PROCESS TO IMPROVE THE PROFITABILITY OF TESTS OR TREATMENTS WITH ENDOSCOPY CAPSULES
First Claim
1. A method for improving profitability of a medical procedure supervised through a medical facility, the medical procedure including ingestion of an endoscopy capsule by a patient of the medical facility, said method comprising the steps of:
- retrieving the endoscopy capsule after natural voiding of the endoscopy capsule by the patient after the endoscopy capsule traverses the gastrointestinal tract of the patient; and
paying a reward to a person who returns the retrieved endoscopy capsule to a location associated with the medical facility.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a method for improving profitability of a medical procedure supervised through a medical facility, the medical procedure including ingestion of an endoscopy capsule by a patient of the medical facility, the endoscopy capsule is retrieved after being naturally voided by the patient after the endoscopy capsule traverses the gastrointestinal tract of the patient, and a reward is paid to a person who returns the retrieved endoscopy capsule to a location associated with the medical facility. An endoscopy capsule usable with this procedure has a capsule body containing medical data-gathering components, and an exchangeable cover that covers the capsule body that is formed of a material allowing removal of the cover after the capsule has passed through the gastrointestinal tract of the patient, so that a new cover can be provided on the capsule body.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for improving profitability of a medical procedure supervised through a medical facility, the medical procedure including ingestion of an endoscopy capsule by a patient of the medical facility, said method comprising the steps of:
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retrieving the endoscopy capsule after natural voiding of the endoscopy capsule by the patient after the endoscopy capsule traverses the gastrointestinal tract of the patient; and paying a reward to a person who returns the retrieved endoscopy capsule to a location associated with the medical facility. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An ingestible endoscopy capsule comprising:
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a capsule body having a size and a shape configured for ingestion by a patient and natural passage of the capsule body through the gastrointestinal tract of the patient, said capsule body containing at least one data acquisition component that acquires medically relevant information from the patient during said passage of the capsule body through the gastrointestinal tract of the patient; and an exchangeable cover covering said capsule body, said cover being comprised of a material that allows acquisition of said medically relevant information by said component in said capsule body through said cover, and that is resistant to the environment within said gastrointestinal tract of the patient, said cover being configured for removal from said capsule body after said passage of said capsule body through the gastrointestinal tract of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20)
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16. A method for reusing an ingestible endoscopy capsule, comprising the steps of:
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providing an ingestible endoscopy capsule with an exchangeable cover at an exterior of the endoscopy capsule that protects the endoscopy capsule from the environment in a gastrointestinal tract of a patient during passage of the endoscopy capsule through the gastrointestinal tract; and after passage of the endoscopy capsule through the gastrointestinal tract, removing said cover from said endoscopy capsule and replacing the removed cover with a replacement cover for subsequent reuse of the endoscopy capsule with the replacement cover. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification