US3985121A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heart detective
Assignee: ITT Inc
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Filing: 1975-05-20
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Granted: 1976-10-12
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Expires: 1995-05-20
Abstract
Abstract The heart detective described is a portable device for detecting and indicating when heart sounds emanating directly from a physical area under auscultation are representative of a heart disorder. The device detects the audio sounds emanating from the classical four physical areas of auscultation and compares these detected sounds to prerecorded sounds of the same areas representing a known heart disorder. A comparison is made between the detected sounds and the prerecorded sounds, and the correlations are indicated in a display on the device so that a determination may be made if the heart disorder is present. The device also contains means for accepting an auxiliary transducer for detecting heartbeat pulses and indicating the pulse rate.
Inventors
- 👤 Samuel H. Hellenbrand
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 05:44
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/02; A61B5/024; A61B7/00; A61B7/02; A61B7/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
162 words
A heart detective comprising in combination: means for simultaneously detecting a plurality of heart sounds, said detecting means includes a plurality of directive microphones and audio channels, each of said microphones coupling one of said plurality of detected heart sounds to an associated audio channel; means providing a plurality of prerecorded heart sounds, said prerecorded heart sounds are stored on a multitrack magnetic tape in a predetermined synchronism; means for comparing said detected heart sounds and said prerecorded heart sounds to produce a correlation indication, said comparing means includes a correlation detector providing an amplitude and frequency correlation indication between one of said detected heart sounds and one of said prerecorded heart sounds; means responsive to the predetermined synchronism to sequentially control the comparison of one of said plurality of detected heart sounds to a corresponding one of said prerecorded heart sounds; and means coupled to said comparing means for displaying said correlation indication for each of said plurality of heart sounds.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
162 words
A heart detective comprising in combination: means for simultaneously detecting a plurality of heart sounds, said detecting means includes a plurality of directive microphones and audio channels, each of said microphones coupling one of said plurality of detected heart sounds to an associated audio channel; means providing a plurality of prerecorded heart sounds, said prerecorded heart sounds are stored on a multitrack magnetic tape in a predetermined synchronism; means for comparing said detected heart sounds and said prerecorded heart sounds to produce a correlation indication, said comparing means includes a correlation detector providing an amplitude and frequency correlation indication between one of said detected heart sounds and one of said prerecorded heart sounds; means responsive to the predetermined synchronism to sequentially control the comparison of one of said plurality of detected heart sounds to a corresponding one of said prerecorded heart sounds; and means coupled to said comparing means for displaying said correlation indication for each of said plurality of heart sounds.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The combination of claim 1 including pulse beat detecting means and means coupled to said detecting means for displaying a pulse rate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein said display means includes a decoder and a numerical display location for each of said plurality of detected heart sounds.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein each said audio channel includes a preamplifier, a predetermined bandpass filter, an amplifier and gain control means, and acoustic delay means for temporarily storing and coupling the associated one of said detected heart sounds to said comparator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein said means providing includes at least one reading head for selectably coupling said plurality of prerecorded heart sounds to said comparator.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
95 words
A method of examination for detecting when heart sounds emanating from particular areas are indicative of a heart disease, the method comprising: inserting a tape recording containing a plurality of recorded audio sounds corresponding to a known disease into a portable device; placing said device on the physical area under auscultation and simultaneously receiving a plurality of detected audio sounds; comparing said plurality of detected audio sounds with said recorded sounds; and displaying on said device a correlation indication between said recorded and detected sounds, whereby a predetermined number of correlations indicate said known disease.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
95 words
A method of examination for detecting when heart sounds emanating from particular areas are indicative of a heart disease, the method comprising: inserting a tape recording containing a plurality of recorded audio sounds corresponding to a known disease into a portable device; placing said device on the physical area under auscultation and simultaneously receiving a plurality of detected audio sounds; comparing said plurality of detected audio sounds with said recorded sounds; and displaying on said device a correlation indication between said recorded and detected sounds, whereby a predetermined number of correlations indicate said known disease.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 6 including attaching a transducer to said portable device for recording pulse beats from a particular physical area, and displaying a pulse rate on the same display used for said correlation indication.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
128 words
A portable heart detective device comprising in combination: four directive microphones arranged on one face of said device to correspond to the classical four physical areas of auscultation; four audio channels coupled in one-to-one correspondence to said microphones and responsive to detect audio signals emanating from the four areas, said channels including means for temporarily storing the detected audio signals; said device including means for receiving a prerecorded tape and producing therefrom four audio signals corresponding to the four areas for a particular condition; a signal comparator for comparing the four detected audio signals to the corresponding four prerecorded signals for said particular condition; and means for indicating on said device a correlation between a detected signal and a corresponding prerecorded signal for each of said four areas.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
128 words
A portable heart detective device comprising in combination: four directive microphones arranged on one face of said device to correspond to the classical four physical areas of auscultation; four audio channels coupled in one-to-one correspondence to said microphones and responsive to detect audio signals emanating from the four areas, said channels including means for temporarily storing the detected audio signals; said device including means for receiving a prerecorded tape and producing therefrom four audio signals corresponding to the four areas for a particular condition; a signal comparator for comparing the four detected audio signals to the corresponding four prerecorded signals for said particular condition; and means for indicating on said device a correlation between a detected signal and a corresponding prerecorded signal for each of said four areas.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-10-12 | 1980-04-12 | 1980-10-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-10-12 | 1984-04-12 | 1984-10-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-10-12 | 1988-04-12 | 1988-10-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |