MULTIPLE CONFIGURATION ELECTRONIC THERMOMETER

• US 20080294065A1
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Waldhoff, Gary J., Bisch, Michael E., Yerlikaya, Denis Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,749,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/549
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/00 Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus casings, cabinets, drawers H05K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A plurality of thermometer models are manufactured from a universal clinical thermometer cure. The thermometer core includes a housing, a controller storing a software program, a power source, a probe, a probe cord, and a display. A plurality of model selection devices are produced, each corresponding to a different thermometer model. One of the model selection devices is selected and connected to the controller. The controller operates the thermometer as a function of the connected model selection device such that the thermometer is configured with the features and default settings of the thermometer model corresponding to the connected model selection device.

Claims

1. A configurable thermometer comprising:

a controller for operating the thermometer, said controller having a memory for storing computer-executable instructions implementing a plurality of functions of the thermometer; and

a model selection device identifying a selected one of a plurality of configurations of the thermometer, each of said configurations of the thermometer being defined by one or more of the functions of the thermometer, said model selection device being connected to the controller and said controller being responsive to the model selection device connected thereto for operating the thermometer in the selected configuration, wherein the model selection device comprises one of a plurality of interchangeable user input devices, each of said user input devices and said controller having mating electrical connectors for connecting a selected one of the user input devices to the controller to configure the thermometer according to the selected configuration.

3. The thermometer of claim 1 wherein each of the user input devices comprises a model-specific keypad.

4. The thermometer of claim 1 wherein the mating electrical connectors comprise a set of pins and a corresponding set of pin-receiving contacts, at least two pins of the set of pins being electrically connected to the corresponding pin-receiving contacts when the selected user input device is connected to the controller, and wherein the controller selectively enables the one or more functions of the thermometer defining the selected configuration based on which pins of the set of pins are electrically connected to the corresponding pin-receiving contacts.

5. The thermometer of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to selectively enable the one or more functions of the thermometer defining the selected configuration based on the model selector device connected thereto for operating the thermometer in the selected configuration.

6. The thermometer of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to selectively disable at least one of the functions of the thermometer not defining the selected configuration based on the model selector device connected thereto for operating the thermometer in the selected configuration.

7. The thermometer of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of software profiles stored in the controller memory, said software profiles each being representative of a pre-defined set of thermometer functions corresponding to one of the configurations of the thermometer, and wherein the controller is configured to load the software profile corresponding to the selected configuration identified by the model selection device when the thermometer initializes.

8. The thermometer of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine a default setting of the thermometer based on the model selection device connected thereto.

2. (canceled)

9. A system comprising:

a non-configured medical device, said medical device having a controller for implementing a plurality of functions of the medical device;

a plurality of interchangeable model selection devices, each of said model selection devices corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-defined configurations of the medical device, each of said configurations being defined by one or more of the functions of the medical device; and

wherein a selected one of the plurality of model selection devices is connected to said controller and said controller is responsive to the selected model selection device connected thereto for operating the medical device in the corresponding configuration.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the model selection devices comprise interchangeable, model-specific user input devices, each of said user input devices and said controller having mating electrical connectors for connecting a selected one of tile user input devices to the controller to configure the medical device according to the corresponding configuration.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the user input devices comprises a model-specific keypad for providing user-input to the medical device.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the controller includes a memory storing computer executable instructions for enabling operation of the plurality of functions of the medical device.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the controller is configured to selectively enable the one or more functions of the medical device defining the configuration corresponding to the user input device connected thereto for operating the medical device in the corresponding configuration.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the medical device comprises an electronic thermometer and wherein the plurality of interchangeable model selection devices comprises:

a first user input device corresponding to a first thermometer model of a plurality of thermometer models, said controller operating the thermometer according to the first thermometer model when the first user input device is connected thereto; and

a second user input device corresponding to a second thermometer model of the plurality of thermometer models, said controller operating the thermometer according to the second thermometer model when the second user input device is connected thereto.

15. The system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of software profiles stored in the controller memory, said software profiles each being representative of a pre-defined set of functions corresponding to one of the plurality of configurations of the medical device, and wherein the controller is configured to load the software profile corresponding to the configuration corresponding to the selected model selection device connected thereto when the medical device initializes.

16. A method of manufacturing a configurable medical device comprising:

selecting a user input device from a plurality of user input devices, each of said user input devices being associated with a configuration for the medical device;

connecting the selected user input device to a controller of the medical device;

configuring the controller for operating the medical device in a selected configuration as a function of the selected user input device connected thereto.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the user input devices comprise a plurality of interchangeable, model-specific keypads, each of said keypads and said controller having mating electrical connectors, and wherein connecting the selected user input device to the controller comprises connecting a selected one of the keypads to the controller via the mating electrical connectors to configure the medical device according to the selected configuration.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising storing computer executable instructions in a memory of the controller for implementing operation of a plurality of functions of the medical device wherein a subset of said functions defines each of the configurations.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein configuring the controller comprises selectively enabling the subset of functions of the medical device based on the selected user input device connected to the controller.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein configuring the controller comprises selectively disabling each of the functions implemented by the computer-executable instructions not in the subset of functions of the medical device based on the selected user input device connected to the controller.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising storing a plurality of software profiles in a memory of the controller, said software profiles each being representative of a pre-defined set of medical device functions corresponding to one of a plurality of configurations of the medical device, and

wherein configuring the controller comprises loading the software profile corresponding to the selected configuration when the medical device initializes.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein configuring the controller comprises determining a default setting of the medical device as a function of the selected user input device connected thereto.

23. (canceled)