Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Intraoral Moisture Measuring Device”, for Approval (USPTO 20160135728)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Politics & Government Week -- From Washington, D.C., VerticalNews journalists report that a patent application by the inventors FURUKAWA, Makoto (Saitama, JP); SATO, Ryuki (Saitama, JP); FURUKAWA, Jun (Saitama, JP), filed on February 19, 2014, was made available online on May 26, 2016.

The patent's assignee is Kabushikikaisha Raifu.

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Conventionally, xerostomia, called dry mouth, is generally considered to be developed, for example, by systematic illness such as diabetes or renal disease, mouth breathing or smoking, side effects of medicine or treatment, salivary gland disease, central or peripheral nervous disorder, or psychological stress. Xerostomia is often found especially in the elderly. It has been reported that approximately 40% of the elderly suffer from xerostomia.

"In Japan, starting with the research of 'About xerostomia in the elderly and the physical properties of saliva' in Comprehensive Research Project on Longevity Science by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 2001 to 2003, various researches have been made, for example, on actual conditions of xerostomia in the elderly and the effectiveness of oral care for the prevention of aspiration pneumonitis. As a result of this, active oral care systems have been introduced, for example, in the National Cancer Center which practices advanced cancer therapy and palliative care. In the revisions on medical treatment fees in fiscal year 2012, the 'perioperative oral management fee for cancer patients' has been introduced into insurance based on these systems.

"It is important for oral care to measure intraoral moisture accurately. In recent years, an intraoral moisture measuring device including a capacitance type sensor is increasingly used (see Patent Literature 1, for example). For such a capacitance type intraoral moisture measuring device, a moisture amount in mucosa is measured on the basis of a change in capacitance between two electrodes. Therefore, the sensor unit needs to be abutted against a measurement site with a suitable pressing force (load). Thus, when a user is inexperienced in using the intraoral moisture measuring device, there is a risk of producing variations in the measurement result.

"As a countermeasure against such a problem, a technique has been proposed in which a sensor is disposed in a slider, which is biased in a pressing direction by a spring, in a skin moisture measuring device, for example, and the magnitude of a pressing force is determined on the basis of a travel distance of the slider (see Patent Literature 2). Also, another technique has been proposed in which a sensor holding structure, capable of easily deforming, is disposed on the rear side of a sensor in an intraoral moisture measuring device, so that the direction of the sensor can be freely changed when being pressed (see Patent Literature 3)."

As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, VerticalNews correspondents also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent application: "Technical Problem

"With the technique described in Patent Literature 2, however, the structure in the vicinity of the sensor becomes complicated, and it is therefore difficult to apply such a technique to an intraoral moisture measuring device which requires the sensor to be inserted into a narrow space in a mouth. Furthermore, since too much cost is needed for replacement, it is difficult to make the sensor and its adjacent parts disposable (expendable). With the technique described in Patent Literature 3, the direction of the sensor is freely changed by the sensor holding structure. Thus, a pressure sensor needs to be disposed on the rear side of the sensor in order to measure a pressing force. This leads to a complicated and high-cost structure in the vicinity of the sensor. Again, it is difficult to make such a structure disposable.

"The new diagnostic criteria for the Sjogren syndrome, which produces xerostomia as its prominent symptom, includes labial minor salivary gland biopsy. However, rejection against biopsy is often seen in medical practice, and therefore the emergence of an intraoral moisture measuring device capable of measuring even the state of a labial minor salivary gland, which is present at a relatively deep position under the labial mucosa, with high accuracy has been desired as a replacement for the biopsy.

"In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an intraoral moisture measuring device capable of measuring intraoral moisture in a simple and highly-accurate manner.

"Solution to Problem

"The present invention is an intraoral moisture measuring device including: a swing member that swings with respect to a main body about a predetermined swing center; a moisture amount detection unit provided at a tip of the swing member, for detecting a moisture amount by being directly or indirectly abutted against a measurement site in a mouth; and a biasing member for biasing the swing member in one of swing directions.

"The present invention is characterized in that the swing center is disposed in the main body in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"The present invention is characterized in that the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means includes a pressing force detection unit for detecting a pressing force to the measurement site by the moisture amount detection unit.

"The present invention is characterized in that the pressing force detection unit is disposed inside the main body in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"The present invention is characterized in that the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means includes a control unit for controlling the moisture amount detection unit and the pressing force detection unit, and the control unit includes pressing force determination means for determining if the pressing force detected by the pressing force detection unit falls within an appropriate range.

"The present invention is characterized in that the control unit includes measurement starting means that starts moisture amount measurement when the pressing force detected by the pressing force detection unit falls within the appropriate range in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"The present invention is characterized in that the control unit includes measurement stopping means for stopping moisture amount measurement when the pressing force detected by the pressing force detection unit falls outside the appropriate range in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"The present invention is characterized in that the swing member is configured to be at least partially detachable from the main body together with the moisture amount detection unit in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"The present invention is characterized in that, in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means, the swing member includes a detachable part that is detachable from the main body together with the moisture amount detection unit, the detachable part is provided with a first electrode and a second electrode included in the moisture amount detection unit and wirings connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, and the first electrode, the second electrode, and the wirings are formed by electrically-conductive thin films disposed in the detachable part.

"The present invention is characterized in that the wirings are covered with a shield formed by an electrically-conductive thin film in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"The present invention is characterized in that the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means includes a support member for supporting a rear side of the measurement site.

"The present invention is characterized in that the support member includes a protrusion protruded toward the rear side of the measurement site, and the protrusion includes a generally flat-shaped surface to be abutted against the rear side of the measurement site in the intraoral moisture measuring device with the above-mentioned means.

"Advantageous Effects of Invention

"The intraoral moisture measuring device according to the present invention can provide an excellent effect in that intraoral moisture can be measured in a simple and highly-accurate manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

"FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are schematic front views illustrating an intraoral moisture measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

"FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are schematic cross-sectional views of the intraoral moisture measuring device.

"FIGS. 3(a) to 3© are schematic views illustrating a method of using the intraoral moisture measuring device.

"FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a general outline of an operational procedure of a control unit.

"FIGS. 5(a) to 5© are schematic front views illustrating examples in other forms of the intraoral moisture measuring device.

"FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are schematic front views illustrating an intraoral moisture measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

"FIG. 7(a) is a schematic front view of a detachable part. FIG. 7(b) is a schematic bottom view of the detachable part. FIG. 7© is a schematic rear view of the detachable part. FIG. 7(d) is a schematic front view of a support member. FIG. 7(e) is a schematic bottom view of the support member. FIG. 7(f) is a schematic rear view of the support member.

"FIG. 8(a) is a schematic front view illustrating a state when the detachable part and the support member are being attached. FIG. 8(b) is a schematic front view illustrating a state when the detachable part and the support member are being removed.

"FIGS. 9(a) to 9© are schematic views illustrating a method of using the intraoral moisture measuring device."

For additional information on this patent application, see: FURUKAWA, Makoto; SATO, Ryuki; FURUKAWA, Jun. Intraoral Moisture Measuring Device. Filed February 19, 2014 and posted May 26, 2016. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=7480&p=150&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=20160519.PD.&OS=PD/20160519&RS=PD/20160519

Keywords for this news article include: Cancer, Oncology, Xerostomia, Mouth Diseases, Kabushikikaisha Raifu, Salivary Gland Diseases.

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