CYCLE COUNTING
First Claim
1. An electronic thermometer comprising:
- a controlling base that houses controlling electronics programmed to at least calculate a sensed temperature;
a probe assembly comprising a heat-conducting probe removably attached to the controlling base to communicate electrically with the controlling electronics; and
an electronic memory associated with the probe assembly programmed to store at least one piece of probe-specific service information.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a platform for a manufacturer of reusable medical apparatuses to provide timely post-sale service for replaceable parts. In one embodiment, the probe assembly of an electronic thermometer has a connector that is equipped with a memory device, e.g., EEPROM, that stores a variety of probe-specific service information including usage count of the probe, probe warranty information and error codes. The user can plug the connector, e.g., through an adapter module, to a local computer'"'"'s USB port and submit the stored service information to a website maintained by the probe manufacturer to check up and get service for the specific probe in a timely fashion. Automatic alert for replacement probe orders depending on the amount of usage, automatic generation of RMA numbers when the probe warranty is determined to be in effect, and automatic service calls for malfunctioning thermometers can all be accomplished accordingly without the need for manual record-keeping. A healthcare provider can simply set aside a day at a scheduled interval to check all of its reusable medial apparatuses equipped with the invented system to keep them safe and effective.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. An electronic thermometer comprising:
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a controlling base that houses controlling electronics programmed to at least calculate a sensed temperature; a probe assembly comprising a heat-conducting probe removably attached to the controlling base to communicate electrically with the controlling electronics; and an electronic memory associated with the probe assembly programmed to store at least one piece of probe-specific service information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for servicing a reusable medical apparatus, the system comprising:
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a reusable medical apparatus comprising a reusable part and an electronic memory associated with the reusable part, the electronic memory being programmed to store at least one piece of service information specific to the reusable part, and a remote processing system programmed to process the at least one piece of service information for servicing the reusable medical apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A system for servicing an electronic thermometer, the system comprising:
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an electronic thermometer comprising; (a) a controlling base that houses controlling electronics programmed to at least calculate a sensed temperature; (b) a probe assembly comprising a heat-conducting probe; and (c) a connector in electrical communication with the heat-conducting probe and providing removable electrical connection between the probe assembly and the controlling electronics, the connector comprising an electrical erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) that stores at least one piece of service information selected from the group consisting of usage count of the probe, probe warranty information, and probe error codes; and a remote processing system accessible through an internetwork and programmed to process the at least one piece of service information for servicing the electronic thermometer.
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Specification