Enhanced monitoring device for surgical gloves and other barriers
US5389097A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 22, 1994 |
| Grant date | Feb 14, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 22, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01M3/187
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A monitoring device for detecting adulteration of an article used in critical use applications such as a surgical glove where the gloves are worn by the surgeon and are exposed to the body fluids of a patient. The device includes the detection of a particular value of electrical condition, preferably resistance or impedance, as well as the first and second derivatives of electrical condition. These values are monitored in a substantially continuous manner and are smoothed and filtered to determine when a hole or thin spot in the glove occurs. In addition, the device includes an autoranging function which maintains the measured voltage in a prescribed range, thus allowing the device to operate at a higher level of accuracy for a greater period of time than a device without the feature. Also, the device warns the health care professional when the electrical properties of the gloves have degraded to a point where the device may no longer reliably detect holes in the gloves.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.