Computer Mouse System and Associated, Computer Medium and Computer-Implemented Methods for Monitoring and Improving Health and Productivity of Employees

• US 20130013327A1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Horseman, Samantha J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• 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: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02141 Details of apparatus construction, e.g. pump units or housings therefor, cuff pressurising systems, arrangements of fluid conduits or circuits A61B5/02233, A61B5/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/386 Accessories or supplementary instruments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4561 Evaluating static posture, e.g. undesirable back curvature A61B5/1116 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6897 Computer input devices, e.g. mice or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Provided are embodiments of systems, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse including, a temperature sensor, a blood condition sensor and a blood pressure sensor. A method for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse including receiving, from the temperature sensor, temperature data corresponding to a sensed body temperature of the user, receiving, from the blood condition sensor, blood condition data corresponding to a sensed blood saturation level of the user, receiving, from the blood pressure sensor, blood pressure data corresponding to a sensed blood pressure of the user, and transmitting, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the temperature data, the blood condition data, and the blood pressure data for use in determining the body temperature, the blood saturation level, and the blood pressure of the user.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring an employee'"'"'s health while the employee is working at a workstation, the workstation including a workstation surface located above and parallel to a floor, and a computer workstation, the system comprising:

a computer mouse in communication with the computer workstation, the computer mouse comprising a set of health sensors integrated therewith for detecting biometric characteristics of the employee'"'"'s health, the set of health sensors comprising one or more temperature sensors, one or more blood pressure sensors, and one or more blood condition sensors, the set of health sensors configured to output health sensor data comprising of temperature data output by one or more of the temperature sensors that is indicative of a body temperature of the employee, blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors that is indicative of a blood pressure of the employee, and blood condition data output by one or more of the blood condition sensors that is indicative of a blood oxygenation of the employee; and

a database in communication with a communications network and storing health information associated with one or more employees; and

a computer server in communication with the communication network and configured to serve, to the computer workstation for display to the employee, health profile information for the employee, the computer server comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, an input/output (I/O) device interface and a processor, the I/O device interface connecting the computer server to the communications network, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a set of computer readable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to cause the computer server to perform the steps of;

collecting, via the communications network, the health sensor data output by the set of health sensors of the computer mouse;

determining an updated health profile for the employee using the health sensor data collected, the updated health profile comprising;

health characteristics for the employee including one or more of a body temperature, a blood pressure, and a blood oxygenation for the employee determined using the health sensor data collected; and

a health plan for the employee based on one or more of the health characteristics determined using the health sensor data collected;

updating the health information stored in the database to reflect the updated health profile for the employee; and

serving, for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the updated health profile for the employee.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein collecting, via the communications network, the health sensor data output by the set of health sensors of the computer mouse comprises:

identifying a need to initiate a health test using a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the health sensor data needs to be collected from the health sensors;

in response to identifying a need to initiate a health test using a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the health sensor data needs to be collected from the health sensors, querying the computer workstation for the health sensor data corresponding to the health test, the computer workstation being configured to collect the health sensor data from the set of health sensors of the computer mouse; and

receiving, from the computer workstation and via the communications network, the health sensor data corresponding to the health test.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the computer mouse comprises a computer mouse controller configured to:

receive the temperature data output by one or more of the temperature sensors, the blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors, and the blood condition data output by one or more of the blood condition sensors; and

transmit, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the received temperature data, blood pressure data, and blood condition data,

wherein the computer workstation is configured to transmit health data corresponding to the health data received to the computer server.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more temperature sensors comprise an infrared (IR) sensor disposed on an exterior surface of the computer mouse such that the employee'"'"'s body temperature is sensed by the IR sensor when the employee grasps an exterior of the computer mouse.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more blood pressure sensors comprise a blood pressure cuff comprising a pneumatic tube extending between a body of the computer mouse and a bladder of the blood pressure cuff, wherein an air pump located in the body of the computer mouse is configured to supply air via the pneumatic tube to inflate the bladder of the blood pressure cuff, and wherein a pressure transducer located in the body of the computer mouse is configured to sense air pressure within the pneumatic tube that is indicative of the air pressure within the bladder, and wherein the pressure transducer is configured to output the blood pressure data indicative of a blood pressure of the employee, the blood pressure data corresponding to the sensed air pressure within the pneumatic tube.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more blood pressure sensors comprise a blood pressure cuff comprising an integrated pump configured to inflate a bladder of the pressure cuff and an integrated pressure transducer configured to sense air pressure within the cuff and output the blood pressure data indicative of a blood pressure of the employee, the blood pressure data corresponding to the air pressure within the cuff.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more blood condition sensors comprise a pulse oximeter sensor located in an interior region of the computer mouse, wherein the computer mouse comprises a hinged cover that is rotatable into an open position to provide access to the pulse oximeter sensor located in the interior region of the computer mouse such that, during use, the employee is able to insert a fingertip into the interior region of the computer mouse to engage the pulse oximeter for sensing a blood saturation of the employee, and wherein the hinged cover is rotatable into a closed position to enclose the pulse oximeter sensor such that the computer mouse can be used to interact with content displayed by the computer workstation.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the blood pressure sensor comprises a blood pressure cuff communicatively coupled to the computer mouse via a wireless connection, and wherein the computer mouse is communicatively coupled to the computer workstation via a wireless connection.

9. A computer mouse for sensing health characteristics of a user, the computer mouse comprising:

a computer mouse controller;

a computer mouse body;

a location sensor configured to sense movement of the computer mouse relative to a work surface on which the computer mouse is located, the computer mouse controller configured to transmit location data corresponding to the sensed movement of the computer mouse to a computer workstation for use in determining movement of the mouse;

a temperature sensor configured to sense a body temperature of the user, the computer mouse controller configured to transmit temperature data corresponding to the sensed body temperature to the computer workstation for use in determining the body temperature of the user;

a blood condition sensor configured to sense a blood saturation level of the user, the computer mouse controller configured to transmit blood condition data corresponding to the sensed blood saturation level to the computer workstation for use in determining the blood saturation level of the user; and

a blood pressure sensor configured to sense a blood pressure of the user, the computer mouse controller configured to transmit blood pressure data corresponding to the sensed blood pressure to the computer workstation for use in determining the blood pressure of the user.

10. A computer mouse according to claim 9, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed on an exterior surface of the computer mouse body such that the employee'"'"'s body temperature is sensed by the temperature sensor when the employee grasps an exterior of the computer mouse.

11. A computer mouse according to claim 9, wherein the blood condition sensor comprises a pulse oximeter sensor.

12. A computer mouse according to claim 9, wherein the blood pressure sensor comprises a blood pressure cuff.

13. A computer mouse according to claim 9, wherein the computer mouse controller is configured to:

receive a request for health data from the computer workstation; and

in response to receiving a request for health data from the computer workstation;

collect the temperature data from the temperature sensor, the blood condition data from the blood condition sensor, and the blood pressure data from the blood pressure sensor; and

transmit, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the temperature data, the blood condition data, and the blood pressure data for use in determining the body temperature, the blood saturation level, and the blood pressure of the user.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions for use in monitoring an employee'"'"'s health while the employee is working at a workstation, the workstation including a computer workstation, the computer program instructions being executable by a computer processor to cause the steps of:

activating set of health sensors integrated with a computer mouse in communication with a communication network via the computer workstation, the set of health sensors integrated therewith for detecting biometric characteristics of the employee'"'"'s health, the set of health sensors comprising one or more temperature sensors, one or more blood pressure sensors, and one or more blood condition sensors, the set of health sensors configured to output health sensor data comprising of temperature data output by one or more of the temperature sensors that is indicative of a body temperature of the employee, blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors that is indicative of a blood pressure of the employee, and blood condition data output by one or more of the blood condition sensors that is indicative of a blood oxygenation of the employee; and

collecting, via the communications network, the health sensor data output by the set of health sensors of the computer mouse;

determining an updated health profile for the employee using the health sensor data collected, the updated health profile comprising;

health characteristics for the employee including one or more of a body temperature, a blood pressure, and a blood oxygenation for the employee determined using the health sensor data collected; and

a health plan for the employee based on one or more of the health characteristics determined using the health sensor data collected;

updating health information for the employee stored in a database to reflect the updated health profile for the employee; and

serving, for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the updated health profile for the employee.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein collecting the health sensor data output by the set of health sensors of the computer mouse comprises:

identifying a need to initiate a health test using a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the health sensor data needs to be collected from the health sensors;

in response to identifying a need to initiate a health test using a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the health sensor data needs to be collected from the health sensors, querying the computer workstation for the health sensor data corresponding to the health test, the computer workstation being configured to collect the health sensor data from the set of health sensors of the computer mouse; and

receiving, from the computer workstation and via the communications network, the health sensor data corresponding to the health test.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the computer mouse comprises a computer mouse controller configured to:

receive the temperature data output by one or more of the temperature sensors, the blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors, and the blood condition data output by one or more of the blood condition sensors; and

transmit, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the received temperature data, blood pressure data, and blood condition data,

wherein the computer workstation is configured to transmit health data corresponding to the health data received to the computer server.

17. A computer-implemented method for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse comprising a location sensor configured to sense movement of the computer mouse relative to a work surface on which the computer mouse is located, a temperature sensor configured to sense a body temperature of the user, a blood condition sensor configured to sense a blood saturation level of the user and a blood pressure sensor configured to sense a blood pressure of the user, the computer-implemented method comprising:

transmitting, to a computer workstation, location data corresponding to sensed movement of the computer mouse for use in determining movement of the mouse;

receiving, from the temperature sensor, temperature data corresponding to a sensed body temperature of the user;

receiving, from the blood condition sensor, blood condition data corresponding to a sensed blood saturation level of the user;

receiving, from the blood pressure sensor, blood pressure data corresponding to a sensed blood pressure of the user; and

transmitting, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the temperature data, the blood condition data, and the blood pressure data for use in determining the body temperature, the blood saturation level, and the blood pressure of the user.

18. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed on an exterior surface of the computer mouse body such that the employee'"'"'s body temperature is sensed by the temperature sensor when the employee grasps an exterior of the computer mouse.

19. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, wherein the blood condition sensor comprises a pulse oximeter sensor.

20. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, wherein the blood pressure sensor comprises a blood pressure cuff.

21. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request for health data from the computer workstation; and

in response to receiving a request for health data from the computer workstation;

collecting the temperature data from the temperature sensor, the blood condition data from the blood condition sensor, and the blood pressure data from the blood pressure sensor; and

transmitting, to the computer workstation, the health data corresponding to the temperature data, the blood condition data, and the blood pressure data for use in determining the body temperature, the blood saturation level, and the blood pressure of the user.