US4428381A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Monitoring device
Assignee: Medtronic Inc
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Filing: 1981-03-13
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Granted: 1984-01-31
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Expires: 2001-03-13
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for technique for monitoring physiological parameters. An acoustic sensor or microphone is placed in close proximity to the chest of a patient having one or two prosthetic heart valves. These heart valves produce clicks characteristic of opening and closing action. The acoustic sensor picks up the sound of these clicks and transfers them as electrical energy to a transmitter unit. The transmitter unit processes the analog signal, converts it to a digital signal and establishes the key timing factors involved. This digital data is stored in a memory buffer within the transmitter. Subsequently, this information is modulated and placed on telephone lines for transmission to a central monitoring site. At the monitoring site a demodulator returns the data to baseband digital signals. A computer at the central monitoring site displays the information in the time domain and also converts the information for display in the frequency domain.
Inventors
- 👤 Dennis G. Hepp
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 21:58
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M11/00; H04M11/002; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S128/00; Y10S128/904
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
Apparatus for transtelephonic monitoring of acoustic clicks of a prosthetic heart valve comprising: a sensor means for sensing said acoustic clicks at a first rate and for converting said sensed acoustic clicks to an input signal; means responsively coupled to said sensor means for converting said input signal to a digital signal; means responsively coupled to said converting means for storing said digital signal; means responsively coupled to said storing means for transmitting said digital signal transtelephonically at a different second rate; and means responsively coupled to said transmitting means for receiving said digital signal transtelephonically.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
96 words
Apparatus for transtelephonic monitoring of acoustic clicks of a prosthetic heart valve comprising: a sensor means for sensing said acoustic clicks at a first rate and for converting said sensed acoustic clicks to an input signal; means responsively coupled to said sensor means for converting said input signal to a digital signal; means responsively coupled to said converting means for storing said digital signal; means responsively coupled to said storing means for transmitting said digital signal transtelephonically at a different second rate; and means responsively coupled to said transmitting means for receiving said digital signal transtelephonically.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said receiving means further comprises processing means and display means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said processing means further comprises: means for transforming said digital signal from the time domain to the frequency domain.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said display means further comprises: means responsively coupled to said transforming means for displaying said digital signal in both the time domain and frequency domain.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
171 words
Apparatus for transtelephonic monitoring of clicks generated by movement of a prosthetic heart valve comprising: a sensor means for receiving acoustic input including clicks generated by a prosthetic heart valve and for converting said input to an electrical input signal; first means responsive to the sensor means for selecting, based upon frequency, first portions of the input signal representative of clicks, and for discarding second portions of the input signal not representative of clicks, thereby creating discrete click signals; second means responsive to the sensor means for determining a time value for each click signal representative of a time interval since a previous click signal and for associating each time value with its click signal; third means responsively coupled to the first and second means for storing the click signals and time values; fourth means responsively coupled to the third means for transmitting a communication signal representative of the click signals and associated time values transtelephonically; and fifth means responsively coupled to the fourth means for receiving the commuication signal transtelephonically.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
171 words
Apparatus for transtelephonic monitoring of clicks generated by movement of a prosthetic heart valve comprising: a sensor means for receiving acoustic input including clicks generated by a prosthetic heart valve and for converting said input to an electrical input signal; first means responsive to the sensor means for selecting, based upon frequency, first portions of the input signal representative of clicks, and for discarding second portions of the input signal not representative of clicks, thereby creating discrete click signals; second means responsive to the sensor means for determining a time value for each click signal representative of a time interval since a previous click signal and for associating each time value with its click signal; third means responsively coupled to the first and second means for storing the click signals and time values; fourth means responsively coupled to the third means for transmitting a communication signal representative of the click signals and associated time values transtelephonically; and fifth means responsively coupled to the fourth means for receiving the commuication signal transtelephonically.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein: the electrical input signal is an analog signal; and the first means includes means to convert the analog signal representative of clicks to digital signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the fifth means further comprises: means for performing a fast Fourier transform on said transtelephonically transmitted communication signal to transform it from the time domain to the frequency domain.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-01-30 | 1987-08-01 | 1988-01-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-01-30 | 1991-08-01 | 1992-01-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-01-30 | 1995-08-01 | 1996-01-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |