Health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices

Abstract

A health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices comprises a holder (20) with a base (22), longitudinally extending so as to define broad front wall (24) and back wall (26), and a gripping assembly (30, 32) to hold, in use, a handheld device, and connected to the base (22). The adapter further comprises a health-device support (50) connected to the holder (20) and suitable to support a health-device (100). The health-device support (50) is movably engaged to the gripping assembly of the holder (20).

Description

[0001] Title

[0002] Health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices

[0003] Description

[0004] The present invention relates to the field of tele-health device, and it has been developed with particular reference to a health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices.

[0005] The developing of electronic and telecommunication technologies has also increased the opportunity to transmit data, and in particular health-data, through long distances. When habitancy settings, lack of transport, lack of mobility, or exceptional conditions due to epidemics or pandemics, restrict access to care, tele-health may allow longdistance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, monitoring, and even intervention.

[0006] Handheld electronic devices, as smartphones or tablet, has further increased the ease with which such information can be exchanged. Therefore, acoustic, as heart and lung sounds, and visual information, as outer ear canal and eardrum, may be collected and transmitted from a patient to a clinician contacts through long distances.

[0007] There are several known apparatuses which combines medical devices, as stethoscope or otoscope, and smart devices in order to collect and transmit sounds and / or images.

[0008] For example, known solutions provides mounting systems or supports to allow the attachment of an optical collector to a handheld electronic device such as to gather visual information from a patient and to provide them to an image input of the handheld device, i.e. a camera. WO2022051172 discloses an apparatus for use in combination with a telephone wherein a stethoscope is connected to the microphone port of the telephone, and an otoscope is fitted to the telephone such that it transmits images, i.e. visual information, to a camera in the telephone. The otoscope may be a passive mechanical and optical attachment (to the telephone).

[0009] The term “passive” as used in the present application with respect to a part implies that there are no components in that part that require electric power for its operation. The Applicant has conducted several tests and surveys and has discovered that the known solutions still do not completely satisfies the patient’s need. For example, the patients are against purchasing a new and specific device to meet this need, or they cannot properly use the mounting systems or supports on their handheld devices, or the health-devices are too complicated in use, or they do not transfer sound and images to the handheld device in an efficient and properly manner.

[0010] For these reasons, a need arose to provide an “easy-to-use” and efficient adapter that could be used with most types of handheld device, and that could deliver to the inputs of a handheld device different type of visual and acoustic information.

[0011] The general purpose of the present invention is therefore to satisfy this need.

[0012] In view of this purpose, the Applicant has decided to create, according to the invention, a health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices comprising:

[0013] - a holder with a base, longitudinally extending so as to define broad front wall and back wall,

[0014] - a gripping assembly to hold, in use, a handheld device, and connected to the base,

[0015] - a health-device support connected to the holder and suitable to support a health-device, characterised in that he health-device support is movably engaged to the gripping assembly of the holder.

[0016] The dependent claims outline preferred and / or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention.

[0017] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the following description, made by way of example with reference to the attached figures in which:

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective front view of a health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, coupled to an otoscope;

[0019] Figures 2a and 2b are a front and back perspective views respectively of a holder of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a back view of a health-device adapter shown in Fig. 1 ;

[0021] Figure 4 is a perspective back view of the health-device adapter of Fig. 1 in a first operative position;

[0022] Figure 5 is a perspective upper view of the health-device adapter of Fig. 4 in a second operative position;

[0023] Figures 6a and 6b are respectively a rear view and a side view of a support for a sanitary device;

[0024] Figure 7 is a front perspective view of a health device adapter for handheld electronic devices coupled to both a stethoscope and an otoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 is a perspective back view of the adapter of Figure 7;

[0026] Figure 9 is a perspective back view of a health-device connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 is a perspective front view of the health-device connector of Figure 9;

[0027] Figure 11 is a perspective front view of a health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices according to the second embodiment;

[0028] Figure 12 is a perspective back view of the adapter of Figure 11 ;

[0029] Figure 13 is a perspective back view of the adapter of Figure 12 in a first operative position;

[0030] Figure 14 is a perspective back view of the adapter of Figure 12 in a second operative position;

[0031] Figure 15 is a schematic perspective view of a health-device according to the present invention; and

[0032] Figure 16 is a sectional view of the health-device of figure 15.

[0033] It should be understood that elements and features of one embodiment can be conveniently incorporated into other embodiments without further clarification.

[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the invention, of which one or more examples are illustrated in the attached figures. Each example is provided purely by way of illustration of the invention and is not intended as a limitation thereof. For example, the technical features illustrated or described as forming part of an embodiment may be adopted on, or in association with, other embodiments to produce a further embodiment. It is understood that the present invention will include these modifications and variations.

[0035] A health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices according to the present invention, generally indicated as 10, comprises a holder 20 suitable to hold, in use a handheld device 200. The holder 20 comprises a base 22, longitudinally extending so as to define a broad front 24 wall and a broad back 26 wall.

[0036] The holder 20 comprises a gripping assembly to hold, in use, a handheld device 200. As clearly shown in Figure 2a, 2b, the gripping assembly may comprise two side brackets 30, 32 connected to the base 22. The brackets 30, 32 and the broad front wall 24 define together a “U” shaped housing where a handheld device is suitable to be housed and gripped by the two brackets 30, 32, as it will become apparent by the following description.

[0037] The brackets 30, 32 in the first embodiment have a flat and elongated shape, but different shapes, as a “C” shape, could be envisaged as far as the gripping function could be maintained.

[0038] The holder 20 may further comprise two bracket covers, one for each bracket 30, 32. The bracket covers may be shaped as the shape of the brackets 30, 32 and may be realized with a soft material, so as not to damage, in use, the peripheral borders of a handheld device.

[0039] According to a particularly advantageous feature, at least one bracket 30 may be an adjustable bracket 30 in order to hold, in use, different types of handheld devices in term of lateral extension thereof. The holder 20 further comprises two pins 34 for connecting at least one adjustable bracket 30 to the base 22. The pins 34 are inserted in two corresponding holes provided in the at least one bracket 30 and in two corresponding holes provided in the base 22. According to this configuration, the adjustable bracket 30 can be selectively moved, in use, towards and away from the lateral sides of the base 22 in order to widen or narrow the housing where a handheld electronic device 200 is suitable to be housed.

[0040] The holder 20 may further comprise a couple of resilient elements, for example a couple of springs disposed inside the base 22 and each one connected to one of the pins 34 respectively, in order to pull the adjustable bracket 30 towards the base 22. At the same time, the springs may allow the adjustable bracket 30 to be pushed away from the base 22 in order to insert a handheld device into the holder 20, and, then, to pull back the adjustable bracket 30 towards the centre of the II” shaped housing in order to hold the handheld device into the holder 20.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the base 22 may further comprise one or more connecting elements. In the first embodiment shown in the figures, the connecting elements are two slits 27, 29, in particular, an upper slit 27, longitudinally extending along the top portion of the base 22, and a lower slit 29, longitudinally extending along the bottom portion of the base 22.

[0042] The health-device adapter 10 further comprise a health-device support 50 engaged to the holder 20 and suitable to support, or to house, a health-device, for example, an otoscope 100, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The otoscope 100 may comprise a tip or spacer 102, a camera 122 and a data transmitting interface (not shown), a connection cable 106 and a connector 108. In use, the connector 108 is connected to the handheld electronic device 200 in order to power the camera of the otoscope 100 and the data transmitting interface, so as to transmits images to the handheld electronic device 200.

[0043] The health-device support 50 is suitable to engage the health device 100 to the gripping assembly of the holder 20. Thank to this feature, the health-device 100 is disposed at the side of the adapter 10, and therefore at the side of the handheld electronic device 200, and it is not disposed behind or in front of the handheld electronic device 200.

[0044] The health-device adapter 10 may further comprise a swivel mechanism so that the health-device support 50 may swivel with respect to the gripping assembly of the holder 20. Furthermore, the health-device support 50 may be detachably engaged to the gripping assembly according to any engaging assembly of the known type. According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the health-device support 50 may comprise a main body, having a substantially rectangular shape in plant, detachably and swivelling engaged to one of the adjustable brackets 32, and housing the otoscope 100. As shown in Figures 4 and 6a, the swivel mechanism may comprise a circular structure 58 disposed on one side of the main body 50 of the health-device support, and a corresponding circular support structure 59 disposed on an external surface of the bracket 32 of the gripping assembly. The circular structure 58 is connected in use to the corresponding circular support structure 59, allowing the health-device support 50 to be rotatable engaged with respect to the bracket 30, as shown in Fig. 4, and to be easily detached from the bracket 30, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0045] According to the present invention, an otoscope 100 housed in the health-device support 50 may be easily positioned in an optimal position for different test procedures, for example, at 90° degrees with respect to the central axis of the handheld electronic device 200 for a dermatoscopy, or at 110° degrees with respect to the central axis of the handheld electronic device 200 for nose or ear otoscopy. Moreover, an otoscope 100 housed in the health-device support 50 may be easily detached, so the user can easily inspect himself, while looking at the screen of the handheld electronic device 200.

[0046] According to different embodiments, the swivel mechanism may be manufactured of magnetic material so as to facilitate, in use, the engagement and disengagement of the health-device support 50 to and from the health-device adapter 10.

[0047] According to further embodiments, not shown, the health-device support 50 may still be detachably engaged to the gripping assembly but the otoscope 100 may be selectively housed in the health-device support 50. According to this configuration, the health-device support 50 may still be detached from the gripping assembly, or, alternatively, the health-device support 50 may be left engaged to the gripping assembly and the otoscope 100 may be extracted from the health-device support 50. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figures 7 to 13, a health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices 10 comprises a holder 20 suitable to hold, in use a handheld device. The holder 20 comprises a base 22, longitudinally extending so as to define broad front 24 and back 26 walls. The holder 20 comprises a gripping assembly to hold, in use, a handheld device.

[0048] The health-device adapter 10 further comprise a health-device support 50 connected to the holder 20 suitable to support a health-device, for example, an otoscope 100, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0049] All the technical features in connection with the holder 20, the health-device support 50 and the otoscope 100, illustrated and described as forming part of the first embodiment, are adopted also in the second embodiment, and therefore they may not be described in detail again for the sake of conciseness, but they are considered as incorporated by reference in the second embodiment.

[0050] According to the second embodiment, and as shown for the first embodiment in Figures 2a and 2b, the gripping assembly may comprise two brackets 30, 32 connected to the base 22. The brackets 30, 32 and the broad front wall 24 define together a “U” shaped housing where a handheld device is suitable to be housed and gripped by the two brackets 30, 32, as it will become apparent by the following description.

[0051] According to a particularly advantageous feature, at least one bracket 30 may be an adjustable bracket 30 in order to hold, in use, different types of handheld devices in term of lateral extension thereof. As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the holder 20 further comprises two pins 34 for connecting at least one adjustable bracket 30 to the base 22. The pins 34 are inserted in two corresponding holes provided in the at least one bracket 30 and in two corresponding holes provided in the base 22. According to this configuration, the adjustable bracket 30 can be selectively moved, in use, towards and away from the lateral sides of the base 22 in order to widen or narrow the housing where a handheld device 200 is suitable to be housed.

[0052] The holder 20 may further comprise a couple of resilient elements, for example a couple of springs disposed inside the base 22 and each one connected to one of the pins 34 respectively, in order to pull the adjustable bracket 30 towards the base 22. At the same time, the springs may allow the adjustable bracket 30 to be pushed away from the base 22 in order to insert a handheld device into the holder 20, and, then, to pull back towards the base 22 the adjustable bracket 30 in order to hold the handheld device onto the holder 20.

[0053] The base 22 further comprises one or more connecting elements. In the first embodiment shown in the figures, the connecting elements are two slits 27, 29, in particular, an upper slit 27, longitudinally extending along the top portion of the base 22, and a lower slit 29, longitudinally extending along the bottom portion of the base 22.

[0054] According to this second embodiment, the health-device adapter 10 further comprises a health-device connector 150 slidably connected to the base 22. The health-device connector 150 may comprise an arm 152 and a releasable connecting assembly to connect the arm 152 to the base 22. The arm 152 and / or the releasable connecting assembly comprise one or more engaging elements releasable engageable in the one or more connecting elements 27, 29 of the base 22. According to the embodiment shown in Figures 9 to 12, the arm 152 comprises an upper tooth 153 suitable to be inserted, in use, in the upper slit 27 of the base 22. The releasable connecting assembly may comprise a lower tooth 155, slidably connected to the arm 152, and suitable to be inserted, in use, in the lower slit 29 of the base 22.

[0055] The releasable connecting assembly may further comprise a resilient element, for example a spring 157, disposed inside the arm 152 and connected to the lower tooth 155, in order to push the lower tooth 155 towards the upper tooth 153.

[0056] In use, in order to connect the health-device connector 150 to the base 22, the upper tooth 153 is inserted in the upper slit 27, and the lower tooth 155 is pushed away from the upper tooth 153, i.e. lowered, by applying a force to overcome the spring 157 force. Thus, the lower tooth 155 is positioned under the lower portion of the base 22, in correspondence of the lower slit 29, allowing the health-device connector 150 to embrace the base 22. Then, interrupting the force applied on the spring 157, the lower tooth 155 is inserted inside the lower slit 29 of the base 22 connecting the arm 152 to the base 22.

[0057] According to a possible embodiment, a force applied on the spring 157 is needed and the lower tooth 155 must be lowered in order to laterally move the health-device connector 150 with respect to the base 22. Conversely, according to another possible embodiment, the force exerted by the spring 157 may be such that the upper 153 and lower 155 teeth can be anyway slidably movable inside the upper 27 and lower 29 slits of the base 22 respectively.

[0058] Several different configuration or assembly may be adopted in order to make the health-device connector 150 laterally slidably connected to the base 22. According to this embodiment, the lower tooth 155 of the releasable connecting assembly may be connected to a sled 159, slidably inserted in the arm 152 and easily accessible from outside the arm 152.

[0059] The health-device connector 150 further comprises an acoustic connector, suitable to gather acoustic information from a health-device and to provide them to an acoustic input of the handheld device, i.e. a microphone.

[0060] In the embodiments shown in the figures, the arm 152 has an “L” shape, and the upper tooth 153 is provided in the upper portion of the longer portion of the “L” shaped arm 152. The arm 152 further comprise an acoustic connector 160 in the shorter portion 151 of its “L” shape. The acoustic connector 160 may be a conduit having a first opening 162, for example an acoustic funnel, facing the internal surface of the shorter portion 153 of the “L” shaped arm 152 and a second opening facing away the external surface thereof.

[0061] The acoustic funnel 162 may favourably comprise a peripheral edge suitable to abut a microphone of an electronic handheld device 200 and to reduce unfavourable noises coming from outside the acoustic connector 160.

[0062] A skilled person would and could clearly provide different shapes of the arm 152, without exerting any inventive step, as far as such a shape allows to slidably connect the arm to the base 22 and allows the acoustic funnel 162 of the acoustic connector 160 to be positioned facing the lower border of handheld device when said handheld device is connected to the health-device connector 10.

[0063] In use, and according to Fig. 1 , the acoustic connector 160 is suitable to be connected to a stethoscope 300, and, in particular, to an end of a tube 302 connected to a disc-shaped resonator and to a bell (hollow cup) 304. It is well known that a stethoscope comprises a chestpiece usually consisting of two sides that can be placed against a patient for sensing sound: a diaphragm (plastic disc shaped resonator) or bell (hollow cup). Alternatively, the stethoscope might consist of only one side: a diaphragm or a bell. If the diaphragm is placed on the patient, body sounds vibrate the diaphragm, creating acoustic pressure waves which travel up the tubing to the listener's ears. If the bell is placed on the patient, the vibrations of the skin directly produce acoustic pressure waves traveling up to the listener's ears. Therefore, any embodiment of a known stethoscope - single sided or double sided - is considered suitable to be connected to the health-device adapter of the present invention.

[0064] As for the embodiment described above, all these technical features have a further advantage. The health-device adapter may be used to provide also acoustic information, i.e. sounds, deriving from the disc-shaped resonator 304. In order to be useful as much as possible, the acoustic information must be very precise, i.e. they must be free of noise and interference. It is therefore very clear that an extremely precise alignment between the position of the acoustic connector and the position of the speaker reduces such noise and interference.

[0065] In other words, it is not sufficient that the acoustic connector is positioned on the left / right side of the handheld device if the microphone of the handheld device is on its left / right side. It is necessary that the position of the two elements, acoustic connector and microphone, coincide precisely, as the present invention allows to do. According to this second embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices is suitable to be used with both an otoscope 100 and a stethoscope 300 alternatively or in combination with each other. According to the embodiments shown in Figures 13 to 16, an optical adapter 400 is connected to the otoscope 100 in order to allow the otoscope 100 to work as a dermoscope or dermatoscope.

[0066] As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the optical adapter 400 comprises a main body comprising a channel shaped portion 402, a funnel shaped portion 404 and a cylindrical shaped edge 406. The channel shaped portion 402 further comprises a seat 408.

[0067] The optical adapter 400 is suitable to be assembled onto the otoscope 100, so that the seat 408 of the channel shaped portion 402 is suitable to house the tip 102 of the otoscope 100, which in turn houses a camera 122.

[0068] According to a particular advantageously feature, the distance between the seat 408 and the edge 406 has a predetermined value, so that the distance from the external surface of the edge portion 406 to the camera 122 corresponds to the camera 122 focal distance, giving an optimum focus and without any need from the user to adjust the focus and distance.

[0069] In use, the edge 406 comes in contact with the skin of a patient and it is suitable to seal an area of the skin from external lights and reflections.

Claims

Claims1 . A health-device adapter for handheld electronic devices comprising:- a holder (20) comprising- a base (22), longitudinally extending so as to define broad front wall (24) and back wall (26),- a gripping assembly (30, 32) to hold, in use, a handheld device, and connected to the base (22),- a health-device support (50) connected to the holder (20) and suitable to support a health-device, characterised in that the health-device support (50) is movably engaged to the gripping assembly of the holder (20).

2. A health-device adapter according to claim 1 , characterised in that the gripping assembly comprises two side brackets (30, 32) connected to the base (22), the health-device support (50) comprising a swivel mechanism (58, 59) to connect the health-device support (50) to one of the side brackets (30, 32).

3. A health-device adapter according to claim 2, characterised in that the healthdevice support (50) is detachable engaged to one of the side brackets (32) of the gripping assembly through the swivel mechanism (58, 59).

4. A health-device adapter according to claim 2, characterised in that it comprises two pins (34) connecting at least one (30) of the two brackets (30, 32) to the base (22).

5. A health-device adapter according to anyone of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it comprises a health-device connector (150) comprising an arm (152) having an “L” shape and a releasable fastening assembly.

6. A health-device adapter according to claim 6, characterised in that the healthdevice connector (150) comprises an acoustic connector (160 ) provided in a shorter portion (153) of the arm (152).

7. A health-device adapter according to claim 6, characterised in that the acoustic connector (160) is a conduit having an acoustic funnel (162) facing the internal surface of the shorter portion (153) of the “L” shaped arm (152) and a second opening facing away the external surface thereof.

8. A health-device assembly comprising the health-device adapter of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that it further comprises an otoscope (100) housed in the healthdevice support (50).

9. A health-device assembly according to claim 8, characterised in that it further comprises an optical adapter (400) connected to the otoscope (100).

10. A health-device assembly according to claim 9, characterised in that the optical adapter (400) comprises a channel shaped portion (402), a funnel shaped portion (404) and a cylindrical shaped edge (406), the channel shaped portion (402) further comprises a seat (408), suitable to house a tip (102) of the otoscope (100), which in turn houses a camera (122), the distance between the seat (408) and the edge (406) having a predetermined value, so that the distance from an external surface of the edge portion (406) to the camera (122) corresponds to the camera (122) focal distance.

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