Measuring and testing – Gas analysis – Breath analysis
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-28
2001-03-27
Larkin, Daniel S. (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Gas analysis
Breath analysis
C422S084000, C436S132000, C436S900000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06205840
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to breathalyzers and more particularly pertains to a new time clock breathalyzer combination for preventing employees from working when having a blood alcohol level greater than an acceptable amount.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of breathalyzers is known in the prior art. More specifically, breathalyzers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,161; U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,489; U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,026; U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,691; U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,521; and U.S. Pat. Des. 368,037 which are each incorporated herein by reference.
In these respects, the time clock breathalyzer combination according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of preventing employees from working when having a blood alcohol level greater than an acceptable amount.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of breathalyzers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new time clock breathalyzer combination construction wherein the same can be utilized for preventing employees from working when having a blood alcohol level greater than an acceptable amount.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the breathalyzers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new time clock breathalyzer combination which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art breathalyzers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a housing with a rectangular configuration having a front face, a rear face, a top face, a bottom face, and a pair of side faces. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the front face of the housing has a clock mounted thereon for tracking a current time and visually indicating the same. Further, a first one of the side faces has a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally oriented slots formed therein for storing a plurality of timecards therein. The front face has a flexible bellowed inlet tube with an inboard end coupled to the front face adjacent to the top face and a second one of the side faces. The top face further has a slot formed therein for releasably receiving one of the timecards. Situated within the housing is an air flow rate sensor that is connected to the inboard end of the inlet tube for determining a rate of air flow therethrough. Associated therewith is an alcohol sensor situated within the housing and connected to the inboard end of the inlet tube. In use, the alcohol sensor is adapted for determining an amount of alcohol in the air flow. Also positioned within the housing is a printer for printing characters on the timecard when inserted therein. As shown in
FIG. 3
, a controller is situated within the housing and connected to the air flow rate sensor, alcohol sensor, and printer. In use, the controller serves to calculate an alcohol percentage amount within a user from the amount of alcohol detected by the alcohol sensor. Such calculation is preferably carried out upon the detection of a sufficient air flow rate by the air flow rate sensor. The controller is further adapted to print the alcohol percentage amount and a time of beginning work upon a first insertion of one of the timecards within the slot of the housing. Upon a subsequent second insertion of the timecard within the slot of the housing, the controller is further adapted to print the alcohol percentage amount and a time of ending work. Note FIG.
4
. Finally, alert indicia is printed on a cop of the timecard upon the alcohol percentage amount being greater than a predetermined amount.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions in so far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the breathalyzers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new time clock breathalyzer combination which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art breathalyzers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such time clock breathalyzer combination economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination for preventing employees from working when having a blood alcohol level greater than an acceptable amount.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new time clock breathalyzer combination that includes a clock for tracking a current time, an inlet port, an alcohol sensor connected to the inlet port for determinin
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