Systems and Methods for Utilizing Identification Devices in a Wearable Medical Therapy Device

• US 20150035654A1
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaib, Thomas E., Macho, John, Volpe, Shane, Amsler, Phillip
• Granted Patent: US 10,155,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3968 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings A61N1/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3975 Power supply A61N1/378 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3987 characterised by the timing or triggering of the shock
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A system includes: at least one identification device associated with a wearable medical therapy device and configured to have information read therefrom and written thereto; at least one controller operatively connected to the at least one identification device and configured to at least one of retrieve the information from the at least one identification device and write the information to the at least one identification device; and at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device and configured to interrogate the at least one identification device to at least one of obtain the information from the at least one identification device and write additional information to the at least one identification device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one identification device associated with a wearable medical therapy device and configured to have information read therefrom and written thereto;

at least one controller operatively connected to the at least one identification device and configured to at least one of retrieve the information from the at least one identification device and write the information to the at least one identification device; and

at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device and configured to interrogate the at least one identification device to at least one of obtain the information from the at least one identification device and write additional information to the at least one identification device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identification device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) module comprising at least an RFID transceiver and antenna.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the antenna is spaced from a backup battery within a housing of the wearable medical device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable medical therapy device is a wearable defibrillator.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the at least one identification device has information identifying the wearable medical therapy device stored thereon, and

wherein the information is accessible by the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy for identification of the wearable medical therapy device thereby.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the at least one controller is configured to record problems that occur with the wearable medical therapy device during patient field use to the at least one identification device;

and

wherein the at least one identification device is configured to be interrogated by the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device to obtain the recorded problems for diagnosis by service personnel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the written additional information comprises shipping information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the shipping information comprises information regarding at least one of the following:

shipping boxes, software versions, board revisions, and assembly revisions.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the written information comprises patient parameters of a patient utilizing the wearable medical therapy device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device is configured to interrogate the at least one identification device to obtain the patient parameters therefrom.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device is configured to communicate with at least one second identification device associated with a second wearable medical therapy device to write the patient parameters to the at least one second identification device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one controller of the second wearable medical therapy device is configured to read the patient parameters from the at least one second identification device and to store the patient parameters.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the written additional information comprises a command to at least one of enter into a test mode and initiate a self-test.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one controller is configured to read the command from the at least one identification device, and to at least one of enter into the test mode and begin the self-test.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identification device is a storage device having reading and writing capabilities and wireless communication capabilities.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of a cellular-ready storage device, a Wi-Fi-ready storage device, and a short-range wireless communication protocol-ready storage device.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identification device is a storage device having reading and writing capabilities and wired communication capabilities.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of a flash drive, a USB device, a mini-USB device, a SD card, a miniSD card, and a microSD card.

19. A method for utilizing at least one identification device configured to have information read therefrom and written thereto associated with a wearable medical therapy device, the method comprising:

at least one of retrieving information from the at least one identification device associated with the wearable medical therapy device and writing the information to the identification device by at least one controller operatively connected to the at least one identification device; and

interrogating the at least one identification device by at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device to at least one of obtain the information from the at least one identification device and write additional information to the at least one identification device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one identification device is an RFID module comprising at least an RFID transceiver and antenna.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the antenna is spaced from a backup battery within a housing of the wearable medical therapy device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the wearable medical therapy device is a wearable defibrillator.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one identification device has information identifying the wearable medical therapy device stored thereon that can be accessed by the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device such that the wearable medical therapy device can be identified thereby.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the information written to the at least one identification device by the at least one controller comprises problems that occur with the wearable medical therapy device during patient field use and the at least one identification device is interrogated by the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device to obtain the problems that have been written to the at least one identification device such that the problems can be diagnosed by service personnel.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the written additional information comprises shipping information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the shipping information comprises information regarding at least one of the following:

shipping boxes, software versions, board revisions, and assembly revisions.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the information written to the at least one identification device by the at least one controller comprises patient parameters of a patient utilizing the wearable medical therapy device.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device interrogating the at least one identification device to obtain the patient parameters therefrom.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device communicating with at least one second identification device associated with a second wearable medical therapy device to write the patient parameters to the at least one second identification device.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising at least one controller of the second wearable medical therapy device reading the patient parameters from the at least one second identification device and storing the patient parameters.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the additional information written to the at least one identification device by the at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device is a command to at least one of enter into a test mode and initiate a self-test.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the at least one controller reading the command from the at least one identification device and at least one of entering into the test mode and beginning the self-test.

33. A method for servicing a wearable medical therapy device, the method comprising:

configuring at least one identification device associated with the wearable medical therapy device to have problems that occur with the wearable medical therapy device during patient field use written thereto by at least one controller operatively connected to the at least one identification device; and

interrogating the at least one identification device by at least one device positioned externally from the wearable medical therapy device to obtain the written problems for diagnosis of the problems by service personnel.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one identification device is an RFID module comprising at least an RFID transceiver and antenna.

35. A method for cloning patient parameters from a first wearable medical therapy device to a second wearable medical therapy device, the method comprising:

configuring at least one first identification device associated with the first wearable medical therapy device to have patient parameters of a patient utilizing the first wearable medical therapy device written thereto by at least one first controller operatively connected to the at least one first identification device;

interrogating the at least one first identification device by at least one device positioned externally from the first wearable medical therapy device to obtain the written patient parameters;

establishing communication between the at least one device positioned externally from the first wearable medical therapy device and at least one second identification device associated with the second wearable medical therapy device;

rewriting the written patient parameters to the at least one second identification device;

reading the rewritten patient parameters by at least one second controller operatively connected to the at least one second identification device; and

storing the read patient parameters in a memory operatively connected to the at least one second controller.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the at least one first identification device and the at least one second identification device are RFID modules that each comprise at least an RFID transceiver and antenna.