Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
A method of measuring blood pressure using a cuff, pressurizing unit and bleeding valve, comprising: squeezing an artery by pressurizing the cuff, the artery having a stretchable wall; deflating the cuff; indicating the cuff pressure; determining changes in displacement velocity of the arterial wall's displacement as the wall stretches and contracts in response to a pulsating blood flow through the artery; and comparing the changes in displacement velocity to determine blood pressure as indicated by the cuff pressure.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
78 words
A method of measuring blood pressure using a cuff, pressurizing unit and bleeding valve, comprising: squeezing an artery by pressurizing the cuff, the artery having a stretchable wall; deflating the cuff; indicating the cuff pressure; determining changes in displacement velocity of the arterial wall's displacement as the wall stretches and contracts in response to a pulsating blood flow through the artery; and comparing the changes in displacement velocity to determine blood pressure as indicated by the cuff pressure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 1 wherein determining the changes in displacement velocity of the arterial wall's displacement comprises: acquiring the acceleration component of the arterial wall's displacement; and from the acceleration component, determining the increased and decreased changes in displacement velocity as the wall stretches and contracts.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 2 wherein acquiring the acceleration component of the arterial wall's displacement comprises: acquiring the arterial wall's displacement with a displacement transducer; and determining the acceleration component from the wall's displacement over time.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 2 wherein acquiring the acceleration component of the arterial wall's displacement comprises: acquiring the velocity of the arterial wall's displacement with a displacement velocity transducer; and determining the acceleration component from the wall's displacement velocity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the changes in displacement velocity to determine blood pressure comprises: detecting a maximum decreased displacement velocity change; establishing a threshold level of decreased velocity change at a predetermined fraction of the maximum detected change; and detecting consecutive decreased velocity changes that exceed the threshold level to determine systolic pressure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the changes in displacement velocity to determine blood pressure comprises: detecting a maximum decreased displacement velocity change; establishing a threshold level of decreased velocity change at a predetermined fraction of the maximum detected change; and detecting consecutive decreased velocity changes that are less than the threshold level to determine diastolic pressure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
84 words
The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the changes in displacement velocity to determine blood pressure comprises: determining a decreased displacement velocity change corresponding to systolic pressure; determining first and second decreased velocity changes occurring, respectively, immediately before and immediately after the velocity change corresponding to systolic pressure; averaging the three velocity changes to obtain an average velocity change; and detecting a decreased displacement velocity change that is less than either the first velocity change or the average velocity change to determine diastolic pressure.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the changes in displacement velocity to determine blood pressure comprises: detecting large (Lm) and small (Sm) increased changes in displacement velocity that accompany each pulsation of the blood flow through the artery, where m=0,1,2, . . . ; determining an amplitude difference ΔAm between Lm and Sm for each pulsation; and detecting an increase in the amplitude difference ΔAm between consecutive pulsations to determine systolic pressure.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the changes in velocity to determine blood pressure comprises: detecting large (Lm) and small (Sm) increased changes in displacement velocity that accompany each pulsation of the blood flow through the artery, where m=0,1,2, . . . ; determining a time difference ΔTm between Lm and Sm for each pulsation; and detecting an increase in the time difference ΔTm between consecutive pulsations to determine systolic pressure.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
107 words
A blood pressure measuring apparatus comprising: a cuff having tubes therein for wrapping around and applying pressure to an artery; a pressurizing unit to inflate the cuff; a bleeding valve to deflate the cuff; a pressure transducer to detect fluctuating pressure within the cuff; a displacement transducer to detect displacement of the arterial wall; a velocity transducer to detect the velocity of the wall displacement; data processing means coupled to the transducers for determining the acceleration component of the arterial wall's displacement and, from the acceleration, determining changes in displacement velocity over time; and control means for controlling the pressurizing unit, bleeding valve and data processing means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
107 words
A blood pressure measuring apparatus comprising: a cuff having tubes therein for wrapping around and applying pressure to an artery; a pressurizing unit to inflate the cuff; a bleeding valve to deflate the cuff; a pressure transducer to detect fluctuating pressure within the cuff; a displacement transducer to detect displacement of the arterial wall; a velocity transducer to detect the velocity of the wall displacement; data processing means coupled to the transducers for determining the acceleration component of the arterial wall's displacement and, from the acceleration, determining changes in displacement velocity over time; and control means for controlling the pressurizing unit, bleeding valve and data processing means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of claim 10 including a display unit operably coupled to the data processing means for displaying the instantaneous fluctuating pressure of the cuff as the height of a mercury column in a scaled manometer glass tube.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The apparatus of claim 10 including a display unit operably coupled to the data processing means for displaying over a time scale the instantaneous fluctuating pressure of the cuff, the acceleration component of the arterial wall's displacement, the increased and decreased displacement velocity changes, and the instantaneous velocity component of the arterial wall's displacement.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 10 including a display unit operably coupled to the data processing means for displaying over a time scale a threshold level of decreased displacement velocity change for comparison with a plurality of decreased velocity changes to visually determine systolic and diastolic pressure.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus of claim 10 including a data communication unit for continuously transmitting or receiving instantaneous fluctuating cuff pressure, acceleration and velocity data from or to other instruments.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of measuring dynamic parameters of arterial wall motion against decreasing pressure of a pressurized cuff, comprising; squeezing an artery by pressurizing the cuff, the artery having a stretchable wall that is displaced in response to a pulsating blood flow through the artery; deflating the cuff to decrease the cuff pressure; determining acceleration of the arterial wall's displacement as the wall stretches and contracts; and from the acceleration, determining changes in velocity of the arterial wall's displacement over time.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of measuring dynamic parameters of arterial wall motion against decreasing pressure of a pressurized cuff, comprising; squeezing an artery by pressurizing the cuff, the artery having a stretchable wall that is displaced in response to a pulsating blood flow through the artery; deflating the cuff to decrease the cuff pressure; determining acceleration of the arterial wall's displacement as the wall stretches and contracts; and from the acceleration, determining changes in velocity of the arterial wall's displacement over time.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 15 wherein determining acceleration of the arterial wall's displacement comprises: acquiring the arterial wall's displacement with a displacement or pressure transducer coupled to the cuff; and taking the second derivative of the displacement or cuff pressure to determine the acceleration.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 15 wherein determining acceleration of the arterial wall's displacement comprises: acquiring the instantaneous velocity of the arterial wall's displacement with a velocity transducer; and taking the first derivative of the instantaneous velocity to determine the acceleration.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 15 including: determining the instantaneous velocity of the arterial wall's displacement; and displaying on a display unit the acceleration and instantaneous velocity as a function of time.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 15 including displaying on the display unit the changes in displacement velocity separately as increased changes as a function of time and decreased changes as a function of time.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 15 including: indicating the cuff pressure; and measuring blood pressure as indicative by the cuff pressure from the changes in velocity of the arterial wall's displacement.