Systems, devices, and methods for capturing and outputting data regarding a bodily characteristic

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are provided for capturing and outputting data regarding a bodily characteristic. In one embodiment, a hardware device can operate as a stethoscope with sensors to detect bodily characteristics such as heart sounds, lung sounds, abdominal sounds, and other bodily sounds and other characteristics such as temperature and ultrasound. The stethoscope can be configured to work independently with built solid state memory or SIM card. The stethoscope can be configured to pair via a wireless communication protocol with one or more electronic devices, and upon pairing with the electronic device(s), can be registered in a network resident in the cloud and can thereby create a network of users of like stethoscopes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 351,146, filed Mar. 12, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 882,921 entitled “Systems, Devices, and Methods for Capturing and Outputting Data Regarding a Bodily Characteristic” filed on Oct. 14, 2015, which claims priority to Australian Provisional Application No. 2014904100 entitled “Stethoscope” filed Oct. 14, 2014, to Australian Provisional Application No. 2014904742 entitled “Systems and Methods for Capturing Data, for Processing the Same and Delivering Output Representative of Body Sounds, Other Characteristics and Conditions” filed Nov. 24, 2014, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 210,558 entitled “Systems and Methods for Capturing Data, for Processing the Same and Delivering Output Representative of Body Sounds, Other Characteristics and Conditions” filed Aug. 27, 2015, which are hereby incorporated by reference in the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a method where a stethoscope is placed on a patient's body and an audio sensor picks up the sounds. These sounds are then used to create a pattern of vibration and light that is synchronized with the sounds. The technical effect of this method is that it allows for a more effective and accurate sensory experience for healthcare professionals when listening to the patient's body sounds.

Problems solved by technology

Using a conventional acoustical stethoscope, it can be difficult for a medical specialist to hear the internal sounds of a body due to any one or more issues such as low sound levels, a medical specialist's hearing deficiency, and / or ambient or background noise in the room or other location in which the conventional acoustical stethoscope is being used.

Conventional electronic stethoscopes are typically complicated in structure, which makes manufacturing difficult, makes manufacturing expensive, results in an expensive device, and / or results in a device difficult for a user to learn how to use.

The tubing of conventional acoustical stethoscopes and of conventional electronic stethoscopes require medical specialists to be in close proximity to the subject on which the stethoscope is being used, which raises any one or more issues such as being disadvantageous for the control of infection, placing the medical specialist in harm's way in cases where the subject is unpredictable or dangerous (e.g., in the case of certain animals), and / or making the subject nervous due to close proximity and / or unfamiliarity (e.g., in the case of children who are comfortable only with daily caregivers or in the case of zoo animals who are most comfortable with certain zookeepers).

Thus, use of conventional stethoscopes to listen to the sounds limits the use and understanding of the use of stethoscopes to medical professionals.

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