Temperature measurement system and method

• US 9,593,985 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kinsa Health LLC
• Original Assignee: Kinsa Inc.
• Inventors: Segal, Edo, Suzuki, Kent, Fusaro, Michael, Panin, Dmitro, Singh, Inder
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagan, Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US14/610,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20150139277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 374/141, 374/208, 374/163, 374/183
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/227 Sensors with electrical connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• 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 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/20 Compensating for effects of temperature changes other than those to be measured, e.g. changes in ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 15/005 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/22 the element being a non-linear resistance, e.g. thermistor G01K7/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0258 for a headset device

Abstract

In one or more implementations, a temperature measuring system is provided, including a temperature sensing probe having (a) a thermistor operatively connected to a first conductor and (b) a resistor operatively connected to a second conductor, and a temperature determination application stored in a memory of a computing device operatively connected to the temperature sensing probe. When executed by a processor of the computing device, the temperature determination application configures the computing device to: transmit a first instance of a signal to the first conductor, receive a temperature signal from the thermistor, the temperature signal corresponding to the first instance of the signal as output from the thermistor, transmit a second instance of the signal to the second conductor, receive a reference signal from the resistor, the reference signal corresponding to the second instance of the signal as output from the resistor, process the temperature signal and the reference signal to determine a relationship between the temperature signal and the reference signal, and compute a temperature based on the relationship.

Claims

1. A temperature measuring system comprising:

a temperature sensing probe having a connector and configured to interface with a computing device via the connector, the temperature sensing probe further comprising a thermistor operatively connected to a first conductor and a resistor operatively connected to a second conductor; and

a computing device having a first output channel, a second output channel, and a first input channel, the computing device being operatively connected to the temperature sensing probe and further being configured to;

transmit, over the first output channel, a first instance of a signal to the first conductor;

receive, over the first input channel, a temperature signal from the thermistor;

transmit, over the second output channel, a second instance of the signal to the second conductor;

receive, over the first input channel, a reference signal from the resistor, the reference signal comprising the second instance of the signal as output from the resistor;

process the temperature signal and the reference signal to determine a relationship between the temperature signal and the reference signal;

compute a temperature based on the relationship; and

display temperature information representing the computed temperature.

2. The temperature measuring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

provide a prompt for a user to input health information associated with the displayed temperature information;

receive, in response to the prompt, health information representing at least one of a symptom and an illness; and

store the received health information in at least one database.

3. The temperature measuring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

receive a message; and

transmit the message to another computing device.

4. The temperature measuring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

access at least one database storing health information that represents at least one of a symptom and an illness occurring within a geographic area during a period of time;

correlate at least some of the health information with the computed temperature; and

display the correlated at least some of the health information with the temperature information.

5. The temperature measuring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

process the temperature to determine a fever; and

display temperature information representing the temperature and a message that the temperature represents a fever.

6. The temperature measuring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

access at least one database storing health information that represents at least one of an illness and a symptom occurring within a geographic area during a period of time; and

provide a prompt for a user, wherein the prompt is for the user to provide a symptom associated with the computed temperature and/or an illness associated with the computed temperature.

7. The temperature measuring system of claim 6, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

receive, in response to the prompt, at least one selection of at least some of the health information; and

store the at least one selection in the at least one database.

8. The temperature measuring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

access at least one database that stores provider information representing at least one healthcare provider; and

display a message associated with the at least some of the provider information.

9. The temperature measuring system of claim 8, wherein the message associated with the at least some of the provider information is formatted as a prompt, and further wherein the computing device is further configured to:

receive, in response to the prompt, a selection of some of the provider information.

10. The temperature measuring system of claim 9, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

transmit to at least one computing device associated with at least one healthcare provider associated with the selection, information associated with at least some of the selection.

11. A computer-implemented method for measuring temperature with a computing device having a first output channel, a second output channel, and a first input channel, the computing device being operatively connected to a temperature sensing probe, the temperature sensing probe configured to interface with the computing device via a connector, the temperature sensing probe further comprising a thermistor operatively connected to a first conductor and a resistor operatively connected to a second conductor, the method comprising:

transmitting, over the first output channel, a first instance of a signal to the first conductor;

receive, over the first input channel, a temperature signal from the thermistor;

transmitting, over the second output channel, a second instance of the signal to the second conductor;

receiving, over the first input channel, a reference signal from the resistor, the reference signal comprising the second instance of the signal as output from the resistor;

processing the temperature signal and the reference signal to determine a relationship between the temperature signal and the reference signal;

computing a temperature based on the relationship; and

displaying temperature information representing the computed temperature.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a prompt for a user to input health information associated with the displayed temperature information;

receiving, in response to the prompt, health information representing at least one of a symptom and an illness; and

storing the received health information in at least one database.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising;

receiving a message; and

transmitting the message to another computing device.

14. The method system of claim 11, further comprising:

accessing at least one database storing health information that represents at least one of an illness and a symptom occurring within a geographic area during a period of time; and

providing a prompt for a user, wherein the prompt is for the user to provide a symptom associated with the computed temperature and/or an illness associated with the computed temperature.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, in response to the prompt, at least one selection of at least some of the health information; and

storing the at least one selection in the at least one database.