Wearable glucose monitor

This invention

This invention is a wearable continuous glucose monitor (CGM) — a small, skin-mounted device that reads glucose in the interstitial fluid just under the skin using an electrochemical sensor. A Bluetooth transmitter streams those readings to a smartphone, automated alerts fire when glucose crosses high or low thresholds, and the whole thing is built around a 14-day adhesive patch. It sits at the intersection of medical diagnostic devices and digital health monitoring.

Where it fits

Your invention lives in a well-developed corner of Medical Diagnosis & Surgery (A61B) — the dominant area here at roughly 22× the corpus average — with strong ties to Healthcare IT (G16H) for the data-streaming and alerting side. People are actively working in this direction. Filings in this set span from 2001 through 2021 and beyond, with steady activity year after year. Several groups have been busy nearby: DexCom, Therasense, Abbott Diabetes Care, Roche Diagnostics, and Medtronic MiniMed all appear. That's a sign of a mature, vibrant space. The field also brushes up against Business & Financial Tech (G06Q), which these results touch less — a neutral hint worth keeping in mind as you think about data and platform angles.

Closest related work

US-8229535-B2 — Systems and methods for blood glucose monitoring and alert delivery (DexCom Inc · 230 citations · 20-member family)

This DexCom Inc patent describes a continuous analyte sensor with a physically connected electronics module that wirelessly transmits readings, and it focuses on delivering alerts to the host. That alert-delivery emphasis maps closely to your automated threshold notifications. Reading it shows how DexCom combined continuous sensing, wireless streaming, and alarming in one integrated system — the heart of what your wearable does.

US-11179068-B2 — Analyte sensor devices, connections, and methods (Abbott Diabetes Care Inc · 14 citations · 57-member family)

Filed recently, in 2021, this Abbott Diabetes Care patent covers on-body sensor units, including packaging, applicators, and ways to connect an electrochemical sensor inside the wearable housing. Reading it shows how Abbott approached the physical, on-skin engineering of a CGM patch — directly relevant to your skin-mounted, adhesive-based design and its practical assembly and wear concerns.

US-8372351-B2 — Glucose monitoring system with wireless communications (Abbott Diabetes Care Inc · 85 citations · 7-member family)

This patent describes a glucose monitor that handles only sensing and wireless transfer, with the heavier data processing happening on a remote handheld device — and it pairs to a smartphone via a button. That architecture echoes your Bluetooth-to-phone streaming model. Reading it shows how Abbott split the work between a lightweight wearable and a smartphone, a design choice central to your invention.

US-6544212-B2 — Diabetes management system (Roche Diagnostics Corporation · 1836 citations · 13-member family)

This much-cited Roche Diagnostics patent ties a glucose sensor to a control unit that processes readings, predicts future glucose values, and compares them against thresholds. It's broader than your device, but reading it shows how Roche approached the algorithmic and alerting layer — the predictive and threshold logic that complements your streaming and notification features.

What you can do next

• Explore & build on it. Browse the related work above — new, differentiated ideas often come from combining or improving on existing approaches (a specific sensor chemistry, a particular adhesive or membrane for a true 14-day lifetime, a smarter alert algorithm, or a calibration method others haven't pinned down).
• If you'd like to protect it. Filing a provisional application (usually with a patent attorney) is a common first step. Most inventions can be protected in some form — what matters is how broad and defensible that protection is, which is where a patent attorney adds value (a very narrow claim may be granted but protect very little).
• If you'd like to make or sell it. The patents above point to who holds rights in this space; if your product would use a protected approach, licensing is a path worth exploring.