Disposable thermometer

Abstract

A thermometer comprising: a molded plastic body member having a recess in one side forming a reservoir for a temperature indicating fluid and a relatively wide capillary passageway in fluid communication with the reservoir. Adjacent the capillary passageway is temperature indicating indicia. There is a relatively thin metal lid which seals the reservoir and conducts heat rapidly to the temperature indicating fluid when the thermometer is in use. The invention includes means for retaining the temperature indicating fluid in position so that the temperature can be read and recorded after the thermometer has been removed from a patient. There are several embodiments of the temperature indicating retaining means and these embodiments utilize air at atmospheric pressure to prevent the regression of the temperature indicating fluid into the reservoir after the thermometer has been removed from a patient. In another form of the invention means is provided so that after the level of the temperature indicating fluid has been read and recorded, the temperature indicating fluid can be forced to return to the reservoir.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.