US 4,062,104 A · Disposable clinical thermometer probe

Abstract

A disposable thermocouple probe to be used in association with an electronic processing and indicating device to comprise a clinical thermometer. The dissimilar metals of the thermocouple junction are applied by the vacuum deposition process. The optical nature of the process allows the metal thickness to be graduated to allow the dissimilar metals at the junction to be only 0.0001 to 0.1 mils thick to allow response times of less than one second, while the metal which makes sliding contact with the processing and display portion of the thermometer is graduated to a thickness of 10 times greater, for example, than the metal thickness at the junction to resist the abrasion encountered when inserted at time of use. A method is provided for the handling of the probes in large quantities by molding a structure which resembles a comb in which the individual probes are supported by a backbone. The probes are handled in this large comb configuration through the entire process till they are finally stripped from the backbone into sterile containers.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method of making a disposable clinical thermocouple probe comprised of:

forming a large plastic comb probe structure,
forming a large mask assembly,
disposing the mask assembly around the comb probe structure,
positioning the probe/mask assembly in a vacuum deposition process machine with its orientation in relation to a first metal vapor source defined by the line of sight nature of the vacuum deposition process,
energizing a first metal vapor source and despositing a first thin strip of metal with a thickness from .0001 mils to about 1 mil,
energizing a second metal vapor source which is dissimilar to the first metal vapor source and whose orientation in relation to the probe/mask assembly is defined by the line of sight nature of the vacuum deposition process,
depositing a second thin strip of dissimilar metal overlapping the first thin strip of metal at the nose of the cylindrical substrate and with a thickness from 0.0001 mils to about 1 mil,
removing the mask assembly from the comb probe structure, fracturing the probes from the backbone of the comb probe structure at their individual parting lines into multiple sterile containers,
sealing the sterile containers.

6 more elements

A method of making a disposable thermocouple probe comprised of:

forming a number of plastic probe substrates,
disposing a mask assembly around the probe substrates,
positioning the probe/mask assembly in a vacuum deposition process machine with its orientation in relation to a first metal vapor source defined by the line of sight nature of the vacuum deposition process,
energizing a first metal vapor source and depositing a first thin strip of metal with a thickness from 0.0001 mils to about 1 mil,
energizing a second metal vapor source which is dissimilar to the first metal vapor source and whose orientation in relation to the probe/mask assembly is defined by the line of sight nature of the vacuum deposition process,
depositing a second thin strip of dissimilar metal overlapping the first thin strip of metal at the nose of the cylindrical substrate and with a thickness from 0.0001 mils to about 1 mil, removing the mask assembly from the probes, placing the probes in sterile containers, sealing the sterile containers.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Disposable clinical thermometer probe

Life of this patent

Disposable clinical thermometer probe

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8