Inner-Body Sound Monitor and Storage
First Claim
1. An inner-body sound monitor and recording apparatus comprising:
- a housing having an input surface that is placed directly on a skin surface;
an acoustic signal detector, located on the input surface, that receives an acoustic signal from the skin surface and generates an analog electrical signal;
an analog-to-digital converter, coupled to the acoustic signal detector and within the housing, that converts the analog electrical signal to an digital signal;
a storage device, coupled to the analog-to-digital converter and within the housing, that stores the digital signal;
an output, coupled to the storage device, that provides an output signal related to the acoustic signal; and
a processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the storage device, the output and within the housing, that controls the storage of the digital signal and the generation of the output signal.
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Abstract
A system, apparatus and method are described for recording, processing, measuring and transmitting electrical data relating to audible signals originating from within a human body. Acoustic signals originating from a human body are detected by a hand-held device that converts these acoustic signals into corresponding electrical signals. Within the housing of this hand-held device, these signals are processed in the electrical domain, such as filtering, amplifying, storing and analyzing, so that they may be provided in a preferred output format. In certain embodiments of the invention, a speaker on the device housing outputs audible signals relating to the detected inner-body acoustic signals. In other embodiments, a port is provided that outputs electrical signals which may be transmitted over a connection to a distant remote device or stored on a computing device external to the hand-held device. In yet other embodiments, an antenna is provided that transmits a wireless signal relating to the detected inner-body acoustic signals. These various embodiments of the invention allow for a more effective diagnosis of medical conditions, such as asthma or heart ailments, by a remote medical professional or recording of inner-body acoustic signals which may be later analyzed by the medical professional.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An inner-body sound monitor and recording apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an input surface that is placed directly on a skin surface; an acoustic signal detector, located on the input surface, that receives an acoustic signal from the skin surface and generates an analog electrical signal; an analog-to-digital converter, coupled to the acoustic signal detector and within the housing, that converts the analog electrical signal to an digital signal; a storage device, coupled to the analog-to-digital converter and within the housing, that stores the digital signal; an output, coupled to the storage device, that provides an output signal related to the acoustic signal; and a processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the storage device, the output and within the housing, that controls the storage of the digital signal and the generation of the output signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for remotely monitoring a patient, the system comprising:
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an inner-body sound monitor and recording apparatus, having a single housing and output port, that records inner-body sounds from a patient and transmits an electrical signal, derived from the recorded inner-body sounds, onto a communications line; and a remote receiving device, coupled to the communications line, that receives the electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for recording inner-body sounds of a patient, the method comprising:
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detecting an acoustic signal originating from inside a body by positioning a single-housing apparatus on a skin surface; converting the acoustic signal to an electrical signal; storing the electrical signal within the single-housing apparatus; providing a time stamp associated with the stored electrical signal; and outputting a signal to enable a playback of the acoustic signal from inside the body. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification