Apparatus and methods for measuring physical disorders

• US 6,461,297 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Henderson, A. Bob, Oggero, Elena, Pagnacco, Guido
• Original Assignee: Henderson, A. Bob, Oggero, Elena, Pagnacco, Guido
• Inventors: Pagnacco, Guido, Oggero, Elena, Henderson, A. Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US09/785,612
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/558, 600/559, 600/587
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4023 Evaluating sense of balance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head

Abstract

A system comprising a central client, a local client having apparatus for providing therapeutic stimuli and for collecting patient reaction data in response thereto, and a data structure accessible by the local client for storing the reaction data and by the central client for accessing and interacting with the reaction data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a central client;

a local client having stimuli delivery apparatus for providing stimuli designed to elicit eye and head movements and sensor apparatus for sensing the eye and head movements and recording the eye and head movements as reaction data; and

a data structure accessible by the local client for storing the reaction data and by the central client for accessing and interacting with the reaction data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is accessible by at least one of the central and local clients over a publicly-accessible web site.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is accessible by at least one of the central and local clients over a privately accessible web site.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is accessible by the central and local clients over a localized computer network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the stimuli delivery apparatus and the sensor apparatus are carried by a head set unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the stimuli comprises at least one of visual and audible stimuli.

7. A system comprising:

networked central and local clients;

each of the local clients having stimuli delivery apparatus for providing stimuli designed to elicit eye and head movements and sensor apparatus for sensing the eye and head movements and recording the eye and head movements as reaction data; and

a data structure accessible by each of the local clients for storing the reaction data and by each of the central clients for accessing and interacting with the reaction data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data structure is accessible by the central and local clients over a publicly-accessible web site.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the data structure is accessible by the central and local clients over a privately accessible web site.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the data structure is accessible by the central and local clients over a localized computer network.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the stimuli delivery apparatus and the sensor apparatus of each of the local clients are carried by a head set unit.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the stimuli comprises at least one of visual and audible stimuli.

13. A therapeutic treatment method comprising steps of:

providing a central client and a remote local client each having electronic access to a data structure;

at the local client, providing stimuli designed to elicit patient eye and head movements, collecting patient eye and head movements as patient reaction data in response thereto and storing the patient reaction data into the data structure; and

at the central client, accessing the patient reaction data in the data structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing stimuli further includes the step of providing exercise instructions.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing stimuli further includes the step of providing visual stimuli.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing stimuli further includes the step of providing audible stimuli.

17. A therapeutic treatment method comprising steps of:

providing a central client and a remote local client each having electronic access to a data structure;

at the central client, providing a patient with at least one of a therapeutic and evaluative program having stimuli designed to elicit patient eye and head movements;

at the local client, implementing the stimuli and collecting patient eye and head movements as patient reaction data in response thereto and storing the patient reaction data into the data structure; and

at the central client, accessing the patient reaction data in the data structure.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of implementing the stimuli further includes the step of implementing exercise instructions.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of implementing the stimuli further includes the step of implementing visual stimuli.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of implementing the stimuli further includes the step of implementing audible stimuli.