METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSMENT OF BONE AGE USING ULTRASOUND

• US 20080214935A1
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shmuel Levin
• Original Assignee: Shmuel Levin
• Inventors: Levin, Shmuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,267,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/442
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling access of individuals to a service, device or location in order to restrict access to members of a particular age and/or gender category, by machine-sensing a predetermined biometric characteristic of the individual indicative of the particular age and/or gender category, and utilizing the machine-sensed characteristic for automatically controlling access of the individual. The method and apparatus are particularly suited to controlling access of children to certain Internet sites, TV programs, chat rooms, or other places inappropriate to children.

Claims

1. A method of assessing the bone age of an individual, comprising:

sensing the degree of ossification of an examined bone of the individual by transmitting an ultrasound wave through said examined bone and measuring a parameter of said ultrasound wave after transmission through said bone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said degree of ossification of the bone of the individual is determined by sensing the presence or absence of a bone growth-plate in the examined bone.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said examined bone is a phalanx of a finger or a bone of the individual.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a joint of said phalanx is examined to determine whether a growth-plate is present on one side of the joint.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a wrist bone is examined to determine whether a growth-plate is present at one end of the bone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said ultrasound is transmitted transversely through said examined bone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said ultrasound is transmitted axially through said examined bone.

8. Apparatus for examining a bone of an individual and for assessing the bone age of the examined bone, said apparatus comprising:

a body-contact device for contacting a body part of the individual having the bone to be examined;

an ultrasound transmitter located to transmit an ultrasound wave through said body part when in contact with said body-contact device;

an ultrasound receiver located to receive said ultrasound wave after transmission through said body part, and to produce an output signal corresponding to the degree of ossification of the examined bone;

and a data processor for processing the output of said ultrasound receiver and for producing a measurement of the bone age of the examined bone.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said output signal received by the ultrasound receiver indicates the presence or absence of a bone-growth plate in the examined bone.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said ultrasound transmitter is located to transmit the ultrasound wave through a phalanx of a finger, or a bone of the individual.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said ultrasound transmitter is located to transmit the ultrasound wave through a joint of said phalanx to determine whether a growth-plate is present on one side of the joint.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said ultrasound transmitter is located to transmit the ultrasound wave through a wrist bone to determine whether a growth-plate is present at one end of the wrist bone.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said ultrasound transmitter is located to transmit the ultrasound wave transversely through the examined bone.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said ultrasound transmitter is located to transmit the ultrasound wave axially through the examined bone.