MANAGING A PLURALITY OF ASSOCIATED MEDICAL DEVICES

• US 20130046871A1
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Vik, Daniel, Chandrasenan, Sreelal, Borges, Gregory, Halbert, Donald
• Application Number:
  US13/212,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method for managing a plurality of associated medical devices. The method includes determining an association between a plurality of medical devices in a wireless network environment, and displaying a visual profile indicating the association between the plurality of medical devices.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of associated medical devices, said method comprising:

determining an association between a plurality of medical devices in a wireless network environment; and

displaying a visual profile indicating said association between said plurality of medical devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining an association between a plurality of medical devices in a wireless network environment further comprises:

determining whether a plurality of medical devices comprise a medical device cluster.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to user input, associating said plurality of medical devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically associating said plurality of medical devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring properties of said visual profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying a visual profile further comprises:

displaying said visual profile on at least one of said medical devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying a visual profile further comprises:

displaying a visual profile indicating a change of said association between said plurality of medical devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying a visual profile further comprises:

dynamically displaying a visual profile indicating a change of state of at least one of said plurality of medical devices.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second association between a subset of said plurality of devices.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a second visual profile indicating said second association between said subset of said plurality of devices.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dissolving said association between said plurality of medical devices.

12. A system for managing a plurality of associated medical devices, said device comprising:

an association determiner configured for determining an association between a plurality of medical devices in a wireless network environment; and

a display configured for displaying a visual profile indicating said association between said plurality of medical devices.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a device associator configured for generating said association between said plurality of medical devices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said device associator is further configured for generating said plurality of medical devices in response to user input.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said device associator is further configured for automatically generating said association between said plurality of medical devices.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said display is selected from a group consisting of:

a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a light emitting diode (LED).

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said display is disposed on at least one of said plurality of medical devices.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said plurality of said medical devices comprise a first medical device cluster.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein at least two of said plurality of medical devices comprise a second medical device cluster within said first medical device cluster.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said first medical device cluster is independent of said second medical device cluster.

21. A method for visually recognizing associated medical devices, said method comprising:

discovering a plurality of medical devices in a plurality of patient area networks, wherein each of said plurality of medical devices comprises an identifier associated with said plurality of patient area networks;

retrieving said identifiers of said plurality of medical devices;

sorting said identifiers and said plurality of patient area networks based on proximity between said plurality of patient area networks and said unassociated medical device; and

selecting an identifier to associate said unassociated medical device with said selected identifier.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said retrieving said identifiers of said plurality of medical devices comprises:

retrieving modifiable visual identifiers of said plurality of medical devices.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said selecting an identifier of said identifiers to associate said unassociated medical device with said selected identifier comprises:

selecting a visual identifier that is least likely to overlap with said identifiers such that said unassociated devices are associated with said selected modifiable visual identifier.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said selecting a visual identifier comprises:

selecting a visual identifier from a group consisting of;

color and pattern.