Anti-Theft System for Thermometer

• US 20080084911A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardinal Health Ireland Unlimited Company (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sherwood Services AG
• Inventors: Yerlikaya, Denis Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,722,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/100
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

A thermometry assembly includes a thermometer and a mount for mounting the thermometer on a wall or other support structure. The thermometry assembly has an anti-theft system for deterring theft of the thermometer. The anti-theft system generally includes a counter that counts the number of uses of the thermometer during a period beginning from the time the thermometer was last on the mount. A microcontroller of the thermometer is programmed to disable further operation of the thermometer when a threshold number has been reached or exceeded by the counter. The counter is reset when the thermometer is returned to the mount. The anti-theft system includes a solid-state sensor that is activated by a magnet in the mount. The sensor signals to the microcontroller to reset the counter when it is activated by the magnet.

Claims

1. A hand-held thermometer comprising:

a housing sized and shaped to be held in a hand;

an input for taking in temperature data;

a microcontroller located in the housing and including a resetable anti-theft counter for recording a use-parameter of the thermometer, wherein the thermometer is disabled in an anti-theft mode when the counter reaches a pre-selected number,

a solid-state sensor in communication with the microcontroller and having no moving parts, the sensor being capable of detecting a magnetic field with a predetermined flux density to signal to the microcontroller to reset the anti-theft counter.

2. A thermometer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the solid-state sensor comprises a Hall-effect sensor.

3. A thermometer as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a printed circuit board in the housing, the microcontroller and the solid-state sensor being mounted on the circuit board.

4. A thermometer as set forth in claim 3 wherein the use-parameter includes at least one of a number of uses of the thermometer after the counter is reset and an elapsed time after the counter is reset.

5. A thermometer as set forth in claim 2 in combination with a mount for receiving the thermometer, the mount including a magnetic source having a magnetic field with a flux density that is greater than or equal to said predetermined flux density detectable by the sensor to activate the sensor, wherein the thermometer further comprises an anti-theft circuit including the solid-state sensor for sending a reset signal to the microcontroller to reset the anti-theft counter when the thermometer is received in the mount.

6. A thermometer as set forth in claim 5 wherein the anti-theft circuit further comprises a leakage preventing device for preventing current from flowing between the solid-state sensor and the microcontroller when the thermometer is not in the mount.

7. A thermometer as set forth in claim 6 wherein the leakage preventing device comprises a diode.

8. A thermometer as set forth in claim 5 wherein the anti-theft circuit further comprises a logic gate for receiving an input signal from the sensor and for sending the reset signal to the microcontroller.

9. A thermometer as set forth in claim 8 wherein the sensor is configured to send a high voltage output to the logic gate when the sensor is not activated and a low voltage output to the logic gate when the sensor is activated, and wherein the logic gate comprises an inverter, the inverter being configured to invert the input signal from the sensor so that the high voltage input from the sensor is changed to a low voltage output constituting the reset signal.

10. A thermometer as set forth in claim 9 wherein the anti-theft circuit further comprises a leakage preventing device for preventing current from flowing from the inverter to the microcontroller when the thermometer is not in the mount.

11. A thermometer as set forth in claim 10 wherein the leakage preventing device comprises a diode.

12. A thermometer as set forth in claim 11 wherein the diode is electrically disposed between the inverter and the microcontroller.

13. A thermometer as set forth in claim 5 wherein magnetic source comprises a permanent magnet emitting the magnetic field.

14. A thermometer as set forth in claim 13 wherein the flux density of the magnet is about 2200 Gauss.

15. A thermometer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the input comprises a probe having at least one temperature-sensing component, wherein the housing includes a probe well for receiving the probe, wherein the solid-state sensor constitutes a first solid-state sensor and the predetermined flux density constitutes a first flux density, the thermometer further comprising a second solid-state sensor associated with the housing and having no moving parts, the second solid-state sensor and the probe being adapted and configured so that the second solid-state sensor detects a second magnetic flux density indicative of the probe being seated in the probe well, the thermometer being configured to be in a non-active state when the sensor detects the second magnetic flux density and being configured to be in an active state when the second sensor detects a third magnetic flux density different from the second magnetic flux density and indicative of the probe being removed from the well.

16. A thermometer as set forth in claim 15 in combination with a mount for receiving the thermometer, wherein the mount includes a first magnetic source having a magnetic field with a magnetic flux density greater than or equal to the first magnetic flux density, and wherein a second magnetic source having a magnetic field with a magnetic flux density greater than the second flux density is associated with the probe.

17. A thermometer as set forth in claim 16 wherein a ratio of a distance from the first magnetic source to the second solid state sensor to a distance from the first magnetic source to the first solid state sensor is greater than about 1.77.

18. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly including a thermometer and a mount for receiving the thermometer, the method comprising:

assembling a magnetic source capable of generating a magnetic field into a housing of the mount,

mounting on a circuit board a microcontroller including a resetable anti-theft counter for recording a use-parameter of the thermometer, wherein the thermometer is disabled in an anti-theft mode when the counter reaches a pre-selected number,

mounting on the circuit board a solid-state sensor in communication with the microcontroller, the sensor being capable of being activated by the magnetic field of the magnetic source to signal to the microcontroller to reset the anti-theft counter,

assembling the circuit board with the microcontroller and solid-state sensor thereon into a housing of the thermometer.

19. A method of making an electronic thermometer as set forth in claim 18 further comprising mounting a leakage preventing device on the circuit board for preventing current from flowing between the solid-state sensor and the microcontroller when the thermometer is not received in the mount.

20. A method of making an electronic thermometer as set forth in claim 19 wherein the leakage preventing device comprises a diode.

21. A method of making an electronic thermometer as set forth in claim 20 further comprising mounting a logic gate on the circuit board for receiving an input signal from the sensor and sending a reset signal to the microcontroller.

22. A method of making an electronic thermometer as set forth in claim 21 wherein the logic gate comprises an inverter.

23. A method of making an electronic thermometer as set forth in claim 22 wherein mounting a leakage preventing device comprises electrically interposing the diode between the inverter and the microcontroller.

24. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 18 wherein assembling a magnetic source comprises disposing the magnet source in a wall of the mount.

25. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein the magnetic source is a magnet and wherein assembling a magnetic source further comprises injection molding the wall of the mount around the magnetic source so that the magnet is embedded in the wall of the mount.

26. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 25 wherein said wall of the mount is a floor of the mount that contacts a bottom portion of the thermometer.

27. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein the magnetic source is a magnet and wherein assembling a magnetic source further comprises securing the magnet within a cavity formed in the wall of the mount.

28. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 18 wherein the solid-state sensor constitutes a first sensor and the magnetic source constitutes a first magnetic source, the method further comprising:

assembling a temperature sensing component and a second magnetic source capable of generating a magnetic field into a probe of the thermometer;

operatively interconnecting the microcontroller and the temperature sensing component for communication of temperature information from the temperature sensing component to the microcontroller, the microcontroller being configured for placing the thermometer in an active state to acquire temperature information from the temperature sensing component and for placing the thermometer in an inactive state;

mounting on the circuit board a second solid-state sensor having no moving parts that is capable of detecting the presence of a magnetic field associated with the second magnetic source on the circuit board so that the second solid-state sensor and the microcontroller are in electrical communication with each other.

29. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 28 wherein the first magnetic source comprises a first magnet and the second magnetic source comprises a second magnet.

30. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 29 wherein respective locations of the first and second magnets and the first and second solid-state sensors are such that the first magnet does not activate the second solid-state sensor when it activates the first solid-state sensor and the second magnet does not activate the first solid-state sensor when it activates the second solid-state sensor.

31. A method of making an electronic thermometry assembly as set forth in claim 30 wherein a ratio of a distance between the second magnet and the first sensor and a distance between the second magnet and the second sensor is greater than or equal to about 1.77, and wherein a ratio of a distance between the first magnet and the second sensor and a distance between the first magnet and the first sensor is greater than or equal to about 1.77.