US3874233A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Gas volume meter
Assignee: Del Mar Engineering Laboratories
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Filing: 1973-07-20
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Granted: 1975-04-01
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Expires: 1993-07-20
Abstract
Abstract A gas volume meter is provided for use in a breath gas measuring instrument and system, in which the volume of the gas expired by a subject, the oxygen uptake in the expired gas, and the oxygen consumption per unit weight of the subject, are periodically calculated and digitally displayed. The gas volume meter of the invention includes a disc which is rotatably driven at a rate corresponding to the volume of gas passed through the meter in a given time interval. The disc has peripheral slots, and a photoelectric scanner senses the slots to produce electric pulses whose repetition frequency is a measure of the rate of rotation of the disc.
Inventors
- 👤 Clifford Sanctuary
- 👤 Donald C Woods
- 👤 John A Bachman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 10:43
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/08; A61B5/087; A61B5/091; A61B5/093; G; G01; G01F; G01F15/00; G01F15/07; G01F15/075; G01F15/0755
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
252 words
A gas volume meter for generating an electric pulse each time a predetermined volume of gas passes therethrough, said gas volume meter comprising: a housing; means for raising the internal temperature of the housing to a particular temperature; a first tubular member extending into the housing for introducing a gas into the interior of the housing; a second tubular member extending from the housing for exhausting the gas from the interior of the housing; a rotatable member mounted in said housing and having a plurality of sensor elements thereon at predetermined angular positions and having predetermined angular spacings between successive ones of said elements; a drive means mounted in said housing and mechanically coupled to the rotatable member for rotatably driving the rotatable member in response to the gas passed through the housing, said drive means imparting a non-uniform rotation to the rotatable member in the presence of a uniform flow of gas through the housing, and the individual angular spacings between said sensor elements being selected to compensate for such non-uniform rotation; and electric transducer means in sensing relationship with the sensor elements of said rotatable member for generating an electric pulse each time a predetermined volume of gas passes through the housing, the predetermined angular spacings between successive ones of the sensor elements being selected so that the volume of gas represented by each electric pulse generated by the electric transducer means is measured to a standard temperature different from the internal temperature of the housing by a predetermined amount.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
252 words
A gas volume meter for generating an electric pulse each time a predetermined volume of gas passes therethrough, said gas volume meter comprising: a housing; means for raising the internal temperature of the housing to a particular temperature; a first tubular member extending into the housing for introducing a gas into the interior of the housing; a second tubular member extending from the housing for exhausting the gas from the interior of the housing; a rotatable member mounted in said housing and having a plurality of sensor elements thereon at predetermined angular positions and having predetermined angular spacings between successive ones of said elements; a drive means mounted in said housing and mechanically coupled to the rotatable member for rotatably driving the rotatable member in response to the gas passed through the housing, said drive means imparting a non-uniform rotation to the rotatable member in the presence of a uniform flow of gas through the housing, and the individual angular spacings between said sensor elements being selected to compensate for such non-uniform rotation; and electric transducer means in sensing relationship with the sensor elements of said rotatable member for generating an electric pulse each time a predetermined volume of gas passes through the housing, the predetermined angular spacings between successive ones of the sensor elements being selected so that the volume of gas represented by each electric pulse generated by the electric transducer means is measured to a standard temperature different from the internal temperature of the housing by a predetermined amount.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The gas volume meter defined in claim 1, in which said rotatable member comprises a disc having slots positioned at the peripheral edge thereof to form the sensor elements with the periphery of the disc, and said electric transducer means comprises a photoelectric scanner.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The gas volume meter defined in claim 1, in which a portion of the gas to be introduced to the housing is diverted, and in which the individual spacings between the sensor elements are further selected to compensate for such diversion.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-31 | 1978-09-30 | 1979-04-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-31 | 1982-09-30 | 1983-04-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-31 | 1986-09-30 | 1987-04-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |