Apparatus for determining metabolic rates

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING METABOLIC RATES AND INCLUDING A COLLAPSIBLE GAS CONTAINER CHARGED WITH OXYGEN AND INCLUDING MEANS CONNECTING THE SAME IN A CLOSED GAS CIRCUIT WITH AN ATTACHMENT BY WHICH A TEST SUBJECT CAN INHALE OXYGEN FROM AND EXHALE OXYGEN INTO SAID CONTAINER, SAID CIRCUIT INCLUDING MEANS TO ELIMINATE EXHALED CARBON DIOXIDE SO THAT SAID CONTAINER WILL COLLAPSE AS SAID TEST SUBJECT CONSUMES SAID OXYGEN; THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES COMPUTER MEANS ADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY ACTIVATED BY THE OPERATOR SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH INITIATION OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION BY THE TEST SUBJECT FROM SAID OXYGEN CHARGED CONTAINER AND TO REMAIN ACTIVATED TO COMPUTE THE METABOLIC RATE OF THE TEST SUBJECT WHILE THE OXYGEN CHARGE OF SAID CONTAINER IS BEING CONSUMED, SAID COMPUTER MEANS COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL COMPUTER CIRCUIT OF THE ANALOG TYPE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF VOLTAGE, SAID COMPUTER CIRCUIT INCLUDING VARIABLE MEANS HAVING A CHARGE SELECTOR SWITCH ADAPTED TO BE SET IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STABILIZED RATE AT WHICH SAID TEST SUBJECT CONSUMES SAID OXYGEN FROM SAID CONTAINER AS INDICATED BY THE RATE OF COLLAPSE THEREOF, AND WHEN THUS SET TO ALTER THE VOLTAGE FROM SAID VOLTAGE SOURCE AS A FUNCTION OF SAID RATE OF OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, AN ELECTRICAL INDICATING INSTRUMENT CONNECTED IN SAID COMPUTER CIRCUIT AND RESPONSIVE TO THE VOLTAGE MEANS, AND MEANS CONNECTED IN THE INPUT OF SAID COMPUTER CIRCUIT HAVING A LOW IMPEDANCE RELATIVE TO THE LOAD IMPEDANCE OF THE COMPUTER CIRCUIT PROPER TO PREVENT SAID INDICATING INSTRUMENT FROM LOADING SAID VARIABLE MEANS AND CREATING AN ERROR IN THE READING OF SAID INDICATING INSTRUMENT.