Mobile medical monitoring device

• US 6,512,456 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Michelle Enterprises LLC
• Original Assignee: John E. Taylor Jr
• Inventors: Taylor, John E Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/707,716
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/825.49, 600/509, 600/529, 600/903, 600/904, 600/300, 600/301, 604/156, 604/140, 128/903, 128/904
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• 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 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6822 Neck
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A mobile monitoring device provides for measurement of a bodily function of a mobile monitored person while the mobile monitored person moves about during their daily activities. Various methods are explained to measure various bodily functions which may be employed with the mobile monitoring device. Means are provided for determining the onset of a medical crisis in the health of the mobile monitored person. A medical intervention may be employed in response to the detection of the onset of the medical crisis. A notification of an oversight authority may be employed in response to the detection of the onset of the medical crisis. Locational tracking provides for the oversight authority to quickly and efficiently dispatch medical assistance in response to the onset of the medical crisis. Historic preservation of the measurements of the bodily functions allow medical personnel to better prescribe a course of treatment to medical problems including following onset of the medical crisis. The oversight authority may also electronically inform friends and family members of the condition of the mobile monitored person as well as his or her location at any given time. This may include e-mail notification, telephonic notification as well as posting to an internet site where others, with approved access, may monitor the well being of the mobile monitored person. Tracking of a notification list of persons may be electronically maintained to ensure that all persons which the mobile monitored person wishes to have informed of his or her condition are so informed.

Claims

1. A medical intervention device comprising:

a) measuring means to provide for a measuring of a bodily function of a mobile monitored person;

b) crisis determining means to provide for making a determination if the bodily function of the mobile monitored person as measured by the measuring means has reached a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold indicative of a medical crisis within a health of the mobile monitored person, the crisis determining means producing a signal in response to the bodily function reaching the predetermined threshold;

c) intervention means to provide for a medical intervention directed to the mobile monitored person in response to the signal produced by the crisis determining means;

d) timing means to provide for a delaying of an activation of the medical intervention of the intervention means following production of the signal by the crisis determining means a predetermined measurement of time;

e) signaling means to provide for a notification of the mobile monitored person that the crisis determining means has produced the signal and that the timing means is delaying activation of the medical intervention of the intervention means the predetermined measurement of time;

f) cancellation means to provide for the mobile monitored person to cancel the medical intervention of the intervention means during the predetermined measurement of time.

2. The medical intervention device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a) locational determining means to provide for making a determination of a locational reference indicative of a locational position of the mobile monitored person;

b) transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a signal from the locational position of the mobile monitored person to an oversight authority.

3. The medical intervention device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a) transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a signal;

b) notification means to provide for a notification of the oversight authority when the crisis determining means produces the signal indicative of the bodily function reaching the predetermined threshold.

4. The medical intervention device defined in claim 3 wherein the notification of the oversight authority by the notification means further comprising:

a) a confirmation of a delivery the medical intervention to the mobile monitored person;

b) a current status of the bodily function of the mobile monitored person as currently measured by the measuring means.

5. The medical intervention device defined in claim 1 further comprising transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a signal, the signal containing information indicative of a status of the mobile monitored person;

and wherein the signal is received by a detached receiving unit and the information indicative of the status of the mobile monitored person is stored in an accessible file on a storage device of a computer device;

and wherein the accessible file may be accessed via an internet connection wherein the information indicative of the status of the mobile monitored person may be acquired via the internet connection.

6. The medical intervention device defined in claim 1 wherein the medical intervention of the intervention means further comprises an introduction of an electrical discharge into a system of the mobile monitored person.

7. A medical crisis notification system to provide for alerting an oversight authority of an existence of a medical crisis in a health of a mobile monitored person while the mobile monitored person is mobile during activities of daily living, the medical crisis notification system comprising:

a) a mobile monitoring device to provide for a monitoring of a bodily function of the mobile monitored person, the mobile monitoring device producing a signal indicative of a measurement of the bodily function being monitored;

b) conditional reference storage means to provide for a storing of a conditional reference, the conditional reference having at least a crisis limit for the bodily function being monitored by the mobile monitoring device, the crisis limit indicative of the medical crisis of the health of the mobile monitored person;

c) comparison means to provide for a comparison of the signal indicative of the measurement of the bodily function as monitored by the mobile monitoring device with the conditional reference to determine if the bodily function has met the crisis limit and therefore indicative of the medical crisis of the health of the mobile monitored person;

d) locational determining means to provide for making a determination of a locational reference indicative of a locational position of the mobile monitored person during a free ranging movement of the mobile monitored person during activities of daily living;

e) transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a signal from the locational position of the mobile monitored person to the oversight authority;

f) notification means to provide for a notification of the oversight authority utilizing the signal of the transmitting means when the comparison of the comparison means indicates that the signal produced by the mobile monitoring device has met the crisis limit of the conditional reference of the conditional reference storage means, the notification of the oversight authority including at least the locational reference indicative of the locational position of the mobile monitored person.

8. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 7 further comprising:

a) crisis determining means to provide for making a determination if the bodily function of the mobile monitored person as measured by the measuring means has reached a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold indicative of the medical crisis within the health of the mobile monitored person, the crisis determining means producing a signal in response to the bodily function reaching the predetermined threshold;

b) intervention means to provide for a medical intervention directed to the mobile monitored person in response to the signal produced by the crisis determining means.

9. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 7 further comprising mobile monitored person activation means to provide for the mobile monitored person to initiate the notification means wherein the notification of the oversight authority occurs and wherein the notification of the oversight authority also includes information indicative of an activation of the mobile monitored person activation means.

10. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 7 wherein the notification of the notification means involves the transmission of at least some information contained in the signal of the transmitting means via an e-mail transmission to the oversight authority.

11. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 7 wherein the notification of the notification means involves the transmission of at least some information contained in the signal of the transmitting means via a telephonic transmission to the oversight authority.

12. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 7 wherein the signal transmitted by the transmitting means is received by a detached receiving unit and the information indicative of the status of the mobile monitored person is stored in an accessible file on a storage device of a computer device;

and wherein the accessible file may be accessed via an internet connection wherein the information indicative of the status of the mobile monitored person may be acquired via the internet connection.

13. A medical crisis notification system to provide for alerting an oversight authority of an existence of a medical crisis in a health of a mobile monitored person, the medical crisis notification system device comprising:

a) a monitoring assembly comprising;

1) a mobile monitored person device to be moved about with the mobile monitored person during movement of the mobile monitored person, the mobile monitored person device comprising transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a signal;

2) a mobile companion device which is moveable by the mobile monitored person and about which the mobile monitored person may freely move wherein the mobile monitored person remains within a predefined spacing about the mobile companion device, the mobile companion device comprising;

i) receiving means to provide for a reception of the signal produced by the transmitting means of the mobile monitored person device;

ii) transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a signal;

3) monitoring means to provide for a monitoring of a bodily function of the mobile monitored person, the monitoring means producing a signal indicative of a measurement of the bodily function being monitored;

b) conditional reference storage means to provide for a storing of a conditional reference, the conditional reference having at least a crisis limit for the bodily function being monitored by the mobile monitoring device, the crisis limit indicative of the medical crisis of the health of the mobile monitored person;

c) comparison means to provide for a comparison of the signal indicative of the measurement of the bodily function as monitored by the monitoring means of the monitoring assembly with the conditional reference to determine if the bodily function has met the crisis limit and therefore indicative of the medical crisis of the health of the mobile monitored person;

d) locational determining means to provide for producing information from which a locational reference may be created indicative of a locational position of the mobile companion device;

e) computational means to provide for determining a locational position of the mobile monitored person device utilizing at least;

1) the information of the locational determining means indicative of the locational position of the mobile companion device;

2) the signal from the mobile monitored person device received by the receiving means of the mobile companion device;

wherein the locational position of the mobile companion device may be determined then the locational position of the mobile monitored person device is determined based upon a determining of a spacing and an orientation of the mobile monitored person device relative to the mobile companion device, and;

f) conversion means to provide for converting the locational position of the mobile monitored person device to the locational reference for the mobile monitored person;

g) notification means to provide for a notification of the oversight authority utilizing the signal of the transmitting means of the mobile companion device when the comparison of the comparison means indicates that the signal of the measurement of the bodily function produced by the monitoring means of the monitoring assembly has met the crisis limit of the conditional reference of the conditional reference storage means, the notification of the oversight authority including at least the locational reference indicative of the locational position of the mobile monitored person.

14. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a) crisis determining means to provide for making a determination if the bodily function of the mobile monitored person as measured by the measuring means has reached a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold indicative of a medical crisis within a health of the mobile monitored person, the crisis determining means producing a signal in response to the bodily function reaching the predetermined threshold;

b) intervention means to provide for a medical intervention directed to the mobile monitored person in response to the signal produced by the crisis determining means.

15. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 13 wherein:

a) the oversight authority further comprises transmission means to provide for a transmission of a signal, the signal containing information for the mobile monitored person; and

b) wherein the monitoring assembly further comprises receiving means to provide for a reception of the signal transmitted from the oversight authority.

16. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 13 further comprising historic preservation means to provide for a storage of the measurements of the bodily function of the mobile monitored person, the historic preservation means comprising a reception by a detached receiving unit of the signal containing the measurement of the bodily function being monitored and transmitted by the transmitting means of the mobile companion device wherein information contained in the signal is subsequently stored in a file on a storage device of a computer device.

17. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 13 further comprising crisis historic preservation means to provide for a storage of the measurements of the bodily function of the mobile monitored person during the medical crisis, the crisis historic preservation means comprising a reception by a detached receiving unit of the signal containing the measurement of the bodily function being monitored during the medical crisis and transmitted by the transmitting means of the mobile companion device wherein information contained in the signal is subsequently stored in a file on a storage device of a computer device.

18. The medical crisis notification system defined in claim 13 wherein the mobile companion device further comprises short range transmitting means to provide for a transmission of a weak signal;

and

wherein the mobile monitored person device of the monitoring assembly further comprises short range receiving means to provide for a reception of the weak signal produced by the short range transmitting means of the mobile companion device wherein a bidirectional communication link exists between the mobile companion device of the monitoring assembly and the mobile monitored person device of the monitoring assembly.