text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Dec 20, 2005
|Filing date
|Feb 6, 2004
|Priority date
|Dec 15, 2000
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Roger J. Quy
|Original Assignee
|Q-Tec Systems Llc
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (83), Non-Patent Citations (30), Referenced by (100), Classifications (30), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/418,845, filed Apr. 18, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/738,270, filed Dec. 15, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,191.
The present invention relates to monitoring of living subjects, and more particularly to health-monitoring of persons where measured or input health data is communicated by a wireless device to and from a software application running on an internet-connected server and where the same may be studied and processed by the software application, a health professional, or the subject.
Several attempts have been made in the past to achieve efficient interactive communication of medical or health information between a subject or patient and a reviewer or provider of that information. In particular, communication of consumer physiological information has been a subject of such attempts. It is noted that in this regard the "reviewer or provider of medical or health information" is understood to include not only a physician but also a software application or algorithm that may analyze the information.
Medical or health information has been made available on a CD-ROM accessible by a home computer system. This passive approach had certain disadvantages. First, although the personal computer is prevalent is the United States, it is generally too expensive for a consumer physiological monitoring system and there are many people who find it too complicated to set up and use for that purpose. High-risk, chronically ill patients, responsible for more than half of health care costs in the United States and forming the fastest growing segment of those requiring health care, are indeed the most likely not to be able to afford or use a system built around a personal computer. In addition, such systems are limited in their interactivity to the information stored on the CD.
Previous patents by the Inventor addressed both of these disadvantages, as well as the need to reduce health care costs through providing educational health care information and interactive physiological monitoring in the home environment by means of a user-friendly, interactive system (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,601,435, 6,144,837, and continuations thereof).
These previous patents were based on a video game console, or a multimedia player using a conventional television screen as the display device to achieve a system which is simpler to use than systems based on a personal computer. An initial embodiment of the previous patents utilized a compact disc to provide interactive information for disease management.
Even with the advantages provided, these systems limited the user to location in which the device was located. Even where devices are portable, as in the case of a laptop computer with a modem, an ordinary POTS phone line must be found and used. Where the user's computer employs a broadband connection, such as DSL or satellite, the choices of location are even more limited.
Attempts have been made to remedy this deficiency. For example, many telemetry systems allow a "wireless" distance to be placed between a health measuring unit and a remote monitoring system. However, such systems are limited in their range.
Other systems have used cellular telephone technology to increase the wireless health monitoring range. However, these systems have several deficiencies, such as requiring significant modification of the mobile phone. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,586, issued Jun. 30, 1998 to Heinonon et al., discloses a method for monitoring the health of a patient. This system uses a specialized connection between the patient health measuring unit and the cellular phone, however. The patient health measuring unit is located in the battery space of the mobile phone and is connected to a communication bus of the mobile phone. Other systems have been proposed, but these suffer from similar deficiencies in that they are not designed to be used with "off-the-shelf" wireless devices or health measuring equipment.
The deployment of the above systems also currently lacks employment of full back-end server functionality with which to provide a wide range of interactive communication with the patient. Instead, such systems, if internet-enabled, are often limited to mere one-way non-interactive data transfer via a modem. While some systems are more enhanced, including that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,427, issued Oct. 18, 1994 to Langen, et al., and entitled "Remote Monitoring of High-Risk Patients using Artificial Intelligence", these systems are limited by the wired telecommunications infrastructure.
Embodiments of the present invention overcome one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a full-feature health-monitoring system that may wirelessly connect to a back-end server application via the internet. The invention allows wireless access to and from a wide variety of present medical or health-related instruments and devices, while maintaining the capability of connecting to future such devices.
In particular, the invention may be embodied in several systems. Two complementary such systems are described herein, although extensions to other such systems can be envisioned. First, an embodiment of the invention may be employed to manage the disease state or condition of a patient. In this embodiment, the patient may employ a health monitoring device ("HMD"), in particular a medical device, and a wireless connection to provided data from the medical device for processing via the internet including a review by a physician or other health care professional if required.
In the second embodiment, a health or lifestyle management plan may be implemented. Various health parameters, such as those relating to nutrition or exercise, may be entered into a health monitoring device, in this instance termed an "exercise machine", and the same may be wireless communicated to a server. An application may process and store the health parameters, and a health specialist may optionally review the same.
Wireless internet connectivity has many advantages. For example, in the first embodiment, a diabetic could connect a blood glucose meter to an internet-enabled wireless web device ("WWD") away from home and download data to a Diabetes Management Company's server and, in response, receive guidance displayed on the screen (or by voice) about choices for the next meal.
Alternatively, in the second embodiment, a person interested in tracking an exercise program may take the WWD to the local health club and attach the same to an exercise machine, send data output from various exercise machines over the Internet, and receive a personalized response from the server of a company specializing in Health & Lifestyle Management. The individual may input caloric content of foods eaten, and may further input caloric content of exercise performed. In this way, e.g., a person in a weight-loss program may see in great detail whether they are expending more calories in the form of exercise than the same individual is consuming in the form of food.
In general, in the health management embodiment, the system may be employed to monitor the physiologic status of a healthy subject while eating, exercising, or performing other activities. For clarity, such devices are termed herein "exercise machines". These may include an electronic body weight scale, a body fat gauge, biofeedback devices, physiotherapy or chiropractic equipment, blood pressure recorders, or the like, or any type of exercise machine or monitor, including a heart rate monitor, treadmill, rowing machine, stepper, or the like.
In more detail, the present invention provides a method and system for assisting patients to manage a disease or maintain healthy lifestyle by collecting health-related data and providing information in response to those data by means of a WWD designed to display interactive information through a connection to the Internet. The present invention may be connected to various HMDs, both medical and exercise-related in nature, and may communicate information via a wireless connection such as a wireless Internet connection.
A major advantage of embodiments of the invention is that the same frees the patient from the constraints of wired systems. The same allows users with consumer "off-the-shelf" wireless devices to significantly extend the range of connectivity over that of wired computer, television, or even wireless telemetry systems.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, the WWD is a web-enabled mobile phone. Here it is noted that the term "web" or "internet" are used interchangeably to refer to the internet in general. In a second embodiment, the WWD is a palm, handheld, or laptop computer, or a PDA, equipped with a wireless modem. In a third embodiment, the WWD may be a hybrid device that combines the functions of a computer, PDA and telephone.
An adaptor is used if necessary to convert the output signal of the medical monitoring device to a suitable input signal for the, e.g., WWD. The adaptor allows connection of the WWD to a medical device, exercise machine or other variety of health care equipment, and the connection may be made via several techniques. As for wired techniques, a standard USB, USB2, Firewire, parallel bus or serial cable may be used if the input/output ports between the HMD and the WWD are appropriate. Otherwise, a suitable separate adaptor may be employed.
The connection may also be an input such as a disk drive or other media input for input of data, a USB port or phone jack or other such wired input, again employing an adaptor if required.
As for wireless techniques, infrared (IR), microwaves, radio frequency (RF), e.g., Bluetooth� or 802.11 protocols, optical techniques including lasers, and other such techniques may be used. The patient or subject may also input data manually, such as by a stylus, keypad, synchronization from a PC, or by various other techniques discussed below.
A major advantage of the invention is that by use of an optional adaptor, the system is compatible with current and prior HMDs as well as maintaining a capability of adapting to future such systems.
Other advantages of the invention may include one or more of the following. An embodiment of the invention may be used when a patient is traveling or otherwise away from their "wired" means of communication. The invention allows wireless health-monitoring to the level of accuracy previously achieved only by desktop so-called "wired" computer systems. The invention is protocol-independent.
The interaction between a WWD and a back-end server may provide a major additional advantage in certain embodiments of the invention. In particular, the relatively small amount of memory currently provided on a WWD as compared to a back-end server severely limits the functionality of applications running on the WWD, especially in terms of computing capacity, processing power, and user interface. By providing significant application functionality on the back-end, less memory and processing capabilities become necessary on the WWD (i.e., on the "front-end"). Thus, memory may be used in the WWD for an enhanced user interface or for other purposes, according to the user requirements.
In a method according to an embodiment of the invention, the patient connects to a specific Internet site and a software program, resident on a remote server located on the Internet, downloads an interactive user interface for that patient and an application for the measurement of the physiological data. The software may also be downloaded to the WWD from a personal computer via a synchronization operation in known fashion. The software provides a personalized display for the user and configures the WWD to control and monitor devices connected via a generic input/output port to the WWD. The software may be designed to suit the constraints of the small display screens of WWDs. The software, as well as inputs from the patient or other inputs, can control the manner, content, and display of information presented to the patient, and measured or input data can be stored for review by a health care provider or by a software algorithm or application. The algorithm may be of varying complexity, from a simple program that merely acknowledges receipt of information to an artificial intelligence algorithm, such as an expert system, collaborative filtering system, rules based system, case-based reasoning system, or other such artificial intelligence application.
Further information may be provided to or from the patient, including information entered manually. The patient may input this information via a personal computer, which then may download the input information to the WWD via a synchronization operation using standard protocols, such as those for Palm PDA devices.
The user may also input supplemental information via a PC connected independent to the server via the internet. Such supplemental information may include data that is difficult or inconvenient to input on the WWD. In this way, the patient may be afforded a more convenient environment in which to manipulate data to supplement the data input to the WWD. The deployment of voice processing technology may be used to enable an even more convenient user interface: i.e., one to which patients can talk.
In all of these respects, the portable aspect of the WWD is important: to wit, the user may conveniently carry the WWD on their person wherever they may go, allowing data entry at the time needed.
Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the summary above, as well as from the description that follows, including the figures and the claims.
Various acronyms are used for clarity herein. Definitions are given below.
The term "HMD" may encompass not only devices with physiologic sensors but also devices with a keypad, keyboard, mouse, pointer, pressure sensor, or other such inputs that the patient or user may employ to perform data entry of the desired parameters. In general, HMDs include some means for determining a health parameter.
In a disease management embodiment, an HMD may be a blood glucose monitor, a blood pressure monitor, an ambulatory ECG recorder, a respiratory monitor, a temperature or heart rate monitor, and so on.
In a healthy lifestyle management embodiment, an HMD may be an exercise machine, including treadmills, rowers, steppers, exercise cycles, or other aerobic or anaerobic exercisers, or a monitor, include monitors for temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, amount of work or rate of work performed, etc.
The term "subject" as used herein primarily indicates a human subject. The same may be a medical patient under physician care, a person interested in maintaining health via accurate recording of nutrition and exercise, and so on. The term "user" is generally used to refer to the user of the device, which may be synonymous with the subject or may alternatively be a caregiver of the subject, etc. The term "patient" is used, in addition to a person under the care of a physician, to also refer to a "normal" or healthy individual who is interested in maintaining a healthy physiologic balance.
The term "signal communication" is used to mean any type of connection between components where the connection is, e.g., electromagnetic, and where the connection allows information to be passed from one component to another. This term may be used in a similar fashion as "coupled", "connected", "information communication", "data communication", etc. The following are examples of signal communication schemes. As for wired techniques, a standard bus or serial cable may be used if the input/output ports are compatible and an optional adaptor may be employed if they are not. As for wireless techniques, IR, microwaves, RF, e.g., Bluetooth� or 802.11 protocols, optical techniques including lasers, and other such techniques may be used. The patient or subject may even input data manually, such as by a stylus or keypad or by various other techniques discussed above and below.
The term "generic input/output port" is used to mean any type of convention, standard, universal, stock, consumer, or "off-the-shelf" type of port for data input and output. These may include both wired and wireless ports. A further description is given below.
Various embodiments of the invention are now described in more detail.
Referring to
Referring to
As noted above, HMD 11 may include a physiologic sensor 24 or may include a manual system 36 for input of physiologic data via a connection 34. Manual system 36 may also be used to input data directly into WWD 12 via a connection 32. Manual system 36 may include, e.g., a keyboard 30, a mouse 26, a pen-type device 28, and may also employ a separate monitor (not shown). Of course, the user may also view information on monitor 40 or on a screen 41 of WWD 12. In many embodiments, the stylus-based system employed by many current PDA's, such as the Palm�, may be preferred for such manual data input.
Data may also be input via entry on a computer 37. This data may then be synchronized to WWD 12 in known fashion. Alternatively, computer 37, or another computer (see computer 37′ in
It will be clear to one of skill in the art given this teaching that cable 32, as well as cables 34 and 44, may be replaced with wireless circuitry to communicate signals wirelessly. Alternatively, cables 34 or 44 may be replaced by a direct plug and socket connection.
For medical devices and applications, physiologic sensor 24 may include, e.g., a sensor appropriate for measuring blood glucose levels, blood pressure, heart rate, or any other desired parameter as required by the physician. Sensor 24 may connect via an optional cable 44 to subject 38. Alternatively, sensor 24 may be distal of HMD 11, i.e., at or within subject 38. In other words, if cable 44 is employed, sensor 24 may be proximal or distal of cable 44. If a wireless communications capability is added, sensor 24 need not physically connect with HMD 11 or WWD 12 at all. That is, the same may measure a health parameter and may communicate the same to wireless health-monitoring apparatus 10 wirelessly. The short range wireless communications schemes which may be employed include infrared, radio frequency including Bluetooth or 802.11, or other such schemes.
As examples of sensor types, to measure blood glucose levels, sensor 24 may be a sensor that accepts a drop of blood, e.g., via a finger-prick. To measure heart rate, sensor 24 may be placed via an adhesive sensor disposed on the chest. Other health monitors may also be employed so long as the measured data may either be transferred to WWD 12, e.g., via optional adaptor 42, described in further detail below, or by being read by a user, e.g., from a display, and manually input to WWD 12. Alternatively, the measured data may be transferred to WWD 12 via wireless communication schemes, such as RF includes Bluetooth� or 802.11, infrared, optical, microwaves, etc., directly from sensor 24 or from HMD 11 as described in greater detail below. The measured data may be obtained by an implantable device, such as a cardiac monitor, for which a wireless communication scheme would be particularly appropriate.
The user, who may or may not be the same person as subject 38, may input data to WWD 12 from history or experience. For example, in a health or exercise device, if subject 38 consumes a known number of calories, this information may be entered via manual system 36 directly into WWD 12 or into HMD 11. Further, the user, the subject, and the sensor are not necessarily the sole sources of information. Data stored on the server, or on a separate server operated for health management may also be employed to result in a health benefit to subject 38.
Referring to
As noted, the protocols for data communication are known. However, they currently vary amongst known techniques. The present invention is not limited to any particular protocols, and may be implemented in any languages supported by the WWD and server. Of course, as computing capabilities continue to increase, it is expected that the capabilities of WHMA 10, servers 18 and 22, as well as application 62 and client 44, and other components, will correspondingly increase.
Application 62 running on server 22 may interact with WHMA 10 in a number of ways. Referring to
Server 22 has a base server application 62 with which the same calculates or provides a response based at least in part on data from WHMA 10. Application 62 may include an algorithm 63 for analyzing data from the HMD, and either application 62 or algorithm 63 may optionally access data from an external data source 74 and may further consult an artificial intelligence system 76.
External data source 74 may be a memory or disk or other such storage that stores health data, such as healthy and unhealthy weight/height ranges, healthy and unhealthy cholesterol counts, the patient's or subject's prior medical or health history, healthy and unhealthy blood pressure values, information corresponding to the caloric and other nutritional content of foods, information corresponding to the caloric expenditure values of various exercises, algorithms for calculating various health parameters, etc. In general, any data that may benefit the health of a subject or patient may be stored in external data source 74. External data source 74 may also include online access of health information from external web sites, ftp servers, or other sources.
Due to the current relatively small amount of memory and storage available on current WWDs, such external application processing as by application 62 and external data storage as by external data 74 may be particularly important.
As noted, application 62 or algorithm 63 may also consult AI system 76 for suggestions as to health benefits. AI system 76 may even interact with external data source 74 to extract useful information from the same. AI system 76 may employ, e.g., case-based reasoning, rules-based systems, collaborative filtering, neural networks, expert systems, or other such systems as are known.
It should also be noted that each of application 62, algorithm 63, external data source 74, or AI system 76, may physically reside on more than one server, e.g., on an array of servers for, e.g., storage or multiple processing purposes. Each of application 62, algorithm 63, external data source 74, or AI system 76, or combinations of each, may also respectively reside on different servers.
The extent to which server application 62 interacts with wireless application 70 depends on the use to which the system is put. For example, in a less interactive embodiment, device application 70 may act to measure a diabetic patient's blood glucose level and report the same to server application 62. In this case, a physician may simply review the measured value and send the patient an email reporting that the value is acceptable or not. In a highly interactive embodiment, a patient may have numerous HMDs 11 connected via optional adaptors to a WWD 12, and wireless application 70 may correspondingly send a large amount of health data to server application 62. The physician, accessing server application 62, may in turn send detailed care plans to a caregiver via connection 72. The received data may be analyzed using algorithm 63, external data source 74, and AI system 76. In this sense, the two applications may be highly interactive.
It is noted that an Application Service Provider (ASP) may operate application 62. That is, application 62 may be leased by an ASP to the health care provider, and the ASP may perform all necessary upgrades and maintenance to application 62 and its associated components.
To initialize the system, the program starts and a wireless application is loaded into the WWD. The loading of the wireless application may occur via synchronization from a desktop or via downloading from a server over the internet. The server application may be loaded into an appropriate internet-connected server. Subject data may be loaded into the WWD or into the server. In the latter case, the subject information may later be transferred to the WWD or transferred to the server from the WWD, as called for by the application. The initialization scheme then ends.
The wireless application may access the server and server application, or vice-versa, as determined by the respective program instructions. Examples are now given for (1) a system of disease and patient management and (2) a system for health management employing an exercise machine.
Example Employing System For Disease Management
Referring to
The program is started (step 142) and a sensor measures a health parameter (step 116). The sensor may send the parameter to a medical device (step 118). The medical device then sends the parameter to the WWD (step 120). The WWD then wirelessly communicates the parameter to the application server (step 122), e.g., via the wireless web. The application server processes the parameter (step 124), and calculates or provides a response (step 126) based at least in part on the parameter. The application server may optionally employ algorithm 63 (step 125), external data (step 132) or an AI system (step 134) in the calculation. The application server then sends the response to the WWD (step 128), where the response is displayed (step 130).
It should be noted that the term "response" here is used generally may simply be an acknowledgement that the parameter was received by the application server. The term "calculate" is also used generally, and may entail a simple calculation as well as a complex one. A result may, e.g., be the result of a calculation.
As noted above, the sensor may connect to any type of medical device or other such device in which information pertaining to a patient's disease or condition may be ascertained. The parameter may be any value corresponding to such information.
The method may also use a manual input as shown. In this case, after the start (step 142) of the application, the user may interact with the WWD (step 140). The interact may be a data input, a command to read data from a medical device, a response to a physician question or statement, an acknowledgement of physician notification, etc. Calculations by the application server may further take into account supplemental data sent by the user to the server, e.g., in a wired fashion directly over the internet (step 141).
In one implementation, a diabetic may keep a database on a server of a dietary history and a blood glucose history. With this data at-hand wirelessly, the diabetic may choose whether to eat a particular food by entering nutritional information about the food into a WWD, transmitting the same wirelessly to the server, and receiving a recommendation from the server. The recommendation may be based on the food and also on data or information that had previously been transmitted wirelessly, including data from a blood glucose monitor, data input manually, if any, as well as data from algorithm 63, external data source 74, and AI system 76.
Example Employing System for Health Management Using a General Exercise Machine
Referring to
The program is started (step 242) and a sensor measures a health parameter (step 216), where the health parameter corresponds to health, fitness, nutrition, exercise, etc. The sensor may send the parameter to the exercise machine (step 218). It is understood here that the "sensor" may be, e.g., a blood pressure monitor, but may also be a simple device connected to an aerobic exerciser that tracks miles ran, work performed, etc.
The exercise machine then sends the parameter to the WWD (step 220). The WWD wirelessly communicates the parameter to the application server (step 222), e.g., via the wireless web.
An alternative and complementary way of entering the parameter is by user input (step 248). For example, the user may enter the parameter into the exercise machine or into the WWD. This parameter may correspond to an amount of exercise performed, an amount of food consumed, etc.
Calculations by the application server may also take into account supplemental data sent by the user to the server, e.g., in a wired fashion directly over the internet (step 241).
The application server processes the parameter (step 224 and optionally step 225), and calculates a response (step 226) based at least in part on the parameter. The application server may optionally employ external data (step 232) or an AI system (step 234) in the calculation. The application server then sends the response to the WWD (step 228), where the response is displayed.
The same definitional statements regarding the terms "response", "calculate", "sensor", etc., as given before, apply in this embodiment as well.
As an optional step, a health specialist may notify the patient or subject of the response (step 238) after having the same displayed on their client computer (step 236). The health specialist may be replaced in this example by an application that may also include an algorithm.
Adaptor Hardware
A description is given below of a particular type of adaptor hardware. As noted above, the adaptor may optionally be used to connect a HMD to a WWD.
In general, a connection is necessary between a HMD 11 and a WWD. The nature of this connection may vary. For example, the connection may be wired or wireless. For wired systems, the connection may be direct or an adaptor may be employed, either on one or both ends of the direct wired connection, to adapt the signal appropriately. In the same way, for wireless systems, the connection may be direct, if both HMD and WWD employ the same wireless protocol, or an adaptor may be involved to modify the signal of one or both devices. These connections, all of which are encompassed by the present invention, are discussed in more detail below.
Referring to
Of course, the use and structure of adaptor 168, between HMD 160 and WWD 162, depends on factors such as the prevalence of an industry standard for such communications. In other words, if the output of HMD 160 is readily acceptable to WWD 162, then the same may be directly connected or may be connected via a simple cable, the same basically extending from pin-to-pin. For example, a standard parallel bus or serial cable may be used if the input/output ports between the HMD and the WWD, which may be, e.g., RS232, are compatible. Otherwise, a suitable adaptor circuit as noted above may be employed. The connection may also be an input such as a disk drive or other media input for input of data, a USB port or phone jack or other such wired input, again employing an adaptor circuit if required.
Port 164′ can be used to communicate with HMD 160 and connector 164 via a number of types of wired connections, including USB, USB2 or Firewire. In some cases, optional adaptor 168 may also be employed.
A connection may simply be made by providing optional adaptor 168 with adaptor circuitry, such as within cable 170 or within a circuit box therein, so as to match up the appropriate or complementary pins.
In other embodiments, such as for devices connected to proprietary connectors, a less standard and perhaps proprietary pin-out may be required.
Referring to
While the device shown in
It should be understood that the above is merely exemplary, and that the form of the adaptor may vary widely between HMDs and WWDs.
The above description of a remote health monitoring system, termed occasionally a "telemedicine" system, clearly provides a valuable tool for the remote diagnosis and management of patients.
Besides the patient data transmission from HMDs, other sorts of transmissions may also occur. For example, visual data, such as photographs or videos, may be transferred as an indication of the patient's condition and to aid remote diagnosis. Alternatively, other visual indications of a patient's status, such as graphical or other outputs of HMDs, may provide information useful for a diagnosing/treating physician.
In these embodiments, a set of visual data from a camera or from an HMD may be transmitted from the WWD to a wireless antenna that is connected to the wired telecommunications infrastructure. Overlaid on this is the internet, and the visual data may thus be sent via an appropriate protocol to a server for retrieval and analysis by a user such as a treating 'off-site' physician.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,047 describes a system by which images and data may be transmitted by standard telephone lines or wireless telemetry systems. Systems also allow for such transfers over wireless or cellular systems, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,519. Moreover, the advent of cellular phones and WWDs that include a digital camera (or alternatively are equipped with a link to one) allow the capture and transmission of photographic images using low-cost consumer devices. In this way, transmission of information may be particularly convenient and may occur when a regular telephone connection is unavailable, such as in a medical emergency, in a rural setting, or during transportation of a patient.
In such systems, an additional security layer may be employed, including industry-standard encryption and decription of the transmitted data, especially as patient health information is highly sensitive and private data.
Despite the obvious advantages of cellular or mobile systems, disadvantages also inure. For example, interruptions of service, "drop-outs", may occur between cells and in many locations service is not available.
Moreover, current WWDs often lack sufficient on-board memory for storage of visual data, such as from cameras or data-intensive HMDs.
Embodiments of the present invention at least in part assists in such cases. Referring to
In another embodiment, shown in
The memory device 246 then allows for enhanced functionality of the WWDs 244 or 250. In one respect, they allow for increased data storage. This may be particularly important for medical data, as certain health monitoring apparatuses produce copious amounts of data, e.g., cardiac monitoring equipment, and thus require substantial storage capabilities.
Another reason such memory devices are particularly pertinent in medical device monitoring is that they store data which can then be wirelessly transmitted in a streamed or non-streamed fashion. In the event of drop-outs, interruptions, or unavailability, of the wireless network, no loss of data occurs, as the data has been stored on the memory device and may be wirelessly transmitted at a later time when cellular or mobile service is again available. The memory device thus serves as a back-up storage media. In the event of an extended period of unavailability of a wireless network, the memory device may be replaced or overwritten to provide practically unlimited storage until such time as the network is available and the data can be uploaded.
Of course, even if the wireless network is available, the memory device or on-board WWD memory may store the data for various purposes. This real-time capability and robustness is often very important in ensuring patient safety and ensuring that a high level of care is being delivered to the patient by the caregiver, particularly in field or emergent situations where the wireless connection may be the only source of communications with a physician.
A related reason why memory devices are particularly pertinent in medical device monitoring is that they allow a greater level of buffering for real-time data monitoring, thus allowing more pre-analysis and filtering of data.
A further benefit of the use of memory devices is that they provide for easy application downloading (step 272 of
Particularly important types of data about a patient that presents with a malady (step 202 of
To obtain the first type of data noted above, photographic data, a camera may be employed, which is either resident on the WWD (camera 224 of
To devise the second type of data mentioned above, a data port from a HMD 260 that is coupled to a patient (step 210 of
As above, the WWD may store the HMD data, and transmit the same wirelessly to a point of collection or may save the data on the memory device for contemporaneous or later transmission, again either via a streamed or other transmission method.
In more detail, in the case of a dropout or other disruption of wireless service (step 218 of FIG. 11), the data may be stored on the memory device or in the WWD if it has not already been, as may be the case for streamed data (step 216 of FIG. 11). The WWD may periodically test for the availability of the wireless network (step 220 of FIG. 11), and may wait until the network is available (step 218 of FIG. 11). Once the system is again available, the advice from the caregiver may be sent to the WWD and the on-site personnel may again take action (step 206 of FIG. 11).
Using such data, an off-site health care professional may give an on-site caregiver valuable diagnosis and treatment advice. Moreover, no wired or dedicated connection is necessary. In addition, the above-noted difficulties with wireless or cellular systems may be overcome.
There are various ways in which visual data may be communicated to an off-site caregiver. A simple method is to send the visual data via an email message. In more advanced methods, the visual data may be integrated with a data stream of other medical information. Current systems may be used in combination with the present invention to facilitate the handling and transmission of visual data by a WWD. For example, current operating systems for WWDs include Windows Mobile, Symbian; current application programming languages include Java; current software libraries and development environments include MobilityWorld. In all cases, the visual data may be stored, e.g., as a separate file or may be included as an embedded object in a data file on the memory device or in an email.
It will be understood that the above description of a "Method and Apparatus for Health and Disease Management Combining Patient Data Monitoring with Wireless Internet Connectivity" has been with respect to particular embodiments of the invention. While this description is fully capable of attaining the objects of the invention, it is understood that the same is merely representative of the broad scope of the invention envisioned, and that numerous variations of the above embodiments may be known or may become known or are obvious or may become obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, and these variations are fully within the broad scope of the invention. For example, while certain wireless technologies have been described herein, other such wireless technologies may also be employed. Furthermore, while various types of medical devices have been mentioned, numerous other types may also be used in the embodiments of the invention, including pulse oximeters, implanted monitors, syringe drivers, infusion pumps, spirometers, ventilators, anesthesia monitors, blood glucose meters, and so on. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto, and equivalents thereof. In these claims, a reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless explicitly stated. Rather, the same is intended to mean "one or more". All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present invention is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. ��112, �6, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for".
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|Sensei, Inc.
|System for incorporating data from biometric devices into a feedback message to a mobile device
|Sep 18, 2007
|Mar 19, 2009
|Sensei, Inc.
|System and method for rewarding users for changes in health behaviors
|May 9, 2008
|Mar 19, 2009
|Sensei, Inc.
|Method and system for suggesting meals based on tastes and preferences of individual users
|Aug 11, 2008
|Jun 18, 2009
|Smiths Medical Md, Inc.
|Software Development Kit for a Medical Device and Web-Based Server
|Apr 7, 2008
|Oct 8, 2009
|The General Electric Company
|Telemedicine system and method
|Jul 6, 2009
|Jan 7, 2010
|Agamatrix, Inc.
|Integrated Blood Glucose Measurement Device
|Mar 23, 2007
|Mar 18, 2010
|Chris Bergstrom
|System and Methods for Improved Diabetes Data Management and Use Employing Wireless Connectivity Between Patients and Healthcare Providers and Repository of Diabetes Management Information
|Jan 22, 2010
|May 13, 2010
|Q-Tec Systems Llc
|Method and apparatus for exercise monitoring combining exercise monitoring and visual data with wireless internet connectivity
|Mar 17, 2011
|Jim Moon
|Body-worn vital sign monitor
|Mar 31, 2011
|Surwit Richard S
|Apparatus and Methods for Monitoring and Modifying Anticoagulation Therapy of Remotely Located Patients
|Oct 30, 2009
|May 5, 2011
|iHAS INC
|Novel one integrated system for real-time virtual face-to-face encounters
|Apr 19, 2010
|Sep 15, 2011
|Sotera Wireless, Inc.
|Body-worn vital sign monitor
|Nov 24, 2011
|Codd Timothy D
|Method of Administering A Lifestyle Tracking System
|Jun 19, 2006
|Dec 28, 2006
|Q-Tec Systems Llc
|Method and apparatus for health and disease management combining patient data monitoring with wireless internet connectivity
|Nov 2, 2011
|May 10, 2012
|Cardionet, Inc.
|Medical data collection apparatus
|U.S. Classification
|600/301, 340/539.12, 725/116, 128/903, 128/904
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Oct 13, 2004
Owner name: Q-TEC SYSTEMS LLC, DELAWARE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:QUY, ROGER J.;REEL/FRAME:015244/0965
Effective date: 20041004
|Aug 8, 2006
|Certificate of correction
|Aug 20, 2008
Owner name: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V., NETHERLANDS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:QUY, ROGER;REEL/FRAME:021411/0455
Effective date: 20080715
|May 27, 2009
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Mar 14, 2013
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8


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2 Vessel Cord and Delivery?
I found out at 20 weeks that I have a 2 vessel cord. The doctor does not seem too concerned because everything else has been completely normal. He did say I will be monitored more closely throughout the pregnancy to monitor growth. After all my research I can't really seem to find any information about the risks of a 2 vessel cord on delivery... Does having a 2 vessel cord put more risk on a vaginal delivery (would a scheduled cesarean be safer than a vaginal delivery)? I really would like a vaginal delivery, but I wonder if it is safe for the baby. Do mothers with a SUA ever get induced early due to the risks of problems with the cord? Are there any mothers out there who had normal deliveries with a 2 vessel cord baby who can offer stories of encouragement? Thanks, Emma
Posted: 04/06/2008 by emma_craig4
Mom Answers
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I was told my baby has a 2 cord vessel at 22 weeks and i'm now 33 weeks and my doctor has started me on stress test but she does'nt tell me how long the baby is or how much he weighs i wonder if i should be having more ultra sounds.posted 03/05/2009 by trotterc
My baby had a 2 vessel cord, and she stopped moving at 24 weeks. I went to the ER and they confirmed she had passed. I'm pregnant again and see a high risk Dr. and she said a 2 vessel cord can cause things like heart failure and chromosome problems. She also said if monitored closely you can go on to have a healthy baby.posted 03/31/2009 by a BabyCenter Member
I just found out at 20 weeks that I also have a two vessel umbilical cord... with a boy. They are going to do another ultrasound to check on the kidney growth, as they could not see a good picture in the first. All these stories of stillborns are scary, especially because like others, my doctor said there is not much to worry about. There really is no sense of worrying though until we find out more. Best of luck to everyone.posted 03/24/2010 by a BabyCenter Member
At 20 wks I found out my daughter had a two cord vessel, she was premature and weight 6lbs 10oz. She also was born with bilateral choanal atresia, hearing impaired, heart murmur. She did have her DNA tested and to our happiness she doesn't have any syndromes which can be related to two cord vessel along with metibolic health issues. Two cord vessels happen at conception because something may be wrong with the DNA. Our daughter is happy in grade one who plays hockey!! Sending blessings to all the mothers out there!posted 10/01/2011 by a BabyCenter Member
my second baby had a 2 vessel cord and that was only the begining of her problems. Heart defect, clubbed foot, oral facial dygital syndrome are just a few of the others. She and I were watched more closely throughout the pregnacy. I also had too much amniotic fluid. A sceduled inducement to deliver vaginaly was put into place because of the heart defect but I ended up having an emergency CS becasue of a prolapsed cord (which is one of the risks with too much fluid). My baby weighed over 7 pounds and needless to say has had to go through a lot. She is now over 1 years old and doing great. Still dealing with other issues with her syndrome but doing great. As a mother I would say that you need to educate yourself on anything that you might be worried about so you can ask the right questions. Every baby comes and grows differently and the doctors can only do their best to offer their best care. If you are worried then it is your right to ask and demand the care that you want.posted 07/08/2011 by a BabyCenter Member
I delivered my son at 34 weeks. I didn't know he has a two cord umbilical cord until I delivered. I know I should have been monitored more but wasn't. The only problem he had/has is a dilation in his kidney. My placenta was starting to calcifiy Iposted 11/12/2015 by georgia48
I just want to thank all of you for responding with your successes! I found out yesterday that I have a two vessel cord. My doctor isn't too worried, but is sending me for more screening just to check everything out fully. It is comforting to hear that other mothers haven't had bad issues with this. I tried not to stress last night, and after reading these posts am doing better. I have my follow-up appointment on Monday, so I will take it in stride until we know more. Thank you all!posted 06/05/2015 by emilymhasler
When I was pregnant with my 1st baby I found out I had a 2vessel cord. My Dr told me I was too far along for an amnio test. Then he told me my baby was going to be born with seriouce problems and I should consider termination. I had some complications but my baby was born on time. She is 12yrs old now and was just recently diagnosed with digeorge syndrome. Most babies born with this have seriouse problems with their hearts but she has a milder case. In 2011 I had my 3rd baby he also had a 2vessel cord he is 3yrs old just startrd pre-k and so far seems normal. I am waiting for the approval for my son to have a fish test done to make sure he has no genetic problems. Iddon't think he will.posted 08/29/2014 by a BabyCenter Member
also, my daughter was a scheduled repeat c-section so unfortunately I can't help you with the delivery part. As far as I know though, having a 2 vessel cord doesnt really affect the delivery.posted 06/02/2011 by Stephanie148
I found out I had a two vessel cord at 18 weeks and the baby was in a terrible position so they could not see her heart well. I was scheduled for an ECHO of her heart at 22 weeks and that turned out perfectly normal. Her kidneys are also developing normally at this time. The high risk physician suggests we start non-stress test and growth monitoring at 32 weeks but otherwise they aren't worried. Although I should either it is hard not too so I can relate to that!!posted 08/03/2012 by a BabyCenter Member
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Today was the first day, after signing up, that I really felt nervous about the impending trek up the mountain that is National Novel Writing Month. Still, it wasn't the word count or the time investment that is giving me the jitters. It's my story!
Will it work? Does it make any sense? Can I even keep it interesting for the first 1,600 words let alone 50,000?! I'm looking at writing a comedy sci-fi and I'm nervous about the comedy turning soft and gimmicky. I also don't want the lolz to get shoved aside and the novel to turn into, *Dramatic Chipmunk music*, a generic sci-fi.
I have contemplated switching stories, making it something I'm better at. Like, I dunno, an extremely long blog post about how much I like cats or the show Warehouse 13. I could be a "rebel" for my first NaNo, right? But alas, could I look at myself in the mirror come December 1st? I submit to you I could not.
So, I soldier on. Come November 1st, I will be looking at the first 1,500 words (haha….get it?) of my novel, Title Pending.
Besides, while the hike might be difficult at first the satisfaction of getting up there just can't be beat.
What are your thoughts heading into this, if you're participating? Are you ready for the climb yet, or are you still trying to untangle the rope from last year when you just shoved it in your backpack? Sound off in the comments!
Related articles
- NaNoWriMo (lyssaproctor.wordpress.com)
- NaNoWriMo – Man of the Seven Spears (sahmataineking.com)
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text:
Mother's Day Munching In Mission Hills
- When Sunday, May 11, 2014 at 10 a.m.
- Where The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge and The Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar Map
- Age limit All ages
- Categories Family, Food, Mother's Day
- Cost $13 - $36
Above: Promotional photo for the Red Door Restaurant and Wine Bar Brunch for Mother's Day.
If you're thinking of hosting an ambitious Mother's Day brunch at your home, save yourself the grief. Leave impressing Mom to the experts at The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge and The Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar in Mission Hills.
Brunch at The Red Door
Baked organic eggs in garden herbs and cream with bacon jam toast
Stuffed Cinnamon Roll French Toast, filled with sweet vanilla cream cheese and topped with fresh berries
Dinner (available at The Red Door and The Wellington)
Planked cider brined Cook Pigs Tomahawk Chop
Bacon fat Lyonnaise potatoes with pancetta and freshly harvested spring vegetables, pan jus
For reservations at The Red Door, call 619 295 6001. For reservations at The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge, call 619 295 6000.
For more information, visit thewellingtonsd.com or thereddoorsd.com.
The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge, 729 Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103 Google Maps
The Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar, 741 W. Washington St.San Diego, California 92103 Google Maps


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Hey guys, me and some ultra talented people made a game!
'Who are those ultra talented people?' you ask? Why, only Seething Swarm, TinyStuffz and ZStriefel ! If you dont know their work, make sure you check out their awesome stuff.
So we all teamed up and made this game for Adventure Game Jam within two weeks. If you enjoyed it, please VOTE HERE, 2 days left to do so.
ALSO, we have some art from the rough backgrounds of the game, before they get turned into sweet pixels by the awesome Tinystuffz
Campfire- Intro
Exploration Jungle
Triceratops' Cliffs
So that is the plan, just make rough drawings with like two colours, and then ask your pixel artist to make the whole thing look good for you and you are pretty much done.
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iPhone 5 Bluetooth Sharing: Transferring Files Across Devices
The new iPhone 5 comes with latest Bluetooth technology, but like previous models Apple has restricted its use for connecting Bluetooth Headsets only. Now, since evasi0n has successfully jailbroken the new iPhone, you can now reap the benefits of top Cydia app that allows users to transfer files via Bluetooth across devices. The Jailbreak app


text:
I want to know how Live DVD and USB drive work.
- Do they use the disk of my PC at all?
- If so, do they delete everything after I shut down the PC?
- If so, are the tmp files deleted securely? Or they can be recovered?
I'm thinking of a Live DVD like BackTrack, which is used for security tests, etc.