USER STATION FOR HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20120194327A1
• Filed: 04/11/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Erik Edward Roehl, Richard Joseph Schuman Sr., Williams F. Collins Jr
• Original Assignee: Erik Edward Roehl, Richard Joseph Schuman Sr., Williams F. Collins Jr
• Inventors: Schuman, Richard Joseph Sr., Roehl, Erik Edward, Collins, Williams F. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,456,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• 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: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• 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 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• 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: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A user station configurable for use in a healthcare communication system, such as a nurse call system, is provided.

Claims

1. A user station for a patient-nurse communication system, comprising:

a housing defining an interior region, the housing being positionable in a patient room of a healthcare facility, the housing comprising a front face, a pair of sides, each side supported adjacent an opposite end of the front face, a display supported by the front face, the display being in substantially the same plane as the front face, and a pair of speakers, each speaker mounted to one of the sides of the housing;

at least one communications port coupled to the housing and configured to operably couple the user station to a patient-nurse communication system;

a memory device supported by the housing, having embodied therein at least one digital audio file; and

multimedia electrical circuitry in the housing, the multimedia electrical circuitry being configured to play the at least one digital audio file at the speakers.

2. The user station of claim 1, comprising electrical circuitry configured to receive a call from the patient-nurse communication system and select a digital audio file to play in response to receiving the call.

3. The user station of claim 2, wherein the display comprises a first window and a second window, and the user station comprises electrical circuitry configured to display information relating to one or more calls received from the patient-nurse communication system in the first window and to display information relating to at least one person associated with the patient-nurse communication system in the second window.

4. The user station of claim 1, comprising a graphical user interface coupled to the display, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a graphical user control configured to enable a user to answer a received call.

5. The user station of claim 4, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display visual cues relating to at least one received call.

6. The user station of claim 5, wherein the visual cues are displayed in different colors.

7. The user station of claim 1, comprising electrical circuitry configured to communicate with a Power over Ethernet network switch.

8. The user station of claim 1, comprising electrical circuitry configured to communicate using a voice over Internet protocol.

9. The user station of claim 1, comprising electrical circuitry configured to select one of a plurality of calling methods comprising at least one of voice routing to a located position, wireless telephone, and text paging to a wireless device, to communicate with the patient-nurse communication system.

10. The user station of claim 1, comprising a microphone supported by the housing and located in substantially the same plane as the front face.

11. The user station of claim 1, comprising a wireless locating sensor supported by the housing.

12. The user station of claim 1, comprising electrical circuitry configured to transmit voice communications to the patient-nurse communication system using a packet-switched network.

13. The user station of claim 1, wherein the at least one communications port is configured for two-way communication between the user station and the patient-nurse communication system.

14. The user station of claim 1, comprising a universal mounting plate coupled to the housing.

15. A user station for a patient-nurse communication system, comprising:

a housing defining an interior region;

a communications port coupled to the housing and configured to connect the user station to the patient-nurse communication system;

a display supported by the housing; and

a memory device in the housing having embodied therein software to configure the user station for a particular type of end user.

16. The user station of claim 15, wherein the user station is configurable by the software to a first configuration intended for use by a staff member of a healthcare facility.

17. The user station of claim 16, wherein the user station is configurable by the software to a second configuration intended for use by a patient of the healthcare facility.

18. The user station of claim 15, wherein the display is configurable by the software to display a first plurality of user interface features intended for use by a staff member of a healthcare facility.

19. The user station of claim 18, wherein the display is configurable by the software to display a second plurality of user interface features intended for use by a patient of the healthcare facility, wherein the first plurality of user interface features and the second plurality of user interface features are not the same.

20. The user station of claim 15, wherein the user station is configurable by the software to send calls to the patient-nurse communication system and receive calls from the patient-nurse communication system if the software determines that the user station is intended for use by a staff member of a healthcare facility and the user station is configurable to send calls to the patient-nurse communication system but not receive calls from the patient-nurse communication system if the software determines that the user station is intended for use by a patient of the healthcare facility.