Cell phone alcohol detector

• US 20050053523A1
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oxyfresh Worldwide, Inc. (Young Living Essential Oils LC)
• Original Assignee: Oxyfresh Worldwide, Inc. (Young Living Essential Oils LC)
• Inventors: Brooke, Richard B.
• Application Number:
  US10/769,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20050053523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/68.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

The cellular telephone/breath analyzer combination increases the functionality of the cellular telephone by informing the user of his/her breath alcohol concentration. The visual display of the cellular telephone displays the breath analysis function. Using the keypad of the cellular telephone, the user can instruct the cellular telephone/breath analyzer to perform a breath analysis. When the user exhales into the breath analyzer, a microcontroller and digital processor disposed within the cellular telephone convert the ethanol gas sensor reading into a breath alcohol concentration indicator on the visual display of the cellular telephone.

Claims

1. A portable communications device for sending and receiving verbal communications having a housing sized to fit a human hand, characterized by:

a breath analyzer within the housing for sensing volatile components in a user'"'"'s breath and providing a breath analyzer output based upon the sensed volatile components; and

a user interface carried by the housing for providing an output based upon results of a breath test performed by the breath analyzer.

2. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the volatile components in the user'"'"'s breath sensed by the breath analyzer is ethanol gas.

3. The portable communications device of claim 2, the breath analyzer comprising an ethanol gas sensor for sensing ethanol gas in the user'"'"'s breath and providing an ethanol gas sensor output based upon the sensed ethanol gas.

4. The portable communications device of claim 3, wherein the ethanol gas sensor comprises:

a thick film metal oxide semiconductor; and

a heating element for heating the thick film metal oxide semiconductor.

5. The portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a voltage gain amplifier.

6. The portable communications device of claim 5, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

7. The portable communications device of claim 3, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a controller for scaling the ethanol gas sensor output.

8. The portable communications device of claim 1 and further comprising input for activating the breath analyzer.

9. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a visual display.

10. The portable communications device of claim 9, wherein the visual display is a liquid crystal display.

11. The portable communications device of claim 9 wherein the visual display is a plasma display.

12. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a speaker.

13. A cellular telephone, an improvement comprising:

a user input to select a breath analysis;

a breath analyzer for sensing volatile components in a user'"'"'s breath and providing a breath analyzer output based upon the sensed volatile components; and

a processor for processing the breath analyzer output and providing a user perceivable output reporting the breath analysis based on the processed breath analyzer output.

14. The cellular telephone of claim 13, wherein the volatile components sensed in the user'"'"'s breath sensed by the breath analyzer is ethanol gas.

15. The cellular telephone of claim 14, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises an ethanol gas sensor for sensing ethanol gas in a user'"'"'s breath.

16. The cellular telephone of claim 15, wherein the ethanol gas sensor comprises:

a thick film metal oxide semiconductor; and

a heating element for heating the thick film metal oxide semiconductor.

17. The cellular telephone of claim 16, wherein the ethanol gas sensor provides an ethanol gas sensor output based upon the sensed ethanol gas.

18. The cellular telephone of claim 17, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a controller for scaling the ethanol gas sensor output.

19. The cellular telephone of claim 18, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a voltage gain amplifier.

20. The cellular telephone of claim 19, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

21. The cellular telephone of claim 13, wherein the user perceivable output is a visual display.

22. The cellular telephone of claim 21, wherein the visual display is a liquid crystal display.

23. The cellular telephone of claim 22, wherein the visual display is a plasma display.

24. The cellular telephone of claim 13, wherein the user perceivable output is an audible indicator.

25. A portable communications device comprising:

a keypad for selecting a breath analysis;

an antenna;

a microphone for receiving verbal signals from a user;

a speaker for providing audio signals to the user;

communications electronics connected to the microphone, the speaker and the antenna for transmitting and receiving communications signals;

a visual display for providing a visual output;

a breath analyzer for sensing volatile components in a user'"'"'s breath and providing a breath analyzer output based upon the sensed volatile components; and

a digital processor for controlling the visual display to provide a visual output based on the breath analyzer output.

26. The portable communications device of claim 25, wherein the volatile components in the user'"'"'s breath sensed by the breath analyzer is ethanol gas.

27. The portable communications device of claim 26, the breath analyzer comprising an ethanol gas sensor for sensing ethanol gas and providing an ethanol gas sensor output based upon the sensed ethanol gas.

28. The portable communications device of claim 27, wherein the ethanol gas sensor comprises:

a thick film metal oxide semiconductor; and

a heating element for heating the thick film metal oxide semiconductor.

29. The portable communications device of claim 28, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a voltage gain amplifier.

30. The portable communications device of claim 29, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

31. The portable communications device of claim 30, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a controller for scaling the results of the ethanol gas sensor output.

32. The portable communications device of claim 25, wherein the visual display is a liquid crystal display.

33. The portable communications device of claim 25, wherein the visual display is a plasma display.

34. A portable communications device for sending and receiving verbal communications having a housing sized to fit a human hand, characterized by:

a breath analyzer within the housing for sensing volatile components in a user'"'"'s breath and providing a breath analyzer output based upon the sensed volatile components; and

a user interface carried by the housing for providing an output based upon results of a breath test performed by the breath analyzer.

35. The portable communications device of claim 34, wherein one of the volatile components in the user'"'"'s breath sensed by the breath analyzer is hydrogen sulfide.

36. The portable communications device of claim 35, wherein one of the volatile components in the user'"'"'s breath sensed by the breath analyzer is ethanol gas.

37. The portable communications device of claim 36, the breath analyzer comprising an electrochemical sensor for sensing hydrogen sulfide in the user'"'"'s breath and providing an electrochemical sensor output based upon the sensed hydrogen sulfide.

38. The portable communications device of claim 37, the breath analyzer comprising an ethanol gas sensor for sensing ethanol gas in the user'"'"'s breath and providing an ethanol gas sensor output based upon the sensed ethanol gas.

39. The portable communications device of claim 38, wherein the ethanol gas sensor comprises:

a thick film metal oxide semiconductor; and

a heating element for heating the thick film metal oxide semiconductor.

40. The portable communications device of claim 39, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a current-to-voltage amplifier and a first and a second voltage gain amplifier.

41. The portable communications device of claim 40, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a multiplexed analog-to-digital converter.

42. The portable communications device of claim 41, wherein the breath analyzer further comprises a controller for scaling the electrochemical sensor output and the ethanol gas sensor output.

43. The portable communications device of claim 34 and further comprising input for activating the breath analyzer.

44. The portable communications device of claim 34 wherein the user interface is a visual display.

45. The portable communications device of claim 44 wherein the visual display is a liquid crystal display.

46. The portable communications device of claim 44 wherein the visual display is a plasma display.

47. The portable communications device of claim 34 wherein the user interface is a speaker.