USER INSTALLED APPLICATIONS IN A PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETER DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20130311926A1
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Keegan, Christopher M., Lomascolo, Frank, Mudge, Miguel Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A physiological parameter display device displays data representing the current values of one or more physiological parameters of a patient. The device has an operating system that does not allow multiple-program execution. A program runs on the operating system. The program provides functionality that gives a user of the device an ability to install virtual applications on the device. In addition, the program provides functionality that gives the user an ability to run the virtual applications on the device while the device continues to display data representing the current value of the physiological parameter of the patient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a physiological parameter display device, a signal indicative of a current value of a physiological parameter of a patient;

executing, by the physiological parameter display device, an operating system that does not allow multiple-program execution; and

executing, by the physiological parameter display device, a program that runs on the operating system, the program providing to a user an ability to install virtual applications on the physiological parameter display device and an ability to run the virtual applications on the physiological parameter display device while the physiological parameter display device continues to display data representing the current value of the physiological parameter of the patient, the virtual applications being discrete sets of functionality provided by the physiological parameter display device to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological parameter is one of the following:

blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and body temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the program comprises:

causing a display unit of the physiological parameter display device to display an app selection interface, the app selection interface comprising controls that allow the user to select one of the virtual applications to run on the physiological parameter display device;

receiving an app selection input via the app selection interface, the app selection input indicating a given virtual application, the given virtual application being one of the virtual applications; and

using a thread within the program to run the given virtual application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the app selection interface comprises:

a parameter pane that contains the data representing the current value of the physiological parameter of the patient; and

an app selection pane that contains icons associated with the virtual applications installed on the physiological parameter display device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the program comprises causing a display unit of the physiological parameter display device to display an app installation interface that allows the user to select virtual applications to install on the physiological parameter display device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein executing the program comprises:

receiving app installation input from the user via the app installation interface, the app installation input being a request by the user to install a given virtual application on the physiological parameter display device;

in response to receiving the app installation input, sending a request to a server for app data for the given virtual application;

receiving the app data for the given virtual application; and

storing the app data for the given virtual application in a storage system at the physiological parameter display device.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the virtual applications include a given virtual application;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

storing app data for the given virtual application in a storage system at the physiological parameter display device; and

wherein executing the program comprises;

running a container thread within the program, the container thread running the given virtual application by processing the app data for the given virtual application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the container thread comprises at least one of:

a web browser, a multimedia platform, a script interpreter, and an execution environment for binary executable files.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein to run the given virtual application, the container thread retrieves data from a server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the program further comprises running the server as a thread within the program.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the container thread starts a thread for the given virtual application when the container thread processes the app data for the given virtual application.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein running the container thread comprises causing a display unit of the physiological parameter display device to display a user interface of the given virtual application, the user interface comprising:

a parameter pane that contains the data representing the current value of the physiological parameter of the patient; and

an app pane, the app pane containing user interface elements specific to the given virtual application.

13. A physiological parameter display device comprising:

a display unit;

a sensor interface that receives a signal from a sensor on a continuing basis, the signal indicative of a current value of a physiological parameter of a patient;

a processing unit; and

one or more computer storage media that store computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the physiological parameter display device to;

execute an operating system that does not allow multiple-program execution; and

execute a program that runs on the operating system, the program providing to a user an ability to install virtual applications on the physiological parameter display device and an ability to run the virtual applications on the physiological parameter display device while the physiological parameter display device continues to display data representing the current value of the physiological parameter of the patient, the virtual applications being discrete sets of functionality provided by the physiological parameter display device to the user.

14. The physiological parameter display device of claim 13,

wherein the program causes the display unit to display an app selection interface, the app selection interface comprising:

a parameter pane that contains the data representing the current value of the physiological parameter of the patient; and

an app selection pane that contains controls that allow the user to select one of the virtual applications to run on the physiological parameter display device;

wherein the program uses a thread within the program to run a given virtual application in response to receiving an app selection input via the app selection interface, the app selection input indicating the given virtual application, the given virtual application being one of the virtual applications.

15. The physiological parameter display device of claim 13, wherein the one or more computer storage media store computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the physiological parameter display device to:

display, on the display unit, an app installation interface that allows the user to select virtual applications to install on the physiological parameter display device;

send, in response to receiving app installation input from the user via the app installation interface, a request to a server for app data for a given virtual application, wherein the app installation input indicates the given virtual application; and

store the app data for the given virtual application upon receiving the app data for the given virtual application from the server.

16. The physiological parameter display device of claim 15, wherein the app data for the given virtual application includes one or more of the following:

a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document, an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document, and a script file.

17. The physiological parameter display device of claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, cause a container thread to run within the program, the container thread running the given virtual application by processing the app data for the given virtual application, the container thread comprising at least one of:

a web browser, a multimedia platform, a script interpreter, and an execution environment for binary executable files.

18. The physiological parameter display device of claim 17, wherein the app data for the given virtual application includes an HTML document, and the container thread processes the app data for the given virtual application by rendering the HTML document.

19. The physiological parameter display device of claim 18, wherein the container thread causes the display unit to display an app interface for the given virtual application, the app interface not including conventional web navigation controls.

20. A computer storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system of a monitoring device, cause the monitoring device to:

execute an operating system that does not allow multiple-program execution; and

execute a program that runs on the operating system, the program having multiple threads, the threads including;

a sensor agent that receives a signal indicative of a current value of a physiological parameter of a patient on a continuing basis;

an app manager that allows a user of the monitoring device to install virtual applications on the monitoring device, the virtual applications being discrete sets of functionality provided to the user; and

a container that causes a display unit of the monitoring device to display app interfaces for the virtual applications in response to selections by the user of the virtual applications, the app interfaces including parameter panes that contain data representing the current value of the physiological parameter, the app interfaces including app panes that contain user interface elements specific to individual ones of the virtual applications.