Medical thermometer
US6036361A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 26, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 14, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 26, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01K7/42
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improved medical thermometer is disclosed that provides an accurate estimate of a patient's temperature in substantially reduced time as compared to prior thermometers of this kind. This improved performance is achieved by configuring the thermometer to include a hollow, thin-walled metallic probe tip sized for secure attachment to the remote end of an elongated base. This defines an elongated cavity within the probe tip, and a thermistor is bonded to the probe tip within that cavity. The cavity is configured to be substantially longer in the direction of the probe's longitudinal axis than it is in a transverse direction, to inhibit the conduction of heat along the probe tip to the elongated base. The temperature of the thermistor, therefore, closely follows the temperature of any surface that contacts the metallic tip.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.