US 2,003,163,287 · Filed 2001-12-17

The Wireless Bandage That Turns Your Skin Into a Sensor Network

Imagine a sticker-on bandage that can detect movement, temperature, or other environmental changes and beam that information wirelessly to a receiver across the room. This patent describes exactly that—adhesive sensors that stick to skin or objects and continuously transmit data via radio signals, potentially dispensed from a smart canister that powers them up on the fly.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a wearable or attachable sensor packaged as an adhesive bandage, equipped with internal detectors that measure movement or environmental conditions, combined with wireless RF transmission capability. What's protected here is the specific combination of the bandage form factor, the detector technology inside it, and the wireless communication system that lets it send real-time data to remote receivers without any wired connection.

Why it matters

This patent sits at the intersection of wearable electronics and wireless health monitoring—categories that have exploded commercially in the decades since filing. By embedding sensors into something as familiar and accessible as a bandage, the invention removes friction from health tracking and opens doors for continuous, non-invasive monitoring of patients, athletes, or anyone curious about their movement and environmental exposure. The smart canister concept also hints at automation and batch deployment, valuable for medical or industrial applications.

Real-world use

A coach applies wireless bandages to players' ankles during practice to track movement patterns in real time, or a hospital sticks sensor bandages on a patient's chest to continuously monitor heart rate and body temperature without bulky equipment.

Original USPTO abstract

The invention provides a smart sensor ( 10 ) in the form of an adhesive bandage ( 32 ). The sensor ( 12 ) sticks to people and objects and wirelessly communicates with remote receivers ( 24 ). Internal detectors ( 12 ) sense conditions associated with movement or the environment of the sensor. Typically, sensors of the invention communicate by an RF transmitter or transceiver ( 16 ). Groups of sensors may be combined within a common canister that imparts date and time information and “power on” when dispensed.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,003,163,287
Filing date: 2001-12-17
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Vock Curtis A. / Larkin Adrian F. / Holme Robert Muir / Amsbury Burl W. / Edstrom Eric R. / Perry Youngs / Paul Jonjak
Inventor(s): VOCK CURTIS A., LARKIN ADRIAN F., HOLME ROBERT MUIR, AMSBURY BURL W., EDSTROM ERIC R., YOUNGS PERRY, JONJAK PAUL
CPC class: A63F13/798

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