PCB blade connector system and method
First Claim
1. A connector system comprising:
- a defibrillator;
an electrode for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient;
a housing;
a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; and
two or more contacts, each contact comprising a planar conductive trace positioned on the printed circuit board for removably coupling to the defibrillator and for coupling the electrode to the defibrillator, wherein the contacts are positioned on a same planar face of the printed circuit board.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The connector between the patient electrode pads and the base unit of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) system can be formed by capturing a printed circuit board (PCB) within a connector housing. The PCB can have conductive metal traces that serve as the contact points between the wires from the patient electrodes and the electronics within the AED base unit. The PCB in combination with the conductive metal traces can be shaped similar to a conventional two-prong or two-blade connector. Employing such a PCB-based connector may result in AED pads which are less complex and less costly to manufacture. The PCB can also support a configuration circuit that is positioned between the conductive metal traces and that allows the AED to read and store information about the attached pads. For example, the AED can use this data storage feature to check the expiration date of the pads.
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Citations
71 Claims
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1. A connector system comprising:
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a defibrillator; an electrode for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient; a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; and two or more contacts, each contact comprising a planar conductive trace positioned on the printed circuit board for removably coupling to the defibrillator and for coupling the electrode to the defibrillator, wherein the contacts are positioned on a same planar face of the printed circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A connector system comprising:
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a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; a first contact comprising a conductive planar trace positioned on a first planar side of the printed circuit board, wherein the first contact is a first contact of a first pair of contacts, the connector system further comprising a second contact of the first pair of contacts; a second contact comprising a conductive planar trace positioned on a second planar side of the printed circuit board; and an electrode for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient, the electrode coupled to at least one of the first and second contacts. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A connector in a connector system having a corresponding mating assembly, the connector and mating assembly making an electrical connection, the connector comprising:
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a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; a first pair of conductive traces on the printed circuit board, wherein the first pair of conductive traces is part of the electrical connection; a second pair of conductive traces, wherein the second pair of conductive traces is part of the electrical connection; and a cable electrically connecting a pair of patient electrodes to the second pair of conductive traces. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A connector in a connector system having a corresponding mating assembly, the connector and mating assembly making an electrical connection, the connector comprising:
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a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; a first pair of contacts connected to the printed circuit board, a non-volatile, electrical-programmable memory device electrically connected to the first pair of contacts, wherein the first pair of contacts is part of the electrical connection; a second pair of contacts connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the second pair of contacts is part of the electrical connection; and a cable electrically connecting a pair of patient electrodes to the second pair of contacts.
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24. A connector system, comprising:
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a defibrillator; an electrode for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient; a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape, and two or more contacts, each contact comprising a planar conductive trace positioned on the printed circuit board for removably coupling to the defibrillator and for coupling the electrode to the defibrillator, the printed circuit board further comprising a notch disposed within the printed circuit board and positioned between a pair of the contacts to form at least a portion of the two-prong blade connector shape of the printed circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A connector system, comprising:
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a defibrillator; an electrode for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient; a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing and extending beyond the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; and two or more contacts, each contact comprising a planar conductive trace positioned on the printed circuit board for removably coupling to the defibrillator and for coupling the electrode to the defibrillator. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A connector system, comprising:
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a defibrillator; an electrode for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient; a housing, the housing comprising a textured gripping surface; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; and two or more contacts, each contact comprising a planar conductive trace positioned on the printed circuit board for removably coupling to the defibrillator and for coupling the electrode to the defibrillator. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A connector system, comprising:
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a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing; a first contact comprising a conductive planar trace positioned on a first planar side of the printed circuit board; a second contact comprising a conductive planar trace positioned on a second planar side of the printed circuit board; a notch disposed within the printed circuit board and positioned between the first and second contacts to form at least a portion of a two-prong blade connector shape in the printed circuit board; and an electrode coupled to at least one of the first and second contacts for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A connector system, comprising:
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a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; a first contact comprising a conductive planar trace positioned on a first planar side of the printed circuit board; a second contact comprising a conductive planar trace positioned on a second planar side of the printed circuit board; and an electrode coupled to at least one of the first and second contacts for administering shock energy and for monitoring a heart of a patient. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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69. A connector in a connector system having a corresponding mating assembly, the connector and mating assembly making an electrical connection, the connector comprising:
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a housing; a printed circuit board partially enclosed by the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a two-prong blade connector shape; a first pair of conductive traces on the printed circuit board, wherein the first pair of conductive traces is part of the electrical connection; a second pair of conductive traces, wherein the second pair of conductive traces is part of the electrical connection; a configuration circuit in electrical contact with the second pair of conductive traces, the configuration circuit including a fusible element; and a cable electrically connecting a pair of patient electrodes to the first pair of conductive traces. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71)
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Specification