Method and apparatus for accessing medical asset data

• US 6,885,288 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2001
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Pincus, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/682,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.36, 340/539, 340/10.33, 340/10.51, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/539.19, 340/539.1, 340/825.49, 340/870.07, 126/110.R
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence

Abstract

A wireless communication system to obtain data from a medical asset, such as mobile equipment. The system utilizes a transmitter coupled to a programmable interface. The programmable interface is, in turn, coupled to a device associated with the asset. The device or application communicates data about the asset to the interface. The interface is programmed by a user to communicate with the device and couple the data to the transmitter in a configuration selected by the system user. The transmitter is operable to transmit the information to one or more antennas of the wireless communication system. The information from the antennas is coupled to a cell controller and to an information system.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a programmable interface coupleable between a sensing device and a transmitter, wherein the interface is operable to receive sensing device data from the sensing device and to be programmed to process the sensing device data at a desired periodic interval to maintain a running total of a desired parameter and to provide the running total of the desired parameter and the desired periodic interval the transmitter for transmission; and

a programming station selectively coupleable to the interface to enable a user to program the interface to establish the desired interval.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensing device data comprises operational data of the device.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the desired parameter comprises operational data of the device that is processed by the interface in response to programming provided by the programming station.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the running total of the desired parameter comprises a sum of operational data of the device received by the interface from the sensing device taken at each desired periodic interval.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the programming station enables the wireless communication system user to reset the sum.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the programming station comprises a computer system coupleable to the interface.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, further comprising a cell controller and an antenna.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the cell controller is coupled to the computer system.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a transponder.

10. An interface for a wireless communication system, comprising:

a processor, wherein the processor is operable to receive device data from a device and to process the device data at a desired interval according to programming instructions stored in the interface to provide a user-configured stream device data to a transmitter, wherein the user-configured stream of device data comprises a first portion of data representative of the device data processed by the interface and a second portion of data representative of the desired interval.

11. The interface as recited in claim 10, wherein the processor is operable to process the device data received from the device, further wherein at least a portion of the user-configured stream of device data comprises data processed by the interface.

12. The interface as recited in claim 10, wherein the interface is programmable to enable a user to provide programming to the interface to direct the operation of the interface.

13. The interface as recited in claim 12, wherein the interface is coupleable to a programming station, the programming station being operable to provide the interface with programming to enable the processor to communicate with the device using a first communication protocol and with the transmitter using a second communication protocol.

14. The interface as recited in claim 12, wherein the interface is operable to be programmed to communicate with a first device using a first communication protocol and then re-programmed to communicate with a second device using a different communication protocol.

15. The interface as recited in claim 10, wherein the device data comprises device operating data.

16. The interface as recited in claim 15, wherein the interface is operable to enable a user to select desired device operating data to be provided to the transmitter.

17. The interface as recited in claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the user-configured stream of device data is an ongoing count of a device operating parameter.

18. The interface as recited in claim 10, wherein the interface comprises a first electrical connector configured for mating engagement with a first external electrical connector coupled to a programming system.

19. The interface as recited in claim 18, wherein the interface comprises a second electrical connector configured for mating engagement with a second external electrical connector coupled to the device.

20. The interface as recited in claim 10, wherein the transmitter is a transponder.

21. The interface as recited in claim 19, wherein the interface comprises a third electrical connector configured for mating engagement with the transmitter.

22. A method of operating a wireless communication system to enable a system user to configure device data communicated by a transmitter coupled to a sensing device via a programmable interface, comprising the acts of:

connecting the programmable interface to a programming station operated by a system user;

identifying a communication protocol utilized by the sensing device from among a plurality of communication protocols operable to be programmed into the programmable interface;

operating the programming station to configure the programming of the programmable interface to receive the device data from the sensing device using the communication protocol utilized by the sensing device and to provide a user-configured stream of device data to the transmitter; and

coupling the programmable interface between the sensing device and the transmitter.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising the act of transmitting a unique identifier for the transmitter with the data from the device.

24. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

reconnecting the programmable interface to the programming station; and

operating the programming station to reconfigure the programming of the programmable interface to provide the device data in a different user selected configuration.

25. A method of operating a wireless communication system to enable a system user to configure data communicated from a medical asset by a transmitter, comprising the acts of:

connecting a programmable interface to a programming station operated by a system user;

operating the programming station to configure the programming of the programmable interface to provide a cumulative total of a selected device parameter to the transmitter; and

coupling the programmable interface between the medical asset and the transmitter.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising the act of transmitting a unique identifier for the transmitter with the data from the device.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

reconnecting the programmable interface to the programming station; and

operating the programming station to reconfigure the programming of the programmable interface to provide the data in a different configuration selected by the system user.

28. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein operating the programming station comprises establishing an interval that a medical asset parameter is to be monitored by the programmable interface.