MULTIFUNCTIONAL EARPHONE AND ALCOHOL MONITORING SYSTEM USING THE SAME

• US 20090053110A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: CHANG, CHIH-WEI, CHEN, CHIN-YUAN
• Application Number:
  US11/933,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20090053110A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/84
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath

Abstract

A multifunctional earphone includes an earphone body, and an alcohol-testing module provided in the earphone body. The alcohol-testing module includes an alcohol-testing unit provided with an alcohol concentration-measuring program to measure an alcohol concentration of a user of the multifunctional earphone to obtain a measured alcohol concentration value; and a communication unit to receive the measured alcohol concentration value from the alcohol-testing unit, and analyze the measured alcohol concentration value.

Claims

1. A multifunctional earphone comprising:

an earphone body; and

an alcohol-testing module provided in the earphone body, the alcohol-testing module comprising;

an alcohol-testing unit provided with an alcohol concentration-measuring program to measure an alcohol concentration of a user of the multifunctional earphone to obtain a measured alcohol concentration value; and

a communication unit to receive the measured alcohol concentration value from the alcohol-testing unit, and analyze the measured alcohol concentration value.

2. The multifunctional earphone of claim 1, wherein the communication unit comprises:

a data processing unit to analyze the measured alcohol concentration value to obtain an analysis result;

a storage unit to store the measured alcohol concentration value and a predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone;

a data processing unit to analyze the measured alcohol concentration value to obtain an analysis result; and

a wireless transceiver to transmit the measured alcohol concentration value based on the analysis result obtained by the data processing unit.

3. The multifunctional earphone of claim 2, wherein the data processing unit compares the measured alcohol concentration value with the reference alcohol concentration value for the multifunctional earphone to determine whether the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol concentration value for the multifunctional earphone;

and

wherein the wireless transceiver transmits the measured alcohol concentration value if the data processing unit determines that the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone.

4. The multifunctional earphone of claim 3, further comprising an alerting unit to display the measured alcohol concentration value, and to warn the user if the data processing unit determines that the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone.

5. An alcohol monitor system comprising:

a multifunctional earphone comprising;

an earphone body; and

an alcohol-testing module provided in the earphone body to measure an alcohol concentration of a user of the multifunctional earphone to obtain a measured alcohol concentration value and transmit the measured alcohol concentration value; and

an alcohol monitor host comprising a transceiver module to communicate with the alcohol-testing module of the multifunctional earphone and receive the measured alcohol concentration value from the alcohol-testing module.

6. The alcohol monitor system of claim 5, wherein the alcohol-testing module comprises:

an alcohol-testing unit provided with an alcohol concentration-measuring program to measure the alcohol concentration of the user of to obtain the measured alcohol concentration value; and

a communication unit to receive the measured alcohol concentration value from the alcohol-testing unit, analyze the measured alcohol concentration value to obtain an analysis result, and transmit the measured alcohol concentration value to the alcohol monitor host based on the analysis result.

7. The alcohol monitor system of claim 6, wherein the communication unit comprises:

a storage unit to store the measured alcohol concentration value and a predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone;

a data processing unit to analyze the measured alcohol concentration value by comparing the measured alcohol concentration value with the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone to obtain the analysis result; and

a wireless transceiver to transmit the measured alcohol concentration value to the alcohol monitor host based on the analysis result obtained by the data processing unit.

8. The alcohol monitor system of claim 7, wherein the data processing unit compares the measured alcohol concentration value with the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value for the multifunctional earphone to determine whether the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone;

and

wherein the wireless transceiver transmits the measured alcohol concentration value to the alcohol monitor host if the data processing unit determines that the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone.

9. The alcohol monitor system of claim 8, wherein the alcohol-testing module further comprises an alerting unit to display the measured alcohol concentration value, and to warn the user if the data processing unit determines that the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone.

10. The alcohol monitor system of claim 8, wherein the alcohol monitor host further comprises a database to store a predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the alcohol monitor host, and to analyze the measured alcohol concentration value based on the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the alcohol monitor host.

11. The alcohol monitor system of claim 10, wherein the database of the alcohol monitor host stores an information enabling the alcohol monitor host to establish a communication link with a notified object;

wherein the database is programmed to compare the measured alcohol concentration value with the reference alcohol value set for the alcohol monitor host to determine whether the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol value set for the alcohol monitor host; and

wherein the transceiver module of the alcohol monitor host transmits the measured alcohol concentration value to the notified object based on the information enabling the alcohol monitor host to establish a communication link with a notified object if the database determines that the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol value set for the alcohol monitor host.

12. The alcohol monitor system of claim 7, wherein the alcohol monitor host further comprises a database to store a reference alcohol concentration value for the alcohol monitor host, and to analyze the measured alcohol concentration value based on the reference alcohol concentration value set for the alcohol monitor host.

13. The alcohol monitor system of claim 12, wherein the database of the alcohol monitor host stores an information enabling the alcohol monitor host to establish a communication link with a notified object;

wherein the database compares the measured alcohol concentration value with the reference alcohol value set for the alcohol monitor host to determine whether the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol value set for the alcohol monitor host; and

wherein the transceiver module of the alcohol monitor host transmits the measured alcohol concentration value to the notified object based on the information enabling the alcohol monitor host to establish a communication link with a notified object if the database determines that the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the reference alcohol value set for the alcohol monitor host.

14. The alcohol monitor system of claim 5, wherein the alcohol monitor host is a portable electronic device having a communication function.

15. A method of measuring an alcohol concentration of a user of a multifunctional earphone, the method comprising:

measuring the alcohol concentration of the user with an alcohol concentration-measuring program provided in the multifunctional earphone to obtain a measured alcohol concentration value; and

analyzing the measured alcohol concentration value in the multifunctional earphone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the analyzing of the measured alcohol concentration value on the multifunctional earphone comprises comparing the measured alcohol concentration value with a predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone to determine whether the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone;

and

wherein the method further comprises transmitting the measured alcohol concentration value if the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the multifunctional earphone.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitting of the measured alcohol concentration value comprises:

establishing a communication link between the multifunctional earphone and an alcohol monitor host;

receiving the measured alcohol concentration in the alcohol monitor host; and

analyzing the measured alcohol concentration in the alcohol monitor host.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the analyzing of the measured alcohol concentration in the alcohol monitor host comprises comparing the measured alcohol concentration value with a predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the alcohol monitor host to determine whether the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the alcohol monitor host;

and

wherein the method further comprises transmitting the measured alcohol concentration value to a notified object outside the alcohol monitor host if the measured alcohol concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration value set for the alcohol monitor host.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined reference alcohol concentration set for the multifunctional earphone is less than the predetermined reference alcohol concentration set for the alcohol monitor host.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the notified object is a mobile communication terminal owned by a family member or a friend of the user of the multifunctional earphone, or an ignition interlock having a communication function provided in a motor vehicle of the user of the multifunctional earphone, or a monitoring device having a communication function operated by a government or private agency that is monitoring the user'"'"'s compliance with a court-ordered requirement that the user of the multifunctional earphone abstain from using alcohol.