Breath analyzer mouthpiece system

• US 4,900,514 A
• Filed: 05/01/1987
• Issued: 02/13/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sheram Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Guardian Technologies LLC (Lasko Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuller, Kip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Richman, Barry S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McMahon, Timothy M.
• Application Number:
  US07/045,827
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 73/23, 73/27 R, 128/719-730, 128/639, 55/465, 285/376, 285/402, 285/329, 285/396, 285/328, 422/84, 422/85, 436/132, 436/900
• US Class Current: 600/397
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

A mouthpiece system for deterring evasion of an alcohol breath test particularly a test wherein a breath sample is delivered without human supervision. The system includes a mouthpiece configured so as to render difficult the delivery of artificial breath samples through the use of hoses, balloons and the like. The mouthpiece has an oversize upper surface which includes a tapered lip around the mouthpiece inlet to receive the mouth of the user. The lip is surrounded by a wide apertured ring which, together with the lip, will not readily form an effective connection with a balloon or hose. An electrode on the mouthpiece is used for sensing and/or signalling the user. The impedance in contact with the electrode is sensed during testing to insure it falls within a range expected for a human user to deter use of evasion using filters or bogus gas delivery devices. Continuity of the impedance during testing is monitored to detect attempts to pass the mouthpiece to an accomplice. The electrodes are also connectable to a signal generator to cue the user to take a predetermined action at an appropriate time. The sensing and signalling functions may be time multiplexed or superposed to permit use of a single electrode to perform both functions.

Claims

1. A breath test mouthpiece system, comprising:

(a) a mouthpiece having an inlet for receiving a breath sample;

(b) an electrode at least a portion of which communicates with the surface of said mouthpiece near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of a user when receiving a breath sample from the user;

(c) an impedance monitor circuit connected to said electrode for monitoring the impedance across said electrode; and

(d) breath tester means connected to said mouthpiece for detecting a component in said breath sample.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

means connected to said impedance monitor effective to generate a signal upon the occurrence of at least one of, (a) contact of said electrode with means having an impedance lying outside a predetermined range during at least a portion of a predetermined interval and (b) an interruption in the impedance across said electrode during at least a portion of said predetermined interval.

3. A mouthpiece for delivering to a test apparatus a breath sample received through the mouthpiece from the mouth of a user, said mouthpiece comprising:

a body having an exterior surface and a chamber within said body;

said exterior surface having;

(a) inlet means therethrough communicating with said chamber for receiving the breath sample from the mouth of a user,

(b) outlet means therethrough communicating with said chamber for conducting a breath sample from said chamber to a test apparatus,

(c) an outlet rim thereon surrounding said inlet means and facing approximately radially outward from said body,

(d) delivery surface means thereon for substantially preventing encircling retention thereabout of supply means for delivering a bogus gas, which bogus gas supply means, if so retained in encircling relation thereabout, would deliver such gas through said mouthpiece to the test apparatus;

said delivery surface means including;

(e) mouth engaging surface means surrounding said inlet means, said mouth engaging surface means being substantially continuous and configured for making a sealing contact with the mouth of a user for thereby directing the breath sample from the user'"'"'s mouth through said inlet means and into said chamber when the mouth of the user is pressed against said mouth engaging surface means,

(f) a portion thereof radially outside of said mouth engaging surface means and radially inside of and bounded by said rim, said portion having at least one aperture means therethrough communicating with atmosphere at a location remote from said delivery surface means of said exterior surface for providing a gas leakage path from said delivery surface means for venting at least some of the bogus gas from said bogus gas supply means to atmosphere when said supply means is encircling and retained about the mouthpiece at said rim, said aperture means being so located between said mouth engaging surface means and said rim so that said gas leakage path does not vent to atmosphere a breath sample from the mouth of the user,

(g) at least two electrodes at least a portion of each of which communicates with said mouth engaging surface means near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of a user when receiving a breath sample from a user, said electrodes being capable of being connected in a circuit in the test apparatus, and

(h) wherein said delivery surface means diverges at an angle of not less than about 30°

from said inlet means to said rim, whereby said rim is the nearest portion on said exterior surface to said inlet means having a surface to which encircling self-retention of the bogus gas supply means can be made.

4. The mouthpiece of claim 3 wherein said inlet means includes an inner surface adjacent said mouth engaging surface means and which is tapered inwardly.

5. The mouthpiece of claim 3 further comprising:

an electrode, at least a portion of which lies adjacent said mouth engaging surface means.

6. The mouthpiece of claim 5 wherein said portion of said electrode lies on the inlet side of said flange.

7. The mouthpiece of claim 3 wherein said body has a flange formed therein adjacent and radially outside of said mouth engaging surface means and having an outer edge defining said rim, said flange having an inlet side which is part of said delivery surface means and having a back side which is part of said exterior surface but which is not part of said inlet side surface means, said sides of said flange being separated from each other by said rim, and wherein said aperture is located in the inlet side of said flange and said leakage path extends between said sides of said flange from said aperture to said back side.

8. The mouthpiece of claim 7 wherein said aperture means includes an open side contiguous with the rims of said flange.

9. A breath test mouthpiece system, comprising:

(a) a mouthpiece having an inlet for receiving a breath sample;

(b) an electrode at least a portion of which communicates with the exterior surface of said mouthpiece near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of a user when receiving a breath sample from the user;

(c) an impedance monitor;

(d) a signal generator; and

(e) breath tester means for detecting a component in said breath sample;

said impedance monitor and said signal generator each being connected to said electrode to permit monitoring of the impedance across said electrode and to permit energizing said electrode with a humanly perceivable signal adapted to cue a user of the mouthpiece by perceptible direct electrical stimulation.

10. A breath test mouthpiece system for cuing a user delivering a breath sample to be tested, said system comprising:

(a) mouthpiece means having surface means thereon with an inlet therethrough for receiving a breath sample from the user and an outlet capable of delivering said breath sample to an alcohol detector, said surface means being continuous and positioned for contacting the mouth of the user when receiving the sample from the user;

(b) at least two electrodes at least a portion of each of which communicates with said surface means of said mouthpiece means near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of said user when receiving a breath sample form the user; and

(c) signal generator means connected to said electrodes for transmitting thereto a humanly perceivable electrical signal carrying information adapted to communicate with the user to cue the user of the mouthpiece means by perceivable direct stimulation of the mouth of the user when in contact with said electrodes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said signal comprises an A.C. signal.

12. A breath test system for testing a breath sample from the mouth of a user, said system comprising:

(1) a mouthpiece having a mouthpiece body, said body having an exterior surface surrounding said body and a chamber within said body, said exterior surface having an inlet therethrough communicating with said chamber fore receiving the breath sample from the mouth of the user and having an outlet therethrough communicating with said chamber;

(2) delivery surface means formed of said exterior surface and surrounding and adjacent to said inlet for allowing the formation of a substantially airtight seal between said inlet and the mouth of the user while substantially preventing the formation of an airtight connection by encircling self-retention thereabout of bogus gas supply means, said delivery surface means including;

(a) mouth engaging surface means formed of a first portion of said exterior surface, said first portion being;

(i) substantially continuous and surrounding said inlet for making a sealing contact with the mouth of the user for thereby directing the breath sample from the user'"'"'s mouth through said inlet and into said chamber when the mouth of the user is pressed thereagainst, and

(ii) sloped outwardly from said inlet so as to diverge such that the encircling perimeter about said inlet increases with the distance thereon from said inlet at an angle sufficiently steep so as to inhibit such encircling self-retention thereabout; and

(b) venting surface means formed of a second portion of said exterior surface adjacent to and extending outwardly from said first portion on the opposite side thereof from said inlet, said second portion having aperture means therethrough communicating with atmosphere at a location remote from said delivery surface means for providing a gas leakage path from said portion for venting to atmosphere at least some of bogus gas from a bogus gas supply means if the supply means is encircling and retained about said delivery surface means, said aperture means being located so that said gas leakage path does not vent to atmosphere the breath sample from the mouth of the user seated against said mouth engaging surface means; and

(3) a breath tester connected to said outlet and having means therein for performing a test on the breath sample.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said mouth engaging surface means adjoins said inlet and is inclined at an angle away from said inlet to deter mechanical connection of a bogus gas supply means thereto.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein said mouthpiece body has a flange formed therein adjacent to and radially outside of said mouth engaging surface means and having an outer edge defining a rim, said rim having an inlet facing side which is part of said delivery surface means and having a back side opposite said rim from said inlet facing side, and wherein said aperture means is located in said inlet side of said flange, and said leakage path extends between the sides of said flange.

15. A breath test system for communicating a cuing signal to a user of the system, said system comprising:

(a) a breath tester;

(b) a mouthpiece having inlet means for receiving a breath sample from the mouth of a user, said inlet means having mouth engaging surface means surrounding said inlet means, said surface being adapted for contacting the lip of the user when the breath sample is being received at said inlet means from the user'"'"'s mouth;

(c) means interconnecting said mouthpiece and said tester for delivering the sample received at said inlet means to said tester;

(d) a signal generator for generating a humanly sensible cue signal; and

(e) means mounted in said mouthpiece for communicating said humanly sensible cue signal from said signal generator to the lip of the user when the user'"'"'s lip is in contact with said surface means when the user'"'"'s mouth is positioned to deliver a sample to said mouthpiece.

16. The breath test system of claim 15 wherein said signal is an electrical signal.

17. The breath test system of claim 16 wherein said signal communicating means communicates said signal through electrical contact with the lip of the user.