Admittedly, brain implants become more and more sophisticated by the day, however non-invasive brain manipulation such as this is still rather crude in design and practice. There are already techniques that employ such manipulation. One such technique is known as transcranial magnetic stimulation and relies on magnetic fields to activate nerves within the brain tissue. The problem with this technology is it cant be focused well enough to to concentrate on a small area of brain tissue, like ultrasound can.
There are very few details at all about this patent and news sources have attempted to get Sony to comment on the patent, but Sony refuses to interview or discuss this matter. It seems odd however that independent experts in the science field don't completely dismiss this idea as out of hand or improbable. Niels Birbaumer, a neuroscientist at the University of Tübingen in Germany, who has created devices that allow people to control devices via brain waves stated, "I looked at it and found it plausible."
Sony first submitted the patent application for the ultrasound manipulation in 2000 and it was approved in March of 2003. Since then, Sony has filed a series of extensions, as recent as December 2004.
Elizabeth Boukis, a spokeswoman for Sony Electronics states that the work is speculative at best. "There were not any experiments done. This particular patent was a prophetic invention. It was based on an inspiration that this may someday be the direction that technology will take us."
Source:
New Scientist