USER SELECTABLE MASKING SOUNDS FOR MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS

• US 20080243211A1
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Howard, David, Childers, Robert, Cartwright, Jason, Niedospial, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/63
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/42 Reducing noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/43 making noise when used correctly
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1752 Masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/12 for acoustic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming

Abstract

A medical instrument includes a sound card or an internal capability for generating sounds from a digital music or sound file. The medical instrument is one which generates unwanted noise and is constantly in the presence of a patient or an operator, and may be in a home, a clinic, a laboratory, or other intimate setting. For instance, a patient may be typically connected for hours to a hemodialysis machine that has a noisy pump. A blood-plasma volunteer may be hooked to a noisy blood separation machine for a period of time. A laboratory technician may work in close proximity to a sample preparation machine that constantly gurgles and whirrs. In each instance, a sound card and a speaker can generate previously-recorded masking noises that make that the presence and operation of the machine more tolerable.

Claims

1. A medical instrument, comprising:

a medical instrument for patient care, laboratory use, or pharmaceutical use;

a computer, the computer forming a part of the medical instrument and configured for controlling and operating the medical instrument;

a sound capability comprising a sound card within the computer or the sound capability forming a portion of the computer;

a speaker for generating sounds from the sound capability; and

a control panel for selecting the sounds,

wherein the medical instrument generates a plurality of undesirable noises and wherein the computer, the control panel, the sound capability and the speaker are configured for processing digital files and to generate music or sounds to mask the noises or to mask perception of the noises, and optionally to allow a user or operator of the medical instrument to select the music or sounds.

2. The medical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an input port configured for inputting the digital file.

3. The medical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an input configured for inputting the digital file, the input selected from the group consisting of an Internet connection, a USB port, a floppy drive, and a CD-drive.

4. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the digital file has a format selected from the group consisting of CD, CD-DA, CD-ROM, MP3, ITunes, WAV, WMA, AIFF, MPEG-4, AAC, a digital radio format, Vorbis and Speex.

5. The medical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a microphone configured for feedback from an area outside the medical instrument.

6. The medical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a sound level control on the control panel.

7. The medical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of filters selectable by a user or operator for shaping the music or sounds.

8. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the digital file is a digital music file or a noise masking file selected from the group consisting of white noise, pink noise and soothing noise.

9. A medical instrument, comprising:

a medical instrument for patient care, laboratory use, or pharmaceutical use;

a computer, the computer forming a part of the medical instrument;

a sound card connected within the computer or a sound capability forming part of the computer;

a speaker for generating sounds from the sound card; and

a control panel for selecting sounds and adjusting a volume of the speaker,

wherein the computer, the control panel, and the sound card or sound capability are configured for generating a plurality of sounds from a digital file and are configured to optionally allow a user or operator of the medical instrument to select the sounds to mask noises from the medical instrument.

10. The medical instrument of claim 9, wherein the digital file is a music file and has a format selected from the group consisting of CD-DA, CD-ROM, MP3, ITunes, WAV, AIFF, MPEG-4, AAC, a digital radio format, Vorbis and Speex.

11. The medical instrument of claim 9, further comprising a microphone configured for feedback from an area near a patient using the medical instrument.

12. The medical instrument of claim 9, further comprising a graphical analyzer configured for visually outputting information concerning at least a volume and optionally a frequency of the noise or the sounds generated.

13. A medical instrument, comprising:

a medical instrument, the medical instrument selected from the group consisting of a blood separation machine, a peritoneal dialysis machine, a hemodialysis machine, an automated drug preparation machine, an automated sample preparation machine, and a machine for pumping or mixing medical fluids;

a computer, the computer forming a part of the medical instrument and configured for operating and controlling the medical instrument;

a sound card operably connected to the computer or a sound capability forming part of the computer;

a speaker for generating sounds from the sound card or sound capability; and

a control panel for selecting sounds and adjusting a volume of the speaker, wherein the sound card or sound capability are configured for generating a plurality of sounds from a digital file and wherein the computer, control panel, sound card or sound capability, and the speaker are configured to optionally allow a user or operator of the medical instrument to select and generate sounds from the digital file to mask noises from the medical instrument.

14. The medical instrument of claim 13, further comprising an input configured for inputting the digital file, the input selected from the group consisting of an Internet connection, a USB port, an optical input, a floppy drive, and a CD-drive.

15. The medical instrument of claim 13, further comprising at least one of a microphone configured for feedback from an area outside the medical instrument and a graphical analyzer configured for visually outputting information concerning at least a volume and optionally a frequency of the noise or the sounds generated.

16. The medical instrument of claim 13, further comprising a graphic equalizer or parametric equalizer operably connected to the medical instrument and configured for allowing a user or operator to shape the sounds output by the speaker.

17. A method for masking noises from a medical instrument, the method comprising:

selecting a medical instrument that makes undesirable noises;

operating and controlling the medical instrument with a computer having an internal sound capability and a speaker;

selecting at least one digital file for masking the undesirable noises, the medical instrument optionally programmed for making a default selection; and

playing the sound using the internal sound capability and the speaker, wherein noises from the medical instrument are at least partially masked by sounds from the internal sound capability and the speaker.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sound capability resides on a sound card or a printed circuit board forming a part of the computer or connected to the computer.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting a sound level output of the digital file with respect to frequency of the sound level output so that a slope of the sound level output versus frequency is substantially constant and is from about −

2 dB per octave to about −

6 dB per octave, and optionally about −

4 dB per octave.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a sound level output of the digital file with respect to frequency of the sound level output is adjusted using the internal sound capability or another sound capability, so that a slope of the sound level output versus frequency is substantially constant and is from about −

2 dB per octave to about −

6 dB per octave, and optionally about −

4 dB per octave, and further comprising recording the digital file with adjusted sound level output for further use in masking noises.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising programming the medical instrument to play a variety of selected sounds over a period of time.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the medical instrument further comprises a microphone configured for feedback and further comprising automatically or manually adjusting an output level of the speaker in response to the feedback.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting a sound for masking or minimizing an impact of a particular noise from the medical instrument.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein two or more digital files are played simultaneously to generate masking sounds.