Home care system, center terminal and patient terminal

• US 6,176,826 B1
• Filed: 01/22/1999
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Koike, Junichi, Takeda, Keiichi, Murakami, Keiichi, Mori, Satoshi, Iwata, Minoru, Nakamura, Keiko, Shimura, Takaki, Takano, Takehito, Koshino, Nagaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARTER, RYAN CHRISTOPHER
• Application Number:
  US09/235,495
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300-301, 600/897-898, 600/903, 600/920-925
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0295 adapted for recording user messages or annotations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• 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

There is disclosed a home care system in which a center terminal and a patient terminal are detachably connected to each other through communication lines, such as a public telephone line, an ISDN (integrated services digital network), a CATV (cable television), a radio and the like, and further to center terminals and patient terminals which constitute such a home care system. The patient terminal has an urgency transmitter device for transmitting a predetermined urgency code to the center terminal, and the center terminal comprises an urgency receiver device for receiving, while connected to a first patient terminal, the urgency code transmitted from a second patient terminal, and an urgency alarm device for informing of the fact that the urgency code has been received.

Claims

1. A home care system in which at least one center terminal and patient terminals are disconnectably connected to each other via a communication line through which communications of data including image data are performed, wherein said center terminal comprises:

a schedule table in which there are registered desired address codes among address codes each for identifying patients and desired times and dates for each communication with the patient corresponding to an associated address code;

schedule registration operating means for registering the address codes and the times and dates into said schedule table; and

line automatic connecting means for connecting a line with the patient terminal associated with the address code corresponding to the registered time and date, at the time and date registered in the schedule table.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said patient terminal comprises:

a vital sign sensor measuring a vital sign, and

a vital sign memory storing the vital sign measured by said vital sign sensor, and wherein said center terminal further comprises;

vital sign collection means for uploading the vital sign stored in said vital sign memory provided in the patient terminal which has been connected with the center terminal by said line automatic connecting means.

3. A home health care system in which at least one center terminal and patient terminals are disconnectably connected to each other via a communication line through which communications of data including image data are performed, wherein said center terminal comprises:

a schedule table in which there are registered desired address codes among address codes each for identifying patients and desired times and dates for each communication with the patient corresponding to an associated address code;

schedule registration operating means for registering the address codes and the times and dates into said schedule table; and

line automatic connecting means for connecting a line with the patient terminal associated with the address code corresponding to the registered time and date, at the time and date registered in the schedule table, wherein said schedule table registers the address codes and the time and date, and in addition a connecting time required since the line is connected with the patient terminal corresponding to the associated address code at the registered time and date until the line is disconnected, said schedule registration operating means serves to register in said schedule table the address codes, the times and dates, and the connecting time, and wherein said center terminal further comprises;

time counting means for counting the time required since said center terminal is connected with the patient terminal by said line automatic connecting means; and

display means for displaying a remaining time obtained through subtracting a time elapsed measured by said time counting means from the connecting time involved in the patient terminal connected by said line automatic connecting means.