Modular microprocessor-based appliance system

• US 20060080152A1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Health Hero Network Incorporated (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Health Hero Network Incorporated (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0295 Strip shaped analyte sensors for apparatus classified in A61B5/145 or A61B5/157 disposable multilayered or laminated electrodes G01N27/307; details of handling chemical test elements G01N33/4875
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14 Devices for taking samples of blood hypodermic syringes A61M5/00; Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration within the blood, pH-value of blood measuring of blood pressure A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150854 long distance, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6896 Toys
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48792 Data management, e.g. communication with processing unit for in vivo diagnostics A61B5/0002; transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/90 Blood pressure recorder

Abstract

A system and method is described that enables a health care provider to monitor and manage a health condition of a patient. The system includes a health care provider apparatus operated by a health care provider and a remotely programmable patient apparatus that is operated by a patient. The health care provider develops a script program using the health care provider apparatus and then sends the script program to a remotely programmable patient apparatus through a communication network such as the World Wide Web. The script program is a computer-executable patient protocol that provides information to the patient about the patient'"'"'s health condition and that interactively monitors the patient health condition by asking the patient questions and by receiving answers to those questions. The answers to these health related questions are then forwarded as patient data from the remotely programmable patient apparatus to the health care provider apparatus through the communication network. The patient data may also include information supplied by a physiological monitoring device such as a blood glucose monitor that is connected to the remotely programmable patient apparatus. When the patient data arrives at the health care provider apparatus, the patient data is processed for further management of the patient'"'"'s health condition by the health care provider, such as forwarding another script program to the remotely programmable patient apparatus.

Claims

1-53. -53. (canceled)

54. A networked appliance system comprising:

a programmable microprocessor;

at least one input mechanism;

a memory having instructions and/or other information;

a display;

at least one appliance having at least one monitor operable for monitoring a parameter associated with operation of the appliance and for producing digitally encoded signals representative of the monitored parameter;

a communications device connectable in signal communication with both the programmable microprocessor and the at least one monitor; and

program instructions for the programmable microprocessor that,

(i) cause instructions and/or other information stored in the memory to be presented to a user on the display,

(ii) collect data from a user interaction with the at least one input mechanism in response to the display and stores data in memory,

(iii) collect data from the at least one monitor and stores the data in memory,

(iv) transmit data to a remotely located server,

(v) receive from the server instructions and/or other information stored on the server for transmission to the programmable microprocessor, and

(vi) store instructions and/or other information in the memory.

55. The networked appliance system of claim 54, wherein the programmable microprocessor is located in a programmable microprocessor device and comprises a compact housing.

56. The networked appliance system of claim 54, wherein the communications device is provided within a communications unit and a central processing device of the communications device causes the signals representative of the monitored parameter to be stored in a memory circuit of the communications unit;

and wherein the communications unit further includes a the communications device for transmitting the stored digitally encoded.

57. The networked appliance system of claim 56, wherein the system is configured to transmit a message to the display.

58. The networked appliance system of claim 56, further comprising a clearinghouse facility for receiving the signals supplied via the communications device of the communications unit, the clearinghouse facility being remotely located from the communications device and including a server having a digital signal processor for converting the digitally encoded signal supplied via the communications device of the communications unit into a report that provides information relating to the parameter monitored by at least one monitor.

59. The networked appliance system of claim 58, wherein the program instructions included in the memory of the programmable microprocessor cause the programmable microprocessor to display one or more menus on the display and further operation of one or more switches allows a user of the networked appliance system to control the operation of the programmable microprocessor and the communications unit, the operation controlled by the user with the one or more switches including the processing of the digitally encoded signals representative of the monitored parameter, the transmission of the digitally encoded signals from the communications device to the programmable microprocessor and the display of information on the display.

60. The networked appliance system of claim 59, wherein the one or more menus displayed on the display and further operation of one or more switches allows the user of the networked appliance system to generate graphic and alphanumeric displays on the display alphanumeric and graphic displays being representative of the signals that are representative of the monitored parameter and stored in the memory circuit of the communications unit.

61. The networked appliance system of claim 54, wherein the microprocessor device further comprises a receptacle for receiving a program cartridge that includes a memory circuit having stored therein program instructions for controlling the operation of the programmable microprocessor unit.

62. The networked appliance system of claim 61, wherein the program cartridge adapts the microprocessor device for operation with at least one appliance.

63. The networked appliance system of claim 62, wherein the adaptation occurs by downloading program instructions from a network server located at the clearinghouse facility.

64. The networked appliance system of claim 63, wherein the downloaded program instructions reconfigure the operation of the at least one appliance.

65. The networked appliance system of claim 63, wherein the program instructions are selected by a user of the networked appliance system from a website, or by the professional.

66. A method of using a modular microprocessor networked appliance system comprising:

(a) at a site employing at least one appliance,

(i) using stored program instructions to generate appliance related information on at least one display;

(ii) collecting appliance related data using a programmable microprocessor;

(b) connecting at least one remotely located computing facility including at least one central server for communication with a communications device at the appliance site; and

(c) providing appliance data to at least one computer remotely located from and in signal communication with the central server, wherein hardware and software of the central server are configured to receive and store appliance-related data from a appliance site that can be viewed or retrieved by an authorized user from the remotely located computer.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the central server receives messages from the remotely located computer and transmits the messages to the appliance site.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the appliance data is generated from at least one monitor associated with the appliance.

69. The method of claim 66, further comprising displaying one or more menus on a display of a programmable microprocessor device in signal connection with the communications device, the microprocessor device having one or more switches allowing a user of the networked appliance system to control the operation of the programmable microprocessor device and the communications device.

70. The method of claim 66, further comprising downloading program instructions from the central server to the data management unit.

71. A system for remotely monitoring an appliance, the system comprising:

a) a server;

b) a remote interface for entering in the server a set of queries to be answered by a user of the appliance; and

c) a remotely programmable apparatus for interacting with the appliance, the remotely programmable apparatus being in communication with the server;

wherein the server comprises;

i) a script generator for generating a script program from the set of queries, the script program being executable by the remotely programmable apparatus to communicate the set of queries to a user of the appliance, to receive responses to the set of queries, and to transmit the responses from the remotely programmable apparatus to the server; and

ii) a database connected to the script generator, the database for storing the script program and the responses to the set of queries;

and wherein the remotely programmable apparatus comprises;

i) a communication device for receiving the script program from the server and for transmitting the responses to the server;

ii) a user interface for communicating the set of queries to the user and for receiving the responses to the set of queries;

iii) a memory for storing the script program and the responses to the set of queries; and

iv) a processor connected to the communication device, the user interface, and the memory for executing the script program to communicate the set of queries to the user, to receive the responses to the set of queries, and to transmit the responses to the server.

72. The system of claim 71, wherein the user interface comprises a display for displaying the queries, and user input buttons for entering the responses.

73. The system of claim 71, further comprising at least one monitoring device for producing measurements, wherein the remotely programmable apparatus further includes a device interface connected to the processor for receiving the measurements from the monitoring device, the memory capable of storing the measurements, and the communication device includes a transmitter to transmit the measurements to the server.

74. The system of claim 73, wherein the device interface includes an interface unit to interface with a plurality of monitoring devices, and the script program specifies a selected one of the plurality of monitoring devices from which to collect the measurements.

75. The system of claim 73, wherein the server further comprises a report generator adapted to display the responses and the measurements on the remote interface.

76. The system of claim 71, further comprising a plurality of remotely programmable apparatuses in communication with the server, the plurality of remotely programmable apparatuses for remotely monitoring a corresponding plurality of appliances, wherein the database includes storage for a plurality of script programs, the remote interface includes a device to enter script assignment information, the server includes script an assignment mechanism connected to the database to assign to each of the plurality of appliances at least one of the plurality of script programs in accordance with the script assignment information, and the database further includes storage for a list of the plurality of appliances, and for each of the plurality of appliances, a respective pointer to the at least one of the plurality of script programs assigned to each of the plurality of appliances.