Pulse indicator

• US 4,038,976 A
• Filed: 03/14/1975
• Issued: 08/02/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frank M. Hardy, Theodore W. Coffey
• Original Assignee: Frank M. Hardy, Theodore W. Coffey
• Inventors: Hardy, Frank M., Coffey, Theodore W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/558,366
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2.05 E, 128/2.05 P, 128/2.05 R, 128/2.05 T, 128/2.06 F, 128/2.06 R
• US Class Current: 600/503
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02444 Details of sensor A61B5/02427 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/905 Feedback to patient of biological signal other than brain electric signal

Abstract

A portable electrical device having both flashing light and/or sound transmitting means activated by a transducer so that the transducer or the entire assembly may be mounted in pressure sensitive contact with a pulsing area of a living body to convert pulses to visible light flashes or sound beats adjustable in pressure sensitive pickup to reflect and monitor the blood flow through the pulse.

Claims

1. A portable pulse signaling device comprising a portable pressure sensor comprising a transducer and means for supporting said transducer in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse area, means for discriminately adjusting the pressure of said transducer upon said pulse area whereby the periodic pulsing pressure therein upon said transducer is coverted into electrical signals significant of component pressure variations in said pulse, a portable amplifier electrical circuit means connected to and responsive to said pressure adjusted transducer to produce amplified electrical pulses, and a light emitter in said circuit responsive to the adjusted pressure visibly indicating said pulses by corresponding light flashes.

2. Portable pulse signaling device as defined in claim 1 including a housing, said amplifier electrical circuit means being disposed in said housing, means for portably supporting said housing by the body being tested, said light emitting means being visibly exposed in a wall of said housing and means in said circuit for adjusting its sensitivity to the pressure variations in the pulses visibly indicating by variations of said light the actual pulsing pressure variations of the blood flow from the heart through said pulse.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 including a housing means for fastening said housing to a body member, a light transmissive wall, a clock work mechanism including hands indicating the time as a time piece disposed in said housing with the light transmissive hands visibly exposed through said wall for reading the time, said housing further enclosing said portable amplifier electrical circuit means with said light means visibly exposed in a wall of said housing, and off-on switch means in a wall of said housing for manual control of said electrical circuit.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 including a housing, means for fastening said housing to a body member, said transducer being mounted in a wall of said housing with a surface exposed whereby both said housing and transducer as an integral assembly may be mounted by said support means in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein the housing is further combined with a sound signaling device emitting sound signals in pulses responsive to the pulsed electrical signal induced by said transducer.

6. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein the support for said housing and transducer in pressure transmitting contact is integrally mounted with the housing and a rigid ring in which a finger may be inserted for contact with the transducer in a wall thereof is fastened to and supported by said housing.

7. The device as defined in claim 6 wherein the housing is further combined with a sound signaling device emitting sound signals in pulses responsive to the pulsed electrical signal induced by said transducer.

8. The device as defined in claim 1 including means for fine adjusting of said circuit to reflect the pressure pulses picked up by said transducer in sufficient sensitivity to separate the pressure into its minor variations, corresponding to the actual pulsing pressures directly reflecting output of the blood flow from the heart through said pulse.

9. A portable pulse signaling device comprising a portable pressure sensor comprising a transducer and means for supporting said transducer in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse area, means for discriminately adjusting the pressure of said transducer upon said pulse area whereby the periodic pressure therein is converted by said transducer into electrical signals significant of component pressure variations in said pulse, a portable amplifier electrical circuit means connected to and responsive to said pressure adjusted transducer to produce amplified electrical pulses, and a sound generating device emitting sound signals in pulses responsive to the adjusted pressure signals on said transducer audibly indicating said pulses by corresponding sound signals.

10. Portable pulse signaling device as defined in claim 9 including a housing, said amplifier electrical circuit means being disposed in said housing, means for portably supporting said housing by the body being tested, said amplifier electrical circuit means having means in a wall of said housing for connecting said circuit to said sound generating means, and means in said circuit for adjusting its sensitivity to the pressure of the pulse, audibly indicated by variations of emitted sound signals of said sound generating means, responsive pressure to the actual pulsing pressure variations of the blood flow from the heart through said pulse.

11. The device as defined in claim 9 including a housing, means for fastening said housing to a body member, a light transmissive wall, a clock work mechanism including hands visibly exposed through said wall for reading the time, said housing further enclosing said portable amplifier electrical circuit means, said amplifier electrical circuit means including means for connecting to said sound generating means, and off-on switch means in a wall of said housing for manual control of said electrical circuit.

12. The device as defined in claim 9 including means for fine adjusting of said circuit to reflect the pressure pulses picked up by said transducer in sufficient sensitivity to separate the pressure into its minor variations, corresponding to the actual pulsing pressures directly reflecting output of the blood flow from the heart through said pulse.

13. A portable pulse signaling device comprising a portable pressure sensor comprising a transducer and means for supporting said transducer in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse area, means for discriminately adjusting the pressure of said transducer upon said area whereby the periodic pulsing pressure therein is converted by said transducer into electrical signals significant of component pressure variations in said pulse, a portable amplifier electrical circuit means, connected to and responsive to said pressure adjusted transducer to produce amplified electrical pulses and light and sound emitting means responsive to the pulses generated in said circuit to emit corresponding pulses of both light and sound responsive to adjusted pressure.

14. The portable pulse signaling device as defined in claim 13 including a housing, said amplifier electrical circuit means being disposed in said housing, means for portably supporting said housing by the body being tested, said light emitting means being visibly exposed in a wall of said housing, said amplifier electrical circuit means having means in a wall of said housing for connecting to said sound generating means, and means in said circuit for adjusting its sensitivity to the pressure of the pulse visibly an audibly indicated by variations of said light emitting and sound generating means responsive to the actual pulsing pressure variations of the blood flow from the heart through said pulse.

15. A portable pulse signaling device comprising a portable pressure sensor comprising a transducer and means for supporting said transducer in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse whereby the periodic pulsing pressure thereof upon said transducer is converted into electrical signals, a portable amplifier electrical circuit means connected to and responsive to said transducer to produce amplified electrical pulses, a light emitter in said circuit visibly indicating said pulses by corresponding light flashes, said circuit further including means for fine adjusting of said circuit to reflect the pressure pulses picked up by said transducer in sufficient sensitivity to separate the pressure into its minor variations, corresponding to the actual pulsing pressures directly reflecting output of the blood flow from the heart through said pulse.

16. A portable pulse signaling device comprising a portable pressure sensor comprising a transducer and means for supporting said transducer in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse area whereby the periodic pulsing pressure upon said transducer is converted to corresponding periodic electrical signals, a portable electrical amplifier circuit means connected to receive and amplify said electrical signals, said amplifying circuit including means for fine adjustment to reflect the pressure pulses in sufficient sensitivity to separate each pressure pulse into its minor variations, directly reflecting the sensed output pressures of the blood flow from the heart in the pulsed area, and means for sensibly signaling said minor pressure variations.

17. A portable pulse signaling device comprising a portable pressure sensor including a transducer and means for supporting said transducer in pressure sensitive contact with a body pulse area, a housing, a portable electrical amplifier in circuit means in said housing connecting to and responsive to said transducer-induced circuit to produce amplified electrical signals corresponding to said periodic pulsing pressure upon said transducer, a timing mechanism in said housing, mean exposed through a wall of said housing for visibly signaling both the output of said timing mechanism and pulsed output of said circuit, whereby to indicate a timed pulse rate.