Body Contouring Cooling System for Selective Fat Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current non-invasive treatments for excess body fat and cellulite are often ineffective, particularly for individuals who are physically injured or ill, and cannot achieve selective fat loss in specific areas, with systemic methods causing allergic reactions or being unsuitable.

Innovation Solution

A treatment planning system that generates and implements personalized plans for body contouring using cooling technology, employing a computing device with a processor and memory to calculate optimal treatment parameters based on patient-specific data, desired outcomes, and empirically-derived information, applying cooling temperatures to selectively affect subcutaneous lipid-rich cells through a controlled cooling process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional non-invasive treatments (topical agents, weight-loss drugs, exercise) are used to reduce excess body fat, then some fat loss may be achieved, but these treatments cannot achieve selective fat loss in specific areas and may cause allergic reactions or be unsuitable for physically injured or ill individuals

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselective fat loss capabilityVSAvoidtreatment effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by delivering cooling energy selectively to specific target areas containing excess adipose tissue rather than systemically throughout the body. The cooling energy is focused on the subcutaneous layer at the treatment site, enabling localized fat cell destruction while leaving other body areas unaffected. This resolves the contradiction by making the treatment both selective (local) and effective (reliable) for specific problem areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses cooling energy as an intermediary mechanism to indirectly destroy fat cells. Rather than directly applying mechanical or chemical agents to fat tissue, the system uses controlled cooling to induce apoptotic cell death in adipocytes. This intermediary approach allows selective targeting of fat cells based on their thermal sensitivity, achieving reliable fat loss in specific areas without systemic side effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If cooling energy is applied to reduce subcutaneous adipose tissue, then selective fat loss is achieved, but the treatment parameters must be precisely optimized to avoid damage to surrounding healthy tissue

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselective tissue targetingVSAvoidtreatment parameter optimization
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs dynamics by using pulsed or cyclic cooling patterns rather than continuous cooling. The treatment parameters (temperature, duration, pulse frequency) are dynamically adjusted during treatment to maintain the cooling energy within safe thresholds for healthy tissue while accumulating sufficient thermal stress to destroy fat cells. This dynamic control enables precise selective targeting without requiring overly complex fixed-parameter systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying temperature, exposure time, and cooling intensity to achieve differential effects on fat cells versus healthy cells. By changing these parameters within specific ranges, the treatment selectively induces apoptosis in adipocytes while maintaining the integrity of surrounding tissues. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by achieving precise tissue targeting through controlled physical parameter variations rather than complex mechanical systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Quantity of substance

If systemic weight-loss methods are used, then overall fat reduction may occur, but selective area fat loss cannot be achieved and allergic reactions or negative responses may occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverall fat reductionVSAvoidallergic reactions and side effects
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the fat cell destruction function from systemic treatments and isolates it to local application. Instead of using drugs or agents that circulate throughout the body and affect all tissues, the system extracts cooling energy delivery to the specific subcutaneous layer at the treatment site. This extraction eliminates systemic side effects and allergic reactions while maintaining effective fat reduction at the target area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potential harm of excessive cooling (which could damage healthy tissue) into a benefit by exploiting the differential thermal sensitivity between fat cells and healthy cells. Fat cells are more susceptible to cooling-induced apoptosis, so controlled cooling that would be harmful to healthy tissue becomes beneficial for selective fat destruction. This converts a potential harmful effect into a selective therapeutic benefit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system enables effective and selective reduction of subcutaneous adipose tissue, improving body contour and reducing cellulite appearance without systemic side effects, by inducing apoptosis in lipid-rich cells while maintaining non-lipid rich cells' integrity, allowing for permanent reshaping and fat metabolism.

Implementation Method 1

The treatment plan can be based on patient-specific information, patient desired treatment results, a priori information and empirically-derived information relating to previously implemented treatments and treatment results and/or clinically-based treatment modeling

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSelective cooling: Cooling

Data Source

PatentEP2346428B1Treatment planning systems and methods for body contouring applications
Publication Date: 2019.11.06 ZELTIQ AESTHETICS INC
  • EP2346428B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2346428B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2346428B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods and system for treatment planning for non- and minimally-invasive alteration of body adipose tissue for reduction and contouring of body fat are described Treatment plans can be generated by capturing current body data (e g, positioning, contour/shape, thickness of adipose tissue, etc), determining desired outcome of treatment (ß g, percent reduction of adipose tissue thickness, degree of contour change, etc), and determining treatment parameters to achieve desired results Algorithms can be used to determine best-fit treatment parameters to use in treatment sessions In some embodiments, the system can provide a predictive endresult image for communication to patient and/or for determining alteration of desired outcome Real-time monitoring of feedback data can be used to determine treatment plan efficacy Additional algorithms can provide real-time comparison of feedback data to anticipated feedback data, and can be used to change treatment parameters in real-time to achieve desired effects