Breath analyzer mouthpiece system

A mouthpiece for delivering to a test apparatus a breath sample received through the mouthpiece from the mouth of a user, said mouthpiece comprising:

• a body having an exterior surface and a chamber within said body;
• said exterior surface having:
• (a) inlet means therethrough communicating with said chamber for receiving the breath sample from the mouth of a user,
• (b) outlet means therethrough communicating with said chamber for conducting a breath sample from said chamber to a test apparatus,
• (c) an outlet rim thereon surrounding said inlet means and facing approximately radially outward from said body,
• (d) delivery surface means thereon for substantially preventing encircling retention thereabout of supply means for delivering a bogus gas, which bogus gas supply means, if so retained in encircling relation thereabout, would deliver such gas through said mouthpiece to the test apparatus;
• said delivery surface means including:
• (e) mouth engaging surface means surrounding said inlet means, said mouth engaging surface means being substantially continuous and configured for making a sealing contact with the mouth of a user for thereby directing the breath sample from the user's mouth through said inlet means and into said chamber when the mouth of the user is pressed against said mouth engaging surface means,
• (f) a portion thereof radially outside of said mouth engaging surface means and radially inside of and bounded by said rim, said portion having at least one aperture means therethrough communicating with atmosphere at a location remote from said delivery surface means of said exterior surface for providing a gas leakage path from said delivery surface means for venting at least some of the bogus gas from said bogus gas supply means to atmosphere when said supply means is encircling and retained about the mouthpiece at said rim, said aperture means being so located between said mouth engaging surface means and said rim so that said gas leakage path does not vent to atmosphere a breath sample from the mouth of the user,
• (g) at least two electrodes at least a portion of each of which communicates with said mouth engaging surface means near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of a user when receiving a breath sample from a user, said electrodes being capable of being connected in a circuit in the test apparatus, and
• (h) wherein said delivery surface means diverges at an angle of not less than about 30.degree. from said inlet means to said rim, whereby said rim is the nearest portion on said exterior surface to said inlet means having a surface to which encircling self-retention of the bogus gas supply means can be made.

A breath test mouthpiece system, comprising:

• (a) a mouthpiece having an inlet for receiving a breath sample;
• (b) an electrode at least a portion of which communicates with the exterior surface of said mouthpiece near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of a user when receiving a breath sample from the user;
• (c) an impedance monitor;
• (d) a signal generator;
• and
• (e) breath tester means for detecting a component in said breath sample;
• said impedance monitor and said signal generator each being connected to said electrode to permit monitoring of the impedance across said electrode and to permit energizing said electrode with a humanly perceivable signal adapted to cue a user of the mouthpiece by perceptible direct electrical stimulation.

A breath test mouthpiece system for cuing a user delivering a breath sample to be tested, said system comprising:

• (a) mouthpiece means having surface means thereon with an inlet therethrough for receiving a breath sample from the user and an outlet capable of delivering said breath sample to an alcohol detector, said surface means being continuous and positioned for contacting the mouth of the user when receiving the sample from the user;
• (b) at least two electrodes at least a portion of each of which communicates with said surface means of said mouthpiece means near enough to said inlet to contact the mouth of said user when receiving a breath sample form the user;
• and
• (c) signal generator means connected to said electrodes for transmitting thereto a humanly perceivable electrical signal carrying information adapted to communicate with the user to cue the user of the mouthpiece means by perceivable direct stimulation of the mouth of the user when in contact with said electrodes.

A breath test system for testing a breath sample from the mouth of a user, said system comprising:

• (1) a mouthpiece having a mouthpiece body, said body having an exterior surface surrounding said body and a chamber within said body, said exterior surface having an inlet therethrough communicating with said chamber fore receiving the breath sample from the mouth of the user and having an outlet therethrough communicating with said chamber;
• (2) delivery surface means formed of said exterior surface and surrounding and adjacent to said inlet for allowing the formation of a substantially airtight seal between said inlet and the mouth of the user while substantially preventing the formation of an airtight connection by encircling self-retention thereabout of bogus gas supply means, said delivery surface means including:
• (a) mouth engaging surface means formed of a first portion of said exterior surface, said first portion being:
• (i) substantially continuous and surrounding said inlet for making a sealing contact with the mouth of the user for thereby directing the breath sample from the user's mouth through said inlet and into said chamber when the mouth of the user is pressed thereagainst, and
• (ii) sloped outwardly from said inlet so as to diverge such that the encircling perimeter about said inlet increases with the distance thereon from said inlet at an angle sufficiently steep so as to inhibit such encircling self-retention thereabout;
• and
• (b) venting surface means formed of a second portion of said exterior surface adjacent to and extending outwardly from said first portion on the opposite side thereof from said inlet, said second portion having aperture means therethrough communicating with atmosphere at a location remote from said delivery surface means for providing a gas leakage path from said portion for venting to atmosphere at least some of bogus gas from a bogus gas supply means if the supply means is encircling and retained about said delivery surface means, said aperture means being located so that said gas leakage path does not vent to atmosphere the breath sample from the mouth of the user seated against said mouth engaging surface means;
• and
• (3) a breath tester connected to said outlet and having means therein for performing a test on the breath sample.

A breath test system for communicating a cuing signal to a user of the system, said system comprising:

• (a) a breath tester;
• (b) a mouthpiece having inlet means for receiving a breath sample from the mouth of a user, said inlet means having mouth engaging surface means surrounding said inlet means, said surface being adapted for contacting the lip of the user when the breath sample is being received at said inlet means from the user's mouth;
• (c) means interconnecting said mouthpiece and said tester for delivering the sample received at said inlet means to said tester;
• (d) a signal generator for generating a humanly sensible cue signal;
• and
• (e) means mounted in said mouthpiece for communicating said humanly sensible cue signal from said signal generator to the lip of the user when the user's lip is in contact with said surface means when the user's mouth is positioned to deliver a sample to said mouthpiece.