Wireless communication between medical devices using multiple communication protocols

• US 10,491,678 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2019
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Inventors: Arrizza, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US16/391,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20190289074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 217 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00 ; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1603 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method comprising: establishing a wireless connection between a first medical device and a second medical device, comprising: receiving, by the first medical device, via a short-range wireless technology protocol, connection information related to the second medical device; and establishing, by the first medical device, a wireless connection with the second medical device based on the connection information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a peripheral device;

a dialysis machine comprising;

a first antenna configured to receive a wireless identifier related to the peripheral device via a short-range wireless technology protocol; and

a second antenna configured for communication via a communication protocol other than the short-range wireless technology protocol; and

a connection device configured to communicate with one or both of the peripheral device or the dialysis machine, the connection device configured to cause a wireless connection to be established that wirelessly connects the peripheral device and the dialysis machine, using the wireless identifier, to allow the mobile device and the dialysis machine to communicate with each other via the wireless connection;

wherein the peripheral device is granted permission to perform one or both of;

(i) deliver data to the dialysis machine using the wireless connection, or (ii) control functions of the dialysis machine using the wireless connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless technology protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection is a WiFi connection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless technology protocol is a Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless technology protocol uses radiofrequency identification (RFID).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection device has an Internet protocol address and is communicable with a web service.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a blood pressure cuff.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a thermometer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a container having a sensor that monitors a characteristic of contents of the container.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the contents of the container include a dialysis-related treatment solution.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a smartphone.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a dialysis treatment-related device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a drug vial.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a remote controller.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a speaker.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a first peripheral device and the wireless identifier is a first wireless identifier, and wherein the system further comprises a second peripheral device, and wherein the first antenna is configured to receive the second wireless identifier related to the second peripheral device via the short-range wireless technology protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first peripheral device is located at a first distance from the dialysis machine and the second peripheral device is located at a second distance from the dialysis machine, and wherein the dialysis machine determines whether the first peripheral device or the second peripheral device is closest to the dialysis machine using the short-range wireless technology protocol.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first distance is less than the second distance.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the wireless connection is established with the first peripheral device that corresponds to the first distance that is less than the second distance.