Method and system for providing safe patient monitoring in an electronic medical device while serving as a general-purpose windowed display
First Claim
1. In an electronic medical device capable of providing services to executing programs in response to requests for services from executing programs, the requests for services specifying a service to be provided, a method for ensuring the integrity of an executing patient monitoring program while simultaneously providing services to an executing non-patient monitoring program, the method comprising the steps of:
- executing the patient monitoring program;
providing the service specified by each request for services from the executing patient monitoring program;
executing the non-patient monitoring program; and
declining to provide services as specified by requests for services from the executing non-patient monitoring program if provision of the service as specified would interfere with the executing patient monitoring program,wherein at least a portion of the requests for services from executing programs specify a window display service for displaying a window containing output from the requesting application, the displayed window having an area, and wherein, for these requests, the declining step is accomplished by the steps of;
providing the window display service specified by the executing non-patient monitoring program;
detecting an alarm condition; and
upon detecting the alarm condition, if the displayed window has an area greater than a threshold area, reducing the area of the displayed window.
13 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for providing safe patient monitoring in an electronic medical device while serving as a general-purpose windowed display is provided. In a preferred embodiment, an electronic medical device is capable of providing services to executing programs in response to requests for services from executing programs. These requests for services each specify a service to be provided. The electronic medical device ensures the integrity of an executing patient monitoring program while simultaneously providing services to a non-patient monitoring program that is executing. The electronic medical device provides the service specified by each request for services from the executing patient monitoring program and declines to provide services as they are specified by requests for services from the executing nonpatient monitoring program if provision of the service as specified would interfere with the executing patient monitoring program. In one embodiment, the electronic medical device omits to provide any service in response to a request for services from the executing non-patient monitoring program that specifies a service that would interfere with the executing patient monitoring program. In one embodiment, the electronic medical device provides a service specified by the executing non-patient monitoring program in a manner different from that specified in the request for services, where the service provided in the different manner does not interfere with the executing patient monitoring program.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. In an electronic medical device capable of providing services to executing programs in response to requests for services from executing programs, the requests for services specifying a service to be provided, a method for ensuring the integrity of an executing patient monitoring program while simultaneously providing services to an executing non-patient monitoring program, the method comprising the steps of:
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executing the patient monitoring program; providing the service specified by each request for services from the executing patient monitoring program; executing the non-patient monitoring program; and declining to provide services as specified by requests for services from the executing non-patient monitoring program if provision of the service as specified would interfere with the executing patient monitoring program, wherein at least a portion of the requests for services from executing programs specify a window display service for displaying a window containing output from the requesting application, the displayed window having an area, and wherein, for these requests, the declining step is accomplished by the steps of; providing the window display service specified by the executing non-patient monitoring program; detecting an alarm condition; and upon detecting the alarm condition, if the displayed window has an area greater than a threshold area, reducing the area of the displayed window. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. In an electronic medical device having a microprocessor, a display device, and an input device, the display device having a display area, a method for ensuring the integrity of the display of the output of patient monitoring programs while simultaneously displaying the output of additional executing programs, the additional programs being capable of capturing input from the input device, the method comprising the steps of:
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limiting the duration of input capture by any of the additional programs; using an additional program display color mapping table that is modifiable by the additional programs to display the output of the additional programs and a separate patient monitoring program display color mapping table that is modifiable by the patient monitoring programs and unmodifiable by the additional programs to display the output of the patient monitoring programs; preventing the display of the output of the additional programs in predefined protected regions within the display area; in response to receiving a normal screen command, redisplaying the contents of the display area in a preselected standard organization; in response to a request from the executing additional program, displaying a window for containing output or the executing additional program; detecting an alarm condition; and upon deleting the alarm condition, if the displayed window has an area greater than a threshold area reducing the area of the displayed window. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In an electronic medical device having both a microprocessor and a display device, the display device having a display area, a method for ensuring the integrity of the display of the output of patient monitoring programs while simultaneously displaying the output of additional executing programs by limiting the number of the additional programs that may display information in the display area to a predetermined maximum number of additional programs, the method comprising the steps of:
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in response to a request to display the output of one of the additional programs, comparing the number of the additional programs presently executing to the predetermined maximum number of additional programs; approving the request to display the output of one of the additional programs; if the number of the additional programs presently executing is not less than the predetermined maximum number of additional programs, iconifying the output displayed in accordance with an earlier-approved request to display the output of one of the additional programs; in response to the approving step, displaying the additional program output in a section of the display area; detecting an alarm condition; and upon detecting the alarm condition reducing the area of the section of the display area in which the additional program output is displayed.
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19. In an electronic medical device upon which programs may execute, the display device having a display area, a method for ensuring the integrity of the display of the output of patient monitoring programs while simultaneously displaying the output of additional executing programs by preventing the display of the output of the additional programs in predefined protected regions within the display area, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a display request to display specified output of one of the additional programs in a specified target region within the display; determining whether the specified target region of the received request intersects a protected region; if the specified target region of the received request intersects a protected region; identifying an alternate target region within the display that is near the specified target region and that does not intersect any protected region, and causing the specified output to be displayed in the alternate target region; if the specified target region of the received request intersects no protected regions, causing the specified output to be displayed in the specified target region; detecting an alarm condition; and upon detecting the alarm condition, if the displayed specified output has an area greater than a threshold area, reducing the area of the displayed specified output.
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20. An electronic medical device capable of executing and displaying output for both patient monitoring programs and additional programs, the electronic medical device comprising:
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a display device having a display area in which output for both patient monitoring programs and additional programs is displayed; a memory for storing the patient monitoring programs and the additional programs; a processor for executing the patient monitoring programs arid the additional programs; a display interface for displaying visual output in the display area of the display device that uses an additional program display color mapping table that is modifiable by the additional programs to display the output of the additional programs and a separate monitoring program display color mapping table that is modifiable by the patient monitoring programs and unmodifiable by the additional programs to display the output of the patient monitoring programs; a display regulator for preventing the display of the output of the additional programs in predefined protected regions within the display area; a screen reorganizer for redisplaying the contents of the display area in a preselected standard organization in response to receiving a normal screen command; and an alarm condition message protector for reducing the size of windows displayed on the display device in response to the display of an alarm condition message on the display device in order to ensure the visibility of the alarm condition message. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. An electronic medical device capable of displaying output for both patient monitoring programs and additional programs, the electronic medical device comprising:
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a display device having a display area in which output for both patient monitoring programs and additional programs is displayed; a network connection for connecting via a network to a remote computer system for storing and executing the patient monitoring programs and the additional programs; a display interface for displaying visual output in the display area of the display device that uses an additional program display color mapping table that is modifiable by the additional programs to display the output of the additional programs and a separate patient monitoring program display color mapping table that is modifiable by the patient monitoring programs and unmodifiable by the additional programs to display the output of the patient monitoring programs; a processor regulator for inhibiting the monopolization of program execution resources of the remote computer system by any of the additional programs; a display regulator for preventing the display of the output of the additional programs in predefined protected regions within the display area; a screen reorganizer for redisplaying the contents of the display area in a preselected standard organization in response to receiving a normal screen command; and an alarm condition message protector for reducing the size of windows displayed on the display device in response to the display of an alarm condition message on the play device in order to ensure the visibility of the alarm condition message.
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25. In an electronic medical device, a method for ensuring the integrity of an executing patient monitoring program while simultaneously providing services to an executing non-patient monitoring program, the method comprising the steps of:
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in response to a request from the executing non-patient monitoring program, displaying a window for containing output of the executing non-patient monitoring program; detecting an alarm condition; and upon detecting the alarm condition, if the displayed window has an area greater than a threshold area, reducing the area of the displayed window. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. An electronic medical device capable of executing and displaying output for both patient monitoring programs and additional programs, the electronic medical device comprising:
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a display device having a display area in which output for both patient monitoring programs and additional programs is displayed; a memory for storing the patient monitoring programs and the additional programs; a processor for executing the patient monitoring programs and the additional programs; and an alarm condition message protector for reducing the size of windows displayed on the display device in response to the display of an alarm condition message on the display device in order to ensure the visibility of the alarm condition message.
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Specification