Wrist sphygmomanometer

• US 6,547,741 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Takahide, Nakagawa, Akira, Mori, Kentaro, Kojima, Iwao
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US09/977,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 600/485, 600/490, 600/493-496, 600/500-3
• US Class Current: 600/490
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0406 specially shaped apparatus housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02141 Details of apparatus construction, e.g. pump units or housings therefor, cuff pressurising systems, arrangements of fluid conduits or circuits A61B5/02233, A61B5/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0225 the pressure being controlled by electric signals, e.g. derived from Korotkoff sounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence

Abstract

A sphygmomanometer includes a body 10 and a cuff 20 which is integrally attached to the body 10 and wrapped around the wrist. The body 10 is attached to the cuff 20 such that the body is located on the thumb side of the arm L when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist. Consequently, a precise blood pressure measurement and precise blood pressure fluctuation can be obtained without restriction on the location where the blood pressure measurement is conducted.

Claims

1. A method of measuring blood pressure using a wrist sphygmomanometer including a body and including a cuff attached to the body and wrapped around a wrist, said body being attached to the cuff in a manner to allow the body to be located on a thumb side of an arm when the wrist sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist, comprising:

fitting said wrist sphygmomanometer on the wrist;

placing the wrist with said wrist sphygmomanometer fitted thereon on a chest of a subject; and

reading a value detected by said wrist sphygmomanometer with the wrist placed on the chest.

2. The wrist sphygmomanometer of claim 1, further comprising a positioning system which determines whether the sphygmomanometer is at an appropriate measuring level.

3. The wrist sphygmomanometer of claim 2, wherein the positioning system indicates that the sphygmomanometer is at an appropriate measuring level by providing an acoustic signal.

4. The wrist sphygmomanometer of claim 2, further comprising a display that includes arrows which guide a user to the appropriate measuring level.

5. The wrist sphygmomanometer of claim 4, wherein the display indicates that the user has reached the appropriate measuring level by displaying a visual symbol.

6. The wrist sphygmomanometer of claim 4, wherein the display indicates that the user has reached the appropriate measuring level by providing an acoustic signal.

7. The wrist sphygmomanometer of claim 2, wherein a blood pressure measurement is automatically taken when the positioning system determines that the sphygmomanometer is at the appropriate measuring level.

8. A method of measuring blood pressure using a wrist sphygmomanometer including a body and including a cuff attached to the body and wrapped around a wrist, said body being attached to the cuff in a manner to allow the body to be located on a thumb side of an arm when the wrist sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist, comprising:

fitting said wrist sphygmomanometer on the wrist;

placing the wrist with said wrist sphygmomanometer fitter thereon on a chest of a subject; and

reading a value detected by said wrist sphygmomanometer with the wrist placed on the chest, wherein

the body of said wrist sphygmomanometer comprises a power supply housing unit and the cuff has an elliptical shape connected to the body via an air flow passage member and wrapped around a wrist, wherein

said body is attached to the cuff at a position corresponding to a direction of a major axis of said elliptical shape when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist,

said cuff comprises an elastic portion on a palm side of the wrist in a shape according to the wrist for appropriately fitting the sphygmomanometer on the wrist,

said wrist sphygmomanometer further comprises a heavy load portion for locating a center of gravity of said body between a center of said body and a palm side thereof, and

said heavy load portion is provided on a portion of said cuff where said elastic portion is located.