USH1039H — Intrusion-free physiological condition monitoring

Claim 1

Independent Claim 73 words

Aviation life support apparatus comprising the combination of: a facial communications and oxygen delivery mask member receivable over the nose and lower facial region of an aircrew member; optical sensing means received in said mask member and in optical communication with a nasal septum region pulsating vascular bed of said aircrew member for sensing G-force loading influenced quantitative blood flow indicators in said vascular bed and adjacent cerebral regions of said aircrew member.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 73 words

Aviation life support apparatus comprising the combination of: a facial communications and oxygen delivery mask member receivable over the nose and lower facial region of an aircrew member; optical sensing means received in said mask member and in optical communication with a nasal septum region pulsating vascular bed of said aircrew member for sensing G-force loading influenced quantitative blood flow indicators in said vascular bed and adjacent cerebral regions of said aircrew member.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pulsating vascular bed includes a nasal septal anterior ethmoid artery region of said aircrew member.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 32 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said optical sensing means includes solid state electrical to optical and optical to electrical signal transducers coupled via optical signal passing through said pulsating vascular bed.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 30 words

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said electrical to optical signal transducers include a plurality of light emitting diode transducer elements each generating an optical signal of different optical wavelength.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said different optical wavelengths are selected in response to the optical energy absorption characteristics of hemoglobin.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 49 words

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said facial mask member includes means closely conformed to facial features of said aircrew member for quickly disposing said mask in the same relative facial position during each use thereof; whereby consistent and comprehensible electrical signals are generated by said optical sensing means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 23 words

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said facial mask member is custom mold fitted to the facial features of each individual aircrew member.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 49 words

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said mask member includes acoustic communications transducer means and wherein electrical signals attending said electrical to optical and said optical to electrical signal transducers and said acoustic transducer means are communicated from said aircrew member to the surrounding environment via a common tether.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 31 words

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said electrical to optical signal transducers include separate transducer elements generating optical energy at the wavelengths of six hundred sixty and nine hundred twenty nanometers.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 117 words

Physiological condition monitoring apparatus for a exposed aircrew member comprising the combination of: a mask member disposed in covering relationship over at least the nosebridge facial region of said aircrew member; a source of optical energy radiation mounted on said mask member in a first nosebridge facing position thereon; optical-to-electrical energy transducer means mounted on said member in an opposed second nosebridge facing position thereon, for generating electrical signals representing optical energy signals received from said source of optical energy radiation via blood encolored tissue in the nosebridge region of said G-force exposed aircrew member; and oximeter means for converting said transducer means electrical signals into physiological condition related electrical signals for said G-force exposed aircrew member.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 117 words

Physiological condition monitoring apparatus for a exposed aircrew member comprising the combination of: a mask member disposed in covering relationship over at least the nosebridge facial region of said aircrew member; a source of optical energy radiation mounted on said mask member in a first nosebridge facing position thereon; optical-to-electrical energy transducer means mounted on said member in an opposed second nosebridge facing position thereon, for generating electrical signals representing optical energy signals received from said source of optical energy radiation via blood encolored tissue in the nosebridge region of said G-force exposed aircrew member; and oximeter means for converting said transducer means electrical signals into physiological condition related electrical signals for said G-force exposed aircrew member.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 48 words

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said source of optical energy radiation and said optical-to-electrical transducer means are received on opposed lateral surfaces of said mask and thereby reside adjacent opposed lateral nose surfaces of said aircrew member while said mask is received in said nosebridge covering relationship.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 23 words

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said source of optical energy radiation has optical energy output in the red to infrared spectral region.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 36 words

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said optical-to-electrical energy transducer means includes a plurality of optical-to-electrical transducer elements and said elements are each selectively responsive to energy in a different red to infrared optical spectrum portion.

Claim 16

Independent Claim 96 words

The method of monitoring blood oxygen content in an oxygen mask assisted person comprising the steps of: illuminating nasal septum facial regions of said person with oxygen mask nose region sourced optical energy of predetermined red to infrared spectral band energy content; collecting, with oxygen mask nose region located optical-to-electrical signal transducer means, a sample of the optical energy transmitted through blood encolored said nasal septum region tissue of said person; and converting the transducing means electrical signals into physiological condition related electrical signals using a red, and infrared, spectral region dual spectral band oximeter conversion.

Claim 17

Independent Claim 96 words

The method of monitoring blood oxygen content in an oxygen mask assisted person comprising the steps of: illuminating nasal septum facial regions of said person with oxygen mask nose region sourced optical energy of predetermined red to infrared spectral band energy content; collecting, with oxygen mask nose region located optical-to-electrical signal transducer means, a sample of the optical energy transmitted through blood encolored said nasal septum region tissue of said person; and converting the transducing means electrical signals into physiological condition related electrical signals using a red, and infrared, spectral region dual spectral band oximeter conversion.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 138 words

Oxygen mask apparatus comprising the combination of: a facial feature conformed enclosure member receivable adjacent nose and mouth structure openings of an oxygen-assisted person, said enclosure member including first and second surface portions extending one along each side of said nose structure of said assisted person; means for communicating a flow of life-supporting oxygen inclusive gases to and from the space within said enclosure member and thereby to and from said assisted person; a source of optical illumination mounted on said first surface portion of said enclosure member and directed toward an adjacent lateral nose surface of said assisted person; and optical signals reception means mounted on said enclosure member second surface portion and responsive to the optical illumination signals originating in said source of optical illumination and passed through nose region blood encolored tissue of said person.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 138 words

Oxygen mask apparatus comprising the combination of: a facial feature conformed enclosure member receivable adjacent nose and mouth structure openings of an oxygen-assisted person, said enclosure member including first and second surface portions extending one along each side of said nose structure of said assisted person; means for communicating a flow of life-supporting oxygen inclusive gases to and from the space within said enclosure member and thereby to and from said assisted person; a source of optical illumination mounted on said first surface portion of said enclosure member and directed toward an adjacent lateral nose surface of said assisted person; and optical signals reception means mounted on said enclosure member second surface portion and responsive to the optical illumination signals originating in said source of optical illumination and passed through nose region blood encolored tissue of said person.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1995-04-07	1995-10-07	1996-04-07	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1999-04-07	1999-10-07	2000-04-07	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2003-04-07	2003-10-07	2004-04-07	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Intrusion-free physiological condition monitoring

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