US4720866A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Computerized stethoscopic analysis system and method
Assignee: CKK DIAGNOSTICS Inc
•
Filing: 1985-09-20
•
Granted: 1988-01-19
•
Expires: 2005-09-20
Abstract
Abstract This invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for identifying specific medical conditions from detected stethoscopic sounds. More particularly, the invention relates to the processing of such sounds electronically and the display of the time-variations of the spectral composition of such sounds. The invention is embodied in an accessory package designed to enable a host computer to perform computerized stethoscopic analysis.
Inventors
- 👤 Antonio L. Elias
- 👤 Mark F. Davis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 17:32
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B7/00; A61B7/02; A61B7/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
A computerized stethoscopy accessory for use with a host computer comprising means for detecting sounds in a living body, means for converting said detected sounds to electrical signals, a bank of fixed-center-frequency filters having a range of center frequencies from a lowest to a highest frequency, means for applying said electrical signals to said bank of fixed-center-frequency filters, means for sampling the output of each said filter at a rate at least twice the fixed center frequency of the lowest frequency filter of said bank, an analog-to-digital converter connected to said bank of filters for converting the sampled output of each said filter to digital form, means for processing said sampled outputs in said host computer, and an output device connected to said host computer for displaying said sampled outputs in a predetermined format after processing thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
137 words
A computerized stethoscopy accessory for use with a host computer comprising means for detecting sounds in a living body, means for converting said detected sounds to electrical signals, a bank of fixed-center-frequency filters having a range of center frequencies from a lowest to a highest frequency, means for applying said electrical signals to said bank of fixed-center-frequency filters, means for sampling the output of each said filter at a rate at least twice the fixed center frequency of the lowest frequency filter of said bank, an analog-to-digital converter connected to said bank of filters for converting the sampled output of each said filter to digital form, means for processing said sampled outputs in said host computer, and an output device connected to said host computer for displaying said sampled outputs in a predetermined format after processing thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
A computerized stethoscopy accessory as defined in claim 1 wherein the predetermined formed includes the representation of elapsed time on a first axis, the representation of the center frequencies of the filters of the filter bank on a second axis perpendicular to said first axis, and a representation of quantities of sound energy at the intersections of said first and second axes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
A computerized stethoscopy accessory as defined in claim 2 wherein the predetermined format further includes a graph of the root mean square sum of all the filter amplitudes versus time.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
GB386066A
Cited
US1686504A
Cited
US2356262A
Cited
US2400662A
Cited
CH307787A
Cited
US3122208A
Cited
US3396241A
Cited
US3409737A
Cited
US3651798A
Cited
US3790712A
Cited
US3930560A
Cited
US4167223A
Cited
US4193393A
Cited
US4220160A
Cited
US4226248A
Cited
US4295471A
Cited
US4362164A
Cited
US4428381A
Cited
US4528689A
Cited
US4586514A
Cited
US4483346A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-01-18 | 1991-07-20 | 1992-01-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-01-18 | 1995-07-20 | 1996-01-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-01-18 | 1999-07-20 | 2000-01-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |