Mobile phone with a stethoscope

• US 8,200,277 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Byung-Hoon Lee
• Original Assignee: Byung-Hoon Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Byung Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US11/885,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20080146276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,406 Days
• Field of Search: 4555561-557, 600/586, 600/573, 600/300, 381/67
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a mobile phone with a stethoscopic function. The mobile phone with a stethoscopic function, of which the mobile phone has communication data processing functions, comprises a stethoscopic microphone which is arranged in a body of the mobile phone; and a stethoscopic system which is embedded in the body of the mobile phone. The auscultated sound data obtained from the medical examination made on the part of a human body where the stethoscopic microphone is contacted are converted into digital auscultated sound data. The digital auscultated sound data identifies corresponding sound data in the pre-stored standardized digital auscultating sound data through search and comparison within allowable errors of data. With the identified data, a diagnostic data is made available. The diagnostic data may be stored and transmitted to a physician using the communication function of the mobile phone.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a mobile phone having a body; and

a stethoscope microphone configured to be carried by said mobile phone and configured for use in obtaining sounds made by a patient;

wherein said stethoscope microphone is an interior microphone incorporated into said body of said mobile phone, wherein said mobile phone has a display monitor that displays an identification of an illness obtained through analysis of the sounds obtained by the stethoscope microphone, wherein said body has a cover onto which said display monitor is located, wherein said cover is movable from a closed position in which said display monitor is positioned towards an interior of said body and is hidden from sight from the patient and any other person to an open position in which said display monitor is viewable by the patient, wherein said stethoscope microphone is on an exterior surface of said cover and contacts the patient when obtaining sounds made by the patient for identification of illness and when obtaining sounds made by the patient for identification of illness said cover is in the closed position such that said display monitor is hidden from sight from the patient and any other person.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an exterior stethoscope microphone attachable and detachable to said mobile phone.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said body of said mobile phone has a jack receptacle, and wherein said exterior stethoscope microphone has a jack capable of being attached to and detached from said jack receptacle in order to render said exterior stethoscope microphone attachable and detachable to said mobile phone.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a stethoscopic system carried by said mobile phone, wherein said stethoscopic system receives input from said stethoscope microphone, wherein said stethoscopic system has a filter unit for use in filtering input from said stethoscope microphone, and wherein said stethoscopic system has an amplifier unit for amplifying input from said stethoscope microphone.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said stethoscopic system has an analog to digital converter for converting analog wave data of input from said stethoscope microphone into digital sound data, wherein said stethoscopic system has a sound storage unit for storing standardized sound data according to symptom of illness, wherein said stethoscopic system has an information search and comparison unit for searching and comparing said digital sound data with and to said standardized sound data for use in identification of an illness, and wherein said stethoscopic system has a storage unit for storing diagnostic data upon identification of the illness.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said stethoscopic system has an output unit for outputting said diagnostic data.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said diagnostic data is displayed on said display monitor as visible characters showing the name of the illness and wherein said diagnostic data is audible through a speaker of said mobile phone.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said diagnostic data is transmitted by said mobile phone to a health care provider.

9. An apparatus for use in obtaining diagnostic data, comprising:

a mobile phone; and

a stethoscopic system carried by said mobile phone and configured to receive auscultated sound from a patient and to evaluate the auscultated sound in order to identify an illness;

wherein said stethoscopic system has an analog to digital converter unit for converting analog wave data of the auscultated sound into digital auscultated sound data, wherein said stethoscopic system has an auscultating sound storage unit for storage of standardized auscultating sound data by symptom of illness, wherein said stethoscopic system has an information search and comparison unit for searching and comparing the digital auscultated sound data with and to the standardized auscultating sound data for identification of an illness;

wherein a sound waveform and a name of the identified illness are simultaneously displayed on a display monitor of said mobile phone;

wherein said stethoscopic system has a stethoscope microphone to obtain auscultated sound from a patient, wherein said stethoscope microphone has a jack capable of being attached to and detached from a jack receptacle of said mobile phone, and wherein attachment of said jack to said jack receptacle induces said stethoscopic system to begin operation to evaluate the auscultated sound;

wherein said stethoscopic system has a second stethoscope microphone that is carried by said mobile phone and is not detachable from said mobile phone;

wherein said mobile phone has a body that has a cover onto which said display monitor is located, wherein said cover is movable from a closed position in which said display monitor is positioned towards an interior of said body and is hidden from sight from the patient and any other person to an open position in which said display monitor is viewable by the patient, wherein said second stethoscope microphone is on an exterior surface of said cover and contacts the patient when obtaining sounds made by the patient for identification of illness and when obtaining sounds made by the patient for identification of illness with said second stethoscope microphone said cover is in the closed position such that said display monitor is hidden from sight from the patient and any other person.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said stethoscopic system has a filter unit for use in filtering the auscultated sound, and wherein said stethoscopic system has an amplifier unit for amplifying the auscultated sound after filtering.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said stethoscopic system produces diagnostic data during evaluation of the auscultated sound, and wherein said stethoscopic system has a storage unit for use in storing diagnostic data relating to identification of an illness.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said stethoscopic system has an output unit for outputting information relating to an identified illness.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein diagnostic data of said stethoscopic system is transmitted by said mobile phone to a health care provider in order to inform the health care provider of a condition of a patient.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein diagnostic data obtained by said stethoscopic system is communicated to a user by a manner selected from the group consisting of alpha numeric characters showing the name of an illness on a display monitor of said mobile phone, waveforms showing the auscultated sound displayed on said display monitor of said mobile phone, pictures on said display monitor of said mobile phone, and audible message through a speaker of said mobile phone.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a mobile phone; and

a stethoscopic system carried by said mobile phone, wherein said stethoscopic system has a stethoscope microphone for use in obtaining auscultated sound from a patient, and wherein said stethoscopic system has an analog to digital converter for converting analog wave data of the auscultated sound into digital sound data, wherein said stethoscopic system has a sound storage unit for storing standardized sound data according to symptom of illness, wherein said stethoscopic system has an information search and comparison unit for searching and comparing said digital sound data with and to said standardized sound data for use in identification of an illness, wherein said stethoscopic system is configured for displaying the illness on a display monitor of said mobile phone;

wherein said mobile phone is capable of transmitting the illness identified by said stethoscopic system to a health care provider;

wherein said stethoscope microphone is an interior microphone incorporated into a body of said mobile phone, wherein said mobile phone has a body that has a cover onto which said display monitor is located, wherein said cover is movable from a closed position in which said display monitor is positioned towards an interior of said body and is hidden from sight from the patient and any other person to an open position in which said display monitor is viewable by the patient, wherein said stethoscope microphone is on an exterior surface of said cover and contacts the patient when obtaining sounds made by the patient for identification of illness and when obtaining sounds made by the patient for identification of illness said cover is in the closed position such that said display monitor is hidden from sight from the patient and any other person.