Monitoring of a Time Period Relating to a Product

• US 20170076641A1
• Filed: 11/29/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Senver Holdings pty Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Senver Pty. Ltd.
• Inventors: Senanayake, Sanjaya Naresh, Verdickt, Gary Martin, Senanayake, Dilukshi Tarindu, Verdickt, Kushlani Kumari, Dawson, Luke Thomas, May, Stuart Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,990,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/028 Arrangements to prevent overuse, e.g. by counting the number of uses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/82 Internal energy supply devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0017 specially adapted for long-term hygiene care, e.g. urethral or indwelling catheters to prevent infections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/002 Packages specially adapted therefor combined with means for introducing catheters, e.g. dispensers, A61M25/0113; catheter kit packages for surgical articles A61B50/30
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 21/00 Producing acoustic time signals by electrical means for mechanical clocks or watches G04B21/08, G04B25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 1/005 using electronic timing, e.g. counting means pulse time delay arrangements H03K5/13; modifications of electronic switches for introducing a time delay before switching H03K17/28
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 3/06 with electric driving mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/00 Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people registering or indicating the working of machines or vehicles G07C3/00, G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 1/00 Cardboard or like show-cards of foldable or flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0272 Labels for containers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/004 Displays including an emergency or alarm message
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0288 Labels or tickets consisting of more than one part, e.g. with address of sender or other reference on separate section to main label; Multi-copy labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/10 by an adhesive layer
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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

Abstract

A label includes a timer to monitor a predetermined time period relating to a medical device, such as an indwelling cannula, or other product. The label includes a signalling apparatus that provides an alert signal on expiry of the predetermined time period and a fixing portion to fix the label to a support surface such as medical records of a patient. The label can have a first portion and a second portion and the first portion can be separable from the second portion. The fixing portion can be provided in the second portion and all or part of the signalling apparatus provided in the first portion. Also disclosed is a monitoring system for a medical device, including a base station and a label receivable by the base station. The monitoring system monitors a predetermined time period based on receipt of the label by the base station.

Claims

1. A label comprising:

a timer to monitor a predetermined time period relating to a product;

a signalling apparatus that provides an alert signal on expiry of the predetermined time period; and

a fixing portion to fix the label to a support surface,

wherein the label comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion located towards a first end of the label and a second portion located towards a second end of the label opposite to the first end, and

wherein the signalling apparatus is comprised in the first portion and the fixing portion is comprised in the second portion.

2. The label of claim 1, wherein the first portion is separable from the second portion.

3. The label of claim 2 comprising a frangible element, tear line, tear notch, perforations and/or region of weakness between the first portion and the second portion to enable separation of the first portion from the second portion.

4. The label of claim 1, wherein the product is a medical device.

5. The label of claim 1, wherein the support surface is provided by patient medical records.

6. The label of claim 5, wherein the medical records comprise one or more sheet elements of paper, plastic or card.

7. The label of claim 5, wherein the first portion is arranged to overhang an edge of the medical records when the label is fixed to the medical records by the fixing portion.

8. The label of claim 1, wherein the product is a substance or material located in a container.

9. The label of claim 8, wherein the support surface is provided by a surface of the container.

10. The label of claim 1, wherein the fixing portion is planar.

11. The label of claim 1, wherein the label is a single-use label.

12. The label of claim 1, wherein the label comprises a power source and the power source, timer and signalling apparatus are comprised in the first portion.

13. The label of claim 1, wherein the second portion comprises a display portion. including a surface on which a user can write information and/or a surface on which information is pre-printed.

14. The label of claim 1, wherein the signalling apparatus is configured to provide a first type of alert signal prior to expiry of the predetermined time period and a second type of alert signal upon expiry of the predetermined time period, the first and second types of alert signal being different.

15. The label of claim 14, wherein the first type of alert signal is emitted upon an actuation step being carried out by a user.

16. The label of claim 14, wherein the actuation step comprises pressing a button comprised in the label.

17. The label of claim 1, wherein the label comprises a tab that is removable to initiate monitoring of the predetermined time period by the timer.

18. The label of claim 1, wherein the fixing portion is moveable between a first state and a second state, wherein moving the fixing portion from the first state to the second state places the fixing portion in a condition for fixing the label to the support surface and initiates monitoring of the predetermined time period by the timer.

19. The label of claim 1, wherein the fixing portion comprises adhesive covered by a removable backing layer.

20. The label of claim 18, wherein the fixing portion comprises adhesive covered by a removable backing layer and wherein removal of the backing layer moves the fixing portion from the first state to the second state.

21. Medical records comprising the label according to claim 1.

22. A container comprising the label according to claim 1.