Patent ID: 7785266

Claim:
A temperature sensing device for determining body core temperature by contacting skin of a patient comprising: a housing; an extension of said housing having a longitudinal axis; a shaft having an outer end and being mechanically non-rotatably coupled to said housing and adapted for moving within said extension along said longitudinal axis; a first contact type temperature sensing element supported by the outer end of the shaft and including a first contact type temperature sensor, wherein the first contact type temperature sensor generates at least a first temperature data signal representative of a temperature measurement made at the first contact type temperature sensor when the first contact type temperature sensing element is placed in contact with skin of a patient; an electronic circuit electrically coupled with the first contact type temperature sensing element, wherein the electronic circuit uses the first temperature data signal generated at the first contact type temperature sensor to estimate a skin temperature and determines a body core temperature for the patient using the estimated skin temperature; and an indicator coupled to the electronic circuit and operable to indicate the body core temperature.