Wet diaper detector
US5838240A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F13/42
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A wet diaper detector comprises an elongated strip of material sized to be positioned in a diaper with a portion of the strip residing in a region of the diaper subject to wetness and an end of the strip protruding from the diaper at the upper rear or front portion thereof. The strip carries a pair of spaced conductors that extend along the length of the strip and terminate at the protruding end thereof. A detector and alarm assembly is adapted to be releasably coupled to the protruding end of the elongated strip and is configured to monitor the electrical resistance between the spaced conductors of the strip. When the diaper is wet by its wearer, the resistance between the spaced conductors of the strips falls below a pre-established value whereupon the detector activates the alarm to alert an attendant to change the diaper. In one embodiment, wetness is detected capacitively. When the diaper is changed, the detector and alarm assembly is decoupled from the strip for reuse and the strip is discarded along with the soiled diaper.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.