PEAK FLOW METER, BREATHALYZER, AND PULSE OXIMETER FOR USE WITH A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20140350367A1
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gestin Time Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gestin Time Incorporated
• Inventors: SUBRAMANIAM, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US13/899,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350367A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/340
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0803 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/082 Evaluation by breath analysis, e.g. determination of the chemical composition of exhaled breath A61B5/083, A61B5/091 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0871 Peak expiratory flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A peak flow meter, breathalyzer, and pulse oximeter for use with a mobile device, such as a smartphone, are disclosed. In one embodiment, the peak flow meter receives air flow from the patient, converts it into an electrical signal using a pressure transducer, and transmits the signal to a mobile device over an interface. In another embodiment, the microphone of the mobile device is used to directly receive the airflow, and the mobile device converts the airflow into an electrical signal indicating the peak flow. In another embodiment, a breathalyzer receives air flow from a patient, converts it into an electrical signal using a sensor, and transmits the signal to a mobile device over an interface. In another embodiment, a pulse oximeter measures oxygen saturation in a patient'"'"'s blood and transmits an electrical signal for that measurement to a mobile device over an interface.

Claims

1. A peak flow meter, comprising:

a shaft with an opening for receiving air flow;

a pressure transducer;

an interface for connecting to a mobile device and for sending data from the pressure transducer to the mobile device.

2. The peak flow meter of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

3. The peak flow meter of claim 1, wherein the peak flow meter is configured to obtain power over the interface.

4. The peak flow meter of claim 3, wherein the peak flow meter does not contain a battery.

5. The peak flow meter of claim 3, wherein the peak flow meter comprises a rechargeable battery.

6. The peak flow meter of claim 1, wherein the interface is a 30-pin interface.

7. The peak flow meter of claim 1, wherein the interface is a USB interface.

8. The peak flow meter of claim 1, wherein the interface is a Bluetooth interface.

9. A breathalyzer, comprising:

a shaft with an opening for receiving air flow from a user;

a sensor; and

an interface for connecting to a mobile device and for sending data from the sensor to a mobile device, wherein the data comprises an estimate of the user'"'"'s blood alcohol content.

10. The breathalyzer of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

11. The breathalyzer of claim 9, wherein the breathalyzer is configured to obtain power over the interface.

12. The breathalyzer of claim 11, wherein the breathalyzer does not contain a battery.

13. The breathalyzer of claim 11, wherein the breathalyzer comprises a rechargeable battery.

14. The breathalyzer of claim 9, wherein the interface is a 30-pin interface.

15. The breathalyzer of claim 9, wherein the interface is a USB interface.

16. The breathalyzer of claim 9, wherein the interface is a Bluetooth interface.

17. A pulse oximeter, comprising:

a shaft with an opening for receiving a user'"'"'s finger;

a light emitting and detecting device;

an interface for connecting to a mobile device and for sending data from the light emitting and detecting device to a mobile device, wherein the data comprises an estimate of oxygen saturation in the user'"'"'s blood;

18. The peak flow meter of claim 17, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

19. The peak flow meter of claim 17, wherein the peak flow meter is configured to obtain power over the interface.

20. The peak flow meter of claim 19, wherein the peak flow meter does not contain a battery.

21. The peak flow meter of claim 19, wherein the peak flow meter comprises a rechargeable battery.

22. The peak flow meter of claim 17, wherein the interface is a 30-pin interface.

23. The peak flow meter of claim 17, wherein the interface is a USB interface.

24. The peak flow meter of claim 17, wherein the interface is a Bluetooth interface.

25. A method of measuring peak flow using a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprises a display, processor, and a microphone, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the microphone, air flow;

converting, by the microphone, the air flow into a first set of electrical signals;

converting, by the processor, the first set of electrical signals into a second set of electrical signals, wherein the second set of electrical signals comprises peak flow data; and

displaying, by the display, an indication of the peak flow data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

displaying, by the display, a graph depicting a plurality of readings over time of peak flow data.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting, by a network interface, the peak flow data to a server; and

storing, by the server, the peak flow data in a database table associated with a patient.