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US 5,291,898 AGranted
Breath alcohol device
AssigneeAlcotek, Inc.
InventorKarl P. W. Wolf
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAlcotek, Inc.
InventorKarl P. W. Wolf
Estimating the term…
A hand held breath analyzer is energized when a mouthpiece tube is put into position. An ejector mechanism expels the mouthpiece, which de-energizes the system. The insertion of the mouthpiece not only cocks the ejector mechanism but closes a cover on an exhaust manifold of a breath sample passage. The breath sample passage includes a sample chamber with a port to receive a sampling tube fitting, and an auxiliary port. The exhaust manifold is long relative to the length of the sampling chamber and terminates in an orifice by means of which ambient air is drawn across a thermistor. The sampling tube communicates with a fuel cell chamber, into which breath is drawn by a diaphragm pump arranged, in its normal, uncocked condition, to inhibit the entrance of contaminants into the chamber. The diaphragm pump is actuated in response to operation of the thermistor, through a relay-tripped toggle linkage. A flag, connected to one of the toggle members, blocks the path of light from a photocell to a photoreceptor, insuring that the diaphragm pump is properly cocked for use before a breath sample is attempted to be taken.
In a hand-held breath analyzing device with a housing having mouthpiece tube-receiving means, the improvement comprising detent means mounted in said housing to move between engaging and disengaging positions, and spring means biasing said detent means to disengaging position, a disposable mouthpiece having a tube with an inner end adapted to be embraced by said mouthpiece tube-receiving means, an outer end through which a subject blows, and means intermediate said outer and inner ends of said tube for engaging said detent means, said detent means being displaced against the bias of said spring by movement of said mouthpiece tube into seated condition in said mouthpiece tube-receiving means, and means, responsive to said displacement, for holding said detent means in mouthpiece-engaging position with said tube and embraced by said mouthpiece tube-receiving means until said detent holding means is deliberately released, whereupon said detent means, moving with the bias of said spring means, ejects said mouthpiece from said mouthpiece tube receiving means and away from said housing.
A hand-held breath analyzing device having a breath sample chamber with a breath passage through it and an exhaust manifold with a breath passage through it communicating with said sample chamber breath passage, said manifold breath passage being long as compared with the length of the breath sample chamber breath passage whereby ambient air is inhibited from reaching the breath sample chamber if a subject who is blowing into the device stops blowing at the moment of sampling from the breath sample chamber.
In a hand-held breath analyzing device having a housing and a breath flow assembly including a breath sample chamber, a pump assembly having a sampling tube, said sampling tube communicating with said pump chamber, said pump assembly comprising a diaphragm and a pump chamber, and a fuel cell communicating with said pump chamber, the improvement comprising sad pump assembly being selectively mounted in said housing with said sampling tube communicating with said breath sample chamber and demounted from said housing, with said sampling tube removed from communication with said breath sample chamber.
In a hand-held breath analyzing device having a breath sample chamber, a pump assembly having a sampling tube communicating with said breath sample chamber, said pump assembly comprising a diaphragm and a pump chamber, and a fuel cell communicating with said pump chamber, the improvement comprising said sampling tube communicating with said pump chamber through an opening adjacent an edge of said diaphragm, said edge having an annular corrugation extending toward said tube opening, said corrugation obstructing said opening when said diaphragm is moved toward said fuel cell as far as it can.
In a hand-held breath analyzing device having a breath sample chamber, a sampling tube communicating with said breath sample chamber, a pump assembly communicating with said tube, said pump assembly comprising a diaphragm and a pump chamber, and a fuel cell communicating with said pump chamber, said pump assembly diaphragm being mounted in a case and being movable toward and away from said fuel cell, and means for moving said diaphragm toward and away from said fuel cell, the improvement comprising a trip lever pivotally connected to said case and to an actuating lever pivotally connected to a diaphragm hub assembly slidably mounted in said case, over-centering spring means having one end connected to said trip lever and another end connected to said actuating lever, said spring means biasing said trip lever in a direction in which said diaphragm is moved by said actuating lever away from said fuel cell, and means for selectively latching said trip lever in a position at which said diaphragm is moved by said actuating lever to its limit toward said fuel cell, means for unlatching said trip lever, and means for moving said trip lever to latched position.
In a gas sampling device having a sampling tube, a pump assembly communicating with said tube, said pump assembly comprising a diaphragm and a pump chamber having a bottom wall, said pump assembly diaphragm being mounted in a case and being movable toward and away from said bottom wall, and means for moving said diaphragm toward and away from said bottom wall, the improvement comprising a trip lever pivotally connected to a diaphragm hub assembly slidably mounted in said case, over-centering spring means connected at one end to said trip lever and at another end to said actuating lever, said spring means biasing said trip lever in a direction in which said diaphragm is moved by said actuating lever away from said bottom wall, and means for selectively latching said trip lever in a position at which said diaphragm is moved by said actuating lever to its limit toward said bottom wall, means for unlatching said trip lever, and means for moving said trip lever to latched position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.