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Emergency facility video-conferencing system

  • US 6,369,847 B1
  • Filed: 03/17/2000
  • Issued: 04/09/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for diagnosing and treating a medical condition utilizing a video-conferencing system having a central video-teleconferencing station and one or more remote video-teleconferencing stations, the central video-teleconferencing station having a plurality of video-teleconferencing units are located therein, one for each of the remote video-conferencing stations, and each having an integrated video-teleconferencing control unit for selective actuation by an infra-red radiation beam generating control device, the central video-teleconferencing station having at least one central video monitor, audio transmitter and speaker and a controller unit in controllably telemetry connected relation, a communications link establishing communication with said central video-teleconferencing station and at least one of said remote video-teleconferencing stations, each of said remote video-teleconferencing stations having a mobile emergency center cart having a video-conferencing unit having a remote video monitor, audio speaker and transmitter and a video-conferencing camera being in electronic connection with the communications link and capable of responding to said controller unit for panning and zoom movement, said method comprising the steps of:

  • (a) locating a patient and medical personnel within a remote video-conferencing station;

    (b) locating said mobile emergency center cart within the remote video-conferencing station and in desired relation with the patient and medical personnel;

    (c) transmitting infra-red radiation beam transmission control signals from the control device operated by the medical practitioner to a selected integrated video-teleconferencing control unit for medical practitioner controlled video-teleconferencing with the video-teleconferencing unit of the selected remote video-teleconferencing station;

    (d) shielding the infra-red radiation beam signal transmission from the control device to define an infra-red radiation beam of sufficiently narrow width so as to prevent simultaneous control of an unintended integrated video-teleconferencing unit by the infra-red radiation beam to ensure that only the selected integrated video-teleconferencing control unit of the central video-teleconferencing station is selected;

    (e) actuating said controller unit and via said communications link for selecting a remote video-conferencing station for patient diagnosis and treatment video-conferencing;

    (f) actuating said controller unit for selective panning and zoom control of said video-conferencing camera of the selected remote video-conferencing station to present a desired video image of the patient and/or medical personnel on the video monitor of the central video-conferencing station; and

    (g) directing the medical personnel via the video-telecommunications link to perform medical treatment on the patient, with such medical treatment being visible on the central video-teleconferencing monitor.

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