USING MOBILE CONSUMER DEVICES TO COMMUNICATE WITH CONSUMER MEDICAL DEVICES

• US 20130142367A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Orca Health, Inc.
• Inventors: Berry, Matthew M., Berry, Robert M., Chapman, Wesley D., Lybbert, Jacob S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,323,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• 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 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Mobile consumer devices are used to communicate with consumer medical devices to either provide update data to the consumer medical device or to obtain data from the consumer medical device. Some data is used to evaluate performance and operation of the medical device or a biological condition of the living being that is being treated with the medical device. Other data is used to calibrate and update the consumer medical device or to enable or disable certain functionality of the medical device. Communications between the medical devices and mobile consumer devices can be performed automatically or on demand, as initiated by a user, a third party, or in response to predetermined conditions detected by the devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for using a mobile consumer device to communicate with one or more consumer medical devices, the method comprising:

an act of a mobile consumer device, which includes one or more processors, receiving a request to communicate with the one or more consumer medical devices that are connected to a living being, the request comprising a request for at least one of providing update data to the one or more consumer medical devices, or obtaining metric data from the one or more consumer medical devices;

in response to the request, an act of the mobile consumer device identifying the one or more medical devices and a communication channel to use in a communication between the one or more medical devices and the mobile consumer device;

an act of the mobile consumer devices communicating with the one or more medical devices via the communication channel; and

during the communication, performing at least one of providing the one or more medical devices an update relative to operation of the one or more medical devices, or identifying the metric data stored by or accessible through the one or more consumer medical devices.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request to communicate with the one or more consumer medical devices is received as user input entered by a user at the mobile consumer device.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request to communicate with the one or more consumer medical devices is sent from the consumer medical device.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request is initiated by at least one of the one or more consumer medical devices automatically in response to a predetermined condition detected by the at least one consumer medical device.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the predetermined condition is a battery condition.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request to communicate with the one or more consumer medical devices is sent from a third party remotely connected to the mobile consumer device through one or more wireless network connections.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein the third party is a third party medical system and the request is initiated by a medical professional.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method includes providing the update to the one or more consumer medical devices during the communication, and wherein the update comprises at least one of:

calibrating the one or more consumer medical devices, enabling new functionality of the one or more consumer medical devices, disabling at least one functionality of the one or more consumer medical devices, or updating the software of the one or more consumer medical devices.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method includes obtaining the metric data from the one or more consumer medical devices, the metric data corresponding to at least one of:

functionality of the one or more consumer medical devices, historical settings of the one or more consumer medical devices, static settings of the one or more consumer medical devices, or data corresponding to a biological condition of the living being.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes both providing an update for the one or more consumer medical devices and obtaining the metric data from the one or more consumer medical devices.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more consumer medical devices comprise a hearing aid.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the method includes providing the update during the communication, and wherein the update comprises a volume control instruction that is operable to adjust a volume setting of the hearing aid when received by and processed by the hearing aid.

13. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the method includes providing the update during the communication, and wherein the update comprises a filter control instruction setting that is operable to adjust a filter setting of the hearing aid.

14. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method includes providing the update during the communication, and wherein the update comprises calibrating a sensitivity of a prosthetic.

15. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more consumer medical devices comprise an insulin pumping and/or a blood glucose monitoring device.

16. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more consumer medical devises comprise a pacemaker.

18. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile consumer device comprises one or more of a tablet computer.

19. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the communication channel is a Bluetooth wireless communication channel.

17. The method of 16, wherein the communication includes at least one of:

initiating a defibrillation ability of the pacemaker, transmitting an emergency signal to a medical professional or other third party, or setting pacing modes.

20. A computer-implemented method for using a mobile phone to communicate with a hearing aid, the method comprising:

an act of the mobile phone receiving a user initiated request to communicate with a hearing aid connected to a person, the request comprising a request to modify a setting of the hearing aid;

in response to the request, an act of the mobile phone identifying the hearing aid and a communication channel to use in a communication between the hearing aid and the mobile phone;

an act of the mobile phone communicating with the hearing aid via the communication channel; and

during the communication, an act of the mobile phone providing the hearing aid with an instruction which is operable to modify the setting of the hearing aid.

21. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a mobile consumer device, implement a method for communicating with a hearing aid, the method comprising:

receiving a user initiated request to communicate with a hearing aid connected to a person, the request comprising a request to modify a setting of the hearing aid;

in response to the request, an act of identifying the hearing aid and a communication channel to use in a communication with the hearing aid;

communicating with the hearing aid via the communication channel; and

during the communication, providing the hearing aid with an instruction which is operable to modify the setting of the hearing aid.

22. The one or computer storage media of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer storage media comprises the hearing aid and wherein the computer executable instructions are downloadable from the hearing aid to the mobile consumer device.

23. The one or computer storage media of claim 21, wherein the one or more computer storage media comprises the mobile consumer device.