Shirt-pocket medical alert device

• US 4,284,986 A
• Filed: 06/23/1980
• Issued: 08/18/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carlos Amortegui
• Original Assignee: Carlos Amortegui
• Inventors: Amortegui, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Waring, Alvin H.
• Application Number:
  US06/162,009
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 340/571, 340/573, 340/575, 340/568, 340/689, 128/782
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait

Abstract

A shirt-pocket medical alert device having a housing with a receptacle including an alarm connected to a tilt actuated circuit including a power source wherein a flowable substance in the circuit activates the alarm when the circuit is moved out of a normal orientation position.

Claims

1. A shirt-pocket sized medical alert device comprising:

a separable housing sized and shaped to be carried unobtrusively by a user in a shirt pocket, for example, and to have an original, predetermined orientation on the user, the housing including a cover and a receptacle,

a tilt activated alarm within the receptacle comprising;

alarm means,

power source means,

tilt actuated circuit means, and

electrically conductive conduit means connecting the alarm, power and tilt activated switch means, defining a tilt actuated circuit,

whereby the alarm means is activated when the circuit is tilted and moved sufficiently from its original, predetermined position, for example when the user falls upon suffering a heart attack;

said tilt activated switch means comprising;

a cylindrical carrier spanned by an electrically conductive plate defining a first conductor and including a cone-shaped second conductor having a leading edge contacting the carrier and spaced a predetermined distance from the plate, a bottom end defining a tip and diverging electrically conductive side walls between the tip and leading edge,

an insulator of predetermined thickness between the plate and the cone, and

an electrically conductive flowable substance held in the cone tip when the housing is in the original predetermined orientation, the flowable substance of predetermined thickness sufficient to span the distance between the plate and the cone leading edge.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tilt activated switch means comprises:

a cylindrical carrier spanned by an electrically conductive plate defining a first conductor and including a cone-shaped second conductor having a leading edge contacting the carrier and spaced a predetermined distance from the plate, a bottom end defining a tip and diverging electrically conductive side walls between the tip and leading edge,

an insulator of predetermined thickness between the plate and the cone, and

an electrically conductive flowable substance held in the cone tip when the housing is in the original predetermined orientation, the flowable substance of predetermined thickness sufficient to span the distance between the plate and the cone leading edge.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tilt activated switch is a mercury switch and the flowable substance is mercury.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1 or claim 3 wherein the carrier is a cylinder and has electrically conductive side walls.

5. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the power source means comprises a battery.

6. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the alarm means is fastened to the receptacle by biased nesting means.

7. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the housing is made from an unbreakable lightweight plastic.

8. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the plate is made of an electrically conductive metal.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cone is made of metal.

10. The device as set forth in claim 2 wherein the insulator is made from plastic.