PREVENTING DISRUPTIVE COMPUTER EVENTS DURING MEDICAL PROCEDURES
First Claim
1. A method of preventing disruptive computer events in a computing system, comprising:
- executing a process for controlling an external device, the process having a time-noncritical phase and a time-critical phase;
controlling the process using a process control application executing on a computing device managed by an operating system by intercommunicating signals between the computing device and the external device;
during the time-noncritical phase, operating the computing device in a plurality of operating modes including a first mode in which system services and applications other than the process control application are allowed access to resources of the computing device under control of the operating system and a second mode;
making a determination that the process has entered the time-critical phase; and
responsively to the determination, automatically transitioning the computing device from the first mode to the second mode in which the access by the system services and by other applications to the resources of the computing device is selectively limited in favor of the process control application.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-implemented system for process control has two operating modes: normal mode and active procedure mode, with automatic transition between them. In normal mode, the operating system, firewall and anti-virus are fully operational. When entering a time-critical phase of a process, a process control application signals the operating system and utilities, whereupon transition to active procedure mode automatically occurs, in which access by the system services and by other applications to the resources of the computer is selectively limited in favor of the process control application. Upon completion of the procedure, the system automatically returns to normal mode.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of preventing disruptive computer events in a computing system, comprising:
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executing a process for controlling an external device, the process having a time-noncritical phase and a time-critical phase; controlling the process using a process control application executing on a computing device managed by an operating system by intercommunicating signals between the computing device and the external device; during the time-noncritical phase, operating the computing device in a plurality of operating modes including a first mode in which system services and applications other than the process control application are allowed access to resources of the computing device under control of the operating system and a second mode; making a determination that the process has entered the time-critical phase; and responsively to the determination, automatically transitioning the computing device from the first mode to the second mode in which the access by the system services and by other applications to the resources of the computing device is selectively limited in favor of the process control application. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of preventing disruptive computer events in a medical computing system, comprising:
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applying a medical instrument to a living subject to perform a medical procedure thereon, the medical procedure having a time-noncritical phase and a time-critical phase; controlling the medical instrument using a medical application executing on a computing device managed by an operating system by intercommunicating signals between the computing device and the medical instrument; during the time-noncritical phase, operating the computing device in a first mode in which system services and applications other than the medical application are allowed access to resources of the computing device under control of the operating system; making a determination that the medical procedure has entered the time-critical phase; and responsively to the determination, automatically transitioning the computing device from the first mode to a second mode in which the access by the system services and by other applications to the resources of the computing device is selectively limited in favor of the medical application.
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15. A medical system of preventing disruptive computer events in a medical computing system, comprising:
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a medical instrument applicable to a living subject to perform a medical procedure thereon, the medical procedure having a time-noncritical phase and a time-critical phase; and a computing device managed by an operating system for controlling the medical instrument using a medical application executing on the computing device by intercommunicating signals between the computing device and the medical instrument, the computing device operative during the time-noncritical phase, in a first mode in which system services and applications other than the medical application are allowed access to resources of the computing device under control of the operating system, the computing device cooperative with the medical instrument for making a determination that the medical procedure has entered the time-critical phase, and responsively to the determination, the computing device adapted for automatically transitioning from the first mode to a second mode in which the access by the system services and by other applications to the resources of the computing device is selectively limited in favor of the medical application. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification