Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of body portion
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-27
2001-12-04
Winakur, Eric F. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of body portion
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327494
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a body-fat measuring apparatus measuring in-vivo impedance and computing body-fat quantity, more especially to a body-fat measuring apparatus equipped with a body-height measuring device.
BACKGROUND ART
In the conventional way for a body-fat measuring apparatus for measuring in-vivo impedance and computing body fat quantity, many measuring devices are proposed such as a device using a body-weight measuring device and hand/foot electrodes disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.5-49050 and Japanese Laid-Open Publication No.7-12635, a device using movable hand electrodes disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.7-51242, a device using a body-weight measuring device and foot electrodes with a body-height measuring device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.7-100122.
When examinee's in-vivo impedance is measured by hand electrodes, it needs to keep examinee's arm region approximately at right angle to his/her torso region so as to obtain a measurement value stably, and also needs to keep the angle the same in each measurement especially for assuring the same measured quantity for every measurement. Accordingly, in the body-fat value measuring devices using hand electrodes, it is conventionally suggested to secure the hand electrode elements at a predetermined position, such as Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 7-12635, or to keep examinee's arm region at right angle to his/her torso region himself/herself by examinee's visual adjustment, such as Japanese Patent publication No. 7-51242. However, in a type of device in which the electrode elements are secured at a predetermined position, the device is not capable of adjusting for differences in examinee's body heights so that the difference in angle between torso regions and arm regions may be extremely increased to result in making a measured value incorrect upon some examinees' measurement. Further, even if an examinee attempts to maintain an appropriate right angle position by the examinee's visual adjustment, the angle is, in fact, changed in each measurement resulting in an unstable measured value.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide a device capable to obtain accurate and stable in-vivo impedance with hand electrodes, and also to provide a device for effectively utilizing in-vivo impedance measured accurately with the hand electrodes.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
For solving the above problem, the present invention provide a body-height measuring device including a footstool on which an examinee mounts, a measuring terminal to contact with the top of examinee's head, and a cursor movable in upward and downward direction with holding the measuring terminal, and also provide in-vivo impedance measuring electrodes integrated with the cursor, whereby the measuring electrodes can be located at the same position in each measurement.
Furthermore, the in-vivo impedance measuring electrodes integrated with the cursor are located at a height approximately corresponding to the examinee's shoulder as the measuring terminal contacts with the top of examinee's head, whereby the angle between torso region and arm region of an examinee may be approximately right angle when the examinee grasps the measuring electrodes, in most case.
Examinee's body-height has wide difference. Since the difference between examinees in shoulder height is approximately equal to the difference of their body-height, it is assumable that the difference in shoulder height is a few ten centimeters. Thereto, the difference in height from shoulder to top of head is considerably smaller than the difference in body-height, and its individual difference is a few centimeters.
If the body-height measuring terminal of the body-height measuring device is contacted with top of head, the hand electrodes is set up so as to be located at shoulder height of a person who is average in body height so that an angle between arm region and torso region may become approximately right angle when most examinees grasp the hand electrodes, and the hand electrodes may be always set up to the same angle in every measurements when the examinee is a same person.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention further comprises foot electrodes to contact with bottom of an examinee's foot when he/she mounts on the footstool used for body-height measurement, wherein high-frequency current applying paths and potential difference measuring areas are switched over by a controller to collect useful data for computing such as quantity of fat in each of the measuring areas.
According to further aspect of the present invention, a platform of a body-weight measuring device is used as the footstool in order to enable a single apparatus to measure body-height, in-vivo impedance, and body-weight by a series of operations.
As the result, the present invention will provide an improved apparatus to collect all of body-height, body-weight, and in-vivo impedance, that result from in-vivo impedance measurement and are included among factors such as examinee's sex, age, body-height, body-weight, and in-vivo impedance, conventionally applied to an arithmetic expression for computing a body-fat quantity, by a series of operations of a single device.
With reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4911175 (1990-03-01), Shizgal
patent: 5335667 (1994-08-01), Cha et al.
patent: 5415176 (1995-05-01), Sato et al.
patent: 50-86091 (1948-12-01), None
patent: 61-156906 (1986-09-01), None
patent: 5-49050 (1993-07-01), None
patent: 5-51304 (1993-07-01), None
patent: 6-189928 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 6-304149 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 7-12635 (1995-01-01), None
patent: 7-51242 (1995-02-01), None
patent: 7-75625 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 7-100122 (1995-04-01), None
patent: 7-303617 (1995-11-01), None
patent: 9-285455 (1997-11-01), None
McDermott & Will & Emery
Tanita Corporation
Winakur Eric F.
Wingood Pamela
LandOfFree
Body-fat measuring apparatus equipped with body-height... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Body-fat measuring apparatus equipped with body-height..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Body-fat measuring apparatus equipped with body-height... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2595345