Instrument for measuring saliva viscoelasticity to determine female

Abstract

A device for determining the timing of female ovulation by measuring the viscoelasticity of saliva, the device comprising: (a) an elongated sheath with a length along an axis and an opening at one end; (b) a reciprocable escapement with a pair of elongated arms, at least one of the arms being approximately parallel to the axis, the arms having inner extremities within the sheath remote from the opening and outer extremities in the vicinity of the opening; (c) the outer extremities having mating surfaces; (d) the escapement including a spring bias urging the separation of the mating surfaces from each other; (e) the arms being mounted for relative movement of the mating surfaces among first relational positions at which the mating surfaces are separated, second relational positions at which the mating surfaces are in contact, and third relational positions at which the mating surfaces are free to separate under the spring bias; (f) a control operatively connected to the escapement for placing the mating surfaces into the first relational positions, the second relational positions, and the third relational positions; (g) at least one of the mating surfaces being free to collect the saliva when they are in the first relational positions; (h) the mating surfaces compressing the saliva therebetween when they are in the second relational positions; (i) and a timer for measuring the time elapsed for separation of the surfaces when they are in the third relational positions.