Systems and methods for storing, retrieving, and manipulating data in medical processing devices

• US 6,542,910 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fenwal Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Morrow, David, Weber, Mark, Ceckowski, Douglas, Cork, William H
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/855,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 707/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3693 using separation based on different densities of components, e.g. centrifuging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3696 with means for adding or withdrawing liquid substances during the centrifugation, e.g. continuous centrifugation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24137 Non volatile memory to store program on power loss
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25265 Flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2657 Blood, urine analyzer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/08 from or to individual record carriers, e.g. punched card , memory card, integrated circuit [IC] card or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A device has processing hardware to carry out a blood processing procedure. A processing control manager resides on the device to monitor status conditions over time during the blood processing procedure. A data interface also resides on the device. The data interface includes a flash memory data storage medium formatted to allocate discrete block file spaces to receive data. Chronologic data or time-specific data are created based upon sensed conditions by a data generator task, which also resides on the device. A file manager task appends chronologic data to an allocated file space to create a chronologic block file, which, when read, provides a time-ordered account of processing activities or hardware conditions. The file manager also operates to block-write time-specific data to another allocated file space, which, when read, creates a snap-shot of processing conditions at a given point in time. The data file structure created on the flash memory medium withstands corruption of data due to power failure.

Claims

1. A blood processing system comprising

a device including processing hardware to carry out a blood processing procedure,

a processing manager residing on the device to monitor status conditions during the blood processing procedure, and

a data interface residing on the device including

a data generator task to generate a first chronological data file and a second chronological data file based upon monitored status conditions during a given blood processing procedure,

a flash memory data storage medium comprising a block file structure including a first block file space for accepting successive date entries comprising the first chronological data file, the first block file space having a first node and a last node defining a fixed maximum file size, and a second block file space for accepting successive data entries comprising the second chronological data file, the second block file space having a first node and a last node defining a fixed maximum file size, and

a file manager task to write successive data entries to the first and second block file spaces of the flash memory data storage medium, the file manager task operating to append, in the first block file space, successive data entries as a block file that includes an end-of-file pointer that begins, at commencement of the given blood processing procedure, at the first node of the first block file space and progresses with successive data entries until the last node of the first block file space is filled, the file task manager not permitting, during the given blood processing procedure, appendage of data entries in the first block file space when the maximum file size of the first block file space is filled, the file task manager also operating to continuously append, in the second block file space, successive date entries as a ringfile that includes an end-of-file pointer that begins, at commencement of the given blood processing procedure, at a logical junction between newest and oldest data entries in the second block file space and that wraps from the last node to the first node of the second block file space when the maximum file size of the second block file space is filled.

2. A system according to claim 1

wherein the file manager task overwrites oldest data in the second block file space with newest data.

3. A system according to claim 1

wherein the data interface includes a print task coupled to the file manager task to print data written to the flash memory storage medium.

4. A system according to claim 1

wherein the data interface includes a view task coupled to the file manager task to view data written to the flash memory storage medium.

5. A system according to claim 1

wherein the data interface includes an exchange task coupled to the file manager task to offload data from the flash memory storage medium.

6. A system according to claim 1

wherein the data interface includes a system task coupled to the file manager task for manipulating data written to the flash memory storage medium.

7. A system according to claim 1

wherein at least one of the first and second block file spaces includes a node to record metadata for the respective block file space.

8. A system according to claim 7

wherein the data interface includes a system task for viewing the metadata.

9. A system according to claim 1

wherein the first chronological data file includes at least one processing parameter.

10. A system according to claim 1

wherein the second chronological data file comprises processing hardware status data.

11. A blood processing system comprising

means for monitoring status conditions over time during a blood processing procedure,

means for generating data based upon monitored status conditions as a first chronological data file and as a second chronological data file different than the first chronological data file, and

means for writing the data to a flash memory storage medium comprising a first block file space having a maximum file size that accepts the first chronological data file as a block file until the maximum file size of the first block file space is filled and a second block file space having a maximum file space that accepts the second chronological data file as a ringfile.

12. A system according to claim 11

and further including means for manipulating the data written to the flash memory storage medium.

13. A system according to claim 11

and further including means for retrieving the data written to the flash memory storage medium.

14. A system according to claim 11

wherein the first chronological data file includes at least one processing parameter.

15. A system according to claim 11

wherein the second chronological data file comprises processing hardware status data.

16. A method for processing data during a blood processing procedure comprising the steps of

monitoring status conditions over time during the blood processing procedure,

generating data based upon monitored status conditions as a first chronological data file and as a second chronological data file different than the first chronological data file, and

writing the data to a flash memory storage medium comprising a first block file space having a maximum file size that accepts the first chronological data file as a block file until the maximum file size of the first block file space is filled and a second block file space having a maximum file space that accepts the second chronological data file as a ringfile.

17. A method according to claim 16

and further including the step of manipulating the data written to the flash memory storage medium.

18. A method according to claim 16

and further including the step of retrieving the data written to the flash memory storage medium.

19. A method according to claim 16

wherein the first chronological data file includes at least one processing parameter.

20. A method according to claim 16

wherein the second chronological data file comprises processing hardware status data.

21. A blood processing system comprising

a device including processing hardware to carry out a blood processing procedure,

a processing manager residing on the device to monitor status conditions during the blood processing procedure, and

a data interface residing on the device including

a data generator task to generate data based upon monitored status conditions as a first chronological data file and as a second chronological data file different than the first chronological data file,

a flash memory storage medium, and

a file manager task to write the data to the flash memory storage medium as first block file space having a maximum file size that accepts the first chronological data file as a block file until the maximum file size of the first block file space is filled and a second block file space having a maximum file space that accepts the second chronological data file as a ringfile.

22. A system according to claim 21

wherein the data interface includes a print task coupled to the file manager task to print data written to the flash memory storage medium.

23. A system according to claim 21

wherein the data interface includes a view task coupled to the file manager task to view data written to the flash memory storage medium.

24. A system according to claim 21

wherein the data interface includes an exchange task coupled to the file manager task to offload data from the flash memory storage medium.

25. A system according to claim 21

wherein the data interface includes a system task coupled to the file manager task for manipulating data written to the flash memory storage medium.

26. A system according to claim 21

wherein the first chronological data file includes at least one processing parameter.

27. A system according to claim 21

wherein the second chronological data file comprises processing hardware status data.