Method and apparatus of non-invasive measurement of human/animal blood glucose and other metabolites
First Claim
1. A non-invasive blood inspection apparatus comprising:
- means forming a chamber having an opening that is small compared to the size of a particular human/animal body part;
pumping means for reducing the fluid pressure within said chamber when said opening is blocked by a portion of the human/animal tissue forming the body part, the reduced pressure providing concentration of the blood within the portion of tissue blockingly engaging said opening;
means for projecting luminous energy through said chamber and onto said portion of said tissue and for collecting luminous energy reflected from the tissue;
shuttering means for selectively blocking said luminous energy when said opening is not engaged by said tissue;
pressure sensing means responsive to the pressure in said chamber and operative to close said shuttering means when the pressure within said chamber is above a predetermined level so as to prevent said luminous energy from passing through said opening unless said opening is blocked by said tissue; and
means for analyzing the collected luminous energy to determine a certain characteristic of the blood concentrated in said tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for non-invasively measuring animal/human blood glucose and other metabolites including an excitation laser source, a negative pressure based sampling port which interfaces to a human or other animal tissue sample in vivo, a Raman spectrometer, and data analysis and display devices. The device can be made in a compact size and may be portable, and it can be used in homes, offices or clinics. A negative atmospheric sampling port is made of a vacuum chamber that is connected with an electrically or manually driven vacuum pump which creates a negative air pressure inside the vacuum chamber. Under the negative air pressure, a substantial amount of blood is "sucked" into a small area of the human finger so that measurement of an enhanced Raman signal can be made.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A non-invasive blood inspection apparatus comprising:
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means forming a chamber having an opening that is small compared to the size of a particular human/animal body part; pumping means for reducing the fluid pressure within said chamber when said opening is blocked by a portion of the human/animal tissue forming the body part, the reduced pressure providing concentration of the blood within the portion of tissue blockingly engaging said opening; means for projecting luminous energy through said chamber and onto said portion of said tissue and for collecting luminous energy reflected from the tissue; shuttering means for selectively blocking said luminous energy when said opening is not engaged by said tissue; pressure sensing means responsive to the pressure in said chamber and operative to close said shuttering means when the pressure within said chamber is above a predetermined level so as to prevent said luminous energy from passing through said opening unless said opening is blocked by said tissue; and means for analyzing the collected luminous energy to determine a certain characteristic of the blood concentrated in said tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of non-invasively analyzing the blood of a living human/animal comprising the steps of:
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providing a chamber having an opening that is small compared to the size of a particular human/animal body part; positioning said particular body part of a human/animal patient in engagement with said opening; reducing the fluid pressure within said chamber when said opening is blocked by the portion of human/animal tissue forming the body part, the reduced pressure providing concentration of the blood within the portion of tissue blockingly engaging said opening; projecting luminous energy through said chamber and onto said portion of tissue; providing a shutter for selectively preventing said luminous energy from entering said chamber; monitoring the pressure within said chamber and causing said shutter to open only in the event that the pressure falls below a predetermined level; collecting luminous energy reflected from said portion of tissue; and analyzing the collected luminous energy to determine certain characteristics of the blood concentrated in said tissue. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-invasive blood inspection apparatus comprising:
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means forming a chamber having an opening that is small compared to the size of a particular human/animal body part, said chamber including a reflective interior wall having a curved surface; pumping means for reducing the fluid pressure within said chamber when said opening is blocked by a portion of the human/animal tissue forming the body part, the reduced pressure providing concentration of the blood within the portion of tissue blockingly engaging said opening; means for projecting luminous energy into said chamber and onto said portion of said tissue, said reflective interior wall of said chamber being oriented to reflect and focus said luminous energy onto a spot within said opening; means for collecting luminous energy reflected from the tissue via said reflective interior wall; means for analyzing the collected luminous energy to determine a certain characteristic of the blood concentrated in said tissue. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification