Portable, disposable warning device for detecting urine-wet undergarments

• US 4,539,559 A
• Filed: 03/29/1982
• Issued: 09/03/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Key Education Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alvin Krass, Hugh Kelly
• Inventors: Krass, Alvin, Kelly, Hugh
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Application Number:
  US06/363,049
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573, 340/604, 128/138 A, 200/61.05, 200/DIG. 2
• US Class Current: 340/573.5
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/202 Assessing bladder functions, e.g. incontinence assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/48 Devices for preventing wetting or pollution of the bed

Abstract

A portable device for detecting when undergarments are wet with urine comprises electronic disposable sensor means in contact with said undergarment, an electronic detector means activated by said sensor means, and an alarm means activated by the detector means, all chosen and constructed such that there is no energization of any part of the system until a wet condition is detected and such that there is no possibility of more than 9 volts of electric potential in contact with the human body, with the current generated by said potential not to exceed 10 microamperes.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device with a disposable sensor for producing a signal when an undergarment is wet with urine, which comprises, in combination

(a) a sensor circuit comprising

(i) separated electric terminals mounted to facilitate contact with said undergarment,

(ii) conducting leads connected to said terminals,

(iii) said leads being connected together through a voltage source and a resistance means,

(iv) said resistance means having a resistance value at least ten times the resistance to be expected between said terminals when in contact with said urine-wet undergarment,

(v) the voltage from said voltage source and the resistance in said resistance means being chosen such that, in combination with the resistance between said terminals, no more than 10 microamperes of current can flow in said sensor circuit;

(b) an oscillating means connected to said sensor circuit in such manner that said oscillating means oscillates only when current passes in said sensor circuit, and

(c) an indicating means connected through an inverting means to said oscillating means.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the said sensor circuit separated terminals comprise electrodes printed on a small absorbent pad with adhesive backing.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the said electrodes have a separation of between 2 and 5 millimeters.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said voltage source is a 9 Volt battery and said resistance means has a value of 1 megohm.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the said oscillating means is a CMOS astable oscillator connected to said sensor circuit through the control lead of a CMOS NOR gate.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the said indicating means is a sound generating device.

7. The device of claim 5 in which the said indicating means comprises a relay activating a remote indicating means.