Apparatus for lighting a patient monitor front panel
First Claim
1. A device for monitoring a changing status of a patient, comprising:
- (a) an electronic patient monitor, said electronic patient monitor having an exterior case, said exterior case (i) having at least two sides, (ii) having a monitor control panel positioned on a first side of said exterior case, and, (iii) having at least one light source positioned on a second side of said exterior case, said at least one light source being oriented so that light emitted therefrom does not fall directly on said control panel when said at least one light source is activated; and
, (b) a splash guard positionable to enclose at least a portion of said monitor control panel and proximate to said at least one light source, said splash guard being made of a light conducting material and positionable to receive and internally transmit at least a portion of the light emitted from said at least one light source so as to indirectly illuminate said control panel.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided herein an electronic patient monitor that includes indirect lighting of its control panel. Preferably, a splash guard is affixed to the monitor in a position proximate to one or more light sources, none of which directly illuminate the control panel. Light from the light sources is received by the splash guard and transmitted internally to the control panel, where the light that is emitted from the splash guard provides illumination for the user. In another variation, there is provided an electronic patient monitor with one or more light sources affixed thereto, which light sources are used to signal the operating characteristics of the monitor including its alarm volume setting, whether or not it is sounding an alarm, etc. In another variation, there is provided an electronic patient monitor that uses an environmental sensor to adapt its operating characteristics based on conditions proximate to the patient.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A device for monitoring a changing status of a patient, comprising:
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(a) an electronic patient monitor, said electronic patient monitor having an exterior case, said exterior case (i) having at least two sides, (ii) having a monitor control panel positioned on a first side of said exterior case, and, (iii) having at least one light source positioned on a second side of said exterior case, said at least one light source being oriented so that light emitted therefrom does not fall directly on said control panel when said at least one light source is activated; and
,(b) a splash guard positionable to enclose at least a portion of said monitor control panel and proximate to said at least one light source, said splash guard being made of a light conducting material and positionable to receive and internally transmit at least a portion of the light emitted from said at least one light source so as to indirectly illuminate said control panel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of alerting a caregiver when a status of a patient has changed, wherein is provided a patient sensor positionable to be proximate to said patient, and a patient monitor in electronic communication with said patient sensor, wherein
said patient monitor is at least for monitoring the status of a patient and for sounding an alarm in response to the status of the patient, said patient monitor has an enclosing case, said enclosing case having a splash guard attached thereto, wherein said splash guard is comprised of optically conductive material, and, said patient monitor has at least one light source positioned on said enclosing case, said at least one light sources being in direct optical communication with said splash guard, comprising the steps of: -
(a) using said patient sensor to determine an initial status of the patient;
(b) setting said at least one light source to an initial illuminative state;
(c) determining a current status of the patient;
(d) repeating step (c) until said current status of the patient is different from said initial status of the patient;
(e) sounding said alarm if said current status of the patient is different from said initial status of the patient;
(f) contemporaneously with said step (e), changing said illuminative state of said light source to an illuminative state different from said initial illuminative state, thereby providing at least via said splash guard a visual indication that said alarm is being sounded. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of indicating a current alarm volume level of an electronic patient monitor to a user,
wherein said patient monitor is at least for monitoring a status of a patient and for sounding an audible alarm in response to a change in the status of the patient, said alarm having at least two user-specifiable alarm volume levels, wherein said patient monitor has an enclosing case, and, wherein said patient monitor has at least one light source positioned on said enclosing case, each of said at least one light source having at least two different illuminative states, each of said at least two user-specifiable alarm volume levels corresponding to at least one of said at least two illuminative states of said at least one light source, comprising the steps of: -
(a) reading a value representative of an initial alarm volume level;
(b) choosing a current alarm volume level from among said at least two alarm volume levels based on said value representative of said initial alarm volume level;
(c) determining an initial illuminative state corresponding to said initial alarm volume level;
(d) automatically setting said current illuminative state of said at least one light source to match said initial illuminative state;
(e) reading from the user a value representative of a modified alarm volume level;
(f) changing said current alarm volume level of said electronic patient monitor to at least approximately equal said modified alarm volume level;
(e) determining a current illuminative state of said at least one light source corresponding to said value representative of said modified alarm; and
,(f) automatically setting said at least one light source to match said current illuminative state, thereby indicating said current alarm volume level of an electronic patient monitor to a user. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method of modifying the operating characteristics of an electronic patient monitor in response to changes in the environment of the patient, wherein is provided a patient sensor positionable to be proximate to said patient, and a patient monitor in electronic communication with said patient sensor,
wherein said patient monitor is at least for monitoring a status of a patient and for sounding an alarm in response to a change in the status of the patient, wherein said patient monitor has an enclosing case, wherein said patient monitor has a microprocessor therein, wherein said patient monitor has at least one light source positioned on said enclosing case, said at least one light source being capable of displaying a plurality of illuminative states, and said at least one light source being in electronic communication with said microprocessor and being at least partially controlled thereby, and, wherein said patient monitor has at least one environmental sensor therein, said at least one environmental sensor being in electronic communication with said microprocessor and readable by said microprocessor to yield a value of an environmental variable, comprising the steps of: -
(a) reading said environmental sensor to determine an initial state of a patient environment;
(b) setting said at least one light source to a first illuminative state corresponding to said initial state of the patient environment;
(c) reading said environmental sensor, thereby determining a current state of the patient environment;
(d) performing step (c) until said current state of the patient environment is different from said initial state of the patient environment;
(e) if said current state of the patient environment is different from said initial state of the patient environment, (1) determining a second illuminative state corresponding to said current state of the patient environment, and, (2) setting said at least one light source to said second illuminative state corresponding to said current state of the patient environment, thereby modifying the operating characteristics of said electronic patient monitor in response to a change in the environment of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. An electronic patient monitor for monitoring a changing status of a patient, comprising:
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(a) a patient sensor positionable to be proximate to the patient, said patient sensor for measuring the changing status of the patient when so positioned;
(b) an environmental sensor, said environmental sensor for determining a value representative of an environmental condition proximate to said electronic patient monitor;
(c) at least one light source, said at least one light source having at least two different illuminative states;
(d) a microprocessor in electronic communication at least with said environmental sensor, with said patient sensor, and with said at least one light source, said microprocessor being responsive to a computer program resident therein, said computer program at least containing commands for (i) sounding an alarm in response to a change in the status of the patient, and, (ii) automatically changing between said at least two illuminative states of said at least one light sources depending on said value representative of said environmental condition; and
,(e) an audio speaker in electronic communication with said microprocessor, said audio speaker at least for emitting alarm sounds at a plurality of different volume levels under control of said microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An electronic patient monitor for monitoring a changing status of a patient, wherein is provided a patient sensor positionable to be proximate to the patient, said patient sensor measuring the changing status of the patient when so positioned, comprising:
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(a) a photo-electric sensor integral to said electronic patient monitor, said photo-electric sensor for determining at least approximately a level of light proximate to said electronic patient monitor;
(b) a microprocessor at least in electronic communication with said photo-electric sensor and with said patient sensor, said microprocessor being responsive to a program resident therein, said program at least containing commands for (i) sounding an alarm in response to a change in the status of the patient, and, (ii) automatically varying an alarm volume in response to a measurement of light obtained from said photo-electric sensor; and
,(c) an audio speaker in electronic communication with said microprocessor, said audio speaker at least for emitting alarm sounds at a plurality of different volume levels under control of said microprocessor.
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Specification