Patent ID: 7649125
Filing Date: 2010-01-19
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A method of detecting the presence of an insult within an absorbent article, said method comprising: monitoring an electrical property of the article as the article is being worn by a wearer wherein the electrical property changes in response to an insult; determining a proportional difference in the electrical property over time and providing a difference indicator value corresponding to the determined proportional difference; comparing the difference indicator value to a difference threshold value to determine the presence of an insult in the article; wherein said monitoring comprises producing a first analog output signal indicative of the electrical property of the article at a first time period and producing a second analog output signal indicative of the electrical property of the article at a second time period subsequent the first time period, and wherein said method of detecting further comprises: converting each analog output signal into digital values stored in a memory corresponding to the electrical property of the article at the first time period and the second time period, calculating the difference in the electrical property of the article between the first time period and the second time period using the stored digital values, storing the calculated difference as a digital value corresponding to the difference indicator value, and comparing the stored digital value to a digital difference.