Intelligent digital thermometer

• US 10,060,802 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kristina Ragosta Arnoux, Summer Merie Ragosta
• Original Assignee: Kristina Ragosta Arnoux, Summer Merie Ragosta
• Inventors: Ragosta, Summer Merie, Arnoux, Kristina Ragosta
• Primary Examiner(s): Kaplan Verbitsky, Gail
• Application Number:
  US14/558,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 600474, 600549
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/02 Means for indicating or recording specially adapted for thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/022 for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals

Abstract

A digital thermometer includes a housing having a measurement tip, a user interface control to receive input from a user, a display for displaying temperature measurements, a data connector for insertion into a compatible port on an external device, and various components inside the housing including a temperature sensor, a wired/wireless communications unit, a controller to control operation of the thermometer based on the device software and input received from the user, and a memory storing temperature measurements, device software relating to control of the thermometer, and user software relating to instructions to be executed by the external device. Upon detecting that a communication link has been established between the thermometer and the external device, the user software is uploaded to the external device, and is caused to install and execute. Thereafter, temperature measurements are uploaded from the thermometer'"'"'s memory to the user software on the external device.

Claims

1. A digital thermometer comprising:

a housing having a tip configured to be placed at a location on a human body at which a temperature measurement is to be taken;

a user interface control disposed on the housing and operable to receive input from a user of the digital thermometer, the user interface control including a button that, when pressed, enables a user to switch between a basal mode and a core mode, and controls to enable the user to input one or more reminder alarm times and to enable the user to input user information indicating that the user has started her menstrual cycle;

a display disposed on the housing and configured to display information, including temperature measurements, to the user of the digital thermometer;

a data connector disposed on the housing and configured for insertion into a compatible data port on an external device;

a communications unit disposed within the housing and configured to enable wired or wireless communication between the digital thermometer and the external device;

a temperature sensor disposed within the housing and configure to take temperature measurements at the tip of the housing;

a clock to keep track of a current time;

memory, disposed within the housing, storing device software and configured to store additional information including temperature measurements, wherein the device software comprises instructions relating to control of the digital thermometer;

a controller, disposed within the housing, configured to control operation of the digital thermometer based on the device software stored in the memory and input received from the user of the digital thermometer, wherein execution of the device software by the controller causes the controller to perform operations including;

receive one or more temperature measurements from the temperature sensor;

store the received temperature measurements in the memory;

detect a trigger condition to transmit the temperature measurements to an external device;

cause user software to begin executing on the external device;

upload the stored temperature measurements to the external device, wherein the external device is configured to automatically generate a biphasic body temperature chart in response to receiving the temperature measurements;

determine an operating mode of the digital thermometer based on a state of the user interface control button, the operating mode being either the basal mode or the core mode;

if the operating mode is determined to be the basal mode then the controller performs operations including;

perform a basal accuracy check (BAC) by (i) calculating a difference between the current time (CT) and a closest reminder alarm time (CRAT) that is closest to the CT, and (ii) determining that the calculated difference is less than or equal to a predetermined number of minutes (M) before or after the CRAT through performance of an equation stored in the memory BAC≤

M±

(CT−

CRAT);

receive, via the user interface control, user information indicating that the user has started her menstrual cycle;

associate, based on user information received via the user input control, a current temperature measurement with a start of a new menstrual cycle;

determine that all subsequent basal mode temperature measurements that pass the BAC correspond to a new menstrual cycle; and

store the current temperature measurement and information relating to the association in the memory; and

if the operating mode is determined to be the core mode then the controller displays a measured temperature in the display of the digital thermometer.