PATIENT SIGNAL DISPATCHER

• US 3,727,190 A
• Filed: 11/09/1970
• Issued: 04/10/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bernard Feinerman, Joseph H. Vogelman
• Original Assignee: Bernard Feinerman, Joseph H. Vogelman
• Inventors: Vogelman, Joseph H., Feinerman, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US05/087,784
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 340/172.5 178/24
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

In various medical electrical apparatus a patient'"'"''"'"'s clinical information is entered, transmitted, and stored electrically. Accompanying this clinical data is information as to the patient'"'"''"'"'s identity, e.g., name, age, when and where the clinical data was taken, etc. The invention is a novel and improved apparatus for, and a method of, entering patient identification information. The information is entered manually, stored in a memory, the stored information is displayed to an operator and then added to the clinical information.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

means for receiving clinical information concerning a patient'"'"''"'"'s medical condition;

means for entering patient identification information into a memory;

optical display means for displaying the patient identification information entered; and

means for transmitting the displayed patient identification information with the clinical information.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means are operator viewable and the transmitting means includes operator-operable means for initiating the transmission of the patient identification information.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means for initiating the transmission of the identification information also includes means for initiating transmission of the clinical information immediately adjacent to the identification information.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means for entering patient identification information into the memory is a plurality of multi-position arrays with each position thereof corresponding to a different information character.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the multi-position arrays are dials.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the multi-position arrays are matrix switches.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 further including a plurality of different tone sources;

and means for selectively combining two tone sources into a two tone signal in accordance with the selected position of the array.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the means for transmitting the patient identification information includes sequencing means for sequentially enabling the two tone signal which corresponds to the dial portion to an output.

9. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for displaying the information in the memory includes a plurality of information characters, each character being associated with a particular position on the array;

and means for identifying the information characters in accordance with the position of the array.

10. A method of reducing error in entering electrically represented patient identification information which accompanies separately originated electrically represented patient clinical information comprising the steps of entering the patient identification information into a memory, displaying the entered information, and transmitting the information in the memory together with the clinical information.