COMMUNICATONS SYSTEM FOR ARTICLES OF CARE FURNITURE

• US 20110202364A1
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Linak A/S (Linak Holding A/S)
• Original Assignee: Linak A/S (Linak Holding A/S)
• Inventors: Westermann, Karsten, Jensen, Peter Brøndum
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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

Communications system for exchanging data between a patient in an article of care furniture and a nursing staff or service personnel which manages a nursing task for the patient or a service function of the article of care furniture, where the control communicationwise is connected to a gateway, which comprises a modem for communication between a patient and the nursing staff or service personnel via the mobile telephone network where the communication is carried out by exchanging data in the form of text strings. The patient may with his actions or by activating a switch initiate the transmittal of a text string. When receiving a text string on a mobile receiver, the nursing staff may, based on the contents of the text string, determine whether the visiting route should be changed so that a more acute nursing task may be given a higher priority.

Claims

1. Communications system for exchanging data between a patient in an article of care furniture and a nursing staff or service personnel which manages a nursing task for the patient or a service function of the article of care furniture, the article of care furniture comprising:

a control, a power supply, at least one electric motor drive for adjusting the article of care furniture, an operation panel, characterized in that the control communicationwise is connected to a gateway, which comprises a modem for communication between a patient and nursing staff or service personnel via the mobile telephone network, where the communication is carried out by exchanging data in the form of data strings, typically text strings.

2. Communications system according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication between a sender and a receiver is conducted as a message e.g. SMS or MMS in the GSM system.

3. Communications system according to claim 2, characterized in that a telephone number for at least one receiver of data strings is stored in the control and is updated when receiving a configuration message.

4. Communications system according to claim 2, characterized in that the receiver is a mobile telephone, where the data string is shown on a display.

5. Communications system according to claim 3, characterized in that the receiver of the data string can send an acknowledgement of receipt of the data string.

6. Communications system according to claim 2, characterized in that the receiver is a modem which transmits data strings for processing in a monitoring system.

7. Communications system according to claim 6, characterized in that the monitoring system is based on a computer which is equipped with a programme code for processing a database program with at least one log file.

8. Communications system according to claim 6, characterized in that the monitoring system based on data in the received data string and data transferred to a log file sorts and forwards the data string to a specific recipient who manages the task specified in the data string.

9. Communications system according to claim 6, characterized in that the monitoring system receives data strings with receipts from the nursing staff which indicates that a request for execution of a task has been received, commenced and completed.

10. Communications system according to claim 1, characterized in that the information concerning the geographical location of the gateway is sent to the monitoring system.

11. Communications system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is designed, such that it enables oral communication (voice-calls) between the patient and the nursing staff as the communications system has means for converting an audio signal into an electrical signal and likewise has means for converting an electrical signal into an audio signal.

12. Communications system according to claim 11, characterized in that the GSM modem is equipped with audio interfaces, i.e. an input with analog-digital converter and an output with digital-analog converter and a control, which controls the routing of the speech information in the established connection.

13. Communications system according to claim 11, characterized in that the activation of a call button and the activation of other functions at the patient, e.g. an “

out of bed detection”

, initiates the sending of a text string specifying the incident.

14. Communications system according to claim 11, characterized in that the directory number for the terminal of the nursing staff when receiving a call automatically is compared to a list of acceptable numbers, and is recognized by the patient'"'"'s receiver as an acceptable incoming call, at which automatic pick up is established, so that the connection between the terminal of the nursing staff and the terminal of the patient is established.

15. Communications system according to claim 11, characterized in that the beds are equipped with a short-range wireless data network (WPAN) such as Bluetooth and that the beds are equipped with an identification e.g. IRID.