposed in a portion 164 of the inner surface 166 of the cover 132 that faces the depression 158. As a result, the vent 156 is defined by the depression 158 disposed in the outer surface 160 of the sidewall 136 of the base 130 and the outer surface 162 of the lip 142 of the base, a portion 164 of the inner surface 166 of the cover 132 adjacent the sidewall edge 150 of the cover that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base, and the depression 102 disposed in the portion 164 of the inner surface 166 of the cover. The depression 102 of the cover 132 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. Further, the depression 102 can be disposed in the cover 132 usingany suitable technique, e.g., at least one of stamping, ablation, laser ablation, molding, etching, crimping, etc.

[0070] Returning to enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14, the external port 74 of the vent 56 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. In one or more embodiments, one or more portions of the cover 32 disposed over the depression 58 of the vent 56 can be removed to enlarge the external port 74. For example, FIG. 16 is a schematic side view of a portion of another embodiment of an enclosure 212. All design considerations and possibilities described herein regarding enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14 and enclosure 112 of FIG. 15 apply equally to enclosure 212 of FIG. 16 to the extent that they do not conflict.

[0071] One difference between enclosure 212 and enclosures 12 and 112 is that a cover 232 of enclosure 212 includes a notch 204 disposed in a sidewall edge 250 of a sidewall 248 of the cover that overlaps a depression 258 of a base 230 of the enclosure. As used herein, the term “overlaps” means that the sidewall edge 250 intersects the depression 258 when the sidewall edge and depression are projected onto a plane substantially parallel to the sidewall 248 of the cover, i.e., the plane of FIG. 16. As a result, a vent 256 of the enclosure 212 is in part defined by the notch 204 in the cover 232 and a first end 268 of the depression 258. In one or more embodiments, the notch 204 of the cover 232 and the first end 268 of the depression 258 define an external port 274 of the vent 256.

[0072] Returning to FIGS. 2-14, the first end 68 of the depression 58 is disposed in the outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 of the base 30; however, in one or more embodiments, the first end of the depression 58 can be disposed in the lip 42 of the base such that the depression does not extend into the sidewall. For example, FIGS. 17-19 are various schematic views of another embodiment of an enclosure 312. All design considerations and possibilities described herein regarding the enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14 apply equally to the enclosure 312 of FIGS. 17-19 to the extent that they do not conflict.

[0073] One difference between the enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14 and the enclosure 312 of FIGS. 17-19 is that depression 358 that in part defines a vent 356 is disposed in an outer surface 362 of the lip 342 of the base and does not extend over or through a sidewall edge 338 and into a sidewall 336 of the base. Instead, the depression 358 is disposed entirely within the outer surface 362 of the lip 342. The depression 358 extends between a first end 368 disposed in the outer surface 362 of the lip 342 of the base 330 adjacent the sidewall edge 338 of the base 330 and a second end 370 disposed at a lip edge 344 of the lip 342 ofthe base. As with the depression 58 of enclosure 12, the depression 358 of enclosure 312 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. The vent 356 is further defined by a portion of an inner surface (not shown) of a cover 332 adjacent a sidewall edge 350 of a sidewall 348 of the cover and that faces the depression 358 when the cover is connected to the base 330.

[0074] Another difference between enclosure 312 and enclosure 12 is that a notch 306 is defined in the cover 332 adjacent the sidewall edge 350 of the cover, where the notch extends between an outer surface 360 of the cover to the portion 364 of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression 358 to define an external port 374 of the vent 356. Further, the second end 370 of the depression 358 and the portion 364 of the inner surface of the cover 332 define an internal port (not shown) of the vent 356. The notch 306 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. In one or more embodiments, the notch 306 can have an elliptical shape as projected onto a plane that is substantially parallel to a region 308 of the outer surface 360 of the sidewall 348 where the notch is disposed, i.e., the plane of FIG. 19. Further, at least a portion of the notch 306 overlaps the depression 358 such that the external port 374 defined by the notch is in fluid communication via the depression 358 with the internal port of the vent 356. Although depicted as including a single notch 306, two or more notches can be disposed in the cover 332 to define the external port 374 of the vent 356.

[0075] The various embodiments of enclosures described herein can include any suitable vent formed in any suitable portion or portions of the enclosure. In one or more embodiments, the vent can be formed without disposing a depression in at least one of a cover or a base of the enclosure. For example, FIGS. 21-24 are various schematic views of another embodiment of an enclosure 412. All design considerations and possibilities described herein regarding the enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14 apply equally to the enclosure 412 of FIGS. 21-24 to the extent that they do not conflict.

[0076] The enclosure 412 includes a base 430 having a bottom surface 434, a sidewall 436 extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge 438 (FIG. 22) of the sidewall that defines an open end (not shown) of the base, and a lip 442 extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge 444. The enclosure 412 further includes a cover 432 configured to be connected to the base 430. The cover 432 includes a top surface 446 and a sidewall 448 extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge 450 (FIG. 22) of the sidewall thatdefines an open end (not shown) of the cover. The lip 442 of the base 430 is configured to be inserted into the cover 432 such that the sidewall edge 450 of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge 438 of the base to form a seam 454 between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base.

[0077] One difference between the enclosure 12 of FIGS. 2-14 and the enclosure 412 of FIGS. 21-22 is that a vent 456 of the enclosure 412 is defined by the lip 442 of the base 430 and the sidewall edge 438 of the sidewall 436 of the base and a portion 464 of an inner surface 466 of the cover 432 adjacent the sidewall edge 450 of the cover that faces the lip of the base when the cover is connected to the base. The sidewall edge 438 of the base 430 and the sidewall edge 450 of the cover 432 define an external port 474 of the vent 456 and the lip edge 444 of the base and the portion 464 of the inner surface 466 of the cover 432 define an internal port 476 of the vent.

[0078] The vent 456 can be disposed along any suitable portion or portions of the seam 454. In one or more embodiments, the vent 456 can extend any suitable length along the seam 454. For example, the vent 456 can extend the entire length of the seam 454. In one or more embodiments, the vent 456 can be further defined by a seam weld 488 (FIG. 23) that is disposed along a first portion 496 of the seam 454 that hermetically seals the first portion of the seam. The seam weld 488 can include any suitable weld, e.g., seam weld 88 of FIGS. 13-14. For example, the seam weld 488 can be a laser weld. The seam weld 488 can be disposed so that it is continuous along the first portion 496. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 488 can be discontinuous to defined two or more vents 456 of the enclosure 412.

[0079] The enclosure 412 can further include a back weld 494 disposed over a second portion 498 of the seam 454 that hermetically seals the second portion of the seam 488 so that the seam weld 488 and the back weld hermetically seal the entire seam and, therefore, the base 430 to the cover 432 so that the enclosure is hermetically sealed. The back weld 494 can include any suitable weld, e.g., back weld 94 of FIG. 14. For example, the back weld 494 can be a laser weld. The second portion 498 of the seam 454 sealed by the back weld 494 can have any suitable dimensions.

[0080] The vent 456 can have any suitable dimensions along the seam 454 and between the lip 442 of the base 430 and the portion 464 of the inner surface 466 of the cover 432 asshown in FIG. 22. Further, the external port 474 and the internal port 476 can each have any suitable dimensions.

[0081] In general, the vent 456 can be defined by a gap 499 between the base 430 and the cover 432 that can be defined using any suitable technique. In one or more embodiments, the gap 499 can be formed by seating the lip edge 444 of the lip 442 of the base 430 in contact with a ledge or tab 484 that extends from the inner surface 466 of the cover 432 as shown in FIG. 22. The ledge 484 can take any suitable shape and have any suitable dimensions. Further, the ledge 484 can be continuous or segmented. And the ledge 484 can extend around any suitable length along the inner surface 466 of the cover 432. Contact between the lip edge 444 and the ledge 484 can maintain the gap 499 between the base 430 and the cover 432. Further, dimensions of the base 430 and cover 432 can be selected to provide the gap 499 in a plane orthogonal to the bottom surface 434 of the base 430 and the top surface 446 of the cover 432.

[0082] In one or more embodiments, the first portion 496 of the seam 454 can be hermetically sealed by disposing the seam weld 488 along the first portion of the seam using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. The external port 474 of the vent 456, which can be defined at least in part by the seam weld 488, can remain at least partially open after the seam weld has been disposed along the first portion 496 of the seam 454. The seam weld 488 can be disposed along or in any suitable portion of the seam 454 prior to gas exchange. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 488 can be disposed along at least 1 percent of the seam 454. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 488 can be disposed along at least 50 percent of the seam 454. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 488 can be disposed along at least 90 percent of the seam 454. In one or more embodiments, the seam weld 488 can be disposed along no greater than 99 percent of the seam 454. Following gas exchange between a first gas external to the enclosure 412 and a second gas internal to the enclosure prior to hermetically sealing electronic components (not shown) of an IMD within the enclosure, the back weld 494 can be disposed along the external port 474 of the vent 456 using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. As a result, the seam weld 488 and the back weld 494 hermetically seal the seam 454 and the vent 456.

[0083] Any suitable technique can be utilized to manufacture the various embodiments of enclosures and implantable medical devices that include such enclosures described herein.For example, FIG. 20 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a technique 400 of manufacturing the IMD 10 and the enclosure 12 of FIGS. 1-14. Although described regarding IMD 10 and enclosure 12 of FIGS. 1-14, the technique 400 can be utilized to manufacture any suitable IMD and IMD enclosure.

[0084] At 402, the depression 58 can be disposed in the outer surface 60 of the sidewall 36 and the outer surface 62 of the lip 42 of the base 30 of enclosure 12 using any suitable technique, e.g., embossing, stamping, etc. Electronic components 24 can be disposed between the base 30 and the cover 32 using any suitable technique at 404. In one or more embodiments, one or more of the electronic components 24 can be disposed on the base 30 using any suitable technique. In one or more embodiments, one or more electronic components 24 can be disposed on or within the cover 32 and one or more electronic components can be disposed on or within the base 30 using any suitable technique.

[0085] At 406, the cover 32 of the enclosure 12 is connected to the base 30 using any suitable technique. In one or more embodiments, the lip 42 of the base 30 is at least partially inserted into the cover 32. The lip 42 of the base 30 is inserted into the cover 32 such that the sidewall edge 50 of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge 38 of the base to define the seam 54 of the enclosure 12. At 408, the seam weld 88 can be disposed along the seam 54 using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. The seam weld 88 hermetically seals the seam 54. The external port 74 of the vent 56 is at least partially open after the seam weld 88 is disposed along the seam 54.

[0086] At 410, the back weld 94 can be disposed over the external port 74 of the vent 56 using any suitable technique, e.g., laser welding. The back weld 94 hermetically seals the external port 74. As a result, the seam weld 88 and the back weld 94 hermetically seal the enclosure 12. At 412, a first gas external to the enclosure 12 can optionally be exchanged with a second gas internal to the enclosure 12 after the seam weld 88 has been disposed at 408 and prior to the back weld 94 being disposed at 410. Any suitable technique can be utilized to perform the gas exchange at 412. In one or more embodiments, a vacuum can be applied to the IMD 10 such that any internal gases or ambient air can be removed from the enclosure 12. Optionally, the IMD 10 can be subjected to heat while under vacuum to remove any moisture from within the enclosure 12. In one or more embodiments, the IMD 10 can be backfilled by exposing the IMD to an inert or low-reactive gas such as argon, nitrogen, helium, or combinations thereof, such that the gas enters the enclosure throughthe vent 56. While still in an inert gas environment, the back weld 94 can be disposed over the vent 56 such that the base 30 is hermetically sealed to the cover 32 to provide a hermetically sealed enclosure 12.

[0087] This disclosure includes without limitation the following clauses:

[0088] Clause 1 : An implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components. The enclosure includes a base having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the sidewall of the base and an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The depression extends between a first end disposed in the sidewall of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base. Further, the first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression define an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0089] Clause 2: The enclosure of Clause 1, further including a seam weld disposed along the seam that hermetically seals the seam.

[0090] Clause 3: The enclosure of Clause 2, where the external port of the vent is at least partially open when the seam weld is disposed along the seam.

[0091] Clause 4: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 2-3, further including a back weld disposed over the external port of the vent that hermetically seals the external port.

[0092] Clause 5: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 2-4, where at least one of the seam weld or back weld includes a laser weld.

[0093] Clause 6: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 1-5, where the depression includes a triangular shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outersurface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0094] Clause 7: The enclosure of Clause 6, where at least one vertex of the triangular shape comprises a rounded shape.

[0095] Clause 8: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 1-5, where the depression includes a rectangular shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0096] Clause 9: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 1-5, where the depression includes an elliptical shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0097] Clause 10: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 1-9, further including a depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression disposed in the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip, where the depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover further defines the vent.

[0098] Clause 11 : The enclosure of any one of Clauses 1-10, where the vent is further defined by a notch disposed in the sidewall edge of the cover that overlaps the depression of the base. The external port of the vent is defined by the notch in the cover and the first end of the depression.

[0099] Clause 12: An implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components. The enclosure includes a base having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the edge of the sidewall to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the coveradjacent the sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The depression extends between a first end disposed in the outer surface of the lip of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base. Further, a notch defined in the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that extends between the outer surface of the cover to the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression defines an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0100] Clause 13: The enclosure of Clause 12, where the notch includes an elliptical shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall of the cover where the notch is disposed.

[0101] Clause 14: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 12-13, further including a seam weld disposed along the seam and configured to hermetically seal the seam.

[0102] Clause 15: The enclosure of Clause 14, where the external port of the vent is at least partially open when the seam weld is disposed along the seam.

[0103] Clause 16: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 14-15, further including a back weld disposed over the external port of the vent that hermetically seals the external port.

[0104] Clause 17: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 14-16, where at least one of the seam weld or back weld includes a laser weld.

[0105] Clause 18: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 12-17, where the depression includes a triangular shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0106] Clause 19: The enclosure of Clause 18, where at least one vertex of the triangular shape includes a rounded shape.

[0107] Clause 20: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 12-19, where the depression includes a rectangular shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0108] Clause 21 : The enclosure of any one of Clauses 12-20, where the depression includes an elliptical shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region ofthe outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0109] Clause 22: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 12-21, further including a depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression disposed in the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip. The depression is disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover further defines the vent.

[0110] Clause 23 : An implantable medical device including an enclosure and electronic components disposed at least partially within the enclosure. The enclosure includes a base having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the edge of the cover is adjacent the edge of the base to form a seam between the edge of the cover and the edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the sidewall of the base and an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The depression extends between a first end disposed in the sidewall of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base. The first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression define an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.[OHl] Clause 24: The implantable medical device of Clause 23, further including a seam weld disposed along the seam and configured to hermetically seal the cover and the base that hermetically seals the seam.

[0112] Clause 25: The implantable medical device of Clause 24, where the external port of the vent is at least partially open when the seam weld is disposed along the seam.

[0113] Clause 26: The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 24-25, further including a back weld disposed over the external port of the vent that hermetically seals the external port.

[0114] Clause 27: The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 24-26, where at least one of the seam weld or back weld includes a laser weld.

[0115] Clause 28: The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 23-27, where the depression includes a triangular shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0116] Clause 29: The implantable medical device of Clause 28, where at least one vertex of the triangular shape includes a rounded shape.

[0117] Clause 30: The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 23-29, where the depression includes a rectangular shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0118] Clause 31 : The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 23-30, where the depression includes an elliptical shape as projected onto a plane substantially parallel to a region of the outer surface of the sidewall and the outer surface of the lip where the depression is disposed.

[0119] Clause 32: The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 23-31, further including a depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression disposed in the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip. The depression is disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover further defines the vent.

[0120] Clause 33: The implantable medical device of any one of Clauses 23-32, where the vent is further defined by a notch disposed in the sidewall edge of the cover that overlaps the depression of the base. The external port is defined by the notch in the cover and the first end of the depression.

[0121] Clause 34: A method disposing a depression in an outer surface of a sidewall and an outer surface of a lip of a base of an enclosure of an implantable medical device, where the sidewall extends from a bottom surface of the base to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and where the lip of the base extends from thesidewall edge to a lip edge. The method further includes disposing electronic components between base and a cover of the enclosure, and connecting a cover of the enclosure to the base, where the cover includes a top surface and a sidewall that extends from the top surface to sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The method further includes connecting the cover of the enclosure to the base includes inserting the lip of the base into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to define a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. A vent is defined by the depression of the base and an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base. The method further includes disposing a seam weld along the seam that hermetically seals the seam, where an external port of the vent defined by a first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression is at least partially open when the seam weld is disposed along the seam. The method further includes disposing a back weld over the external port of the vent to hermetically seal the external port.

[0122] Clause 35: The method of Clause 34, where disposing the seam weld includes laser welding the seam.

[0123] Clause 36: The method of any one of Clauses 34-35, where disposing the back weld includes laser welding the external port of the vent.

[0124] Clause 37: The method of any one of Clauses 34-36, where disposing the depression includes stamping the depression in the outer surface of the sidewall and the outer surface of the lip of the base of the enclosure.

[0125] Clause 38: The method of any one of Clauses 34-37, further including exchanging a first gas external to the enclosure with a second gas internal to the enclosure after disposing the seam weld and prior to disposing the back weld.

[0126] Clause 39: An implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components. The enclosure includes a base including a bottom surface, a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base, and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge. The enclosure further includes a cover configured to be connected to the base. The cover includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover. The lip of the base is configured to beinserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base. The enclosure further includes a vent defined by the lip and the sidewall edge of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that faces the lip of the base when the cover is connected to the base. The sidewall edge of the base and the sidewall edge of the cover define an external port of the vent and the lip edge of the base and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

[0127] Clause 40: The enclosure of Clause 39, further including a seam weld disposed along a first portion of the seam that hermetically seals the first portion of the seam, wherein the seam weld further defines the vent.

[0128] Clause 41 : The enclosure of Clause 40, further including a back weld disposed over a second portion of the seam that hermetically seals the second portion of the seam so that the seam weld and the back weld hermetically the seal entire seam.

[0129] Clause 42: The enclosure of Clause 41, where at least one of the seam weld or back weld includes a laser weld.

[0130] Clause 43: The enclosure of any one of Clauses 40-42, wherein the seam weld is disposed along at least 50% of the seam and no greater than 99% of the seam.

[0131] Clause 44: An implantable medical device comprising the enclosure of any one Clauses 1-22 and 39-43, and electronic components disposed at least partially within enclosure.

[0132] It should be understood that various aspects disclosed herein may be combined in different combinations than the combinations specifically presented in the description and accompanying drawings. It should also be understood that, depending on the example, certain acts or events of any of the processes or methods described herein may be performed in a different sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., all described acts or events may not be necessary to carry out the techniques). In addition, while certain aspects of this disclosure are described as being performed by a single module or unit for purposes of clarity, it should be understood that the techniques of this disclosure may be performed by a combination of units or modules associated with, for example, a medical device.

[0133] In one or more examples, the described techniques may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium and executed by a hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may include computer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible medium such as data storage media (e.g., RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer).

[0134] Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other physical structure suitable for implementation of the described techniques. Also, the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

[0135] All references and publications cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety into this disclosure, except to the extent they may directly contradict this disclosure. Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure are discussed and reference has been made to possible variations within the scope of this disclosure. These and other variations and modifications in the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the disclosure, and it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be limited only by the claims provided below.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components, wherein the enclosure comprises: a base comprising: a bottom surface; a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base; and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge; a cover configured to be connected to the base, wherein the cover comprises a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover, wherein the lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base; and a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the sidewall of the base and an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover and that faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base, wherein the depression extends between a first end disposed in the sidewall of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base, wherein the first end of the depression and a portion of the sidewall edge of the cover overlapping the depression define an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a seam weld disposed along the seam that hermetically seals the seam.

3. The enclosure of any one of claims 1-2, further comprising a back weld disposed over the external port of the vent that hermetically seals the external port.

4. The enclosure of any one of claims 2-3, wherein at least one of the seam weld or back weld comprises a laser weld.

5. The enclosure of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising a depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression disposed in the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip, wherein the depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover further defines the vent.

6. The enclosure of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the vent is further defined by a notch disposed in the sidewall edge of the cover that overlaps the depression of the base, wherein the external port of the vent is defined by the notch in the cover and the first end of the depression.

7. An implantable medical device comprising the enclosure of any one of claims 1-6 and electronic components disposed at least partially within the enclosure.

8. An implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components, wherein the enclosure comprises: a base comprising: a bottom surface; a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base; and a lip extending from the edge of the sidewall to a lip edge; a cover configured to be connected to the base, wherein the cover comprises a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover, wherein the lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base; and a vent defined by a depression disposed in an outer surface of the lip of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover andthat faces the depression when the cover is connected to the base, wherein the depression extends between a first end disposed in the outer surface of the lip of the base adjacent the sidewall edge of the base and a second end disposed at the lip edge of the lip of the base, wherein a notch defined in the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that extends between the outer surface of the cover to the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression defines an external port of the vent and the second end of the depression and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

9. The enclosure of claim 8, further comprising a seam weld disposed along the seam and configured to hermetically seal the seam.

10. The enclosure of any one of claims 8-9, further comprising a back weld disposed over the external port of the vent that hermetically seals the external port.

11. The enclosure of claim 10, wherein at least one of the seam weld or back weld comprises a laser weld.

12. The enclosure of any one of claims 8-11, further comprising a depression disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover that faces the depression disposed in the outer surface of the sidewall of the base and the outer surface of the lip, wherein the depression is disposed in the portion of the inner surface of the cover further defines the vent.

13. An implantable medical device enclosure configured to contain electronic components, wherein the enclosure comprises: a base comprising: a bottom surface; a sidewall extending from the bottom surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the base; and a lip extending from the sidewall edge to a lip edge; a cover configured to be connected to the base, wherein the cover comprises a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface to a sidewall edge of the sidewall that defines an open end of the cover, wherein the lip of the base is configured to be inserted into the cover such that the sidewall edge of the cover is adjacent the sidewall edge of the base to form a seam between the sidewall edge of the cover and the sidewall edge of the base; and a vent defined by the lip and the sidewall edge of the base and a portion of an inner surface of the cover adjacent the sidewall edge of the cover that faces the lip of the base when the cover is connected to the base, wherein the sidewall edge of the base and the sidewall edge of the cover define an external port of the vent and the lip edge of the base and the portion of the inner surface of the cover define an internal port of the vent.

14. The enclosure of claim 13, further comprising a seam weld disposed along a first portion of the seam that hermetically seals the first portion of the seam, wherein the seam weld further defines the vent.

15. The enclosure of claim 14, further comprising a back weld disposed over a second portion of the seam that hermetically seals the second portion of the seam so that the seam weld and the back weld hermetically the seal entire seam.

Images