Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8144887 | Electronic stethoscope and the stethoscope auscultation method using the same The present invention relates to a stethoscope auscultation method, adapted for an improved stethoscope so as to be used for assisting a medical diagnosis according to visceral sounds. The stethoscope auscultation method comprises the steps of: providing a stethosco... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8121303 | Stethoscope capable of eliminating unwanted sounds and method thereof A stethoscope capable of eliminating unwanted sounds and method thereof, the stethoscope and method thereof mainly use a stethoscope head containing a sensor and a signal processing circuit. By way of detecting and judging whether the stethoscope head arrives on cor... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8064610 | Ambient noise canceling physiological acoustic monitoring system and method The present invention is an ambient noise canceling physiological acoustic monitoring system and method. The system and method utilizes a plurality of microphones to collect input data including ambient noise signals, bed frame noise signals and patient respiratory ... | 11/22/2011 |
| 7991165 | Noise rejecting electronic stethoscope An acoustic-electronic stethoscope that filters aberrant environmental background noise. The chest piece employs acoustic vents to inhibit resonant amplification of noise and contains a diaphragm design that focuses vibrational energy to a raised ring, which transfe... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7953230 | Method and system for physiological signal processing A method and system for processing of physiological signals is provided. The system processes information signals in subband-domain associated with the physiological signals in time-domain. The information signals are obtained by one or more over-sampled filterbanks... | 05/31/2011 |
| 7940937 | Transducer for sensing body sounds An acoustic-to-electrical transducer for sensing body sounds is disclosed. The transducer comprises a diaphragm that can be placed in direct contact with a body, whereby the diaphragm motion directly affects an electromagnetic sensing signal, which is then converted... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7636445 | Stethoscope apparatus To provide a stethoscope apparatus that can contribute to medical cares that can eliminate anxieties of a patient as much as possible. A stethoscope apparatus 10 according to the embodiment integrally mounts a speaker 9 and a microphone 8... | 12/22/2009 |
| 7593534 | Transducer for bioacoustic signals In well-known electronic stethoscopic transducers the sensitive element is influenced by signals transmitted via the skin, and the rear side is enclosed in a housing to prevent airborne noise from reaching the sensitive element. According to the invention, an improv... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7393326 | Apparatus for screening and diagnosing by dual stethoscopic and Doppler detection The invention concerns an apparatus for early screening of cardiovascular diseases through dual stethoscopic and Doppler detection with means ensuring coherence between the two types of detection. According the invention, the medical screening and diagnosis apparatu... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7354380 | Heart rate monitor for controlling entertainment devices Described is a motivational fitness device, which controls the audio output of a television or audio component in response to the heart rate. The user must exercise in their specific heart rate target training range to keep their entertainment device turned on at an... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7352875 | Speaker apparatus The present invention provides a speaker apparatus which has a simple structure and a high directivity and which can emit sound. The speaker apparatus includes a hood having an opening at a front end with a sound reflecting inner wall shaped like a rotating surface ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7346174 | Medical device with communication, measurement and data functions A medical diagnostic and communications apparatus with audio output comprises an electronic processor for processing stethoscope signals and secondary audio signals. An electronic stethoscope sensor is contained within a housing for transducing body sounds to electr... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7321783 | Mobile entertainment and communication device A mobile entertainment and communication device in a palm-held size housing has a cellular or satellite telephone capable of wireless communication with the Internet and one or more replaceable memory card sockets for receiving a blank memory card for recording data... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7319762 | Headset with flashing light emitting diodes A headphone system is provided with two earbud headphones and a control module, each fitted with a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LEDs may be of many different colors and flash to the beat of the music. Patterns, colors, and intensity may be adjusted... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7314112 | Method and device for utilization of a stethoscope as a neurological diagnostic tool and percussion tool A tool for neurological and diagnostic testing comprises the combination of a stethoscope with a reflex hammer including a light. When mounted on the stethoscope head the reflex hammer extends beyond the head, without interfering with the normal use of the stethosco... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7300406 | Medical examination apparatus An apparatus to enable health care providers to perform a number of diagnostic procedures, including listening to the heart, obtaining electrocardiograms and sonograms. A pocket size instrument displays an EKG tracing on its screen simultaneously upon auscultation o... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7302290 | Heart-activity monitoring with multi-axial audio detection Apparatus and associated methodology for monitoring correlatable anatomical electrical and sound signals, such as electrical and audio signals produced by human heart activity, including (a) attaching to a selected, common anatomical site ECG (or other) electrode st... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7300405 | Analysis of auscultatory sounds using single value decomposition Techniques are described for analyzing auscultatory sounds to aid a medical professional in diagnosing physiological conditions of a patient. A data analysis system, for example, applies singular value decomposition to auscultatory sounds associated known physiologi... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7291106 | Diagnostic system and portable telephone device A patient registers his audible sound when he is in good health. When he is not feeling well, and even when he is in good health, he may contact regularly with a medical institution. Once he pronounces words to his mobile phone, the audible sound will be stored in a... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7289634 | Electronic stethoscope measurement system and method A method and apparatus for characterizing the response of an electronic stethoscope. The sensor of the electronic stethoscope is held in contact with a test surface of a phantom. A shaker, which is coupled to a stinger rod that extends inside the phantom, is driven ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7286680 | Cylindrical microphone having an electret assembly in the end cover A microphone includes a separate end cover with a sound port. A diaphragm is directly attached to the end cover. The backplate is positioned within the housing against a ridge near an end of the housing. A spacer is positioned against the backplate. The diaphragm en... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7239714 | Microphone having a flexible printed circuit board for mounting components In a microphone cartridge, a flexible printed circuit board serves two functions, separating the diaphragm and backplate, and electrically connecting the cartridge and the buffer amplifier. The flex-print includes a spacer portion that maintains the appropriate dist... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7209796 | Auscultatory training system According to a disclosed embodiment, an auscultatory training apparatus includes a database of pre-recorded physiological sounds stored on a computer for playing on a playback system. A user-friendly, graphical user interface software program is stored on the comput... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7203322 | Acoustic detector with noise cancellation An acoustic detector that includes active noise cancellation is presented. An acoustic detector converts sound waves, which include sound waves of interest as well as noise, to an electronic signal. An operator listens for a characteristic sound, for example the sou... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7198410 | Optical fiber assembly and method of installing optical fibers in a joint housing An optical fiber assembly includes: a component defining at least one inlet for optical fibers, an adapter, an optical fiber cable connected to the adapter, and a push-fit connector. The component includes a through-hole for passage of the optical fibers and an asso... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7182733 | Cordless stethoscope for hazardous material environments A cordless stethoscope for use in hazardous material environments comprising a fluid tight hand held sound sensing device having a stethoscope head for sensing auscultatory sounds, a transmitter for transmitting sounds sensed by the device, a receiver for receiving ... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7162039 | Noise barrier apparatus having acoustic wave damping cushions The present invention provides a noise barrier apparatus for inhibiting external noise from causing the presence of noise in an audio chamber defined by a noise barrier device and including the user's ear canal. The noise barrier apparatus may be constituted by an i... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7136496 | Electret assembly for a microphone having a backplate with improved charge stability The present invention relates to a microphone that includes a housing and a diaphragm and backplate located with the housing. The housing has a sound port for receiving the sound. The diaphragm undergoes movement relative to the backplate, which it opposes, in respo... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7130429 | Method and an apparatus for processing auscultation signals An apparatus for processing auscultation signals, e.g. embedded in an electronic stethoscope with a digital readout of an estimated heart rate. The apparatus comprises a bias processor for receiving an auscultation signal and providing a biased auscultation signal; ... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7120260 | Jack circuit and portable type electronic apparatus and telephone set using the same In a jack circuit, in which either positive pole side terminals or negative pole side terminals of connection terminals for a microphone and of connection terminals of an output stage amplifier for outputting to a speaker form a common terminal, the output stage amp... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7115102 | Electronic stethoscope system In a local stethoscope unit, acoustic auscultation sounds picked up by the stethoscope chest piece assembly of a local stethoscope unit are converted to analog electrical signals and then converted to digital signals. The digital signals are conveyed to a data commu... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7082202 | Sound pickup sensor A sensor (10) preferably for use in an electronic stethoscope (15) comprises a substantially cylindrically shaped viscoelastic contact and transfer body (2) engaging tightly a hard back piece (1) and being tightly surrounded by a piezoele... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7066894 | Sensor and method for detecting very low frequency acoustic signals There is disclosed a sensor and method for detecting very low frequency acoustic signals. The sensor is capable of detecting low frequency acoustic signals in the frequency range of one tenth Hertz to thirty Hertz. The sensor comprises a chamber having portions that... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7062058 | Cylindrical microphone having an electret assembly in the end cover A microphone includes a separate end cover with a sound port. A diaphragm is directly attached to the end cover. The backplate is positioned within the housing against a ridge near an end of the housing. A spacer is positioned against the backplate. The diaphragm en... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7044922 | Non-invasive diagnostic apparatus and method comprising a cerebral stethoscope for detecting cerebrovascular disease A non-invasive apparatus for detecting turbulent flow in a cerebrovascular system of a patient without use of software, includes a planar, circular head adapted to be placed against an eye socket of the patient. A microphone in the head detects an acoustic signal fr... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7046815 | Microphone The improved microphone with the removable connection to the phantom power supply facilitates the setting and provides elimination of the forgetful operation of switch-off, in e.g. convention center. The microphone provides both of manual and automatic operations of... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7043035 | Miniature microphone A microphone for converting sound into an electrical signal includes a generally cylindrical housing including an inlet for receiving sound, an inner backplate, and an outer backplate. The inner and outer backplates are generally cylindrical and substantially concen... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7039202 | Microphone unit A microphone unit capable of suppressing the sensitivity reduction due to a parasitic capacitance that occurs depending on the structure of an electret capacitor, can be realized by the following manner. Specifically, an output signal (Vout) that is the inverted out... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7036627 | Stethoscope with removable light assembly A light transmitting device for attachment to a stethoscope headpiece which provides for reversible engagement of the device to the headpiece so that the same can be removed such as for repairs or replacement of batteries. The transmitting device provides a source o... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7035167 | Seismic sensor A seismic sensor, has a case, a pre-charged, non-conductive membrane located between two plates that form a capacitor and accommodated inside the case, with one of the plates being immovable relative to the case and the other of the plates being movable relative to ... | 04/25/2006 |
