Patent ID: 7302290

Claim:
Heart-activity monitor structure adapted to collect, and to deliver as output for assessment, ECG-electrical, and heart-activity-generated sound, signals/data effectively from a selected common anatomical site, said monitor structure, in operative condition, comprising ECG electrode structure conductively attachable to a person's anatomy adjacent an anatomical site, a multi-axial sound sensor unitized with said electrode structure in a manner whereby, with the electrode structure so attached to the anatomy, the sensor is disposed to sense at least heart-activity-generated sounds arriving along multiple, angularly intersecting axes adjacent the selected site, and sound-signal processing structure operatively connected to said sensor and capable of utilizing X-axis and Y-axis components of detected sound to enable position shifting of the sensor in the vicinity of the site so as to obtain a related maximum Z-axis sound component, wherein said sensor is capable of detecting sounds arriving at such a selected site along orthogonal X, Y and Z axes, where the Z axis is substantially normal to the anatomy at the location of the site.