System and Method for Effectively Indicating Element Failure or a Preventive Maintenance Condition in an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)

• US 20110213433A1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Defibtech, LLC. (Nihon Kohden Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Defibtech, LLC. (Nihon Kohden Corporation)
• Inventors: Hicks, Michael S., Laub, Glenn W., Vaisnys, Gintaras A., Meier, Giovanni C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators

Abstract

Battery powered systems with long standby times, such as automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), may be required to indicate their operational status to a user by blinking lights or sounding speakers or buzzers. These active status indication activities consume power thereby reducing the battery life of the system. To conserve power and to be more effective in seeking attention from a human operator, the status alerts for the AED produced by an active status indicator (ASI) system can be more meaningful to humans or more unique relative to status alerts provided by conventional devices. Additionally, the ASI system may automatically adjust power consumed by the indicators in response to sensing environmental conditions of the AED.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A status indicator system for an automatic external defibrillator (AED) comprising:

an AED;

an active status indicator processor, the active status indicator being contained within a housing of the AED;

the active status indicator processor for determining when self-tests for the AED should be executed and for controlling one or more alarms over a plurality of alarm activation windows, each alarm activation window comprising a magnitude of time less than one hour and during which a meaningful alert is produced by the active status indicator processor to provide status information of an element that is part of the AED.

39. The status indicator system of claim 38, wherein the active status indicator processor determines if an element of the AED needs servicing.

40. The status indicator system of claim 38, wherein the active status indicator processor determines a duration of the alert to indicate status of the element for an alarm activation window.

41. The status indicator system of claim 38, wherein the active status indicator processor determines a duration of delays between alerts for the alarm activation window.

42. The status indicator system of claim 38, wherein the active status indicator processor calculates a schedule for multiple alarm activation windows over a time period.

43. A status indicator system for an automatic external defibrillator (AED) comprising:

an AED;

an active status indicator processor, the active status indicator being contained within a housing of the AED;

the active status indicator processor for controlling one or more alarms over a plurality of alarm activation windows, each alarm activation window comprising a magnitude of time in which a meaningful alert is produced by a plurality of alarms activated within each alarm activation window to provide status information of an element that is part of the AED.

44. The status indicator system of claim 43, wherein about six alarms are produced in series during any given alarm activation window.

45. The status indicator system of claim 43, wherein the alarm comprises an audible sound produced by a speaker of the AED.

46. The status indicator system of claim 45, wherein the audible sound produced by the speaker of the AED comprises a chirping noise.

47. The status indicator system of claim 43, wherein the element comprises at least one of a battery, pads for administering shock to a patient, a display, hardware for executing programs, and software.

48. The status indicator system of claim 43, wherein the alarm comprises one of an audible sound and an illuminated light.