Patent ID: 6036361
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G01K

Abstract:
A medical thermometer comprising:an elongated probe having a longitudinal axis and includingan elongated base having a remote end, anda hollow, thin-walled metallic tip having a closed end and an open end sized for secure attachment to the remote end of the elongated base, such that an elongated cavity is defied beyond the remote end of the elongated base and within the metallic tip; anda thermistor bonded to an inside wall of the probe's hollow metallic tip, within the elongated cavity, the thermistor generating an electrical signal that varies according to the thermistor's temperature;wherein the elongated cavity defined within the probe's hollow metallic tip is dimensioned such that the cavity's length, measured longitudinally from the remote end of the probe's elongated base to the closed end of the hollow metallic tip, is substantially longer than the cavity's transverse width measured at the site where the hollow metallic tip attaches to the remote end of the elongated base, to inhibit the conduction of heat along the hollow metallic tip to the elongated base, and wherein the elongated cavity is free of any structure that provides a substantial heat conduction path between the thermistor and the elongated base, whereby the temperature of the thermistor closely follows the temperature of any surface that contacts the metallic tip.