Hand held spring-loaded ultrasonic probe
First Claim
1. A hand held apparatus for uniformly biasing a transducer assembly against a human eye comprising:
- an outer housing adapted to be hand held;
an inner housing slidably insertable into said outer housing and movable between an extended position for contact with said eye and a retracted position with respect to said outer housing for protective storage thereof;
means for biasing said inner housing into said extended position;
a transducer for contacting an eye for conducting measurements thereof; and
means for holding said transducer, said holding means and transducer being provided on a front portion of said inner housing for emitting and receiving ultrasonic energy from said eye when said inner housing is in said extended position, said biasing means providing biasing forces less than that which would cause deformation of said eye when said eye is contacted with said transducer to avoid applanation thereof while said measurements are conducted.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus is disclosed for uniformly biasing a transducer against a human eye comprising an outer housing, an inner housing insertable into the outer housing and a biasing means. The inner housing has attached thereto a transducer and is movable with respect to the outer housing between an extended position and a retracted position. Bushing means are provided between the respective housings to maintain such housings in a concentric relationship and also to reduce friction between the respective housings. The probe is adapted to be applied against an eye and maintain substantially constant pressure on the eye, hand motion being compensated for by the biasing means, illustratively a spring.
95 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A hand held apparatus for uniformly biasing a transducer assembly against a human eye comprising:
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an outer housing adapted to be hand held; an inner housing slidably insertable into said outer housing and movable between an extended position for contact with said eye and a retracted position with respect to said outer housing for protective storage thereof; means for biasing said inner housing into said extended position; a transducer for contacting an eye for conducting measurements thereof; and means for holding said transducer, said holding means and transducer being provided on a front portion of said inner housing for emitting and receiving ultrasonic energy from said eye when said inner housing is in said extended position, said biasing means providing biasing forces less than that which would cause deformation of said eye when said eye is contacted with said transducer to avoid applanation thereof while said measurements are conducted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus for biasing a transducer assembly against an eye with a predetermined pressure not exceeding a threshold pressure which would cause deformation of the eye, comprising:
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an annular shaped transducer having a contact surface to matingly engage said eye; an inner housing member concentrically attached to said transducer and having a rear portion and a front portion, said front portion being greater in diameter than said rear portion and being provided with a tip section having a bore extending therethrough; a fixation light mounted concentrically within said tip section of said inner housing member at a rear end of said bore extending through said tip section, said bore extending outwards through a center of said annular shaped transducer; first lead means for transmission of electrical signals and connected to said fixation light and extending rearward through a center bore in said inner housing and exiting a rear portion of said inner housing; second lead means for transmission of electrical signals and connected to said transducer and extending rearward through said center bore in said inner housing and exiting said rear portion of said inner housing; an outer housing into which said inner housing is at least partially concentrically insertable, said outer housing having a front portion and a rear portion; bushing means for providing a low friction interface between said inner and outer housings and upon which said inner housing is slidably insertable into said outer housing, said bushing means being provided between said concentric inner and outer housings; means for limiting the movement of said inner housing relative to said outer housing between said extended position and said retracted position; and spring means for biasing said inner housing into said extended position with respect to said outer housing, said inner housing being positionable between said extended and retracted positions, said spring means having a spring constant which is the same in the retracted and extended position of the spring, and being positioned with respect to said limiting means such that the pressure applied by said transducer to said eye does not exceed said threshold pressure which would cause deformation of said eye. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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- 23. In a diagnostic device for measuring distances between anatomical structures of the type having a transducer assembly for contacting an anatomical surface, a transducer holding means for holding the transducer, lead means connected to said transducer for transmission of electrical signals, the improvement which comprises biasing means and second holding means, said transducer holding means being insertable into said second holding means and movable therein between an extended position and a retracted position, said biasing means being located between said second holding means and said transducer holding means such that said transducer holding means is biased in said extended position at rest and at least partially in said retracted position upon forceful engagement of said device with an eye, said biasing means providing biasing forces less than that which would cause deformation of said eye.
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33. A hand held apparatus for uniformly biasing a transducer against a human eye comprising:
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(a) an outer housing adapted to be hand held; (b) an inner housing slidably insertable into said outer housing and movable between an extended position for contact with said eye and a retracted position with respect to said outer housing for protective storage thereof; (c) spring means for biasing said inner housing into said extended position, said spring means having associated therewith a spring constant, said spring constant being essentially the same in said extended position and in said retracted position; and (d) means for limiting travel of said inner housing between said extended position and said retracted position including; (i) an end stop attached to said inner housing for contacting a first end of said spring means; and (ii) an end plug attached to said outer housing or contacting a second end of said spring means; (iii) wherein said end plug is adjustably removably attached to said outer housing so as to permit removal or replacement of sad spring means and selection and adjustment of a preload force; and (e) means for holding a transducer, said holding means and said transducer being provided on a front portion of said inner housing for engaging said eye when said inner housing is in said extended position;
said spring means adapted to provide reduced biasing forces when said eye is contacted to avoid applanation thereof. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification