Patent ID: 6785193
Filing Date: 2004-08-31
Classification: G04F

Abstract:
A labor contraction duration and interval timing method comprising the steps of:providing, a hand held apparatus having a visible display, an audible device, a touch pad, a timing device, a calculating means, a mode selector and a memory device; wherein in practice mode: storing in the memory device, a plurality of random contraction durations, random contraction intervals and contraction quantities, as at least one practice set; indicating on at least one of the visible display and the audible device, an initiation time and a termination time for each of a plurality of practice labor contractions, at the onset and diminution thereof respectively; displaying the practice durations and intervals in sequence on the visible display; and, in labor timing mode: selecting an initiation time an a termination time for each of a plurality of actual labor contractions, at the onset and diminution thereof respectively; calculating an actual contraction duration for each of the plurality of actual labor contractions, and an actual contraction interval between each adjacent pair of the actual labor contractions; displaying the actual durations and actual intervals in sequence on the visible display; and, in alert mode: selecting an alert set comprising alert minimum durations, alert maximum intervals, alert quantities of said durations and intervals, and Boolean operators; selecting an initiation time and a termination time for each of a plurality of actual labor contractions, at the onset and diminution thereof respectively; calculating an actual contraction duration for each of the plurality of actual labor contractions, and an actual contraction interval between each adjacent pair of the actual labor contractions and counting the contraction duration and interval quantities; displaying the actual durations and actual intervals in sequence on the visible display; enabling at least one of the visible display and the audible device when the actual durations, actual intervals and actual quantities match the alert set.