Wireless internet bio-telemetry monitoring system

• US 6,443,890 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PhDx Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: I-Medik, Inc.
• Inventors: Macha, Emil S., Schulze, Arthur E., Cooper, Tommy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Astorino, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US09/516,645
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 128/904, 128/903, 128/900, 128/897-898, 128/920-925, 600/300-301, 600/481, 600/500, 600/529, 600/549, 600/545, 702/2-3
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• 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 system and method for monitoring patient variables in a wireless mode via a patient worn monitoring devices. The patient worn monitoring device connects to a variety of bio-sensors with at least one microphone for voice communications. The pertinent worn device connects to a wireless network and thence to the internet for transmitting voice and data to a health care provider. The health care provider communicates with the patient worn device via the internet and the wireless network to send instructions to the patient worn monitoring unit and to communicate via voice with the patent. The health care provider can also flexibly reconfigure the patent worn monitoring device to change collection parameters for the bio-sensors worn by the patient. When an alarm limit is exceeded an detected by the bio-sensors, it is transmitted to the health care provider over the wireless network and thence over the internet thereby allowing full mobility to the patient wearing the device.

Claims

1. A method for remotely monitoring a plurality of physiologic variables of a patient, comprising:

mounting a single-site bio-sensor, which is integrally placed within a mold, in an ear of said patient in a manner so as to allow sensing of signals representative of a plurality of physiologic variables of said patient;

sending said signals to a battery-powered, patient-worn monitoring unit;

processing said signals in said patient-worn monitoring unit to obtain processed data;

transmitting said data over a digital cellular telephone network to a second network, wherein said transmitting is performed using a wireless communication device built into said patient-worn monitoring unit; and

transmitting said data over said second network to a health care provider terminal for presentation to a health care provider,

and further comprising;

providing a microphone on said bio-sensor;

acquiring voice data from said patient using said microphone; and

transmitting said voice data to said health care provider over said digital cellular telephone network using said wireless communication device built into said patient-worn monitoring unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said bio-sensor is mounted so as to allow said patient to be ambulatory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said second network is the Internet.

4. The method claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a data collection protocol of said monitoring unit by communications from said healthcare provider terminal using said second network and said digital cellular telephone network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said protocol is selected from the group consisting of alarm limits, data collection frequency, and data transmission frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting of said voice data to said health care provider comprises transmitting said voice data from said digital cellular telephone network to another network selected from the group consisting of:

a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and an Internet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said transmitting of said voice data is bi-directional so as to provide health care provider voice data to said patient.

8. A system for remotely monitoring a plurality of physiologic variables of a patient, comprising:

a single-site bio-sensor integrally placed within a mold and adapted to fit in an ear of said patient in a manner so as to allow sensing of signals representative of a plurality of physiologic variables of said patient;

a battery-powered, patient-worn monitoring unit;

means for sending said signals to said patient-worn monitoring unit;

means for processing said signals in said patient-worn monitoring unit to obtain processed data;

a wireless communication device built into said patient-worn monitoring unit and configured to transmit said data over a digital cellular telephone network to a second network; and

means for transmitting said data over said second network to a health care provider terminal for presentation to a health care provider, further comprising;

a microphone on said bio-sensor;

means for acquiring voice data from said patient using said microphone for supplying said voice data to said wireless communication device built into said patient-worn monitoring unit; and

means in said wireless communication device for transmitting said voice data to said health care provider over said digital cellular telephone network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said bio-sensor comprises an ear-mounted sensor so as to allow said patient to be ambulatory.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said second network comprises the Internet.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for configuring a data collection protocol of said monitoring unit by communications from said healthcare provider terminal using said second network and said digital cellular telephone network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said protocol is selected from the group consisting of alarm limits, data collection frequency, and data transmission frequency.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said means in said wireless communication device provides for transmitting of said voice data to said health care provider over said digital cellular telephone network and another network selected from the group consisting of:

a PSTN and an Internet.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said means in said wireless communication device is further adapted for bi-directional transmitting so as to provide health care provider voice data to said patient.