Blood pressure measurement

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE COMPRISING A FIRST TRANSDUCER RESPONSIVE TO THE CONDITION OF AN ARTERY AND ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ADJACENT THERETO FOR SENSING THE BLOOD PRESSURE PULSE WAVE WITHIN THE ARTERY AND FOR PROVIDING FIRST ELECTRICAL SIGNALS PROPORTIONAL THERETO, A PEAK DETECTOR ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO SAID FIRST TRANSDUCER AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR DETECTING THAT PORTION OF SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO THE SYSTOLIC PEAK OF SAID BLOOD PRESSURE PULSE WAVE AND FOR PROVIDING A FIRST EELCTRICAL PULSE INDICATIVE OF THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE THEREOF, MARKING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ADJACENT THE ARTERY AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST ELECTRICAL PULSE FOR NOTCHING SAID BLOOD PRESSURE PULSE WAVE AT THE SYSTOLIC PEAK OF SAID WAVE UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF SAID FIRST ELECTRICAL PULSE, A SECOND TRANSDUCER RESPONSIVE TO THE CONDITION OF THE ARTERY AND ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ADJACENT THERETO AT A FIXED DISTANCE FROM SAID FIRST TRANSDUCER FOR SENSING THE BLOOD PRESSURE WAVE WITHIN THE ARTERY AND FOR PROVIDING SECOND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS PROPORTIONAL THERETO, SIGNAL PROVIDING MEANS ELECTIRCALLY COUPLED TO SAID SECOND TRANSDUCER AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID SECOND ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FOR DETECTING SAID NOTCH IN SAID BLOOD PRESSURE PULSE WAVE AND FOR PROVIDING A SECOND ELECTRICAL PULSE INDICATIVE OF THE TIME OF OCCURRANCE THEREOF, SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO SAID PEAK DETECTOR FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHOSE MAGNITUDE IS INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE TIME ELAPSED AFTER THE OCCURRENCE OF AN ACTUATING SIGNAL, SAID MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED BY SAID FIRST ELECTRICAL PULSE, AND OUTPUT MEANS ELECTRICALLY COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND TO SAID SIGNAL PROVIDING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNAL AND TO SAID SECOND ELECTRICAL PULSE FOR REGISTERING THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNAL AT THE TIME OF BEING INDICATIVE OF THE BLOOD PRESSURE WITHIN THE ARTERY.