patent-in-suit. prior art 1 – stethoscope + mic prior art 2 – tactile sensor
Post on 15-Jan-2016
221 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Patent-in-suit
Prior Art 1 – Stethoscope + Mic
Prior Art 2 – Tactile Sensor
Evaluating Validity (Obviousness) over Prior Art
Capacitive Microphone in Stethoscope(‘849 patent, filed 1992)
Capacitive Touch Sensor(‘389 patent, filed 1997)
Prior Art 1 Prior Art 2+
Patented Technology (‘854)
4 Movable, Flexible DiaphragmElectrically Conductive Surface of Diaphragm
Electric Field
Electrically Conductive Plate
Attachment Means to Mount to Housing
Claim 13An electronic stethoscope including an acoustic-to-electrical transducer for detecting body sounds, the
transducer comprising:- a stethoscope diaphragm
having an electrically conductive surface,the diaphragm being mounted
in a stethoscope chestpiece such that the diaphragm
can contact the body for body sound detection and
vibrate in response to body sounds;- a fixed conductive plate
substantially parallel to the diaphragm, mounted within the chestpiece,
the conductive plate being positioned at a distance about or exceeding 0.5 mm from the diaphragm,
the diaphragm conductive surfaceand fixed conductive plate
forming two plates of a capacitor and
connected in the form of an electrical capacitance to electrical circuitry;- a capacitance-to-electrical signal conversion means
to convert diaphragm-plate capacitance changes due to body sound vibrations to electrical signals;
- the stethoscope further comprising signal amplification means
and at least one electrical-to-acoustic transducer
connected to signal amplification means, to reproduce body sounds as detected by said transducer.
What is a capacitive sensing?
+ + + + + + + +
- - - - - - - -
Mechanical Signal Electrical Signal
Prior Art 1 – Microphone inside Stethoscope
Capacitive Microphone in Stethoscope
(‘849 patent, filed 1992)
Prior Art 1
Brief History of Stethoscopes 1816
Monaural
1851 Binaur
al
1926 Bell/Diaphragm
Modes1962
Electronic Stethoscope with Piezo-electric
Sensor
1986 Electronic Stethoscope
with HydrophoneSensor
1992 Electronic
Stethoscope with Microphone
1999 ‘854 Patent Filed
(Time-line NOT drawn to scale)
Prior Art 1 – Stethoscope +Mic
Electret (Capacitive) Microphone
(3.49:3.54)
Patent-in-suit - 6,498,854
‘Transducer for Sensing Body Sounds”
4
What is tactile sensing?
Prior Art 2 – Tactile Sensors
Capacitive Touch Sensor(‘389 patent, filed 1997)
Prior Art 2
Prior Art 2 – Tactile SensorFinger Flexible,
Insulating Layer
Flexible, Insulating
Layer
Stylus
(Rigid, in a typical embodiment) Ground Plane
“X-Y Matrix”
X-trace
Y-trace
Key Dates
Patent-in-suitPrior Art 1 Prior Art 2
Prior Art 2 – Tactile Sensor
(3.36:3.52)
Insulating Film
Ground Plane
Prior Art 2 – Tactile Sensor
Flexible, Displaceable,
Insulating Layer “X-Y Matrix”
(4.31:4.37)
top related