Disposable Printed Conductive Lead Elements for Medical Applications
First Claim
1. A conductive lead for connecting a medical sensor to a machine, said conductive lead comprising:
- a dielectric flexible substrate;
conductive ink supported upon said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines that interconnect said contact pads;
an insulation layer that covers said connection lines, wherein said connection lines are interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer; and
peel-away protective covers that cover said contact pads, wherein selected ones of said contact pads can be exposed by removal of said peel-away protective covers that protect said selected ones of said contact pads.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A conductive lead that connects a medical sensor or probe to a monitoring or analytical machine. The conductive lead is flexible, lightweight and can be manufactured at a very low cost. The conductive lead has a dielectric flexible substrate. Conductive ink is printed upon the flexible substrate. The conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines on the flexible substrate. The connection lines electrically interconnect the various conductive pads. An insulation layer covers the connection lines The insulation layer can be dialectic ink that is printed atop the conductive ink. Peel-away protective covers are used to cover the contact pads. Any one of the contact pads can be exposed for use by removing the protective cover that covers it. The contact pads are used to electrically interconnect with both the sensor and the machine.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A conductive lead for connecting a medical sensor to a machine, said conductive lead comprising:
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a dielectric flexible substrate; conductive ink supported upon said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines that interconnect said contact pads; an insulation layer that covers said connection lines, wherein said connection lines are interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer; and peel-away protective covers that cover said contact pads, wherein selected ones of said contact pads can be exposed by removal of said peel-away protective covers that protect said selected ones of said contact pads. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A conductive lead and sensor assembly, comprising:
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a sensor that connects to the human body; a conductive lead having a first contact pad and a second contact pad that are electrically interconnected by a conductive connection line, wherein said first contact pad electrically interconnects to said sensor, and wherein said first contact pad and said conductive connection line are printed in conductive ink upon a common dielectric flexible substrate, and wherein said conductive connection line is covered in a dielectric insulation layer, wherein said conductive connection line is interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer; and a peel-away protective cover that covers said second contact pad, wherein said second contact pad is exposed by removal of said peel-away protective cover. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of forming a conductive lead for a medical sensor, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a dielectric flexible substrate; printing conductive ink upon said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive ink forms contact pads and connection lines that interconnect said contact pads; applying protective covers over said contact pads; and applying an insulation layer that covers said connection lines, wherein said connection lines are interposed between said flexible substrate and said insulation layer. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification