Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Structure of body-contacting electrode or electrode inserted...
Utility Patent
1998-11-04
2001-01-02
Peffley, Michael (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Structure of body-contacting electrode or electrode inserted...
C600S386000, C600S391000, C600S584000
Utility Patent
active
06169915
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for attaching sensors to the surface of the skin and includes a method for proving the removal of such sensors in order to find evidence for example for the unauthorised removal of a sensor from the human body.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
Often there is a necessity to attach a sensor to the human body which for a longer period of time and without supervision records and/or transmits certain signals emerging from the human body (such as sounds, noises, temperature variations, fluid secretion) or signals of external effects onto the body (e.g. caused by pollutants, sound, heat, cold). Such sensors may be commercial ones which continuously or intermittently detect or record or transmit certain signals to be evaluated later. According to this invention, such sensors are for instance electrocardiogram recording and analysing devices, pulse sensing/evaluating devices (pulse watches) or blood pressure measuring devices or bronchitis-asthma sensors as described for instance in DE 43 38 466 A1.
Usually such sensors are fixedly attached to the skin by means of attachment devices such as fixation strips or sticking plaster made of a wide variety of materials so that they can remain on the body for several weeks without causing inconveniences in cleaning the body. Said attachment devices are commercially available in any shape whatsoever and are for instance sold by Messrs. ARBO®-GmbH. If said sensors are for instance of a circular shape, annular sticking plasters may be used to attach them. Irrespective of the shape of the particular sensor, the attachment is effected in all cases by tightly covering parts of the sensor or the complete sensor plus—without any gap—a skin area surrounding the sensor with the usual adhesive sticking devices, thus providing a close skin contact of the side of the sensor facing the surface of the skin and ensuring water tightness.
DE-GM 76 28 422 discloses for example a sticking device for applying a measuring sensor for functional diagnostic purposes essentially comprising an adhesive ring which is meant to securely prevent artefacts even due to extreme body movements.
In the course of the development in microelectronics and sensor technology, the sensors described are increasingly used as legal evidence for assessing certain stresses a person is exposed to. In such cases, abuse and fraud by the person concerned cannot be excluded as such a person may for instance remove the sensor from his/her body and either hand it over to a third person suffering from asthma or the like or—in case of a pollution sensor—deposit it at a highly polluted place other than the place where the person actually is. Shortly before the scheduled removal of the sensor by an official, the person to be investigated might re-attach the sensor to his/her own body.
Until now, reliable systems and methods for proving the unauthorised removal of sensors from the skin do not exist.
Theoretically conceivable methods, such as gene, sweat, or trace analysis as used by criminologists in some exceptional cases, would be too lavish and costly for the purpose according to the present invention and at the same time might bring about uncertain results. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,327 discloses a plaster for the non-invasive determination of analytes (e.g. drugs) in body fluids which is used to collect excreted fluid and in which the analytes are compound with specific immobilised bonding partners and visually indicated. The plaster may contain certain markers which indicate the removal of the plaster from the skin and any possible falsification of the analytes detected (e.g. by diluting with water). However, this technological solution is too costly and therefore inappropriate for the purpose according to the present invention.
Likewise, the known method of self-destruction of foil-like stickers when being peeled off from a rigid surface, like those being used as highway toll or price stickers, is useless for the plaster/skin system because the movement of the skin itself might cause the uncontrollable, quick tearing of the foil seams thus eliminating the required constant water tightness and solidity after a short period of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment device for sensors to be attached to the surface of the skin, capable of proving a removal of the sensor from the body, and to provide a method for proving the removal of sensors from the surface of the skin.
This object is achieved by means of an attachment device
1
and by a proving method.
The attachment device represents a simple solution which can easily be implemented technologically for subsequently and reliably proving a removal of the sensor from the body of a person at whom certain signals pertaining to said person were meant to be recorded.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3631617 (1972-01-01), Pekko
patent: 4515162 (1985-05-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5203327 (1993-04-01), Schoendorfer et al.
patent: 5396901 (1995-03-01), Phillips
patent: 5944662 (1999-08-01), Schoendorfer
patent: 7628422 (1978-03-01), None
patent: 4338466A1 (1995-05-01), None
Krumbiegel Peter
Rolle-Kampczyk Ulrike
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Peffley Michael
Ruddy David M.
UFZ-Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzighalle GmbH
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