Disposable monitor for an EEG head set

• US 4,706,679 A
• Filed: 01/27/1986
• Issued: 11/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Schmidt, Albert L., Johnson, John L., Sherwin, Gary W., Blackham, Kenneth K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US06/822,725
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 128/639-644, 128/784-786, 128/802, 128/803
• US Class Current: 600/383
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0217 Electrolyte containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head

Abstract

The present invention includes an adjustable head set held in place on the back of a patient'"'"'s head when the patient leans back against a chair head rest. The head set includes self-preparing disposable monitors that provide good contact with the patient'"'"'s head without prior skin preparation. The monitors include a conductive tube containing conductive wires, the tips of which form a planar cushion surface for contacting the patient'"'"'s head through a caratinaceous layer of skin. The monitors are held in adjustable holders that allow the contact force to be adjusted. The adjustable holders are mounted in holder slots of head set springs where the slots also allow adjustment of the placement of the monitors. The springs can include hinges for rotatably adjusting placement of the monitors. The disposable monitors are filled with an electrolyte solution using a disposable applicator including a puncturable film, punctured by a monitor when the electrolyte solution is being applied.

Claims

1. A disposable monitor, comprising:

a conductive tube; and

conductive wires contacting and extending from said tube for contacting a patient, said wires being silver and said tube being silver coated.

2. A disposable monitor, comprising:

a conductive tube; and

conductive wires contacting and extending from said tube for contacting a patient, wire ends of said wires extending from said tube forming a planar contact surface for contacting the patient.

3. A disposable monitor comprising:

a conductive tube; and

an adjustable holder comprising an externally threaded tube frictionally holding said conductive tube, said conductive tube extending from said threaded tube, a pair of nuts threadingly engaging the threaded tube and for adjusting said threaded tube and contact means for electrically contacting the conductive tube.

4. A disposable monitor for an electroencephalographic head set used to obtain measurements from a patient'"'"'s head in an evoked potential autorefractometry system, said monitor comprising:

a tube; and

a silver wire bundle frictionally engaging an interior of said tube where the wires in said bundle are twisted and said bundle extending from said tube to form a planar contact surface for contacting the patient'"'"'s head at an end of said bundle extending from said tube.

5. A monitor as recited in claim 4, wherein said tube is non-conductive and said monitor further comprises a lead wire in electrical contact with said bundle.