SKIN AND WOUND ASSESSMENT TOOL

• US 20110098539A1
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: N.E. Solutionz, LLC
• Original Assignee: N.E. Solutionz, LLC
• Inventors: Estocado, Nancy Ann
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1072 measuring distances on the body, e.g. measuring length, height or thickness A61B5/1076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/444 Evaluating skin marks, e.g. mole, nevi, tumour, scar
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/445 Evaluating skin irritation or skin trauma, e.g. rash, eczema, wound, bed sore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/04 rigid
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

An L-shaped diagnostic tool is preferably made from paper with a backing having a contact adhesive. Each arm has a ruler, with origins co-aligned at the internal corner of the intersection of the arms. One arm has representative color images of afflictions for each of the various ranks within a classification system. The other arm contains textual descriptions of the salient features of afflictions in each rank. A photograph of the L-shaped tool placed around the affliction may be taken for diagnostic and monitoring purposes.

Claims

1. A diagnostic tool comprising a first arm and a second arm joined in an L-shaped configuration, a top surface of the first arm comprising a graphical ranking guide comprising a plurality of images that graphically illustrate at least a portion of rank classifier indicia for a classification system comprising a plurality of ranks, each of the images corresponding to at least one of the ranks.

2. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein each of the ranks has at least one corresponding image.

3. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein the images are color images.

4. The diagnostic tool of claim 3 wherein the color images are color photographs of afflictions in states corresponding to the ranks in the classification system.

5. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein a top surface of the second arm comprises a descriptive ranking guide comprising a plurality of rank descriptors containing text describing at least a portion of the rank classifier indicia, each of the rank descriptors corresponding to at least one of the ranks.

6. The diagnostic tool of claim 5 wherein a bottom surface of the first arm or the second arm comprises an adhesive.

7. The diagnostic tool of claim 5 wherein the first arm further comprises a first ruler and the second arm further comprises a second ruler, and wherein origins of the first ruler and the second ruler are co-aligned.

8. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein the first arm and the second arm are formed from a paper substrate.

9. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 further comprising an antimicrobial or antiseptic agent.

10. The diagnostic tool of claim 8 wherein the top surface of the first arm or the second arm comprises one or more fields configured for the entry of information.

11. A diagnostic method comprising:

obtaining an L-shaped diagnostic tool comprising a first arm and a second arm, the first arm or the second arm comprising one or more of a graphical ranking guide and a descriptive ranking guide configured in accordance with a classification system, the first arm and the second arm respectively comprising a first ruler and a second ruler;

disposing the L-shaped diagnostic tool adjacent to an affliction;

taking a picture comprising the affliction and at least a portion of the L-shaped diagnostic tool; and

utilizing the one or more of the graphical ranking guide and the descriptive ranking guide to determine a rank of the affliction within the classification system.

12. The diagnostic method of claim 11 further comprising making a print of the picture and coupling the print to a form.

13. The diagnostic method of claim 11 further comprising utilizing the first ruler and the second ruler to estimate one or more of the area of the affliction, extent of the affliction along the first arm, and extent of the affliction along the second arm.

14. A diagnostic imaging tool comprising:

an image capturing unit;

a scale determination unit;

a central processing unit; and

memory for storing data and program code, the data including assessment tool image data, the program code executable by the central processing unit to perform the following steps;

causing the image capturing unit to capture an image and store the image in the memory as a captured image;

causing the scale determination unit to determine a scale associated with the captured image;

generating a conformal assessment tool image having a scale that is substantially equal to the scale of the captured image; and

generating an assessment image that comprises at least a portion of the assessment tool image and at least a portion of the captured image;

wherein the assessment tool image comprises;

a first arm and a second arm joined in an L-shaped configuration, the first arm comprising a graphical ranking guide comprising a plurality of images that graphically illustrate at least a portion of rank classifier indicia for a classification system comprising a plurality of ranks, each of the images corresponding to at least one of the ranks, and at least one of the arms comprising a ruler conformal to the scale associated with the captured image.

15. The diagnostic imaging tool of claim 14 further comprising an input/output interface, wherein the program code further causes the central processing unit to position the assessment tool image within the assessment image according to instructions received from the input/output interface.