| CPC A61N 1/36036 (2017.08) [A61N 1/36014 (2013.01); A61N 1/375 (2013.01)] | 23 Claims |
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1. A nerve stimulation apparatus comprising;
a pair of nerve stimulation assemblies, each assembly comprising:
an ear canal extension adapted to fit within an ear canal of an organism;
a housing connected with the extension;
an electrode arm connected with the housing by a connection member at a proximal end of the arm, wherein the connection member is adapted to articulate the electrode arm to position the electrode arm relative to an outer ear of the organism; and
a single electrode connected with a distal end of the arm, wherein when the arm is articulated to a selected orientation and the extension is fitted in the ear canal, the electrode is adapted to be in electrical contact with a portion of the outer ear innervated by a peripheral nerve of the organism, and wherein each nerve stimulation assembly is electrically isolated from the organism except for the single electrode; and
a nerve stimulation circuit that is electrically connected with the single electrodes of each of the pair of stimulation assemblies, wherein the circuit generates an electrical stimulation signal and delivers the electrical stimulation signal across the single electrodes of each assembly, and wherein the stimulation signal comprises a waveform applied across the single electrodes of the pair of respective assemblies and, for at least a portion of the waveform, a selected first one of the electrodes is at a different voltage relative to a selected second one of the electrodes.
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