SYSTEMS, METHODS, COMPONENTS, AND SOFTWARE FOR MONITORING AND NOTIFICATION OF VITAL SIGN CHANGES

• US 20140221797A1
• Filed: 04/04/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Place Enterprises LLC
• Original Assignee: Pacific Place Enterprises LLC
• Inventors: Bailey, Melanie, Segermark, James, Ballew, Connie
• Granted Patent: US 9,339,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/324
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/747 in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring and notification of injury wherein an individual wears a monitoring device, the monitoring device tracks biometric data such as blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and acceleration of the individual and sends the data to a base station, the base station analyzes the data to see if bodily changes such as decreased blood oxygen levels or significant changes in heart rate or acceleration has occurred, and the base station determines whether to sound an alarm to indicate death or severe bodily injury.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a wearable device, wherein the wearable device includes:

sensing means, removably attachable to the body of a person, for sensing change in a physical body condition;

detection means, responsive to the sensing means, for determining whether the person is experiencing an emergency medical condition; and

means, responsive to the detection means, for transmitting a signal indicative of the detected emergency medical condition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing means includes a finger-mountable pulse oximeter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wearable device is removably attachable due to a strap that attaches the apparatus to the body of the person.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sensing means includes a pulse oximeter located on the inside of the strap.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing means is also securably attachable to the body of a person.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the change in a physical body condition is a blood-related parameter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the change in a physical body condition is body movement.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sensing means for sensing change in the person'"'"'s body movement includes an accelerometer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing means includes a circuit-board enclosure having a cavity containing a removable battery, wherein the enclosure is in engagement with a cradle for contacting a wrist of a person;

and an adjustable strap for encircling the wrist, the strap having a first and second portion sandwiched between the battery and a portion of the cradle, with one of the portions being an end portion of the strap.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a base station for bidirectional wireless communication with the wearable device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein biometric information for the person experiencing an emergency medical condition is inputted into the base station.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the biometric information inputted into the base station is baseline pulse data for use in determining whether the person is experiencing an emergency medical condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each wearable device is configured as a ring, including a flexible circuit board supporting a processor coupled to a Bluetooth transmitter and a pulse-oximeter.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a relay transceiver for receiving signals from the Bluetooth transmitter and relaying them to a base station.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the relay transceiver is mounted to the person or to a fixed location within a space containing the person.

16. A emergency alarm apparatus that notifies a person about another person'"'"'s injury when an injury detection means detects an injury, wherein said apparatus comprises:

an injury detection means;

an emergency alarm apparatus; and

an inquiry means for inquiring, when said injury detection means detects an injury, whether said emergency alarm apparatus should make a notification about the injury,

wherein said inquiry means inquires whether said emergency alarm apparatus should make a notification about the injury by sending data collected by said injury detection means to said base station, wherein said base station determines if changes to said data have met a minimum threshold required for notification, and wherein said base station determines whether to send a command to said emergency alarm apparatus commanding said emergency alarm apparatus to make a notification.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said data collected is blood oxygen level data.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said data collected is heart rate data.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said data collected is acceleration data.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said notification is an audible notification.