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Personal protection deviceRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Body GarmentsPersonal protection device description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060288464, Personal protection device. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/694,020, filed on Jun. 24, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to the field of personal protection devices and, in particular, to devices for protecting a user from injury due to falls. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The elderly have long sustained serious injuries from falls from a standing position. The elderly are at a particularly high risk for falling, because of deterioration in the quality of sight, balance, coordination, and proprioception or the sense of their body's position in 3-dimensional space. Additionally, high rates of osteoporosis in this population make falls particularly injurious with high fracture rates. Probably most surprising is the statistic that 50% of people over the age of 80 die within one year of sustaining a hip fracture. Other individuals, such as those with movement disorders, are also prone to injury due to frequent falls. [0004] Patients who sustain falls may injure one or more body areas, including lower extremities, pelvis, upper extremities, back/neck, abdomen, chest, and or head. Lower extremity injury is one of the most serious in terms of limiting independent living functionality because of its obvious effect on walking. Furthermore, inability to walk in the elderly is associated with rapid physical reconditioning, increased incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE)(blood clots in the deep leg veins (deep vein thrombosis -DVT) and in the lung (pulmonary embolism-PE)), and highly correlated with necessitating skilled nursing facilities. Skilled nursing facilities, in turn, have high rates of resistant bacteria leading to a predilection for transmission of infections that are resistant to antibiotics. Contrary to their name, skilled nursing facilities are not as effective at maintaining the physical and emotional health of their patients, as is achieved by individuals who live independently. Additionally, DVTs, which are highly prevalent in the inactive, tend to progress up the legs, eventually breaking-off and leading to a blood clot lodging in the lung, known as a pulmonary embolism. A recent study suggests approximately 600,000 patients annually in the United States develop VTE and about half (296,000) of them die. [0005] Medical costs to society are secondary to quality of life issues, but remain a significant consideration. A recent study of people aged 72 and older found that the average health care cost of a fall injury was approximately $19,440 (including hospital, nursing home, emergency room, and home health care, but not physician services). Hip fractures are the second most common cause of nursing home admission. Approximately 25% of patients with hip fractures will remain institutionalized for approximately one year. In 1999, there were approximately 338,000 hip fractures in the United States. In 2000, direct medical costs from fatal hip fractures were about $179 million and nonfatal hip fractures were about $19 billion. More troubling are the demographic projections that indicate the population over 80 will double in the next 20 years, which will undoubtedly result in an increased incidence of hip fractures. [0006] The socio-medical trends associated with lower extremity injuries make the avoidance of serious lower extremity injuries of paramount importance to maintaining an independent, physically active lifestyle in the elderly population. Furthermore, the potential societal cost savings would likely equal any other preventative medicine effort in the United States. [0007] Airbags are known in the art of vehicle occupant injury prevention, but have not been used to protect individuals from falls from stationary or near stationary positions. Airbag inflation life preservers have been designed to be automatically inflated with exposure to water. The inflation of these devices is driven, like car airbags, by the expansion of a compressed gas. Airbags that surround the head have even been described for avalanche victims to buoy the head, provide head protection from falling debris by surrounding the head, and provide an oxygen source. Finally airbags have been used by fighter pilots to rapidly inflate during high G-force turns, maintaining pressure on the extremities and, thereby, keep adequate brain flow blood pressure to prevent loss of consciousness. [0008] It has been found, however, that there is a considerable need for the protection of individuals from falls from a stationary or near stationary position. There is, therefore, a need for a light, compact, easily worn personal protection device that automatically inflates when a sensor determines the wearer is falling toward the ground. In this way, an individual wearer may retain mobility and simultaneously be protected from serious injury from a fall from a standing position. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The present invention relates to injury prevention, for example hip fractures, in people prone to falls, because, for example, of advanced age or movement disorders. In one embodiment, the present invention is an inflatable airbag that is activated when a sensor detects that the wearer of the device is falling, but that is sufficiently light weight and easily worn to allow the wearer to have a normal degree of mobility and thereby not impede the wearer's normal activities. Additionally, the device can protect a wearer in a sitting or prone position, as encountered in a wheelchair or bed. One object of the invention is to deploy the airbag in the direction the user is falling by linking the direction of deployment to, for example, an accelerometer's measured direction of fall. [0010] Generally, the present invention includes a belt, harness, or other article of clothing, an airbag enclosed within the article of clothing, a sensor, a manual release device, and a cartridge of a compressed substance that when released rapidly fills the airbag with a gas and causes deployment of the airbag, such that the wearer falls on the airbag instead of the ground. The airbag is packed within the belt or harness and fastened in place. The fastener is disengaged by activation of the device and airbag inflation, which allows airbag deployment. The device can also be designed to rapidly deflate once the wearer has been gradually decelerated during the fall. [0011] The device may be activated manually or by the sensor's detection of a fall. Further, airbag deployment may be linked to a transmitter to notify an ambulance or the wearer's relatives of the fall. Additionally, a heart monitor may be attached to the device such that an abnormal heart rhythm may signal airbag deployment and or result in transmission of the heart rhythm to medical staff. [0012] In one aspect, the invention relates to a personal protection device including an article adapted for wearing by an individual, an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag, an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag, and a mechanism for automatically deflating the airbag. The deployment mechanism deploys the airbag in response to one or more signals generated based on a status of the individual and the airbag protects the individual from injury. The airbag can be automatically deflated after at least one of an impact, a predetermined time period, and/or a changed status of the individual, for example, when the individual becomes substantially motionless. The device can be manually activated by a wearer if they are about to fall and can include an on/off switch to arm/disarm the device as necessary. [0013] In another aspect, the invention relates to a personal protection device including an article adapted for wearing by an individual, an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag, and an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag. The deployment mechanism deploys the airbag in response to one or more signals generated based on a status of the individual and the airbag protects the individual from injury. In one embodiment, the signal(s) is generated by a three-axis accelerometer when the individual falls. Additionally or alternatively, the signal(s) can be generated by an inclinometer, an electro-mechanical sensor, an electromagnetic switch, or an infrared/laser measurement device. [0014] In one example, the device may deploy the airbag in the direction the wearer is falling by linking the direction of deployment of the airbag to the accelerometer's measured direction of acceleration. In this example, a 3-axis accelerometer is utilized to measure the wearer's direction of acceleration. A microprocessor analyzes the accelerometer output and signals preferential release of the airbag in the direction of the wearer's fall. [0015] In another aspect, the invention relates to a personal protection device including an article adapted for wearing by an individual, an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag, an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag, and electronic circuitry. The deployment mechanism deploys the airbag in response to a signal generated based on a status of the individual and the airbag protects the individual from injury. The electronic circuitry includes a sensor, a microprocessor in electrical communication with the sensor, and a set of instructions (e.g., a software program) stored within the microprocessor. The sensor sends the signal to the processor in response to an event and the set of instructions determines a response based on the signal. In one embodiment, more than one sensor can be used to send signals to the microprocessor, and the instructions stored within the microprocessor can determine a response based on multiple signals. The set of instructions can determine when and in which direction to deploy the airbag. [0016] In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of protecting an individual from injury. The method includes the step of fitting the individual with an article adapted for wearing by the individual. The article includes an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for deploying the airbag, an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag, and a mechanism for automatically deflating the airbag. The method also includes the step of triggering the deployment and inflation mechanisms in response to one or more signals generated based on a status of the individual, wherein the airbag protects the individual from injury. In one embodiment, the method also includes the step of triggering the mechanism for deflating the airbag after at least one of an impact, a predetermined time period, and a changed status of the individual. [0017] In various embodiments of the foregoing aspects of the invention, the article is selected from the group consisting of a belt, a vest, a jacket, a back pack, a harness, a jumpsuit, and a pair of pants. The article can be disposed about a midsection of the individual and/or can substantially encompass at least a portion of the individual when in a deployed state. The signal can be generated by an electro-mechanical sensor, for example, by an accelerometer when the individual begins falling or falls. In one embodiment, the electro-mechanical sensor can be a three-axis accelerometer, an inclinometer, and/or an infrared/laser measurement device. The sensor can also be a heart monitor, a radio receiver, a radio transceiver, an attached activation switch, and combinations thereof. The sensor can monitor at least one vital sign of the individual. In some embodiments, the device includes a sensor, a microprocessor in electrical communication with the sensor, and a set of instructions stored within the microprocessor. The sensor can send the signal to the microprocessor in response to an event and the set of instructions can determine a response(s) based on the signal. The response can include triggering the deployment mechanism and/or the inflation mechanism. The response can also include monitoring the vital signs of the individual. [0018] Furthermore, the device can include a mechanism for transmitting status data for at least one of the individual and the airbag to, for example, a 911 operator, a preselected recipient, a medical facility, a paramedic, an ambulance, a data storage module, and combinations thereof. The data can include, for example, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rhythm, blood sugar, pulse oximetry, medical history, time of event, airbag condition, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the data can be transmitted wirelessly. The device is capable of receiving data and being operated remotely to, for example, arm or disarm the airbag. [0019] In one embodiment, the deployment mechanism is adapted to deploy the airbag in a predetermined configuration based on the signal. The airbag can be deployed in multiple configurations, such as, for example, the area and direction of deployment and the shape of the airbag. In one embodiment, the airbag can have multiple chambers that can be inflated differentially and/or multiple airbags can be deployed sequentially. For example, the device could first trigger an airbag disposed about the wearer's midsection and subsequently trigger a second airbag disposed about the wearer's neck and shoulders. In one example, where the sensor is an accelerometer, the accelerometer determines the direction the user is falling and signals to differently placed fasteners on the article to deploy the airbag in the direction of the user's fall by first releasing fasteners in the direction of the fall. In various embodiments, the airbag is deployed outward toward the ground to break the fall of the individual. The airbag can be deployed in such a manner that it remains adjacent to the individual during a fall and serves to break the fall of the individual. Additionally or alternatively, the airbag breaks away from the article when deployed to receive the individual. The airbag can be deployed in a configuration to protect at least one of the individual's hips, back, face, abdomen, neck, upper extremities, lower extremities, head, and combinations thereof. [0020] In further embodiments, the device includes a release mechanism for manually actuating the deployment mechanism and/or the inflation mechanism. The inflation mechanism can include a gas release system capable of rapidly inflating the airbag and a mechanism for initiating the gas release system. The gas release system can include a pressurized liquid and/or a solid within a cartridge that when released becomes a pressurized gas and serves to inflate the airbag. For example, release system causes a chemical reaction resulting in the release of a gas. The gas release system can use a non-accelerant and/or a non-flammable gas for inflating the airbag. In another embodiment, the gas release system can include a pressurized gas cartridge and/or expanding explosive chemical for inflating the airbag. The device can be reused after deployment and can include a user interface. The user interface can include a readout, an alarm, an input device for adjusting an operating parameter of the device, and combinations thereof. Continue reading about Personal protection device... Full patent description for Personal protection device Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Personal protection device patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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