Human safety indicator

• US 9,501,918 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safetyminded Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Safetyminded Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Gouge, Charles Mack, Self, Darrel
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/590,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• 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 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons

Abstract

A human safety system includes a circuit including at least one power source; a temperature probe in communication with the circuit; at least one use detector in communication with the circuit; and an alert indicator in communication with the circuit. A method of measuring a temperature of a user includes determining whether at least one use detector is active; determining a user temperature based on sensed temperature; and determining whether the user temperature is within an allowable range.

Claims

1. A human safety system comprising:

a circuit including at least one power source;

an internal clock configured to deplete the at least one power source after a first predetermined time period;

a temperature probe in communication with the circuit and configured to measure a user temperature;

at least one use detector in communication with the circuit, the at least one use detector adapted to;

detect if the human safety system is in use;

activate the human safety system when the temperature probe detects the user temperature is changing; and

start the internal clock after a first activation of the human safety system; and

an alert indicator in communication with the circuit, the alert indicator configured to provide indication when the human safety system is activated by the at least one use detector and;

the user temperature is above a maximum user temperature but is below a maximum human condition temperature;

the user temperature is below a minimum user temperature but above a minimum human condition temperature;

or

the internal clock exceeds the first predetermined time period;

wherein the maximum user temperature is less than the maximum human condition temperature,

wherein the minimum user temperature is greater than the minimum human condition temperature and less than the maximum user temperature, and

wherein the at least one use detector is adapted to deactivate the human safety system when the user temperature is above the maximum human condition temperature for a second predetermined time period or the user temperature is below the minimum human condition temperature for a third predetermined time period.

2. The human safety system of claim 1, wherein the human safety system is not in operation subsequent to the first activation until at least one use detector is activated.

3. The human safety system of claim 2, wherein the human safety system is not in operation subsequent to the first activation until more than one use detector is activated.

4. The human safety system of claim 2, wherein the temperature probe is a thermocouple.

5. The human safety system of claim 2, wherein the temperature probe is metal.

6. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein at least one use detector is a pressure sensor.

7. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein at least one use detector is a light sensor.

8. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein the temperature probe is a metal enclosure of the human safety system.

9. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein the temperature probe is a metal tape.

10. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein at least one use detector is activated by the temperature probe reaching a human condition.

11. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein a temperature for activation of the use detector is measured at the temperature probe.

12. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein the alert indicator includes an audio transducer.

13. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein the alert indicator includes a light.

14. The human safety system of claim 5, wherein the alert indicator is a vibration motor.

21. The human safety system of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time period is equal to the third predetermined time period.

15. A method of operating a human safety indicator, the method comprising:

receiving a maximum user temperature and a minimum user temperature with a microcontroller, wherein the maximum user temperature is less than a maximum human condition temperature and wherein the minimum user temperature is greater than a minimum human condition temperature and less than the maximum user temperature;

sensing with the microcontroller at least one user temperature using a temperature probe;

determining with the microcontroller whether at least one use detector is active and in use;

determining with the microcontroller whether the at least one sensed user temperature is changing;

activating a safety indicator upon determining with the microcontroller that the at least one use detector is active and the at least one sensed user temperature is changing;

starting an internal clock with the microcontroller after a first activation of the safety indicator, the internal clock configured to deplete a power source of the human safety indicator after a first predetermined time period;

determining with the microcontroller whether the at least one sensed user temperature is less than a maximum user temperature and greater than a minimum user temperature;

determining with the microcontroller whether the at least one sensed user temperature is greater than the maximum user temperature or less than a minimum user temperature;

alerting with the microcontroller if;

the user temperature is greater than the maximum user temperature and less than the maximum human condition temperature;

the user temperature is less than the minimum user temperature but greater than the minimum human condition temperature;

or

the internal clock exceeds the first predetermined time period; and

deactivating the safety indicator with the microcontroller upon determining that the at least one sensed user temperature is greater than the maximum human condition temperature for a second predetermined time period or the at least one sensed user temperature is less than the minimum human condition temperature for a third predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of alerting with the microcontroller if the user temperature is less than the minimum human condition temperature or greater than the maximum human condition temperature.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the maximum user temperature is about 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a user temperature based on a sensed temperature by:

sensing temperature of at least two temperature sensors with the microcontroller; and

determining the user temperature by averaging the sensed temperatures of the at least two temperature sensors with the microcontroller.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining with the microcontroller whether at least one use detector is active includes determining whether the sensed temperature is within a range of a human condition.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the human condition begins at about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the second predetermined time period is equal to the third predetermined time period.