Medical communication apparatus, system, and method

• US 5,950,632 A
• Filed: 03/03/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William Reber LLC
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reber, William L., Perttunen, Cary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peffley, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruddy, David M.
• Application Number:
  US08/811,081
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 128/897, 128/903, 128/904, 128/920, 128/921-925, 340/311.1, 340/286.01, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 455/31.3, 455/228, 600/300, 600/301, 600/529
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A medical communication apparatus comprises a receiver (54) to receive a message and at least one output device (56) responsive to the receiver (54). The at least one output device (56) generates an alert for taking a first medicine and a second medicine in response to the message, and graphically indicates the first medicine and the second medicine.

Claims

1. A medical communication method comprising the steps of:

generating a message to alert an individual to take a first medicine and a second medicine;

transmitting the message to a wireless pager for the individual;

receiving the message using the wireless pager;

generating an alert indication using the wireless pager;

simultaneously displaying, using the wireless pager, a first graphical indication of a first dosage of the first medicine which is to be taken by the individual, and a second graphical indication of a second dosage of the second medicine which is to be taken by the individual, wherein the first dosage of the first medicine consists of N pills, wherein the first graphical indication comprises N images of an icon disposed on a container of the first medicine, and wherein N is at least two; and

transmitting a subsequent message to a communication unit other than the wireless pager upon determining a noncompliance condition for the individual.

2. The medical communication method of claim 1 wherein the wireless pager is a two-way wireless pager.

3. A medical communication method comprising the steps of:

generating a message to alert an individual to take a first dosage of a first medicine, and to graphically indicate to the individual the first dosage of the first medicine which is to be taken, wherein the message includes an image of an icon disposed on a container of the first medicine; and

transmitting a subsequent message upon determining a noncompliance condition for the individual.

4. The medical communication method of claim 3 further comprising the step of transmitting the message using a wireless paging system.

5. The medical communication method of claim 3 further comprising the step of transmitting the message using a computer network.

6. A medical communication method comprising the steps of:

generating a message to alert an individual to take a first dosage of a first medicine, and to graphically indicate to the individual the first dosage of the first medicine which is to be taken, wherein the message includes a designator of an image of an icon disposed on a container of the first medicine; and

transmitting a subsequent message upon determining a noncompliance condition for the individual.

7. The medical communication method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

transmitting the message using a wireless paging system.

8. The medical communication method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

transmitting the message using a computer network.