Wireless thermometer and method of use thereof

• US 10,352,780 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Original Assignee: iDevices, LLC (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Sr., Christopher J., Monteith, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagan, Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US14/937,385
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 374208, 374141, 374179, 374183, 600549, 34087017
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• 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 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/02 using thermoelectric elements, e.g. thermocouples
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/16 using resistive elements resistive elements per se H01C, H01L
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An apparatus and method for sensing body temperature and wirelessly communicating measured data to at least one electronic device. The device includes a sensor device having a housing base, a housing cover releasably mountable on the housing base, and components for sensing body temperature and wirelessly communicating the measured temperature, including a temperature sensor, a power supply, a microprocessor, and a transmitter and receiver. The electronic device can include an application that communicates with the sensor device and provides a user interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sensing body temperature and wirelessly communicating data to at least one electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor device having

a temperature sensor to sense a body temperature of a user;

a transmitter to wirelessly communicate data representing body temperature sensed by the temperature sensor to the at least one electronic device;

a carrier having an aperture therein configured to engage the sensor device and releasably retain the sensor device within the aperture; and

a housing adapted to receive therein at least one of the temperature sensor and the transmitter, the housing comprising;

a housing base; and

a housing cover releasably mounted to the housing base to permit removal of the housing cover from the housing base and reattachment of the housing cover to the housing base.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermistor or a thermocouple.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further includes a microprocessor that includes embedded software and dynamic memory storage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further includes a receiver, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are adapted to communicate with the at least one electronic device via one or more of:

R-F communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communicate, or Wi-Fi communication.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic device is one or more of:

a smart phone, a tablet, a mobile computer or a desktop computer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is a flexible carrier.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device and the carrier are configured for the sensor device to be press-fit into the carrier.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is comprised of breathable material.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device is inserted into the carrier and releasably retained to the carrier.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further includes a microprocessor.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the body temperature data comprises a plurality of body temperatures sensed by the temperature sensor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier includes an adhesive suitable to adhere the carrier to the user and maintain said sensor device against a user'"'"'s body while retained within the aperture.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further comprises at least one light source configured to indicate a state of the sensor device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one light source is an LED.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further includes a power supply therefor that comprises a battery.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the battery is disposable.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the battery is rechargeable.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device further includes a power supply therefor that is supplied via a power cord.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the power supply is direct current.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the power supply is alternating current.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, the housing defines a peripheral channel.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the sensor device is retained in the aperture of the carrier by the peripheral channel.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the housing cover has a peripheral projection extending therefrom and the housing base has a peripheral groove in which the peripheral projection is engageable to define the peripheral channel between the housing cover and the housing base when the housing cover is mounted on the housing base, the housing base has a peripheral lip that extends from the peripheral groove, and the sensor device is retained via the peripheral lip on the carrier.

24. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes a power supply, and the apparatus further includes a charging unit to charge the power supply thereof.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the charging unit includes a storage unit for storing at least one of said carrier.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the charging unit comprises a charging cover, a charging base, a port within the charging base for fittingly receiving the sensor device therein, and a power cord.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the power cord is connectable to one or more of a wall outlet or a USB device.

28. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the at least one electronic device.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the at least one electronic device includes a user interface to communicate at least one body temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the at least one electronic device includes an application installed thereon configured to communicate said at least one body temperature sensed by the temperature sensor to a user thereof.

31. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the at least one electronic device is configured to transmit data to the sensor device.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the data comprises measurement instructions.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the sensor device further has a microprocessor to execute the measurement instructions.

34. An apparatus for sensing body temperature and wirelessly communicating data to at least one electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor device having

a temperature sensor to sense a body temperature of a user;

a transmitter to wirelessly communicate data representing body temperature sensed by the temperature sensor to the at least one electronic device; and

a housing configured to accommodate at least one of the temperature sensor and the transmitter, the housing comprising a housing base and a housing cover, the housing cover releasably mounted to the housing base to permit removal of the housing cover from the housing base and reattachment of the housing cover to the housing base.