Biometric measuring system with detachable announcement device

• US 7,024,367 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2001
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc, PHC Corporation (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokuno, Yoshinobu, Sato, Yoshiharu, Amano, Yoshinori, Kataoka, Yoshihiro, Kawanaka, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US09/958,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/258, 704/272, 704/274, 600/483, 600/485, 600/549, 340/321, 340/573.1, D10/57, 705/3
• US Class Current: 704/272
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/12 Audible indication of meter readings, e.g. for the blind
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48 Biological material, e.g. blood, urine G01N33/02, G01N33/26, G01N33/44, G01N33/46 take precedence; Haemocytometers counting blood corpuscules distributed over a surface by scanning the surface G06M11/02
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A measuring system according to the present invention includes a biosensor 2, and a measuring device 1 capable of assaying a specified component in a biological sample applied to the sensor 2. An announcement device 22 indicates a measuring procedure or a measurement result in the measuring device 1 by voice or the like by being combined with the measuring device 1.

Claims

1. A measuring system comprising:

a measuring device for receiving a substance to be measured, including;

a measuring unit for quantitatively analyzing specific components of the substance to produce measurement results, and

a display unit for visually displaying the measurement results; and

an announcement device including a voice output unit for generating a voice when combined with said measuring device, said announcement device being detachably connected to said measuring device, and being operable to announce by voice at least one of a measuring procedure and the measurement results produced by said measuring unit of said measuring device.

2. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said measuring device includes a communication unit for communicating information with said announcement device.

3. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device includes a communication unit for communicating information with said measuring device.

4. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device includes an operating part for operating said voice output unit.

5. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device is operable to switch a language of the voice generated by said voice output unit.

6. The measuring system of claim 5, wherein said announcement device includes an operating lever for switching a language of the voice generated by said voice output unit, said operating lever being arranged so as to be covered by a casing of said announcement device.

7. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device has an opening for receiving said measuring device, and has a outwardly-tapered slope at said opening.

8. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein each of said measuring device and said announcement device has an engagement mechanism for engaging each other when said measuring device and said announcement device are detachably connected.

9. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device includes a lever for disengaging and disconnecting said measuring device from said announcement device, said lever being located on a base side of said announcement device.

10. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device includes a locking part for engaging a recessed section of said measuring device to detachably connect said measuring device to said announcement device.

11. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said measuring device is shaped so that only one end of said measuring device can be inserted into said announcement device to detachably connect said measuring device to said announcement device.

12. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein each of said measuring device and said announcement device has a mechanism for preventing improper insertion of said measuring device into said announcement device.

13. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device has an inner wall with a rib for regulating the distance between said inner wall and said measuring device.

14. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device has a battery storage compartment for housing a battery for driving said measuring device and said announcement device when said measuring device and said announcement device are detachably connected.

15. The measuring system of claim 14, wherein said measuring device includes a removable cover for covering a measuring device battery for driving only said measuring device, said measuring device and said announcement device being shaped and designed such that said removable cover and said measuring device battery must be removed to detachably connect said measuring device to said announcement device.

16. The measuring system of claim 15, wherein said removable cover is shaped and designed to cover said battery housed in said battery storage compartment of said announcement device when said measuring device is detachably connected to said announcement device.

17. The measuring system of claim 16, wherein said removable cover has an inner wall having a rib formed thereon, said rib having a flat part and a circular part for pressing plural kinds of accessories.

18. The measuring system of claim 15, wherein said removable cover has an engaging part for attaching said removable cover to said measuring device, and has a releasing part for releasing said removable cover from said measuring device.

19. The measuring system of claim 15, wherein said announcement device has a storage section for storing the measuring device battery removed from said measuring device.

20. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said measuring device has a connector for communicating with said announcement device, said connector having pattern lengths different with respect to a sliding direction of said measuring device when said measuring device is detachably connected to said announcement device.

21. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said measuring device includes a main printed board having a terminal for providing battery contact between said measuring device and said announcement device.

22. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said measuring device has a battery storage compartment having a terminal for electrically connecting said measuring device to said announcement device.

23. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device is operable to generate a voice to promote measurement start if a measurement process is not started when said measuring device is on standby for the measurement process.

24. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device is operable to indicate a remaining amount of time by voice during a measurement process.

25. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device is operable to indicate cutoff of power by voice when a measurement process is finished.

26. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device includes an operating part for achieving an initial setting of said measuring device.

27. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said announcement device is operable to indicate a need for an initial setting of said measuring device by voice, when the initial setting of said measuring device is not performed after said announcement device and said measuring device are detachably connected.

28. The measuring system of claim 1, wherein said measuring device and said announcement device are each shaped and designed such that, when said announcement device is combined with said announcement device, said display unit of said measuring device is exposed so as to allow a user to view the visually displayed measurement results.