USPTO issues patent to iSonea's ultrasound-based cough detector

Medical technology company iSonea Ltd. (ASX: ISN; OTCQX: ISOAY) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent 2009/0216127 A1 covering its cough count technology in the field of acoustic monitoring of respiratory diseases.

Leveraging the company's proprietary Acoustic Respiratory Monitoring™ (ARM) technology, the patent covers the ultrasound-based cough detector that fits against a patient's neck and automatically detects coughs and counts coughing events. The sensors on the device can detect high and low frequency mechanical vibrations in the tracheal area. The device senses coughing events, tracks their severity and duration, and stores that data or sends it wirelessly to a computer or other log.

Cough is an important symptom used in many assessment standards for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), among others.

"As stated in our recent half year report to shareholders, developing and growing a deep patent portfolio is one of our core competencies and key business strategies," said Michael Thomas, chief executive officer of iSonea Ltd. "This latest patent for cough detection, which we have been working with the USPTO to finalize over the past several months, is an important step and addition to our robust patent portfolio. Combining the company's active and passive acoustic technologies and expertise, the technology provides a meaningful way to quantify this important symptom, which will aid clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of several diseases and respiratory conditions."