Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080264180 | System and method for measuring volume of ingested fluid - An audio sensor and receiver detect, discriminate and count the number of liquid swallows to determine the volume of fluid ingested. | 10-30-2008 |
20080297348 | RFID System for Lifting Devices - A lifting device equipped with an RFID scanning system having an article receiving area configured for receipt of a stack of articles having RFID tags associated therewith. A first scanning antenna is provided at a first height relative to the article receiving area, and a second scanning antenna is provided at a second height relative to the article receiving area that is above the first height. A computer control system is in communication with the first and second scanning antennas and applies a verification parameter to RFID signals received by the second scanning antenna to determine whether RFID tagged articles detected by the second scanning antenna are within the stack of articles carried by the lifting device. | 12-04-2008 |
20090112538 | VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT - Embodiments of the invention provide virtual reality tools and simulations used for improved health care customer management. The virtual reality tools may be used by a product manufacturer or seller to assist in relationship management with health care partners including identifying improved solutions for a variety of problems, strengthening infection prevention processes and systems, improving order and flow in the operating room and other care-delivery environments, identifying benefits from new products, providing techniques for evaluating new health care systems and processes, etc. | 04-30-2009 |
20090112541 | VIRTUAL REALITY TOOLS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFECTION CONTROL SOLUTIONS - Embodiments of the invention provide virtual reality tools used to develop improved infection control solutions. The virtual reality tools may be applied to a variety of health care environments to develop improved infection control solutions, including improved training systems for modifying human behavior regarding hand washing (or other infection control behaviors), improved systems for evaluating the effectiveness of a proposed infection control solution, and for a producer/seller of anti-microbial products to demonstrate the superiority of one product over another or the superiority of one proposed solution over another. | 04-30-2009 |
20090124990 | Induction coil wetness sensor for an absorbent article - A signaling device is provided for sensing and indicating the presence of a body exudate in an absorbent article, the device including a housing and a detection circuit disposed within the housing, the detection circuit including an induction coil and a marginal oscillator. A body exudate collection and detection system is also provided including an absorbent article and a signaling device adapted to be used in conjunction with the absorbent article, the signaling device including a housing and a detection circuit disposed within the housing, the detection circuit including an induction coil and a marginal oscillator. The signaling device can also include an attachment mechanism for removably attaching the housing to the absorbent article. The detection circuit can also include an electrical common and a conductor in electrical communication with the electrical common and with the body exudate. | 05-14-2009 |
20090294435 | Heating Articles Using Conductive Webs - A heating article is provided including a heating element including a first layer of nonwoven fibers mixed with conductive fibers, wherein the layer is divided to include a conductive region and a nonconductive region, wherein the conductive region extends in a co-extensive and co-planar pattern in a majority of the layer, and wherein the conductive region has first and second ends, and a power source removably coupled to the first and second ends. The first layer can include nonwoven fibers mixed with non-metallic conductive fibers. The heating article can also include a second layer superposed with the first layer, wherein the second layer is substantially free of non-metallic conductive fibers. | 12-03-2009 |
20090295657 | Radiating Element For A Signal Emitting Apparatus - A radiating element made from a conductive-nonwoven web is incorporated into a signal emitting apparatus. The signal emitting apparatus, for instance, may comprise an RFID tag. The conductive-nonwoven web contains, in one embodiment, conductive fibers combined with pulp fibers. The conductive fibers may comprise carbon fibers. The nonwoven web may be made using a conventional paper-making process. The resulting conductive web is not only well suited for use as an antenna, but is also relatively inexpensive to manufacture and can be easily incorporated into numerous products. | 12-03-2009 |
20090306934 | Instrument monitoring system - An instrument monitoring system comprises a monitoring device including a sensor for measuring an instrument and a control unit, where the control unit includes a data flow microcontroller processor; a wireless transmitter configured to receive a data signal from the monitoring device and to transmit the data signal using a wireless data transmission protocol; a wireless reader capable of receiving the data signal from the wireless transmitter; a computing device in communication with the wireless reader, where the computing device includes software configured to present the data signal as user-readable data; and a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the computing device, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is capable of storing the data. | 12-10-2009 |
20090321238 | Conductive Webs Containing Electrical Pathways and Method For Making Same - Presented is a variety of products and apparatuses employing a conductive nonwoven web. Products and apparatuses include an RFID system, a radiofrequency shielding system, a flexible electronic circuit component, a heating element, an antenna, an electromagnetic energy shield, a membrane switch, a keypad, and a packaging system. In one embodiment, the conductive nonwoven web contains conductive carbon fibers in combination with pulp fibers and/or synthetic fibers. Electric pathways are formed into the conductive material using ultrasonic energy. The electric pathways can be used to produce various electronic devices. | 12-31-2009 |
20100168694 | Infrared Wetness Detection System For An Absorbent Article - A signaling device for sensing and indicating the presence of a body exudate in an absorbent article includes a housing and a paired IR generator/detector disposed within the housing, the paired IR generator/detector adapted to sense a change in infrared light reflectance due to an insult to the absorbent article, the paired IR generator/detector including an infrared-generating light-emitting diode and an infrared-detecting phototransistor. In addition, a body exudate collection and detection system includes an absorbent article and a signaling device adapted to be used in conjunction with the absorbent article for detecting the presence of a body exudate therein, the signaling device including a housing and a paired IR generator/detector disposed within the housing, the paired IR generator/detector including an infrared-generating light-emitting diode and an infrared-detecting phototransistor. | 07-01-2010 |
20100168702 | Conductor-Less Detection System For An Absorbent Article - Signaling systems are disclosed that indicate a change in an absorbent article, such as the presence of a body fluid. The various different signaling systems disclosed do not include any conductive elements contained on the interior of the article as were required in the past. Instead, the changes are monitored from the outer cover of the article. In one aspect, for instance, a signaling device is provided for sensing and indicating the presence of a body exudate in an absorbent article, the device including a housing and a capacitive sensor disposed within the housing, the capacitive sensor adapted to sense a change in capacitance due to an insult to the absorbent article. The signaling device can include an attachment mechanism for removably attaching the housing to the absorbent article. | 07-01-2010 |
20120071362 | NONWOVEN-BASED CHEMI-CAPACITIVE OR CHEMI-RESISTIVE GAS SENSOR - A chemical gas sensor formed from a nonwoven material is described. The gas sensor includes a flexible, gas-permeable, nonwoven web-based material substrate having a matrix that is composed of a plurality of inert thermoplastic, pulp, cellulose or staple fibers as either a major or minor portion, with a plurality of gas-sensitive fibers formed from a polymer that can absorb volatile organic compounds (VOC), and a plurality of electrically conductive fibers. The gas-sensitive fibers are intermixed with and associated spatially among a network of adjacent electrically conductive fibers, such that a change in physical morphology of said gas-sensitive fibers as a result of interacting with volatile organic compounds, causes a change in dielectric properties that disrupts said network of adjacent electrically conductive fibers. The sensor can be configured as either a resistive or a capacitive chemisensor. | 03-22-2012 |
20120116337 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCT AND SIGNALING DEVICE MATCHING - The present subject matter relates to absorbent articles and signaling devices for use therewith. The signaling device includes one or more non-invasive sensors configured to detect the presence of a substance, such as a body fluid, in the absorbent article. The signaling device can provide an audible and/or visible alert to the user of the absorbent article when it detects the presence of a substance. The absorbent article includes one or more identifiable characteristics the presence of which permits operation of the signaling device. In this manner, the present disclosure provides for product and signaling device matching for use. | 05-10-2012 |
20120157947 | Attachment Means For A Conductor-Less Detection System For An Absorbent Article - A wetness sensing system for use with an absorbent article having an inner surface and an outer surface includes a reusable signaling device adapted to sense wetness without the use of conductors within the absorbent article, and a holding fixture adapted to be attached to the inner surface or the outer surface of the absorbent article by a consumer, wherein the signaling device is configured to be coupled to the holding fixture such that the signaling device is positioned adjacent the inner surface or the outer surface of the absorbent article. | 06-21-2012 |
20130018340 | Absorbent Article Fullness IndicatorAANM Abraham; Jose KollakompilAACI NeenahAAST WIAACO USAAGP Abraham; Jose Kollakompil Neenah WI USAANM Ales, III; Thomas MichaelAACI NeenahAAST WIAACO USAAGP Ales, III; Thomas Michael Neenah WI USAANM Gakhar; SudhanshuAACI NeenahAAST WIAACO USAAGP Gakhar; Sudhanshu Neenah WI USAANM Heller; Jeffrey RobertAACI NeenahAAST WIAACO USAAGP Heller; Jeffrey Robert Neenah WI USAANM Nhan; Davis Dang HoangAACI AppletonAAST WIAACO USAAGP Nhan; Davis Dang Hoang Appleton WI USAANM Feldkamp; Joseph RaymondAACI AppletonAAST WIAACO USAAGP Feldkamp; Joseph Raymond Appleton WI USAANM Ranganathan; SridharAACI SuwaneeAAST GAAACO USAAGP Ranganathan; Sridhar Suwanee GA US - A wetness monitoring system is provided for an absorbent article, the wetness monitoring system including a signaling device including an alarm to indicate that the absorbent article has reached an insult limit. The signaling device operates with a sensor array which is disposed on the outermost surface of the absorbent article outer cover. The signaling device includes a detection circuit which measures changes in inductance or capacitance. The wetness monitoring system does not make direct contact with the absorbent structure located within an outer cover of the absorbent article. | 01-17-2013 |
20130332184 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCING HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS - Systems and methods for reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are described. Embodiments of the present invention empower and educate patients and their advocates, while providing proximate (and in some cases, real-time) feedback to health care workers (HCWs) regarding their compliance with known protocols that reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections. | 12-12-2013 |
20140155851 | Apparatus and Method for Product and Signaling Device Matching - The present subject matter relates to absorbent articles and signaling devices for use therewith. The signaling device includes one or more non-invasive sensors configured to detect the presence of a substance, such as a body fluid, in the absorbent article. The signaling device can provide an audible and/or visible alert to the user of the absorbent article when it detects the presence of a substance. The absorbent article includes one or more identifiable characteristics the presence of which permits operation of the signaling device. In this manner, the present disclosure provides for product and signaling device matching for use. | 06-05-2014 |
20140188063 | Attachment For A Conductorless Wetness Detector For An Absorbent Article - A wetness sensing system for use with an absorbent article includes a holding fixture adapted to be attached to the outer surface of the absorbent article by a consumer, the holding fixture including a first attachment arm having an article-facing side including a first attachment material affixed thereto, and a sensor band including a sensor and having an article-facing side including a second attachment material affixed thereto, wherein the second attachment material has an area and is in a proportion of the area to the weight of the system, and wherein the sensor band has a bending stiffness of less than 30 gf cm̂2/cm. The system also includes a signaling device coupled to the holding fixture and in electrical communication with the sensor, wherein the system is adapted to sense wetness within the article without the use of conductors within the absorbent article. | 07-03-2014 |