Medical monitoring system having multipath communications capability

• US 6,665,385 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Braemar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cardionet Incorporated
• Inventors: Rogers, Bobby E., Marable, William R., Eggers, Philip N.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, WING F
• Application Number:
  US09/841,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20020193076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 379/106.02, 379/106.01, 379/90.01, 379/93-5-, 379/93.28, 379/37, 379/38, 128/903, 128/904, 340/10.41, 340/573.4
• US Class Current: 379/106.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• 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

Abstract

A medical monitoring system has a sensor system including a sensor associated with a patient and a remote monitoring unit. The remote monitoring unit includes a microprocessor in communication with the sensor system, and a portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system in communication with the microprocessor. The portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system has a land-line telephone transceiver and/or a cellular telephone transceiver, and a third-network transceiver such as a paging-network transceiver. A full data set is transmitted over the land-line telephone transceiver or the cellular telephone transceiver when communications links over these transceivers are available, and a reduced data set is transmitted over the third-network transceiver when communications links over the land-line telephone transceiver and the cellular telephone transceiver are not available.

Claims

1. A medical monitoring system, comprising:

a sensor system including a sensor associated with a patient;

a remote monitoring unit comprising

a microprocessor in communication with the sensor system, and

a portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system in communication with the microprocessor, the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system comprising

a land-line telephone transceiver,

a primary wireless-network transceiver, and

a third-network transceiver; and

the microprocessor includes a processing routine that transmits a data set matches the available communication link.

2. The medical monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the primary wireless-network transceiver comprises a cellular telephone transceiver.

3. The medical monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the third-network transceiver comprises a paging-network transceiver.

4. The medical monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the third-network transceiver comprises a bidirectional paging-network transceiver.

5. The medical monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a third network operating with the third-network transceiver has a lower data bandwidth than a primary wireless network operating with the primary wireless-network transceiver.

6. The medical monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the medical monitoring system further includes:

a central unit comprising;

a central unit transceiver which supports communication with the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system.

7. The medical monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor of the remote monitoring unit includes:

a first processing routine that transmits

a full data set over the land-line telephone transceiver when a communication link over the land-line telephone transceiver is available, and

a full data set over the primary wireless-network transceiver when a communication link over the primary wireless-network transceiver is available and a communication link over the land-line telephone transceiver is not available, and

a second processing routine that transmits a reduced data set over the third-network transceiver when a communication link over the land-line telephone transceiver and the primary wireless-network transceiver are not available.

8. A medical monitoring system, comprising:

a sensor system including a sensor associated with a patient;

a remote monitoring unit comprising

a microprocessor in communication with the sensor system, and

a portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system in communication with the microprocessor, the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system comprising a paging-network transceiver, wherein the microprocessor includes a processing routine that transmits a data set that matches the available communication link.

9. The medical monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the medical monitoring system further includes:

a central unit comprising;

a central unit transceiver which supports communication with the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system.

10. A medical monitoring system, comprising:

a sensor system including a sensor associated with a patient;

a remote monitoring unit comprising

a microprocessor in communication with the sensor system, and

a portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system in communication with the microprocessor, the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system comprising

at least one transceiver selected from the group consisting of a land-line telephone transceiver and a primary wireless-network transceiver, and

a third-network transceiver; and

the microprocessor includes a processing routine that transmits a data set that matches the available communication link.

11. The medical monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the primary wireless-network transceiver comprises a cellular telephone transceiver.

12. The medical monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the third-network transceiver comprises a paging-network transceiver.

13. The medical monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the medical monitoring system further includes:

a central unit comprising;

a central unit transceiver which supports communication with the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system.

14. The medical monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the microprocessor of the remote monitoring unit includes:

a first processing routine that transmits a full data set over the at least one transceiver when a communication link over the at least one transceiver is available, and

a second processing routine that transmits a reduced data set over the third-network transceiver when a communication link over the at least one additional transceiver is not available.

15. A method for performing communications by a remote monitoring unit to a central unit, comprising the steps of:

determining a need far communication by the remote monitoring unit to the central unit;

the remote monitoring unit communicating with the central unit by a land-line link if the land-line link is available;

the remote monitoring unit communicating with the central unit by a cellular link if the land-line link is not available;

the remote monitoring unit communicating with the central unit by a third-network link if the land-line link and the cellular link are not available; and

wherein a data set is transmitted from the remote monitoring unit to the central unit that matches the available communication link.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the third-network link is a paging-network link.

17. The method for performing communications by a remote monitoring unit to a central unit, comprising the steps of:

determining a need for communication by the remote monitoring unit to the central unit;

the remote monitoring unit determining the available communication link; and

the remote monitoring unit matching a data set to be sent to the central unit based upon the available communication link.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote monitoring unit attempts to establish a communication link with the central unit by at least one of a land-line link, a cellular link or a third-network link.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the third network link is a paging network link.

20. A medical monitoring system, comprising:

a sensor system including a sensor associated with a patient;

a remote monitoring unit comprising

a microprocessor in communication with the sensor system, and

a portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system in communication with the microprocessor, the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system comprising

land-line telephone transceiver,

a primary wireless-network transceiver, and

a third-network transceiver; and

a first processing routine that transmits

a full data set over the land-line telephone transceiver when a communication link over the land-line transceiver is available; and

a full data set over the primary wireless-network transceiver when a communication link over the primary wireless-network transceiver is available and a communication link over the land-line telephone transceiver is not available; and

a second processing routine that transmits a reduced data set over the third-network transceiver when a communication link over the land-line telephone transceiver and the primary wireless-network transceiver are not available.

21. A medical monitoring system, comprising:

a sensor system including a sensor associated with a patient;

a remote monitoring unit comprising

a microprocessor in communication with the sensor system, and

a portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system in communication with the microprocessor, the portable-monitoring-unit transceiver system comprising

at least one transceiver selected from the group consisting of a land-line telephone transceiver and a primary wireless-network transceiver, and

a third-network transceiver; and

a first processing routine that transmits a full data set over the at least one transceiver when a communication link over the at least one transceiver is available; and

a second processing routine that transmits a reduced data set over the third-network transceiver when a communication link over the at least one additional transceiver is not available.