AUTOMATED ORTHOTIC DEVICE WITH TREATMENT REGIMEN AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME

• US 20130345612A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA
• Original Assignee: Bio Cybernetics International
• Inventors: Bannister, Ed, Martin, Michael L., Chan, Sai Chung, Ghosh, Dipankar, Waidelich, Matthew V., Lucero, Roberto A., Villa, Oscar A., Berger, John W., Barnhouse, Jeffery W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,839,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 602/19
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2005/0188 having pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/02 Orthopaedic corsets arm-rests for use as writing aids B43L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/028 Braces for providing support to the lower back, e.g. lumbo sacral supports
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2011/005 with belt or strap expanding and contracting around an encircled body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/501 connected to external computer devices or networks
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/625 used as a control parameter for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

An automated orthotic device with a treatment regimen and a method for using an automated orthotic device with a treatment regimen to provide a plurality of prescribed tension settings. The orthotic device may comprise a body brace, a controller, a data storage means, and a communication means to address the problem of patients being required to visit the physician'"'"'s office every time an adjustment must be made in the prescribed tension setting in their automated orthotic device. In one embodiment, a plurality of prescribed tension settings in the automated orthotic device are sorted so that as the patient'"'"'s condition improves, the next prescribed tension setting in the treatment regimen may be applied. In another embodiment, the physician is allowed to edit or supplement a patient'"'"'s treatment regimen remotely by connecting to the automated orthotic device over a network.

Claims

1. An automated orthotic device with a treatment regimen program comprising:

a body brace configured to be worn around a portion of a human body;

a data storage means; and

a controller, wherein

the data storage means is configured to store a treatment regimen program that has been determined by a physician, the treatment regimen program comprising a plurality of prescribed tension settings to be carried out in a specified order, and

the controller is configured to carry out the treatment regimen program by causing the body brace to apply each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

2. The automated orthotic device of claim 1 wherein the treatment regimen program further comprises a set period of time associated with each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings, and wherein the controller is further configured to carry out the treatment regimen program by

(1) causing the body brace to apply a first prescribed tension setting for the set period of time associated with the first prescribed tension setting, and then

(2) automatically applying the next prescribed tension setting for the set period of time associated with the next prescribed tension setting until the treatment regimen program is completed and each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings has been applied according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

3. The automated orthotic device of claim 1 wherein a first one of the plurality of prescribed tension settings is applied until a user inputs a command to switch to a next prescribed tension setting until the treatment regimen program is completed and each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings has been applied according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

4. The automated orthotic device of claim 1 wherein the body brace and controller are further configured to detect and store brace usage data on the data storage means,

wherein brace usage data includes data on the length of time a user has worn the automated orthotic device and data on the tension settings applied while being worn.

5. The automated orthotic device of claim 4 wherein the treatment regimen program further comprises a set period of time associated with each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings, wherein the set period of time specifies the period of time that the automated orthotic device must be worn by the user at the prescribed tension setting,

and wherein the controller is further configured to carry out the treatment regimen program by

(1) causing the body brace to apply a first prescribed tension setting until the user has worn the automated orthotic device at the first prescribed tension setting for the time period specified in the treatment regimen program, and then

(2) automatically applying the next prescribed tension setting until the user has worn the automated orthotic device at the next prescribed tension setting for the period of time specified in the treatment regimen program, and

(3) automatically advancing to the next prescribed tension setting until the treatment regimen program is completed and each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings has been applied according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

6. The automated orthotic device of claim 1 further comprising a network connection means, wherein the network connection means allows the controller to receive data from a network and transmit data to a network.

7. The automated orthotic device of claim 6 wherein the controller is configured to receive a treatment regimen program from a remote computer through the network connection means.

8. The automated orthotic device of claim 1 further comprising a user position detection means, wherein

the user position detection means is configured to automatically detect changes in position by a user, and

the controller is configured to automatically cause the body brace to apply a first position-dependent tension setting when the user is in a first position, and a second tension position-dependent setting when the user is in a second position.

9. The automated orthotic device of claim 8 wherein the user position detection means is an accelerometer.

10. A method for using an automated orthotic device with a treatment regimen, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a treatment regimen program in an automated orthotic device,

the automated orthotic device comprising

a body brace configured to be worn around a portion of a user'"'"'s body,

a data storage means, and

a controller, and

the treatment regimen comprising a plurality of prescribed tension settings to be carried out in a specified order;

storing the treatment regimen program on the data storage means;

applying each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings according to the specified order in the treatment regimen program.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein

the treatment regimen program further comprises a set period of time associated with each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings, and

the step of applying each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings is performed by

(1) applying a first prescribed tension setting for the set period of time associated with the first prescribed tension setting, and then

(2) automatically applying the next prescribed tension setting for the set period of time associated with the next prescribed tension setting until the treatment regimen program is completed and each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings has been applied according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of applying each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings is performed by

(1) applying a first one of the plurality of prescribed tension settings

(2) receiving a user input command to switch to a next prescribed tension setting

(3) applying the next prescribed tension setting according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program, and

(4) repeating steps 2 and 3 until the treatment regimen program is completed and each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings has been applied according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

detecting when the automated orthotic device is being used, and

storing on a data storage means brace usage data on the length of time a user has worn the automated orthotic device and the tension settings applied while being worn.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the treatment regimen program further comprises a set period of time associated with each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings, wherein the set period of time specifies the period of time that the automated orthotic device must be worn by the user at the prescribed tension setting,

and wherein the step of applying each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings is performed by

(1) applying a first prescribed tension setting until the user has worn the automated orthotic device at the first prescribed tension setting for the time period specified in the treatment regimen program, and then

(2) automatically applying the next prescribed tension setting until the user has worn the automated orthotic device at the next prescribed tension setting for the period of time specified in the treatment regimen program, and

(3) repeating step 2 until the treatment regimen program is completed and each of the plurality of prescribed tension settings has been applied according to the specified order of the treatment regimen program.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the controller further comprises a network connection means, and

the method further comprising the step of receiving changes to the treatment regimen program from a remote computer over a network.

16. A method for using an automated orthotic device with a treatment network, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting the automated orthotic device to a network,

the automated orthotic device comprising

a body brace configured to be worn around a portion of a user'"'"'s body,

a data storage means,

a controller, and

a communication means;

receiving a prescribed tension setting from a remote computer on the network, storing the prescribed tension setting on the data storage means;

applying the prescribed tension setting around a portion of the user'"'"'s body.

17. A method for using an automated orthotic device, the method comprising the steps of:

applying a first prescribed tension setting around a portion of a user'"'"'s body with the automated orthotic device,

the automated orthotic device comprising

a body brace configured to be worn around the portion of the user'"'"'s body,

a data storage means,

a controller, and

a user position detection means,

wherein

the user position detection means is configured to automatically detect changes in position by the user, and

the controller is configured to automatically cause the body brace to apply a first tension setting when the user is in a first position, and a second tension setting when the user is in a second position;

detecting a change in position by the user; and

applying a second prescribed tension setting around the portion of the user'"'"'s body with the automated orthotic device in response to the detected change in position.