Apparatus for automatically measuring and indicating blood pressure

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1, the control means including a timer connected to switch off the pump and operate the dump valve a particular period after starting of the pump.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1, the control means including a timer connected to operate the dump valve a particular period after starting of the pump,and long enough to complete systole and diastole measurements.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 1, the timer in the control means including a resettable timer, the timer starting to run anew with each resetting and connected for being reset in response to detection of each Korotkoff sounds, failure of resetting causing the timer to provide a delayed output, the timer further connected to the dump valve for operating the dump valve in response to said delayed output.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 1, the second circuit means operating in particular relation to the pressure drop in the cuff to render recoginition of a signal as detected by the sound detecting means as a Korotkoff sound dependent upon particular subsequent occurrence of a similar signal at a lower pressure level for obtaining representation of the systolic pressure, and further dependent upon repetitive, prior occurrence of signals for obtaining representation of the diastolic pressure at higher pressure level followed by absence of a signal at a lower level.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 1, the second circuit means including means to provide a synthetic Korotkoff sound signal in particular delayed relation to a detected Korotkoff sound signal, the delay being shorter than the next true Korotkoff sound signal to be expected.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 1, the control means including plural individual timers for operating the dump valve independently from each other and at particular periods respectively after beginning and end of operation of the pump means.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 1, the selective operating means including a first variable, cyclically operating timer for automatically starting the pump at the selected cycle rate.

Claim 10

Apparatus for automatically measuring blood pressure and for providing an indication thereof, comprising: an inflatable cuff for attachment to a patient; controllable air pump means; conduit means connecting the pump means to the cuff for inflating the cuff upon operation of the pump means; a relatively slow bleeder valve positioned in the conduit means; intermediate the pump means and the cuff, for slow decompression of the cuff at a particular rate; selective operating means to operate the pump means to increase the pressure in the cuff up to a selectable value and including means to stop the pump means when the selected pressure has been reached so that the cuff can decompress by operation of the bleeder valve; first circuit means connected to be responsive to the pressure drop in the cuff to provide progressive signal representation thereof; sound detecting means positioned in relation to the cuff to provide signals in representation of Korotkoff sounds; second circuit means connected to the first circuit means and to the sound detecting means to correlate the signals as detected by the sound detecting means and tHe signal representation of the pressure drop as provided by the first circuit means, to recognize a consecutive group of signals in particular timing as Korotkoff sounds to the esclusion of signals having characteristics similar to Korotkoff sound signals as to response to the sound detective means, but occurring untimely in relation to the group, and including first particular circuit means to be responsive to absence of a detected Korotkoff sound followed by presence of two such sounds at different lower pressure levels, to establish representation of systolic pressure, and further including second particular circuit means to be responsive to presence of two Korotkoff sounds at two different pressure levels followed by absence of such sound at a still lower pressure level, to establish representation of diastolic pressure, the first and second particular circuit means operating in response to the signal representation as provided by the first circuit means; and means for deriving indications of systolic and diastolic pressure from the first and second particular circuit means.

Claim 11

Apparatus for automatically measuring blood pressure and for providing an indication thereof, comprising: an inflatable cuff for attachment to a patient; controllable air pump means; conduit means connecting the pump means to the cuff for inflating the cuff upon operation of the pump means; a relatively slow bleeder valve positioned in the conduit means; intermediate the pump means and the cuff, for slow decompression of the cuff at a particular rate; selective operating means to operate the pump means to increase the pressure in the cuff up to a selectable value and including means to stop the pump means when the selected pressure has been reached so that the cuff can decompress by operation of the bleeder valve; first circuit means connected to be responsive to the pressure drop in the cuff to provide progressive signal representation thereof; sound detecting means positioned in relation to the cuff to provide signals in representation of Korotkoff sounds; second circuit means connected to the first circuit means and to the sound detecting means to correlate the signals as detected by the sound detecting means and tHe signal representation of the pressure drop as provided by the first circuit means, to recognize a consecutive group of signals in particular timing as Korotkoff sounds to the esclusion of signals having characteristics similar to Korotkoff sound signals as to response to the sound detective means, but occurring untimely in relation to the group, and including first particular circuit means to be responsive to absence of a detected Korotkoff sound followed by presence of two such sounds at different lower pressure levels, to establish representation of systolic pressure, and further including second particular circuit means to be responsive to presence of two Korotkoff sounds at two different pressure levels followed by absence of such sound at a still lower pressure level, to establish representation of diastolic pressure, the first and second particular circuit means operating in response to the signal representation as provided by the first circuit means; and means for deriving indications of systolic and diastolic pressure from the first and second particular circuit means.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 9, the first means providing stepwise representation of pressure drop; the second circuit means recognizing a signal as a Korotkoff sound during one step if there was a similar signal during the next or during the preceding step.

Claim 13

Apparatus as in claim 10, there being means to synthesize a delayed signal in response to each detector signal, the delay being shorter than the rate of step changes of the representation of pressure drop, the means provided for deactivation if the Korotkoff sound rate (heart or pulse rate) is higher than the step rate.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 9, the second means including means for storing representation of correlated signal representation as provided by the first means and of detected signals; and means for processing the stored representation to select consecutive groups of signals as a group of Korotkoff sounds, and to derive therefrom signal representation of systolic and diastolic pressures.

Claim 15

Apparatus as in claim 9, the first means providing stepwise representation of pressure drop, the second means providing and storing individual representation of occurrence of at least one signal from the sound detecting means having characteristics of a Korotkoff sound during each step; and means operating to detect a group of stored signal representation for a continuous group of steps to represent the pressure range between systolic and diastolic pressure.

Claim 16

Apparatus is in claim 14, the operating means triggered for operation in timed relation to the last signal having Korotkoff characteristic during declining pressure in the cuff.

Claim 17

Apparatus as in claim 14, the operating means triggered on demand and cooperating with the indicating means for providing a graphic readout.

Claim 18

Apparatus for automatically measuring blood pressure and for providing an indication thereof, comprising: an inflatable cuff for attachment to a patient; pump means in communication with the cuff for inflating the cuff; a relatively slow bleeder valve positioned intermediate the pump means and the cuff for slow decompression of the cuff at a particular rate; selective operating means to operate the pump means to increase the pressure in the cuff for a selectable value and including means to stop the pump means when the selected pressure has been reached so that the cuff can decompress by operation of the bleeder valve; first circuit means connected to be responsive to the pressure drop in the cuff to provide progressive signal representation thereof; sound detecting means positioned in relation to the cuff to provide signals in representation of Korotkoff sounds; second circuit means connected to the first circuit means and to the sound detecting means to correlate the signals as detected by the sound detecting means and the signal representation of the pressure drop, to recognize a consecutive group of signals in particular timing as Korotkoff sounds to the exclusion of signals having characteristics similar to Korotkoff sound signals as to response to the sound detective means, but occurring untimely in relation to the group; third circuit means included in the second circuit means to synthetize a signal to be recognized in delayed response to each Korotkoff sound detected by the sound detecting means, to compensate for slow heart beat rates; and means for deriving indications of systolic and diastolic pressure from the second circuit means in response to signal, representation as provided by the first circuit means as correlated with the recognized consecutive group of signals.

Claim 19

Apparatus for automatically measuring blood pressure and for providing an indication thereof, comprising: an inflatable cuff for attachment to a patient; pump means in communication with the cuff for inflating the cuff; a relatively slow bleeder valve positioned intermediate the pump means and the cuff for slow decompression of the cuff at a particular rate; selective operating means to operate the pump means to increase the pressure in the cuff for a selectable value and including means to stop the pump means when the selected pressure has been reached so that the cuff can decompress by operation of the bleeder valve; first circuit means connected to be responsive to the pressure drop in the cuff to provide progressive signal representation thereof; sound detecting means positioned in relation to the cuff to provide signals in representation of Korotkoff sounds; second circuit means connected to the first circuit means and to the sound detecting means to correlate the signals as detected by the sound detecting means and the signal representation of the pressure drop, to recognize a consecutive group of signals in particular timing as Korotkoff sounds to the exclusion of signals having characteristics similar to Korotkoff sound signals as to response to the sound detective means, but occurring untimely in relation to the group; third circuit means included in the second circuit means to synthetize a signal to be recognized in delayed response to each Korotkoff sound detected by the sound detecting means, to compensate for slow heart beat rates; and means for deriving indications of systolic and diastolic pressure from the second circuit means in response to signal, representation as provided by the first circuit means as correlated with the recognized consecutive group of signals.

Claim 22

An apparatus as in claim 17 and including a relatively fast dump valve in communication with the cuff to rapidly decompress the cuff, and including control means operating in timed relation to operation of the operating means, for opening the dump valve.