Portable preprogrammed thermometer for indicating fertility status

• US 8,998,822 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Natalie Rechberg
• Original Assignee: Valley Electronics, LLC
• Inventors: Rechberg, Natalie
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US13/418,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20120238900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 600/551, 600/591, 702/19
• US Class Current: 600/551
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0012 Ovulation-period determination for animals A61D17/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0019 based on measurement of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/43 Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the reproductive systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick

Abstract

A method of recording, storing, analyzing, and displaying changes in a woman'"'"'s basal body temperature includes the steps of: (a) recording with an intelligent, preprogrammed thermometer the woman'"'"'s orally-measured temperature; (b) storing in the thermometer the woman'"'"'s temperature to create a stored temperature reading; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b); (d) analyzing inside the thermometer the significance of any changes in the stored temperature readings; and (e) displaying the changes in the woman'"'"'s basal body temperature, and displaying an analysis of those changes, on the thermometer, and on any electronic device connected to the thermometer. In other features of the invention, steps (a) and (b) are repeated daily when the woman first awakes from her night'"'"'s sleep, and the woman first inputs into the thermometer data about herself, including at least her year of birth, her height, her weight, her body mass index, and her current and past menstruation data.

Claims

1. A method of recording, storing, analyzing, and displaying changes in a woman'"'"'s basal body temperature, comprising the steps of:

(a) Connecting an intelligent, preprogrammed thermometer and an application software on a personal electronic device;

(b) Exchanging personal data and basal body temperature data bi-directionally between the thermometer and electronic device for synchronizing the thermometer and the electronic device;

(c) Determining inside the thermometer whether a current time is within a temperature reading time limit;

(d) Recording with the intelligent, preprogrammed thermometer the woman'"'"'s orally-measured temperature if the current time is within the temperature reading time limit;

(e) Storing in the thermometer the woman'"'"'s temperature to create a stored temperature reading;

(f) Repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) to thereby create a plurality of stored temperature readings;

(g) Analyzing inside the thermometer the significance of any changes in the stored temperature readings; and

(h) Displaying the changes in the woman'"'"'s basal body temperature, and displaying an analysis of those changes, on the thermometer, and on the electronic device connected to the thermometer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (c), (d) and (e) are repeated daily when the woman first awakes from her night'"'"'s sleep.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the woman first inputs into the thermometer data about herself, including at least her year of birth, her height, her weight, her body mass index, and her current and past menstruation data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the thermometer plainly indicates whether the day is a “

safe”

day for avoiding conception.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein (d) Recording includes measuring the length of time that the thermometer is inside the woman'"'"'s mouth, determining the optimum length of time to measure her temperature, and activating an alarm to alert the woman when the optimum length of time has been reached.

6. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) Connecting an intelligent, preprogrammed thermometer and an application software on a personal electronic device;

(b) Entering additional data, including personal personal data and menstruation data of the woman, into the thermometer;

(c) Exchanging data bi-directionally between the thermometer and electronic device for synchronizing the thermometer and the electronic device;

(d) Recording with an intelligent, preprogrammed thermometer a women'"'"'s orally-measured temperature;

(e) Storing in the thermometer the woman'"'"'s temperature to create a stored temperature reading;

(f) Repeating (d) and (e) to thereby create a plurality of stored temperature readings;

(g) Analysing inside the thermometer the significance of any changes in the stored temperature readings; and

(h) Displaying a fertility status based on an analysis of those changes on the thermometer and on the electronic device,

wherein, in step b), the additional data can be entered both directly on the thermometer and indirectly via direct entry on the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein menstruation days entered by the woman are used to calculate the fertility status.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying menstruation status on the thermometer and on the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the fertility status is displayed with red and green LEDs on the thermometer.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic device is a mobile phone.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic device is a smart phone.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic device is a tablet computer.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic device displays the fertility status for the woman'"'"'s past cycle and further displays a prediction of the fertility status for the woman'"'"'s next cycle.

14. The method of claim 6,

wherein the additional data entered can be corrected on both the electronic device and the thermometer.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the communicating between the thermometer and electronic device is performed using a wireless protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless protocol is Bluetooth.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising communicating between the thermometer and the electronic device using a cable coupled therebetween.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communicating is performed using USB.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein wireless communication is limited to the transfer of temperature data.