Device for capturing thermal spectra from tissue

US6959211B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• OptiScan Biomedical Corporation · US

Inventors

• Peter Rule · Los Altos Hills, US
• James R. Braig · Piedmont, US
• Daniel S. Goldberger · Boulder, US
• Julian Cortella · Alameda, US
• Heidi Smith · Union City, US
• Roger Herrera · Oakland, US
• Kenneth G. Witte · San Jose, US
• Philip C. Hartstein · Menlo Park, US
• Mark Agostino · Alameda, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 6, 2002
• Grant date: Oct 25, 2005
• Expiry date: Feb 13, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2201/0245
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A device and method are provided for use with a noninvasive optical measurement system, such as a thermal gradient spectrometer, for improved determination of analyte concentrations within living tissue. In one embodiment, a wearable window is secured to a patient's forearm thereby isolating a measurement site on the patient's skin for determination of blood glucose levels. The wearable window effectively replaces a window of the spectrometer, and thus forms an interface between the patient's skin and a thermal mass window of the spectrometer. When the spectrometer must be temporarily removed from the patient's skin, such as to allow the patient mobility, the wearable window is left secured to the forearm so as to maintain a consistent measurement site on the skin. When the spectrometer is later reattached to the patient, the wearable window will again form an interface between the spectrometer and the same location of skin as before.