US 3,938,615 A · Stethoscope consisting of a stethoscope chest piece and a sound mixer

Abstract

An improved stethoscope for use in medical diagnosis as a listening device to detect sounds within the thoracic cavity is provided having improved sound reception and transmission characteristics. The improved stethoscope has an improved stethoscope chestpiece which has two sound chambers for receiving sounds as the instrument is placed against a patient. One sound chamber is the same as that described in my earlier U. S. Pat. No. 3,067,833, utilizing a diaphragm across the mouth of the sound chamber, while the second sound chamber utilizes no diaphragm. The structure forming the second sound chamber is rotatable with respect to the structure forming the first sound chamber; rotation of the second structure with respect to the first structure between two stops results in the two chambers being acoustically connected at one position while at the second position the two chambers are acoustically insulated from each other. Dual sound transmission passageways are utilized for providing the physician with stereophonic sounds at all times. A sound mixing block is also provided which the stethoscope user may utilize at his option to provide an increased stereophonic effect and to provide a greater richness to the sound.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An improved stethoscope chest piece having two cavities therein, each of said cavities forming respectively a first and second sound chamber in said chest piece, a first one of said two sound chambers having a flat, substantially rigid diaphragm disposed in a planar relationship with said first sound chamber so as to form a closed sound chamber, said chest piece further having means for providing for both optionally selectable acoustic insulation of said second sound chamber from said first sound chamber and optionally selectable acoustic communication of said first and second chambers.

An improved stethoscope chest piece comprising:

a. a first solid body portion having a first sound chamber therein, having first and second passageways for transmission of sound therethrough, said first and second passageways providing means for acoustically connecting said sound chamber with conventional stethoscope sound tubes, said first solid body portion having a third passageway acoustically connecting said first passageway with a surface of said first solid body portion for sound transmission therebetween, said surface of said first solid body portion being complementarily configured for mating with a similarly complementarily configured surface of a second solid body portion;
b. a second solid body portion having a second sound chamber therein, said second solid body portion having a fourth passageway therein for transmission of sound therethrough, said fourth passageway acoustically connecting said second sound chamber in said second solid body portion with a surface of said second solid body portion for sound transmission therebetween, said surface of said second solid body portion being complementarily configured for mating with said complementarily configured surface of said first solid body portion;
c. means for securing together said first and second solid body portions, said means being adapted to provide for movement of said second solid body portion with respect to said first solid body portion in response to an externally applied force, said movement being between first and second fixed positions;
wherein said first and second solid body portions are so disposed that when said second solid body portion is at the first fixed position with respect to said first solid body portion, said third passageway in said solid body portion is in acoustic communciation with said fourth passageway in said second solid body portion, and such that when said second solid body portion is at said second fixed position with respect to said first solid body portion, said third passageway in said first solid body portion is acoustically insulated from said fourth passageway in said second solid body portion.

1 more element

An improved stethoscope chest piece comprising:

a. a first solid body portion having at least three distinct exterior surfaces, a first one of said three distinct exterior surfaces having a first sound chamber therein, said first solid body portion having first and second passageways for transmission of sound therethrough, said first and second passageways acoustically connecting said first sound chamber to a second one of said three distinct exterior surfaces of said first solid body portion for sound transmission therebetween, said first solid body portion having a third passageway for sound transmission therethrough, said third passageway acoustically connecting said first passageway with said third distinct surface of said first solid body portion for sound transmission therebetween, said third distinct surface of said first solid body portion being a planar surface suitably adapted for flush mounting thereo a similar planar surface of a second solid body portion;
b. two hollow tubular extension members extending from and in force-fit relation with said first and second passageways, said hollow tubular extension members being means for transmitting sound therethrough from said first and second passageways to first and second conventional stethoscope sound transmission tubes;
c. a second solid body portion having at least two distinct exterior surfaces, a first one of said two distinct exterior surfaces having a second sound chamber therein, a second one of said two distinct external surfaces of said second solid body portion being a planar surface suitably adapted for flush mounting thereto a similar planar surface of said first solid body portion, said second solid body portion having a fourth passageway for transmission of sound therethrough, said fourth passageway acoustically connecting said second sound chamber in said second solid body portion to said planar surface of said second said body portion for sound transmission therebetween;
and
d. means for securing together said first and second solid body portions, said means being adapted to provide for rotational movement of said second solid body portion with respect to said first solid body portion in response to an externally applied torque, while said first and second solid body portions are secured together, said movement being between first and second fixed positions;
wherein said first and second solid body portions are so disposed that when said second solid body portion is at said first fixed position with respect to said first solid body portion, said third passageway in said first solid body portion is in acoustic communication with said fourth passageway in said second solid body portion, and such that when said second solid body portion is at said second fixed position with respect to said first solid body portion, said third passageway in said first solid body portion is acoustically insulated from said fourth passageway in said second solid body portion.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Stethoscope consisting of a stethoscope chest piece and a sound mixer

Life of this patent

Stethoscope consisting of a stethoscope chest piece and a sound mixer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15