Back incline indicator

• US 4,958,145 A
• Filed: 05/05/1989
• Issued: 09/18/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Safety Operating Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Safety Operating Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Morris, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Application Number:
  US07/348,212
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573, 340/689, 272/DIG. 5, 434/247, 273/188 R, 273/190 A
• US Class Current: 340/689
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/909 Mechanical indicator

Abstract

A back incline indicator (10) employs a mercury switch (44) and a beeper (72) to indicate to a user (24) whenever the back of the user (24) is bent beyond an acceptable limit, λcrit. The mercury switch (44) and beeper (72) are attached to a casing (38) including a plate (28A) that is parallel to the back of the user (24). The casing (38) is connected by a connector (14) to the shirt collar of the user (24). The mercury switch (44) is set to an angle θ from the plate (28A). The value of θ determines how much the user'"'"'s back may be bent before λcrit is reached. The value of θ may be set to different amounts as the desired value of λcrit may vary with different uses of the back incline indicator (10).

Claims

1. A back incline indicator for indicating whenever the back of a user is bent beyond an acceptable limit, comprising:

(a) a hollow casing having a side plate,

(b) attaching means on the casing for securing the casing to the back of a shirt collar of a user with the side plate resting against the back of the user,

(c) electric audio signal means in the casing having an electric circuit including a source of electric potential, and

(d) electric tilt switch means in said electric circuit and mounted in said casing for closing said electric circuit and activating said signal means when said casing side plate is disposed in a plane which forms with a vertical line an included angle of a predetermined magnitude and for opening said circuit and deactivating said signal means when said casing side plate is disposed in a plane which forms with a vertical line an included angle of less than said predetermined magnitude.

2. The back incline indicator of claim 1 wherein the attaching means comprises a clip configured for releasable attachment to a back portion of a shirt collar.

3. The back incline indicator of claim 1 wherein the electric tilt switch means comprises a mercury switch.

4. The back incline indicator of claim 1 including adjustment means interengaging the tilt switch means and casing for adjusting the angular disposition of the tilt switch means relative to the casing side plate, whereby to vary the angle of incline of the back of a user required to activate the signal means.

5. The back incline indicator of claim 1 wherein the electric signal means comprises audio signal producing means, the attaching means is configured for attachment of the casing to the back portion of a shirt collar for effective hearing of the audio signal by the user, and the electric tilt switch means comprises a mercury switch mounted for angular adjustment for varying the angle of incline of the back of a user required to activate the audio signal producing means.