Methods for sensing or stimulating activity of tissue

Methods for sensing or stimulating electrical activity of brain tissue from within an animal vessel by placement of an intravascular device within an animal vessel to control an external device, the intravascular device being adapted to at least one of sense and stimulate activity of brain tissue located outside the vessel proximate the intravascular device.

The abstract as published by the patent office, from US2014288667A1. It describes the invention; it is not a statement of what is protected.

• Surgical access

  Endovascular access

• Interface and electrodes

  Electrodes and arrays · Peripheral interfaces

• Packaging

  Packaging and hermeticity

• Stimulation

  Stimulation

What the filing appears to be about, read by published rules from its title, abstract and classification codes (A61B5/0006, A61B5/293, A61B5/377, A61B5/4064, A61B5/4076). The claims define what a patent protects, and they are not read here.

Surgical access

A probe soft enough for the brain to tolerate is too soft to push in by hand, and each route into the head has its own risk. The problem behind it: placing many contacts exactly, without injuring tissue or vessels, in an operation short and repeatable enough to offer widely.

Interface and electrodes

Everything downstream works with what the contacts pick up. Their number, size and distance from the neurons set the ceiling on the signal. The problem behind it: more contacts, closer to neurons, that still record after years in tissue that reacts to them.

Packaging

Body fluid destroys unprotected electronics. An implant meant to last has to stay sealed for years while passing every channel through its wall. The problem behind it: a seal that lasts as long as the patient needs it, at a size that leaves room for the channels.

Why the layer matters to the field, not a judgement of this filing. A patent family shows that protection was sought. It does not show that the technology was built, is used in a product, or works in people. The whole stack

One invention, published 24 times in 7 offices. Each publication opens in Espacenet.

• International (PCT)a route to several countries, not a countryWO2013049887A111 Apr 2013WO2013049887A930 May 2013
• AustraliaAU2012321050A117 Apr 2014AU2017276276A118 Jan 2018AU2019283829A123 Jan 2020AU2019283829B229 Jul 2021
• European Patent Officea route to several countries, not a countryEP2763745A113 Aug 2014EP2763745A427 May 2015EP3536375A111 Sep 2019
• ChinaCN104023787A3 Sep 2014CN104023787B11 Jul 2017 · grantCN107374623A24 Nov 2017
• United StatesUS2014288667A125 Sep 2014US2019046119A114 Feb 2019US10575783B23 Mar 2020 · grantUS2021378595A19 Dec 2021US20250281122A111 Sep 2025
• JapanJP2014528800A30 Oct 2014JP6149269B221 Jun 2017 · grantJP2017159079A14 Sep 2017
• IsraelIL231914B31 Jul 2019IL267547A29 Aug 2019IL267547B1 Dec 2022IL267547B21 Apr 2023

1. 4 Oct 2011First filingEarliest priority, at United States. The family is counted in this year.
2. 3 Oct 2012ApplicationsFiled at International (PCT), Australia, European Patent Office, China, United States, Japan.
3. 11 Apr 2013First publicationWO2013049887A1, International (PCT).
4. 3 Apr 2014ApplicationFiled at Israel.
5. 26 Apr 2017ApplicationFiled at Japan.
6. 21 Jun 2017Grant publishedJP6149269B2, Japan.
7. 21 Jun 2017Owner recordedEuropean Patent Office, on EP2763745A1: party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred); owner named: SMARTSTENT, PTY LTD..
8. 11 Jul 2017Grant publishedCN104023787B, China.
9. 20 Jul 2017Owner recordedAustralia, on AU2012321050A1: assignment before grant (sect. 113); owner named: SMARTSTENT PTY LTD.
10. 2 Aug 2017Owner recordedUnited States, on US2014288667A1: assignment; owner named: SMARTSTENT, PTY LTD., AUSTRALIA.
11. 14 Dec 2017ApplicationFiled at Australia.
12. 18 Oct 2018ApplicationFiled at United States.
13. 18 Oct 2018Owner recordedUnited States, on US2014288667A1: assignment; owner named: SYNCHRON AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA.
14. 20 Jun 2019ApplicationFiled at Israel.
15. 4 Sep 2019Office recordEuropean Patent Office, on EP2763745A1: application deemed to be withdrawn.
16. 30 Oct 2019Owner recordedEuropean Patent Office, on EP3536375A1: party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred); owner named: SYNCHRON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD.
17. 11 Nov 2019Office recordJapan, on JP2017159079A: re-examination (zenchi) completed and case transferred to appeal board.
18. 17 Dec 2019ApplicationFiled at Australia.
19. 16 Jan 2020Owner recordedAustralia, on AU2019283829A1: alteration of name in register; owner named: SYNCHRON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD.
20. 23 Jan 2020Office recordAustralia, on AU2017276276A1: application lapsed section 142(2)(e) - patent request and compl. specification not accepted.
21. 3 Mar 2020Grant publishedUS10575783B2, United States.
22. 24 Aug 2021ApplicationFiled at United States.
23. 14 Jan 2022Office recordChina, on CN107374623A: rejection of invention patent application after publication.
24. 19 May 2025ApplicationFiled at United States.
25. 19 May 2025Owner recordedUnited States, on US20250281122A1: assignment; owner named: SYNCHRON AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, DELAWARE.
26. 19 Feb 2026Office recordUnited States, on US2021378595A1: information on status: application discontinuation.

Dates as the offices published them. Office records are in the offices' own words and are a selection: refusals, lapses and withdrawals, and records that name an owner. Each concerns one member of the family, not the family as a whole, and another member in the same office may stand. Whether a patent is in force today is not assessed.

Organisation

Synchron · 28 families identified

• Bibliographic data, family members and office records: European Patent Office, Open Patent Services (the DOCDB and INPADOC databases), read 7 Oct 2026.
• The record itself, with its claims and description: US2014288667A1 in Espacenet
• Counted as a BCI patent family: classified G06F3/015 (input arrangements based on nervous-system activity); filed by 斯玛特斯滕特企业有限公司, an organisation already in the graph; describes neural hardware or methods without naming the field; cites a family already accepted. How families are found and judged