Granted Patent B2

US 12,702,585 · App. 18/396,625 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Inventors: Kathleen Dilligan (San Diego, CA); Jeffrey Weintraub (San Carlos, CA); Todd Pelman (Moss Beach, CA); Robert HJ Miros (Sausalito, CA); Ricardo Salinas (San Francisco, CA); Keith B. Payea (Santa Rosa, CA)

Assignee: Cooler Heads Care, Inc.

A61F7/0085A61F2007/0008A61F2007/0056A61F2007/0095

Abstract

Claims (34)

1 . A method of cooling a scalp of a head to reduce hair loss resultant from chemotherapy comprising:

placing a heat exchanger comprising a temperature sensor around a portion of the scalp while leaving sides of a neck exposed;

placing a compression assembly over the heat exchanger and on the head after placing the heat exchanger, wherein the compression assembly comprises an outer member and an inflatable inner member coupled to the outer member;

adjusting inflation of the inflatable inner member based on a temperature measured by the temperature sensor to adjust a contact area between the heat exchanger and the scalp; and

circulating a fluid through the heat exchanger to reduce hair loss resultant from chemotherapy.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the inflatable inner member is configured to be inflated to compress the heat exchanger between the inflatable inner member and the scalp.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the inflatable inner member is inflated with a gas or a liquid.

4 . The method of claim 2 wherein the inflatable inner member is inflated using a hand pump.

5 . The method of claim 1 further comprising independently moving the compression assembly relative to the heat exchanger.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer member provides a counter force when the inflatable inner member is in an inflated configuration.

7 . The method of claim 1 further comprising generating from about 0.1 lb/in 2 to about 10 lb/in 2 of compression to the head when the inflatable inner member is in an inflated configuration.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the inflatable inner member comprises a plurality of inflatable chambers.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of inflatable chambers are independently inflatable.

10 . The method of claim 8 further comprising overlapping the plurality of inflatable chambers so as to surround at least the portion of the head.

11 . The method of claim 1 further comprising placing a liner around the portion of the scalp such that the heat exchanger is positioned between the liner and the inflatable inner member.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a base portion, a top portion, a first side portion, and a second side portion, and wherein placing the heat exchanger comprises:

placing ends of the first side portion and the second side portion over one another; and

placing an end of the top portion over the ends of the first side portion and the second side portion so as to surround at least the portion of the scalp.

13 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid circulating through the heat exchanger comprises a temperature from about −10° C. to about 5° C.

14 . The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the heat exchanger from the scalp using the compression assembly.

15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising placing back onto the scalp the heat exchanger using the compression assembly.

16 . The method of claim 1 further comprising separating the compression assembly from the heat exchanger placed around the scalp.

17 . The method of claim 1 further comprising releasably attaching the compression assembly to the head using a fastener.

18 . The method of claim 1 further comprising removing heat from the scalp using the heat exchanger to reduce hair loss resultant from chemotherapy.

19 . The method of claim 1 further comprising coupling the heat exchanger to a portable cooling unit comprising a battery.

20 . The method of claim 19 further comprising determining a power source of the portable cooling unit among the battery of the portable cooling unit and an AC power source.

21 . The method of claim 19 wherein the portable cooling unit circulates the fluid through the heat exchanger.

22 . The method of claim 21 further comprising adjusting a fluid flow rate of the fluid circulating through the heat exchanger using the portable cooling unit.

23 . The method of claim 19 wherein the portable cooling unit comprises a fluid connector releasably coupled to the heat exchanger, a compressor, and a pump.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the portable cooling unit comprises a releasable fluid reservoir.

25 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the portable cooling unit comprises an adjustable handle.

26 . The method of claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger further comprises a pressure sensor.

27 . The method of claim 26 further comprising adjusting the inflation of the inflatable inner member based on a pressure measured by the pressure sensor.

28 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is one of a set of temperature sensors, the temperature is one of a set of temperatures, and the inflatable inner member comprises a plurality of inflatable chambers, and wherein the method further comprises independently adjusting the inflation of each inflatable chamber based on the set of temperatures.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (6)

References Cited (395)