Apparatus and method for detecting and monitoring the sexual arousal of an individual

• US 5,782,778 A
• Filed: 10/24/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Parsons State Hospital Endowment Association, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Parsons State Hospital Endowment Association, Inc.
• Inventors: Rea, Jerry, De Briere, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US08/736,264
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 128/774, 128/782, 33/511, 33/512
• US Class Current: 600/587
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4368 Sexual arousal evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4393 Sexual arousal or erectile dysfunction evaluation, e.g. tumescence evaluation

Abstract

An apparatus (10) and method for detecting and monitoring the sexual arousal of an individual while the individual is exposed to real-life sexual stimuli outside of a clinical or laboratory setting is disclosed. The apparatus (10) includes a physiological sensor (12) for sensing physiological changes in the individual that correspond to the sexual arousal of the individual and for generating sensor signals representative of the physiological changes; a microprocessor (14) coupled with the sensor (12) for receiving the sensor signals, converting the sensor signals to control signals representative of the sensor signals, and storing the control signals; and a transmitter (16) coupled with and responsive to the microprocessor (12) for transmitting the stored control signals to an analyzing device remote from the apparatus (10) for analyzing the control signals to monitor the sexual arousal of the individual.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting and monitoring the sexual arousal of an individual, said apparatus comprising:

sensing means for sensing physiological changes in the individual that correspond to the sexual arousal of the individual and for generating sensor signals representative of the physiological changes;

computing means coupled with said sensing means for receiving said sensor signals, for converting said sensor signals to control signals representative of the sensor signals, and for storing said control signals;

transferring means coupled with and responsive to said computing means for transferring said control signals stored in said computing means to an analyzing device remote from said apparatus for analyzing said control signals to monitor the sexual arousal of the individual; and

attaching means for releaseably attaching said sensing means, said computing means, and said transferring means directly to the individual for permitting the individual to move unrestrictedly while the apparatus remains operably attached to the individual.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said transferring means including transmitting means for transmitting said control signals to the analyzing device.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said computing means including means for periodically transferring said stored control signals to said transmitting means for periodically transmitting said control signals to the analyzing device.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said computing means including means for continuously transferring said stored control signals to said transmitting means for continuously transmitting said control signals to the analyzing device.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said transmitting means including a radio transceiver.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said transmitting means including a modem coupled with said computing means for modulating said control signals and a telephone coupled with said modem for transmitting said modulated control signals to the analyzing device.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said computing means further including means for receiving and storing a pre-determined threshold signal corresponding to a pre-determined level of change in a physiological parameter of the individual, comparing means for comparing said control signals to said threshold signal, and alarm signal generating means for generating an alarm signal when said control signals exceed said threshold signal.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further including audio means coupled with said computing means and responsive to said alarm signal for providing an audible signal whenever said control signals exceed said threshold signal.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, said audio means including a speaker.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further including position detecting means coupled with said computing means for detecting the position of the individual, for generating position signals representative of the position of the individual, and for transferring said position signals to said computing means.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said computing means including means for periodically transferring said position signals to said transmitting means for periodically transmitting said position signals to the analyzing device.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said computing means including means for continuously transferring said position signals to said transmitting means for continuously transmitting said position signals to the analyzing device.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said position detecting means including a global positioning satellite receiver operable for receiving satellite signals from a global positioning satellite system and for calculating the position of said receiver in accordance with the satellite signals.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including manually activated analog input means coupled with said computing means for permitting the individual to assess his or her own sexual arousal level and to input an analog signal representative of the sexual arousal level into said computing means.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, said manually activated analog input means including a potentiometer.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including amplifying means coupled between said sensing means and said computing means for amplifying said sensor signals.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, the individual being male, said physiological changes including changes in the size of the individual'"'"'s penis, said sensing means including a penile plethysmograph.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said physiological changes including changes in the skin temperature of the individual, said sensing means including a skin temperature sensor.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said physiological changes including changes in the blood pressure of the individual, said sensing means including a blood pressure sensor.

20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said physiological changes including changes in the heart rate of the individual, said sensing means including a heart rate sensor.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said computing means including a microprocessor having internal memory.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said computing means including a microprocessor and a memory device coupled with said microprocessor.

23. A method of detecting and monitoring the sexual arousal of an individual, said method comprising the steps:

attaching a physiological sensor to the individual;

releasably attaching a computing means and a transmitting means directly to the individual and coupling the computing means with said physiological sensor;

sensing with said physiological sensor physiological changes in the individual that correspond to the sexual arousal of the individual and generating sensor signals representative of the physiological changes with said physiological sensor;

transferring said sensor signals to said computing means for converting said sensor signals to control signals representative of the sensor signals and for storing said control signals;

periodically transferring said stored control signals to said transmitting means for transmitting said stored control signals to an analyzing device remote from said computing means; and

analyzing said control signals with said analyzing device to monitor the sexual arousal of the individual.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, said transmitting means including a radio transceiver for transmitting said control signals to said analyzing device.

25. The method as set forth in claim 23, said transmitting means including a modem coupled with said computing means for modulating said control signals and a telephone coupled with said modem for transmitting said modulated control signals to said analyzing device.

26. The method as set forth in claim 23, further including the steps of receiving and storing in said computing means a pre-determined threshold signal corresponding to a pre-determined level of change in a physiological parameter of the individual, comparing said control signals to said threshold signal, and generating an alarm signal when said control signals exceed said threshold signal.

27. The method as set forth in claim 26, further including the step of generating an audible alarm signal with an audio means coupled with said computing means whenever said control signals exceed said threshold signal.

28. The method as set forth in claim 27, said audio means including a speaker.

29. The method as set forth in claim 23, further including the steps of detecting the position of the individual with a position detecting means coupled with said computing means, generating position signals representative of the position of the individual, and transmitting said position signals to said analyzing device for monitoring the location of the individual or providing feed-back to the individual if the individual is in a prohibited location.

30. The method as set forth in claim 29, said position detecting means including a global positioning satellite receiver operable for receiving satellite signals from a global positioning satellite system and for calculating the position of said receiver in accordance with the satellite signals.

31. The method as set forth in claim 23, further including the steps of permitting the individual to assess his or her own sexual arousal level with a manually activated analog input means coupled with said computing means and to input an analog signal representative of the sexual arousal level into said computing means.

32. The method as set forth in claim 31, said manually activated analog input means including a potentiometer.

33. The method as set forth in claim 23, further including the step of amplifying said sensor signals with an amplifying means coupled between said sensing means and said computing means.

34. The method as set forth in claim 23, the individual being male, said physiological changes including changes in the size of the individual'"'"'s penis, said sensing means including a penile plethysmograph.

35. The method as set forth in claim 23, said physiological changes including changes in the skin temperature of the individual, said sensing means including a skin temperature sensor.

36. The method as set forth in claim 26, said physiological changes including changes in the blood pressure of the individual, said sensing means including a blood pressure sensor.

37. The apparatus as set forth in claim 26, said physiological changes including changes in the heart rate of the individual, said sensing means including a heart rate sensor.

38. The method as set forth in claim 23, said computing means including a microprocessor having internal memory.

39. The method as set forth in claim 23, said computing means including a microprocessor and a memory device coupled with said microprocessor.