INCENTIVE SPIROMETRY DEVICE HAVING AN EXTERNALLY DISPOSED CAPACITIVE SENSOR ASSEMBLY FOR PROMPTING PATIENT USE AND DETERMINING MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED FROM SUCH PATIENT USAGE
First Claim
1. An Incentive Spirometer assembly, comprising:
- an Incentive Spirometer device having a housing, a float member disposed within said housing, the float member moving within the housing based on use of the Incentive Spirometer by a patient;
an electronic assembly attached to the housing of said Incentive Spirometer approximate to said float member without contacting said float member, said electronic assembly sensing movement of said float member within the housing;
a speaker in communication with the electronic assembly; and
a power source in communication with said electronic assemblywherein said electronic assembly is programmed to automatically prompt a user at a predetermined time period to begin using the Incentive Spirometer by transmitting a verbal prompting voice message to the speaker.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus used in the medical industry such as an Incentive Spirometer, in order to increase transpulmonary pressure and respiratory volumes, to improve inspiratory muscle performance and re-establish the normal pulmonary hyperinflation, through the employment of electronic technology, providing audible, simulated, verbal, human sounding words, that assist, guide and prompt, increasing patient usage. In one embodiment, the Incentive Spirometer uses a capacitive sensing circuit preferably mounted to the side of the apparatus'"'"'s housing for sensing movement of the float within the tube wall and for obtaining a measurement or reading of the patient'"'"'s performance with the Incentive Spirometer.
5 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An Incentive Spirometer assembly, comprising:
-
an Incentive Spirometer device having a housing, a float member disposed within said housing, the float member moving within the housing based on use of the Incentive Spirometer by a patient; an electronic assembly attached to the housing of said Incentive Spirometer approximate to said float member without contacting said float member, said electronic assembly sensing movement of said float member within the housing; a speaker in communication with the electronic assembly; and a power source in communication with said electronic assembly wherein said electronic assembly is programmed to automatically prompt a user at a predetermined time period to begin using the Incentive Spirometer by transmitting a verbal prompting voice message to the speaker. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. An Incentive Spirometer assembly, comprising:
-
an Incentive Spirometer device having a housing, a float member disposed within said housing, the float member moving within the housing based on use of the Incentive Spirometer by a patient, said float member provided with a conductive material; an electronic assembly attached to the housing of said Incentive Spirometer approximate to said float member without contacting said float member, said electronic assembly having a microcontroller unit, an audio storage unit, at least one capacitive sensor and an audio response unit;
said audio storage unit having at least one stored verbal voice message for prompting the user to use the Incentive Spirometer device;a speaker in communication with the electronic assembly; and a power source in communication with said electronic assembly wherein said microcontroller unit is programmed to automatically direct the audio storage unit to automatically send a first verbal voice message to the speaker to prompt the user at a predetermined time period to begin using the Incentive Spirometer wherein movement of said float member within the housing of said Incentive Spirometer is read or sensed by at least one of said at least one capacitive sensors; wherein said audio response unit generates a verbal voice message upon receipt of a signal from said microcontroller unit that is sent to the speaker to verbally indicate to the user a volumetric or flowrate measurement reading from the user'"'"'s use of the Incentive Spirometer. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification