Apparatus and method for measuring the sound transmission characteristics of the central nervous system volume of humans

• US 9,949,712 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curtis Lane Prichard, John William Millard
• Original Assignee: Curtis Lane Prichard, John William Millard
• Inventors: Millard, John William, Prichard, Curtis Lane
• Primary Examiner(s): Stout, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US14/479,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/032 Spinal fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/006 Detecting skeletal, cartilage or muscle noise A61B7/003 and A61B7/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0808 for diagnosis of the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0875 for diagnosis of bone A61B5/4504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/15 Transmission-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting the presence of pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the central nervous system (CNS) includes a digital computer, a speaker unit and a microphone unit. The digital computer is programmed with generally available software which is capable of generating a spectrum of sound and receiving microphone data. The software is able to receive microphone signals and represent resulting data in graphical form showing sound intensity in dB as a function of frequency in kHz. An operator places the speaker and the microphone on the subject'"'"'s body so that sound travels through at least a portion of the CNS, runs the software, and collects the resulting sound propagation data. If the propagation of sound through the CNS is indicative of altered CSF or CNS, then a disease state is suspected.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring the acoustic response of the volume occupied by the central nervous system of a human for a human test subject for the purpose of detecting or ruling out meningitis, comprising:

(a) an electronic speaker capable of receiving electronic signals and generating corresponding sounds having frequencies at least between 100 Hz and 1500 Hz, the electronic speaker being adapted for placement upon the spinal column of a test subject,

(b) an electronic microphone capable of receiving transmitted sounds in a range between 30 Hz and 20 kHz and converting such sounds into corresponding electrical signals, the electronic microphone being adapted for placement upon the spinal column of a test subject,

(c) a general purpose electronic digital computer having software which is (i) able to control the generation of the sound by the electronic speaker by generating corresponding electronic signals and transmitting the corresponding electronic signals to the speaker and (ii) able to receive and analyze electronic signals corresponding to transmitted sounds from the electronic microphone between the frequencies of 30 Hz and 20k Hz, the software of the general purpose computer being able to interpret the electronic signals received from the electronic microphone and thereby interpret the amplitudes of the transmitted received sounds and providing a record of the amplitude of the transmitted sound in decibels as a function of sound frequency,

(d) the electronic microphone and the electronic speaker being operatively connected to the general purpose computer such that it is possible to position the electronic speaker and the electronic microphone in a spaced apart relationship on the spinal column of a human being with one of the electronic speaker or the electronic microphone placed in the cervical vertebrae area and the other of the electronic microphone and the electronic speaker placed in the lumbar vertebrae area, such that when the electronic speaker and the electronic microphone are placed upon the spine of a human being in a spaced relationship and when sounds varying across a range of frequencies or a sound having a predetermined frequency and of a predetermined amplitude or a predetermined range of amplitudes are conveyed into the human spine by the electronic speaker, the electronic microphone detects, transduces and transmits corresponding electronic signals to the general purpose electronic digital computer, the signals corresponding to the sounds of varying frequencies and varying amplitudes received by the microphone so that the general purpose electronic digital computer is able to receive such electronic signals from the microphone and provide a resonant frequency (RF) profile for the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the test subject, the general purpose computer and software also configured to determine an RF profile for the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the test subject and compare the RF profile of the test subject with the RF profiles of previous meningitis infected test subjects to either indicate an increased likelihood of a meningitis infection of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the test subject or to rule out the likelihood of a meningitis infection of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the test subject.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein;

the electronic speaker includes a sound insulating shroud surrounding the electronic speaker which is adapted for placement on a vertebral area.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein;

the electronic microphone includes a sound insulating shroud surrounding the electronic speaker which is adapted for placement on a vertebral area.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein;

the electronic speaker and the electronic microphone include sound insulating shrouds which surround the electronic speaker and the electronic microphone which are adapted for placement on vertebral areas.