MEDICAL DEVICE WIRELESS ADAPTER

• US 20160080365A1
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Baker, Steven D., Petersen, Eric G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,893,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• 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 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/909 : Medical use or attached to human body

Abstract

The invention relates generally to a medical device wireless adapter, and more particularly, to a module that adapts an existing legacy or newly designed medical device to a healthcare provider'"'"'s wireless infrastructure.

Claims

1. A medical device adaptive module comprising:

a radio section

one or more means for connecting to and exchanging data between said adaptive module and a host medical device;

one or more means for exchanging data between said adaptive module and a network;

a CPU block including integrated support for hosting one or more applications; and

one or more memory means, wherein said adaptive module is configured with one or more host interface modes.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the one or more applications is chosen from the group consisting essentially of bi-directional authentication;

802.11i encryption;

one or more web servers;

a plurality of password/user name combinations;

a TCP/IP sockets API proxy;

a conversion means from a native device communication protocol to one or more TCP/IP network interfaces;

a SNMP server;

a FTP server; and

a TFTP server.

3. The module of claim 2, wherein said bi-directional authentication follows the Extensible Authentication Protocol.

4. The module of claim 3, wherein said Extensible Authentication Protocol follows the 802.1x standards.

5. The module of claim 2, wherein said bi-directional authentication application is configured to provide certificate management and processing.

6. The module of claim 2, wherein said bi-directional authentication application is configured to provide password management and processing.

7. The module of claim 2, wherein said bi-directional authentication application is configured to work with multiple certificates.

8. The module of claim 2, wherein said web server is a secure server.

9. The module of claim 2;

wherein said TCP/IP sockets API proxy is configured to support multiple endpoints.

10. The module of claim 2, wherein said TCP/IP sockets API proxy is configured to simultaneously accept commands and data.

11. The module of claim 2, wherein said conversion means from a native device communication protocol to one or more TCP/IP network interfaces is configured to fulfill communications requirements needed to establish a communication link between a non-networked host device and a network device.

12. A wireless module comprising:

a radio section;

at least one means for exchanging data between said module and a host device;

at least one means for exchanging data between said adapter and a network; and

a processing block including least one microprocessor, wherein said at least one microprocessor is configured to host at least one application and at least one radio transceiver and in which the module is further configured with at least one interface mode.

13. The module of claim 12, wherein the at least one application is a conversion means from a native device communication protocol to one or more TCP/IP network interfaces.

14. The module of claim 12, wherein the at least one application is bi-directional authentication.

15. The module of claim 14, wherein said bi-directional authentication follows the Extensible Authentication Protocol.

16. The module of claim 15, wherein the Extensible Authentication Protocol follows the 802.1x standards.

17. The module of claim 14, wherein the bi-directional authentication application is configured to provide certificate management and processing.

18. The module of claim 14, wherein the bi-directional authentication application is configured to provide password management and processing.