Information transmission method and apparatus

• US 20070037567A1
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Neurotechnology Limited
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Neurotechnology Limited
• Inventors: Evans, Tom, Ungless, Gary
• Application Number:
  US11/501,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20070037567A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are provided for transmitting information between a monitor and a remote computer. The monitor comprises a sensor coupled to a memory for logging data output by the sensor over time. The information transmission method includes the steps of interfacing the monitor to a base station for transmitting the information between the monitor and the base station, and transmitting the information between the base station and the remote computer by means of a text message or pager message. In this way, information can be transmitted in both directions, either from the monitor to the remote computer or from the remote computer to the monitor.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information between a monitor and a remote computer, the monitor comprising a sensor coupled to a memory for logging data output by the sensor over time, comprising the steps of;

interfacing the monitor to a base station for transmitting the information between the monitor and the base station; and

transmitting the information between the base station and the remote computer by means of a text message.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the monitor is interfaced to the base station by means of a wireless interface.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which the base station is a portable or hand-held base station, such as a mobile telephone or a PDA (personal digital assistant) or a portable computer with mobile telephone functionality.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which the remote computer is coupled to a network, such as the Internet, in order to receive or transmit the text message.

5. The method according to claim 1, in which the information for transmission comprises data logged by the monitor, in processed or unprocessed form.

6. The method according to claim 5, in which the monitor reads a telephone number for addressing the text message from a memory of the base station or a memory of the monitor, controls the creation of the text message incorporating the information for transmission, and controls the base station to transmit the text message, the telephone number for addressing the text message preferably being stored at a predetermined location in a telephone book of the base station.

7. The method according to claim 5, in which the information is downloaded from the monitor to the base station and the base station controls the creation of the text message incorporating the information for transmission, reads a telephone number for addressing the text message from a memory of the base station or a memory of the monitor, and transmits the text message;

and/or in which an attempt is made to transmit the text message at a predetermined time or at predetermined time intervals or in response to a feature of the data output by the sensor;

and/or in which an attempt is made to transmit the text message in response to a user input to the monitor or to the base station.

8. The method according to claim 1, in which the text message comprises a message header followed by the information for transmission, the message preferably being encoded using a 6-bit character map to generate a message in 7-bit format using a subset of a 7-bit character set;

in which the subset of the 7-bit character set optionally comprises only text characters and/or does not include control characters.

9. The method according to claim 8, in which the header comprises information identifying the monitor, and/or in which the monitor is powered by a battery and the header comprises information indicating the state of charge of the battery.

10. The method according to claim 1, in which the base station comprises a display and the method includes the step of displaying data logged by the monitor, in processed or unprocessed form, on the display.

11. The method according to claim 1, including the step of interfacing the base station to the monitor for transmitting information to the monitor;

in which the information transmitted to the monitor optionally includes monitor set-up information;

and/or in which the base station optionally comprises a user interface and the information for transmission to the monitor includes information input by a user to the base station by means of the user interface;

and/or in which the information for transmission to the monitor optionally includes information received by the base station in a text message from the remote computer;

and/or in which the information for transmission to the monitor is optionally stored at a predetermined address in a telephone book of the base station before transmission of the information to the monitor;

and/or in which the information for transmission to the monitor is optionally stored in a mailbox of the base station before transmission of the information to the monitor.

29. A computer program for programming a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a computer to implement the functionality of a base station for use in a method as defined in claim 1.

12. A communications system comprising a monitor, a base station and a remote computer, in which;

the monitor comprises a sensor coupled to a monitor memory for logging data output by the sensor over time, and a monitor interface coupled to the memory;

the base station comprises a first base-station interface for communication with the monitor interface, and a second base-station interface, the second interface being a text-messaging interface; and

the remote computer comprises or is coupled to a computer interface, the computer interface being a text-messaging interface for communication with the second base-station interface.

13. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the monitor interface and the first base-station interface form a wireless interface.

14. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the base station is a portable or hand-held base station.

15. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the remote computer is coupled through a network, such as the Internet, to the computer text-messaging interface.

16. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the monitor can create a text message for transmission to the remote computer, and control the base station to send the text message.

17. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the base station can download information from the monitor for transmission to the remote computer, create the text message and transmit it to the remote computer.

18. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the information for transmission to the remote computer comprises data logged by the monitor, in processed or unprocessed form.

19. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the monitor comprises a user-operable control and, on activation of the control by a user, the monitor attempts to cause a text message to be transmitted to the remote computer.

20. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the base station comprises a display on which data logged by the monitor, in processed or unprocessed form, can be displayed.

21. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the text message comprises a message header followed by information for transmission.

22. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the text message is encoded using a 6-bit character map to generate a message in 7-bit format using a subset of a 7-bit character set;

in which the subset of the 7-bit character set optionally comprises only text characters and/or does not include control characters.

23. The communications system according to claim 21, in which the header comprises information identifying the monitor;

and/or in which the monitor is powered by a battery and the header comprises information indicating the state of charge of the battery.

24. The communications system according to claim 12, in which the base station can interface to the monitor for transmitting information to the monitor;

in which the information transmitted to the monitor optionally includes monitor set-up information;

and/or in which the base station optionally comprises a user interface and the information for transmission to the monitor includes information input by a user to the base station by means of the user interface;

and/or in which the information for transmission to the monitor optionally includes information received by the base station in a text message from the remote computer.

25. The monitor for use in a communications system as defined in claim 12.

26. The base station for use in a communications system as defined in claim 12.

27. The remote computer for use in a communications system as defined in claim 12.

30. The computer program according to claim 29, wherein said base station is for use in an apparatus as defined in claim 12.

28. A method for encoding information for transmission in a text message, comprising the step of using a 6-bit character map to generate a message in 7-bit format using a subset of a 7-bit character set;

in which the subset of the 7-bit character set optionally comprises only text characters and/or the subset of the 7-bit character set optionally does not include control characters.