BED STATUS INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR HOSPITAL BEDS

• US 20070247310A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bob Jennings, Daniel Ulrich, Joe Novak, Julie Myers, Matthew Weismiller, Tom Scott
• Original Assignee: Bob Jennings, Daniel Ulrich, Joe Novak, Julie Myers, Matthew Weismiller, Tom Scott
• Inventors: Ulrich, Daniel, Scott, Tom, Novak, Joe, Weismiller, Matthew, Myers, Julie, Jennings, Bob
• Granted Patent: US 7,538,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/12 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A bed monitoring system that remotely monitors a patient bed. The bed monitoring system comprises a bed status system and a master station. The bed status system is coupled to the patient bed and is configured to monitor at least one condition of the bed, and to generate a bed message indicating the status of the monitored condition. The master station, remote from the patient bed, is operatively coupled to the bed status system to receive bed status information. The bed message can include a bed identifier, bed type identifier, patient exit detection signal, bed occupied signal, or various other status signals. The system can also include locating stations that receive the bed messages from any beds within its monitored location, and generates a station message including information from the bed messages. The master station receives the station messages and can determine the status and location of any bed.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a condition of a patient bed, the system comprising:

a sensor coupled to the patient bed, a signal from the sensor being related to a position of at least one of the patient bed, a brake of the patient bed, and a siderail of the patient bed; and

a computer remote from the patient bed and coupled to the sensor by a datalink, the computer being configured to receive data related to the signal via the datalink and display indicia on a display device in response to receipt of the data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the datalink comprises a wired datalink.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the datalink comprises a wired network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal from the sensor is indicative of a status of the position.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal from the sensor is indicative of a change in the status of the position.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a message including a data field containing data indicative of a status of the position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor associated with the brake and a second sensor associated with the siderail and the computer is configured to display information on the display device indicative of the position of the brake and the position of the siderail.

8. The patient monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to display indicia on the display device in response to a change in the position.

9. The patient monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the data received by the computer is generated based on the signal from the sensor.

10. The patient monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to update the indicia displayed on the display device in response to receipt of the data.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the datalink comprises a wired datalink.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the datalink comprises a wired network.

11. A system for monitoring the position of a siderail of a patient bed, the system comprising:

a sensor coupled to the siderail, a signal from the sensor being related to the position of siderail; and

a computer remote from the patient bed and coupled to the sensor by a datalink, the computer being configured to receive data related to the signal via the datalink and display indicia on a display device in response to receipt of the data.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the signal from the sensor is indicative of the position of the siderail.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the signal from the sensor is indicative of a change in the position of the siderail.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the data comprises a message including a data field containing data indicative of the position of the siderail.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer is configured to display information on the display device indicative of the position of the siderail.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer is configured to display indicia on the display device based on a change in the position of the siderail.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer is configured to continually update the indicia displayed on the display device in response to receipt of the data.

20. A system for monitoring a condition of a patient bed, the system comprising:

a wired datalink;

a sensor coupled to the patient bed and the wired datalink, a signal from the sensor being related to a condition of the patient bed; and

a computer remote from the patient bed and coupled to the wired datalink, the computer being configured to receive data related to the signal via the datalink and display indicia on a display device in response to receipt of the data.