Multiple Configuration Electronic Thermometer

• US 20100250909A1
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• 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: Yerlikaya, Denis Y., Waldhoff, Gary J., Bisch, Michael E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,449,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/1
• 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 custom thermometer models are manufactured from a universal clinical thermometer core. 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 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 an operating configuration of the medical device;

connecting the selected user input device to a controller of the medical device, said controller having a memory storing one or more computer-executable instructions for implementing a plurality of functions of the medical device; and

configuring the controller for operating the medical device in a selected operating configuration as a function of the selected user input device connected thereto, said configured controller executing software instructions selected from the one or more software instructions to implement one or more of the plurality of functions of the medical device upon said configuring.

2. The method of claim 1 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 controller according to the selected configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the computer executable instructions in the memory of the controller for implementing operation of the plurality of functions of the medical device wherein a subset of said functions defines each of the operating configurations.

4. The method of claim 3 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.

5. The method of claim 3 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.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a plurality of software profiles in the 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.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the controller comprises determining a default setting of the medical device as a function of the selected user input device connected thereto.

8. A system for manufacturing configured medical devices, said system comprising:

a plurality of non-configured medical devices, said medical devices each having a controller associated therewith for implementing a plurality of functions; and

a plurality of interchangeable model selection devices for configuring the medical devices according to a plurality of pre-defined operating configurations, wherein at least one of the configurations is defined by a set of one or more of the functions of the medical devices and at least one of the configurations is defined by another set of one or more of the functions of the medical devices, wherein a selected one of the model selection devices is connected to the controller of each of the medical devices and the controller is responsive to the selected model selection device connected thereto for configuring the associated medical device to operate in the configuration corresponding to the selected model selection device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the model selection devices comprise interchangeable, model-specific user input devices, each of said user input devices and the controller of each of the medical devices having mating electrical connectors for connecting a selected one of the user input devices to the controller to configure the associated medical device according to the corresponding configuration during manufacturing.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein each of the user input devices comprises a model specific keypad for providing user input to the controller.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the controller of each of the medical devices is configured to selectively enable the one or more functions of the associated medical device defining the configuration corresponding to the user input device connected thereto for operating the associated medical device in the corresponding configuration.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the controller of each of the medical devices includes a memory storing computer executable instructions for enabling operation of the plurality of functions of the associated medical device.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein a plurality of software profiles are 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.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the each of the medical devices 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. A method of manufacturing a custom thermometer comprising:

selecting a user input device from a plurality of user input devices, each of said user input devices being associated with an operating configuration of a configurable thermometer;

connecting the selected user input device to a controller of the configurable thermometer, said controller having a memory storing one or more computer-executable instructions for implementing a plurality of functions of the configurable thermometer; and

configuring the controller for operating the configurable thermometer in a selected operating configuration as a custom thermometer, wherein the configured controller is operable in the selected operating configuration to implement one or more of the plurality of functions of the configurable thermometer as a function of the selected user input device connected thereto.

16. The method of claim 15 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 customize the configurable thermometer according to the selected configuration.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing the computer executable instructions in the memory of the controller for implementing operation of the plurality of functions of the configurable thermometer wherein a subset of said functions defines each of the configurations.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein configuring the controller comprises selectively enabling the subset of functions of the configurable thermometer based on the selected user input device connected to the controller.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing a plurality of software profiles in the memory of the controller, said software profiles each being representative of a pre-defined set of functions corresponding to one of a plurality of configurations of the configurable thermometer, and wherein configuring the controller comprises loading the software profile corresponding to the selected configuration when the custom thermometer initializes.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein configuring the controller comprises determining a default setting of the configurable thermometer as a function of the selected user input device connected thereto.