HOSPITAL BED WITH NETWORK INTERFACE UNIT

• US 20100079276A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl W. Riley, Christopher A. Mathura, Irvin J. Vanderpohl III, James Maurice Allen, Keith A. Huster, Patricia Anne Glidewell, Richard J. Schuman, Williams F. Collins Jr
• Original Assignee: Carl W. Riley, Christopher A. Mathura, Irvin J. Vanderpohl III, James Maurice Allen, Keith A. Huster, Patricia Anne Glidewell, Richard J. Schuman, Williams F. Collins Jr
• Inventors: Glidewell, Patricia Anne, Mathura, Christopher A., Allen, James Maurice, Vanderpohl, Irvin J. III, Huster, Keith A., Schuman, Richard J., Collins, Williams F. JR., Riley, Carl W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,120,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.120
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/42 for inclination
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/44 for weight
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/012 raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0516 with height adjustability
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0527 Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/1021 Inflatable cushions
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/0092 Cuffs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 : Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 : Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/028 : Communication between parent and child units via remote transmission means, e.g. satellite network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 : responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0438 : Sensor means for detecting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 : Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 : Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 : using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 : Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 : ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 : for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

A system includes at least one computer device coupled to a hospital Ethernet, the hospital Ethernet having at least one wired access point and at least on wireless access point. The system also includes a hospital bed and a network interface unit (NIU) that facilitates communications from the hospital bed to the at least one computer device.

Claims

1. A system comprising

at least one computer device coupled to a hospital Ethernet, the hospital Ethernet having at least one wired access point and at least on wireless access point,

a hospital bed having associated therewith bed identification (ID) data, and

a network interface unit (NIU) coupled to the hospital bed, the NIU having associated therewith NIU ID data, the NIU having a communications port that is coupleable to the Ethernet via a data link, the NIU being configured to sense whether the communications port is coupled to the Ethernet via the data link, wherein if the NIU is coupled to the Ethernet via the data link then the bed ID data received by the NIU is transmitted along with the NIU ID data to the Ethernet over the data link, wherein if the NIU is not coupled to the Ethernet via the data link then the NIU ID data received by the hospital bed is transmitted wirelessly by the hospital bed to one of the wireless access points of the Ethernet along with the bed ID data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer device is operable to communicate with at least one of the following:

an electronic medical records database, a nurse call badge, a nurse location badge, a workflow process system, a personal data assistant (PDA), a voice communication badge, a badge having text message capability, and a pager.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the hospital bed has a power plug which plugs into a power outlet to provide power to the hospital bed and the computer device is operable to receive plug-connection data indicative of whether the power plug of the hospital bed is plugged into the power outlet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the hospital bed communicates bed data to the network interface unit and the network interface unit is operable to convert bed data formatted according to a first protocol into an Ethernet protocol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the hospital bed has a data cable which plugs into the network interface unit, and the computer device receives cable-connection data indicative of whether the data cable of the hospital bed is plugged into the network interface unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the hospital bed has wireless communication circuitry that transmits in-transit data indicating that the hospital bed is in transit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hospital bed transmits the in-transit data in response to a power cord of the hospital bed being unplugged.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface unit is coupled to the hospital bed by a data cable, the network interface unit being configured to transmit in-transit data to the computer device in response to the data cable being unplugged from the network interface unit.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the NIU is mounted to a wall of a room in which the hospital bed is located.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the NIU is coupled to the hospital bed via a data cable.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the hospital bed has an output port, the NIU is mounted to the hospital bed, and the NIU is coupled to the output port via a data cable.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the hospital bed has bed circuitry and the NIU is included as part of the bed circuitry.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer device comprises a nurse call computer, the NIU is configured to receive a nurse call signal from the hospital bed and transmit the nurse call signal to the nurse call computer via the Ethernet.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the NIU includes a nurse call cancel input that is useable to cancel the nurse call signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link comprises one of a wired data link and a wireless data link.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the network interface unit includes a first coupler that receives data from the hospital bed in a format according to a first protocol, wherein the communications port serves as a second coupler through which data is provided to the Ethernet in a format according to an Ethernet protocol, and wherein the network interface unit includes a third coupler through which data is provided to a nurse call system in a format according to the first protocol.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first coupler comprises a 37-pin interface, the second coupler comprises an RJ-45 port, and the third coupler comprises a 37-pin interface.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the NIU includes a feed through data link between the first coupler and the third coupler.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the feed through data link is used to feed to the third coupler a signal that is received from the hospital bed at the first coupler and wherein the signal controls one of room lighting and an entertainment device.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one computer device comprises a computer of the nurse call system.