Medical apparatus

• US 20020049562A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hahn, Guenter
• Granted Patent: US 6,856,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices

Abstract

A medical apparatus with elements (13) for dealing with problems which, when a problem affecting the medical apparatus occurs, determine the component (7) which is the cause of the problem concerned and display it, in the event that this is a component (7) which can be exchanged by an apparatus user without service support, the elements for dealing with problems (13) displaying a request to exchange this component.

Claims

1. A medical apparatus with means for dealing with problems which, when a problem affecting the medical apparatus occurs, determine that (those) component(s) which is (are) the cause of the problem concerned and display it (them) on a display device (17).

2. The medical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the means of which for dealing with problems obtain problem-specific data on the medical apparatus with respect to the problem determined and evaluate them with regard to the component(s) causing the problem concerned.

3. The medical apparatus as claimed in claim 2, which contains a data memory in which information serving for determining data is stored and taken from the data memory by the means for dealing with the problem on a problem-dependent basis.

4. The medical apparatus as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, at least one of the components of which is a self-change component which can be exchanged by an apparatus user without service support and, in the event that a self-change component is a component causing the problem concerned, the means of which for dealing with problems display a request to exchange this self-change component.

5. The medical apparatus as claimed in claim 4, the self-change components of which are provided with a visible code and the means of which for dealing with problems indicate the code of a self-change component when they display a request to exchange such a component.

6. The medical apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or 5, which contains a data memory in which illustrations of the self-change components are stored, and in which apparatus the means for dealing with problems display the illustration of a self-change component when they display a request to exchange such a component.

7. The medical apparatus as claimed in one of claims 4 to 6, in which the means for dealing with problems order the self-change component to be exchanged via telecommunication means.

8. The medical apparatus as claimed in one of claims 4 to 7, in which self-change components are designed in a way ensuring that they cannot be mixed up.

9. The medical apparatus as claimed in one of claims 4 to 8, in which the connections of self-change components serving for power and/or signal transmission are designed in a way ensuring that they cannot be mixed up.

10. The medical apparatus as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9, in which the means for dealing with problems perform a test on the medical apparatus after the exchange of a component and only authorize normal operation of the apparatus if there is a positive test result.

11. The medical apparatus as claimed in claim 10, which contains a data memory in which information serving for carrying out the test is stored and taken from the data memory by the means for dealing with the problem according to the component respectively exchanged.

12. The medical apparatus as claimed in one of claims 411, the apparatus being assigned a data memory in which at least partially graphic information concerning the exchange of self-change components which can be presented on a display unit of the apparatus is stored.