Claims:

1. A fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprising:
a conical sound chamber adapted to capture fetal heartbeat sound, wherein the conical sound chamber is placed over abdomen of a pregnant woman to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; and
a tubular column adapted to channel the fetal heartbeat sound to a microphone, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled to a computing device configured to amplify and filter audio signals pertaining to the fetal heartbeat sound to generate processed signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound.
2. The fetal heartbeat sound capturing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to transmit the audible fetal heartbeat sound using a speaker.
3. The fetal heartbeat sound capturing device of claim 1, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled with the computing device through an audio interface.
4. A system for detecting fetal heartbeat, the system comprising:
a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to detect the fetal heartbeat; and
one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines, wherein the one or more routines include:
an audio signal receiving module, which when executed by one or more processors, receives audio signals pertaining to fetal heartbeat sound using a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device operatively coupled with the system, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprises a conical sound chamber coupled with a tubular column to capture the fetal heartbeat sound;
an audio signal processing module, which when executed by the one or more processors, amplifies the received audio signals to generate amplified audio signals and filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound; and
a fetal heartbeat sound output module, which when executed by the one or more processors, transmits the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound to enable a user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the tubular column channels the audio signals to a microphone configured to generate the audio signals pertaining to the fetal heartbeat sound.
6. The system of claim 4, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled with the system through an audio interface.
7. The system of claim 4, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound output module is configured to record the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound.
8. The system of claim 4, wherein the conical sound chamber is placed over abdomen of a pregnant woman to capture the fetal heartbeat.
9. The system of claim 4, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound output module transmits the audible fetal heartbeat sound using a speaker.
10. A method for detecting fetal heartbeat, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, audio signals pertaining to fetal heartbeat sound using a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device operatively coupled with the computing device, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprises a conical sound chamber coupled with a tubular column to capture the fetal heartbeat sound;
processing, by the computing device, the received audio signals to generate amplified audio signals and filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound; and
transmitting, by the computing device, the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound to enable a user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
, Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of fetoscope. In particular, the present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device and further provides system and method for detecting fetal heartbeat using the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device.

BACKGROUND
[0002] The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] With advancement in technology in the field of health-care, listening to fetal heartbeat is made possible. Fetoscopes are devices that are used listen to heartbeat of unborn babies. There are devices that allow pregnant women to listen to fetal heartbeat at home without intervention of a medical expert. For example, a known fetal heartbeat detection device can send heartbeat data to a smart device in preset time intervals, where the fetal heartbeat detection device includes a microprocessor, a detection probe and a timer. However, such a device consumes a lot of power and thus requires a power source, thereby making the device bulky and expensive.
[0004] Further, many existing devices are based on ultrasound technology and prescription devices that can be used by medical professionals or under their supervision. Further, frequent exposure to ultrasound waves can cause ill effects to health of the pregnant woman as well as the fetus. Currently, low cost feasible solutions are not available that can be used for continuous monitoring of fetal heartbeat without causing any ill-effects to the pregnant woman and the fetus.
[0005] There is therefore a need in the art to provide devices that can enable monitoring of fetal heartbeat, which are portable and cost-effective and can be used for continuous monitoring of fetal heartbeat without causing any ill-effects to the pregnant woman as well as the fetus.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0006] A general object of the present disclosure is to provide a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that can enable detection of the fetal heartbeat.
[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that is a passive device i.e., a device that does not consume any power.
[0008] A yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that is portable and cost-effective.
[0009] A yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that can enable continuous monitoring of the fetal heartbeat without causing any ill-effects to the pregnant woman and the fetus.
[00010] A still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method to detect fetal heartbeat using the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device.

SUMMARY
[00011] The present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device. Further, the present disclosure also provides system and method for detecting fetal heartbeat using the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device.
[00012] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprising: a conical sound chamber adapted to capture fetal heartbeat sound, wherein the conical sound chamber is placed over abdomen of a pregnant woman to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; and a tubular column adapted to channel the fetal heartbeat sound to a microphone, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled to a computing device configured to amplify and filter audio signals pertaining to the fetal heartbeat sound to generate processed signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00013] In an embodiment, the computing device is configured to transmit the audible fetal heartbeat sound using a speaker.
[00014] In an embodiment, the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled with the computing device through an audio interface.
[00015] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for detecting fetal heartbeat, the system comprising: a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to detect the fetal heartbeat; and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines, wherein the one or more routines include: an audio signal receiving module, which when executed by one or more processors, receives audio signals pertaining to fetal heartbeat sound using a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device operatively coupled with the system, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprises a conical sound chamber coupled with a tubular column to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; an audio signal processing module, which when executed by the one or more processors, amplifies the received audio signals to generate amplified audio signals and filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound; and a fetal heartbeat sound output module, which when executed by the one or more processors, transmits the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound to enable a user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
[00016] In an embodiment, the fetal heartbeat sound output module is configured to record the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00017] A yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for detecting fetal heartbeat, the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, audio signals pertaining to fetal heartbeat sound using a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device operatively coupled with the computing device, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprises a conical sound chamber coupled with a tubular column to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; processing, by the computing device, the received audio signals to generate amplified audio signals and filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound; and transmitting, by the computing device, the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound to enable a user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
[00018] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00019] In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
[00020] FIG. 1 illustrated exemplary perspective view of a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00021] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional modules of a system for detecting fetal heartbeat in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00022] FIGs. 3A-B illustrate exemplary representations of the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00023] FIGs. 4A-B illustrate exemplary representations of the implementation of the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00024] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for detecting fetal heartbeat in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00025] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system in which or with which embodiments of the present invention can be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00026] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.
[00027] Embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, PROMs, random access memories (RAMs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions (e.g., computer programming code, such as software or firmware).
[00028] Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present invention may involve one or more computers (or one or more processors within a single computer) and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the invention could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
[00029] If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[00030] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[00031] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
[00032] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.
[00033] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
[00034] The present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device. Further, the present disclosure also provides system and method for detecting fetal heartbeat using the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device.
[00035] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprising: a conical sound chamber adapted to capture fetal heartbeat sound, wherein the conical sound chamber is placed over abdomen of a pregnant woman to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; and a tubular column adapted to channel the fetal heartbeat sound to a microphone, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled to a computing device configured to amplify and filter audio signals pertaining to the fetal heartbeat sound to generate processed signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00036] In an embodiment, the computing device is configured to transmit the audible fetal heartbeat sound using a speaker.
[00037] In an embodiment, the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device is operatively coupled with the computing device through an audio interface.
[00038] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for detecting fetal heartbeat, the system comprising: a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to detect the fetal heartbeat; and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines, wherein the one or more routines include: an audio signal receiving module, which when executed by one or more processors, receives audio signals pertaining to fetal heartbeat sound using a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device operatively coupled with the system, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprises a conical sound chamber coupled with a tubular column to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; an audio signal processing module, which when executed by the one or more processors, amplifies the received audio signals to generate amplified audio signals and filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound; and a fetal heartbeat sound output module, which when executed by the one or more processors, transmits the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound to enable a user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
[00039] In an embodiment, the fetal heartbeat sound output module is configured to record the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00040] A yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for detecting fetal heartbeat, the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, audio signals pertaining to fetal heartbeat sound using a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device operatively coupled with the computing device, wherein the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device comprises a conical sound chamber coupled with a tubular column to capture the fetal heartbeat sound; processing, by the computing device, the received audio signals to generate amplified audio signals and filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound; and transmitting, by the computing device, the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound to enable a user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
[00041] FIG. 1 illustrated exemplary perspective view of a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00042] As illustrated, the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device 100 can include a conical sound chamber 102 coupled with a tubular column 104. The conical sound chamber 102 can be placed over abdomen of a pregnant woman in order to capture sound of heartbeat of the fetus.
[00043] In an embodiment, the tubular column 104 can form contact with a microphone 106 such that the tubular column 104 can channel the sound captured by the conical sound chamber 102 to the microphone 106 by increasing the sound pressure of the sound of fetal heartbeat. The microphone 106 can convert the captured sound into audio signals by converting air pressure variations of the captured sound waves to electrical signals. Thus, the tubular column 104 can enable channelization of the captured sound in a way to maximize intensity of the captured sound to the microphone 106 that can aid in achieving best results for detection of the fetal heartbeat.
[00044] In an embodiment, various components of the device 100 i.e. the sound chamber 102, the tubular column 104 and the microphone 106 can be housed in a casing 108 that can have a detachable cover 302 (as shown in FIG. 3). The casing 108 can be made of a pliable material, aluminum, or any other suitable light-weight material.
[00045] According to an embodiment, the device 100 can be coupled with a computing device 402 (as shown in FIG. 4A and 4B) using an audio interface that can be a built-in audio interface having dimensions of a 3.5 mm or a 2.5 mm jack socket of the computing device 402 and a corresponding audio jack plug 304 (as shown in FIG. 3) that can be part of the device 100. Further, the computing device 402 can be configured to amplify and filter audio signals pertaining to sound of the fetal heartbeat captured by the device 100 to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound that can be transmitted or played by a speaker of the computing device 402 so that a user can hear the fetal heartbeat sound. The user can be a doctor, a pregnant woman, a family member or any other person who desires to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus.
[00046] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional modules of a system for detecting fetal heartbeat in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00047] As illustrated, the system 200 can include one or more processor(s) 202. The one or more processor(s) 202 can be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 202 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 204 of the system 200. The memory 204 can store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory 204 can include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
[00048] The system 200 can also include an interface(s) 206. The interface(s) 206 may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) 206 may facilitate communication of the system 200 with various devices coupled to the system 200. The interface(s) 206 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the system 200. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) 210 and data repository 208.
[00049] The processing engine(s) 210 can be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) 210. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) 210 may be processor executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing engine(s) 210 may include a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) 210. In such examples, the system 200 can include the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to system 200 and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) 210 may be implemented by electronic circuitry. The data 210 can include data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processing engine(s) 210.
[00050] In an example, the engine(s) 210 can include an audio signal receiving module 212, an audio signal processing module 214, a fetal heartbeat sound output module 216 and other module(s) 218. The other module(s) 218 can implement functionalities that supplement applications or functions performed by the system 200 or the processing engine(s) 210.
[00051] According to an embodiment, the system 200 can be implemented using a computing device 402 or applications residing the computing device 402. Examples of computing device 402 can include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop, a smart device and the like. In an aspect, the sound captured by the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device 100 can be converted into audio signals by the microphone 106. In an aspect, the audio signal receiving module 212 can receive audio signals synthesized by the microphone 106 from the device 100 using the audio jack plug 304 of the device 100 that can be connected to an audio jack socket of the computing device 402.
[00052] In an aspect, the audio signal processing module 214 can include functions such as amplification, filtering, and digitization of the received audio signals. The audio signal processing module 214 can amplify the received audio signals to generate an amplified audio signal by using a suitable type of amplifier such as a low-noise amplifier for amplifying low level signals. Further, the audio signal processing module 214 can process the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound. The audio signal processing module 214 can use a suitable type of filter such as a filter configured to filter out noise, and/or other undesired frequencies. Thus, the audio signal processing module 214 can filter out undesirable noise from the amplified audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00053] In an aspect, the fetal heartbeat sound output module 216 can transmit the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound, through a speaker of the computing device, to enable the user to detect and monitor the fetal heartbeat. In an embodiment, output of audio signal processing module 214 can be coupled electrically to the fetal heartbeat sound output module 216 that can drive speaker of the computing device 402 to generate noise-free audible sound pertaining to the fetal heartbeat. It would be appreciated that, the speaker can translate an electrical signal into an audible sound using an electromagnet. Thus, the speaker can enable the user to hear desired audible fetal heartbeat sound by converting the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00054] In an aspect, the fetal heartbeat sound output module 216 can allow a user record the processed signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound such that the user can listen to the fetal heartbeat sound at any time later on. Also, the fetal heartbeat sound output module 216 can allow the user to share the desired fetal heartbeat sound with other users, for example, in the form of a multimedia message, by an application residing in the computing device 402, such as, WhatsappTM , Messaging, etc.
[00055] In an embodiment, based on the detection of sound of the fetal heartbeat, the system 200 can detect heart rate of the fetus by computing signal parameters associated with the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound. For example, the system 200 can detect heart rate of the fetus in suitable units, such as beats per minute (BPM) by computing signal parameters, such as amplitude and frequency of the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound. In an embodiment, the system 200 can generate and maintain a record of historical data of the heart rate of the fetus, and further can allow a user to access the record to analyses of heart rate of the fetus at various times.
[00056] Thus, using the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user can detect as well as listen to the fetal heartbeat for any duration using any smart device. Further the user can record as well as share the sound of the fetal heartbeat with other users.
[00057] FIGs. 3A-B illustrate exemplary representations of the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00058] Referring to FIG. 3A, various components of the device 100 i.e. the sound chamber 102, the tubular column 104 and the microphone 106 can be housed in a casing 108 that can have a detachable cover 302. The casing 108 can be made of a polymer material, aluminum, or any other suitable light-weight material.
[00059] As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the device 100 can include an audio jack plug 304. The audio jack plug 304 can be inserted in the audio jack socket of the computing device 402 so that the computing device 402 can perform functions of amplification and filtration of the audio signals so as to transmit the audible fetal heartbeat sound using a speaker of the computing device 402.
[00060] FIGs. 4A-B illustrate exemplary representations of the implementation of the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00061] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the system 200 can be implemented using a computing device 402 such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop, a smart device and the like. The system 200 can interact with the device 100 through a combination of an audio jack socket that can be in-built in the computing device 402 and an audio jack plug that can be part of the device 100.
[00062] As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the system 200 can provide a user with a variety of options such as “Tap To Listen”, “Record Now”, “Recordings”, etc. In an embodiment, using “Tap to Listen” option, the user can listen to the heartbeat of the fetus in real-time by transmitting the processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound using a speaker. Further, using “Record Now” option, the user can record the heartbeat sound of the fetus such that the fetus heartbeat sound can be saved for further use or can be shared by the user to other users. Furthermore, using “Recordings” the user can refer to the previous recordings of the heartbeat sound of the fetus. In an embodiment, the system 200 can detect and display heart rate of the fetus beats per minute (BPM) by computing signal parameters, such as amplitude and frequency of the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound.
[00063] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for detecting fetal heartbeat in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[00064] As illustrated, the method for detecting fetal heartbeat can include a step 502 pertaining to receiving audio signals by a computing device 402 from a device 100 that includes a conical sound chamber 102 and a tubular column 104. The device 100 can be operatively coupled with the computing device 402. Further at step 504, the computing device 402 can process the received audio signals and can filter out undesirable noise from the audio signals to generate processed audio signals pertaining to audible fetal heartbeat sound. At step 506, the computing device 402 can transmit the processed audio signals pertaining to the audible fetal heartbeat sound in order to enable the user to detect the fetal heartbeat.
[00065] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system in which or with which embodiments of the present invention can be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[00066] As shown in FIG. 6, computer system includes an external storage device 610, a bus 620, a main memory 630, a read only memory 640, a mass storage device 650, communication port 660, and a processor 670. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system may include more than one processor and communication ports. Examples of processor 670 include, but are not limited to, an Intel® Itanium® or Itanium 2 processor(s), or AMD® Opteron® or Athlon MP® processor(s), Motorola® lines of processors, FortiSOC™ system on a chip processors or other future processors. Processor 670 may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. Communication port 660 can be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. Communication port 660 may be chosen depending on a network, such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which computer system connects.
[00067] Memory 630 can be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read only memory 640 can be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information e.g., start-up or BIOS instructions for processor 670. Mass storage 650 may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces), e.g. those available from Seagate (e.g., the Seagate Barracuda 7102 family) or Hitachi (e.g., the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g. an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays), available from various vendors including Dot Hill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc. and Enhance Technology, Inc.
[00068] Bus 620 communicatively couples processor(s) 670 with the other memory, storage and communication blocks. Bus 620 can be, e.g. a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects processor 670 to software system.
[00069] Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g. a display, keyboard, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to bus 620 to support direct operator interaction with computer system. Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through communication port 660. External storage device 610 can be any kind of external hard-drives, floppy drives, IOMEGA® Zip Drives, Compact Disc - Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc - Re-Writable (CD-RW), Digital Video Disk - Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[00070] Thus, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods embodying this invention. The functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named.
[00071] As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term "coupled to" is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other)and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are used synonymously. Within the context of this document terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are also used euphemistically to mean “communicatively coupled with” over a network, where two or more devices are able to exchange data with each other over the network, possibly via one or more intermediary device.
[00072] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C …. and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
[00073] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[00074] The present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that can enable detection of the fetal heartbeat.
[00075] The present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that does not consume any power.
[00076] The present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that is portable and cost-effective.
[00077] The present disclosure provides a fetal heartbeat sound capturing device that can enable continuous monitoring of the fetal heartbeat without causing any ill-effects to the pregnant woman and the fetus.
[00078] The present disclosure provides a system and method to detect fetal heartbeat using the fetal heartbeat sound capturing device.