Patent ID: 7410291

Claim:
A temperature-measuring device comprising: a first temperature sensor; a second temperature sensor, said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor being arranged opposite each other to form a dual temperature sensor, wherein one of said first temperature sensor or said second temperature sensor is in contact with a skin surface of a patient for detecting a first measured temperature value T A and the other of said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor is arranged opposite and detects a second measured temperature value T b thermally coupled with the temperature in the environment of the skin surface; an evaluating means for determining the body temperature of the patient from said first measured temperature value T A and determining whether said dual temperature sensor is in contact with said skin surface by comparing said measured temperature value T A with said measured temperature value T B and using a rate of change of said measured temperature value T A and a rate of change of said measured temperature value T B to indicate whether said dual temperature sensor is in contact with said skin surface.