Remote activity controller for people

• US 6,980,114 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kleinschmidt, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/681,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20040130450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.17, 340/573.1, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 706/45, 706/62, 600/300, 600/520, 600/573, 600/128, 705 1- 3
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A remote activity controller for people is in the form of a portable appliance, including a display apparatus, an internal clock, a user ID code and memory device, and possibly with geographic position recording and with movement and other activity sensors for mobile detection and storage of personal state data for the wearer. Further, a data interface is included via which, when required, a communication link can be set up with contract partners in order to transfer data from the appliance to them, at least at times. In addition, a label communicator is included for detection of information data of measurement or therapy appliances used, including the measurement data determined by these appliances; and also the information about products, such as foodstuffs, medicaments, and network addresses of contract partners or the like, on the basis of labels which are located on or in them or are stored in a label album. Further, a connection for a personal electronic health record is included in which the relevant health data is entered on the basis of a predetermined data scheme, and instantaneous measurement values, consumption values and behavior patterns are added continually to this data, such as weight, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, test strips and in which other chemical diagnostic values are stored, medicaments consumed, foodstuffs eaten, movement patterns or the like, with timestamps, batch numbers, test equipment types, etc.

Claims

1. A remote activity controller employed by a user, comprising:

a display apparatus;

an internal clock;

a user ID code and memory device;

a data interface for establishing a communication link with at least one contract partner having a predetermined relationship with the user in order to transfer data from at least one appliance to the at least one contact partners; and

a label communicator for detection of information data associated with a label of at least one of measurement and therapy appliances, wherein the information data comprises the measurement data determined by at least one appliance, information about products and network addresses of contract partners, wherein the label is located at least one of on the appliance, in the appliance and stored in a label album, and means for creating a personal electronic health record in which relevant health data is entered on the basis of a predetermined data scheme, and instantaneous measurement values, consumption values and behavior patterns are added continually to the relevant health data and are stored.

2. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the label communicator includes at least one of optical, magnetic, electrical and mechanical scanners to at least one of

read the information coded on a substrate on the labels,

read the electromagnetic signal transmitted from radio labels and coded with the information, and

read acoustic signals and the information contained in it.

3. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the data interface for the communication link to contract partners allows data to be transported from the contract partners to the appliance, and wherein this information is used in order to transmit information via the label communicator to configure remote devices.

4. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote activity controller includes at least one of a control wheel and at least one key for at least one of switching-on, switching-off, operating and selection for selection of the dialog object which is indicated on the display apparatus.

5. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data interface also allows data to be transported from the contract partners to the appliance for the communication link to contact partners, and wherein the data is used via a control module in order to carry out dialogs with the user, via the display.

6. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory and a decoder for the personal electronic health record, and data is stored therein on the basis of the scheme, and is provided at the data interface.

7. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprises an Internet-compatible communication module in order to provide the communication link, the communication module including access to the Internet without the use of wires via at least one of a mobile radio and infrared.

8. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a decoder for at least one of interpretation of time-dependent data, compression of data, and selecting a predetermined portion from the decoded data.

9. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tool for producing external labels.

10. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one of the following for geographical position recording, including

a GPS module

a receiving device for landmarks of a known geographic position, and

a system in which network operator data associated with time-related use of the local radio cell is obtained and is correlated with the appliance timer markers.

11. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a microphone and a loudspeaker, used to assist the dialog with the user.

12. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a camera with a decoder including image recognition components.

13. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an optical scanner for optical codes.

14. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a gas sensor and smoke sensor, and a decoder having at least one of gas, gas mixture and smoke identification components.

15. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote activity controller is arranged on an armband.

17. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote activity controller is at least partially incorporated in at least one of a hearing aid and a finger ring.

18. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote activity controller comprises at least two interacting appliance units.

19. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one authentication device.

20. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a memory, drivable via at least one of a data interface for electronic orders, and

means for accessing at least one of orders, names of contact partners and addresses of contract partners.

21. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 20, wherein predetermined rules select circumstances wherein at least one of data and parts of such data, are passable onto third parties in at least one of an open form and in a scrambled form.

22. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the label communicator transmits a signal, which is received by a transponder label and is sent back having been modified on the basis of the information on the label and is read.

23. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 22, wherein the the transponder label receives the signal transmitted from the label communicator and passes the modified signal to the associated appliance.

24. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 20, comprising an electronic data interface for communication with external third parties.

25. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 21, comprising an electronic data interface for communication with external third parties.

26. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote activity controller is portable.

27. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for recording geographic position and including movement and other activity sensors for mobile detection and storage of personal state data for the wearer.

28. The remote activity controller as claimed in claim 15, wherein the remote activity controller is arranged on an armband in conjunction with at least one other appliance including at least one of a clock, an appropriately configured mobile telephone, and a PDA.

16. The remote activity controller as claimed in clam 1, wherein the remote activity controller is at least one of at least partially implanted in the body of the wearer, is stuck on to the body, and is incorporated in clothing of the wearer.

29. A remote activity controller, comprising:

a data interface for establishing a communication link with contract partners, to transfer data therebetween; and

a label communicator for detection of information data of at least one of measurement and therapy appliances associated with a label stored in a label album, wherein the information data includes measurement data, information about products and network addresses of contract partners, and including a connection for a personal electronic health record in which relevant health data is entered on the basis of a predetermined data scheme, and instantaneous measurement values, consumption values and behavior patterns are added continually to the relevant health data.