Non-invasive probe for detecting medical conditions
First Claim
1. A non-invasive probe for application to a body part of a subject for the detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
- a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving the subject'"'"'s body part;
a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
and a removable liner lining the inner surface of said housing, said liner being of a low-friction sheet material to facilitate the insertion of said body part into said compartment and to be slideably withdrawable from between said body part and said housing after the insertion of said body part into said compartment.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A non-invasive probe for application to a body part, such as a finger, toe or limb, for the detection of a medical condition of the subject includes a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving the distal end of the subject'"'"'s body part including its terminal-most extremity, a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of the body part after being received within the compartment, and a removable liner lining the inner surface of the housing, to facilitate the insertion of the body part into the compartment. The described probe is one which senses changes in the peripheral arterial tone as manifested by changes in the pulsatile arterial blood volume and/or changes in the oxygen saturation level in a terminal extremity of a body part, and includes a number of other features particularly useful in such probes.
43 Citations
64 Claims
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1. A non-invasive probe for application to a body part of a subject for the detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving the subject'"'"'s body part;
a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
and a removable liner lining the inner surface of said housing, said liner being of a low-friction sheet material to facilitate the insertion of said body part into said compartment and to be slideably withdrawable from between said body part and said housing after the insertion of said body part into said compartment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A probe for application to a body part of a subject for the non-invasive detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving the distal end of the subject'"'"'s body part including its terminal-most extremity;
and a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
said housing including;
an inner casing;
an inner membrane within said inner casing and defining an inner chamber for receiving a fluid to apply a predetermined static pressure to said body part when received within said compartment;
an outer membrane over the outer surface of said inner casing and defining herewith an outer chamber communicating with said inner chamber via an opening in said inner casing effective to cause said predetermined static pressure applied by said inner membrane to be substantially unaffected by the size of the body part inserted into said compartment or by volume changes of the body part inserted therein;
and an outer casing facing the outer surface of said outer membrane and defining therewith a third chamber;
said outer casing including a vent opening venting said third chamber to the atmosphere. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A probe for application to a body part of a subject for the non-invasive detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving a distal end of the subject'"'"'s body part including its terminal-most extremity;
said housing including a casing and an inner membrane within said casing defining, with the inner surface of said casing, an inner chamber for receiving a fluid to apply a predetermined static pressure to said body part when received within said compartment;
a restraining member within said compartment to restrain said membrane from expelling the body part from said chamber when the chamber is pressurized by said static pressure;
and a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
said restraining member including an annular ring adjacent to the open end of the housing, and a plurality of arms extending axially within the compartment and terminating short of said closed end of the housing, and thereby short of the terminal-most extremity of the body part when received within said compartment. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A probe for application to a body part of a subject for the non-invasive detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving a distal end of the subject'"'"'s body part including its terminal-most extremity;
said housing including a casing and a membrane within said casing and defining a chamber for receiving a fluid to apply a predetermined static pressure to said body part when received within said compartment;
a restraining member within said compartment to restrain said membrane from expelling the body part from said chamber when the chamber is pressurized by said static pressure;
and a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
said membrane being part of an inflatable elastic bag located within said housing and engaged by said restraining member to define said compartment after receiving the body part of the subject;
said casing including an opening for venting the space between said elastic bag and the inner face of said casing. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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44. A probe for application to a body part of a subject for the non-invasive detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving a distal end of the subject'"'"'s body part including its terminal-most extremity;
said housing including a casing, an inner membrane within said casing and defining an inner chamber for receiving a fluid to apply a predetermined static pressure to said body part when received within said compartment, and an outer membrane defining an outer chamber communicating with said inner chamber via an opening through said casing effective to cause said predetermined static pressure applied by the inner membrane to be substantially unaffected by the size Of the body part inserted into said compartment or by volume changes of the body part inserted therein;
a restraining member within said compartment to restrain said inner membrane from expelling the body part from said inner chamber when the inner chamber is pressurized by said static pressure;
and a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
said restraining member including an annular ring facing the open end of the housing, and a plurality of arms extending axially within the compartment;
said annular ring being located inwardly of the open end of the housing to define, with an inner section of said inner membrane, an inner section of said compartment for receiving said body part;
said inner membrane including an outer section defining an outer section of said compartment for receiving said body part, and an outer section of said inner chamber for applying said static pressure to said body part when-received in said compartment. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A probe for application to a body part of a subject for the non-invasive detection of a medical condition of the subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving a distal end of the subject'"'"'s body part including its terminal-most extremity;
and a sensor for sensing a predetermined condition of said body part after received within said compartment;
said housing including;
an inner casing;
an inner membrane within said inner casing and defining an inner chamber for receiving a fluid to apply a predetermined static pressure to said body part when received within said compartment;
an outer membrane over the outer surface of said inner casing and defining herewith an outer chamber communicating with said inner chamber via an opening in said inner casing;
and a restraining member within said compartment;
said inner and outer membranes being parts of an inflatable elongated elastic bag;
one end of said elongated elastic bag being received over the outer surface of said casing to constitute said outer membrane defining said outer chamber;
the opposite end of said elongated elastic bag being received within said casing to constitute said inner membrane engageable by said restraining member and defining said inner chamber communicating with said outer chamber via an opening in said casing. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A probe for the non-invasive detection of a medical condition of a subject, comprising:
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a housing defining a compartment closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving a limb of the subject including the distal end of the limb;
an inner membrane within said housing and defining an inner chamber for receiving a fluid to apply a predetermined static pressure to said limb including the distal end thereof within said compartment;
a restraining member within said compartment;
and a sensor within said compartment for sensing a predetermined condition of said distal end of the limb within said compartment. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification