Interface device for an integrated television-based broadband home health system

• US 7,185,282 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telehealth Broadband LLC
• Inventors: Naidoo, Surendra N., McCown, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US10/230,521
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 715717-719, 715727-728, 715/733, 715/714, 715/705, 709/230, 709/240, 600/300, 600/301, 725 37- 44, 725/64, 725/143, 725105-120, 725/135, 725/109, 725/118
• US Class Current: 715/718
• 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 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An integrated home health system includes a television-based patient station, a first provider station for providing telemedicine or other healthcare services to a patient located at the patient station, a second provider station for providing caregiver services to the patient, a third provider station for providing emergency response services to the patient and a system management station coupled together by a data network. In addition to various management operations performed on behalf of the integrated home health system, the system management station is further configured to provide various home health services to the patient located at the patient station, either alone, or in conjunction with one or more of the first, second and/or third provider stations.

Claims

1. For a home health system having a patient station equipped with a television set and a remotely located provider station for serving a patient located at said patient station, a device for interfacing said television set at said patient station with said home health system, comprising:

an audio/video manager for handling bi-directional exchanges of audio and video data between a patient station and a remotely located provider station; and

a RF modulator having a first input coupled to a television signal source and a second input coupled to said audio/video manager, said RF modulator normally passing a first television broadcast signal, received from said television signal source, to a television set;

said audio/video manager transferring audio and video data, received from said remotely located provider station, to said RF modulator;

upon receipt of said audio and video data from said audio/video manager, said RF modulator passing, in place of said first television broadcast signal received from said television source, said audio and video data received from said audio/video manager to said television set; and

wherein said RF modulator constructs a second television broadcast signal from said audio and video received from audio/video manager and wherein said RF modulator passes said second television broadcast signal in place of said first television broadcast signal.

2. The interface device of claim 1, wherein said audio and video data from said remotely located provider station is used to conduct a two-way audio/video session between a provider located at said remotely located provider station and a patient located at said patient station.

3. The interface device of claim 2, wherein said remotely located provider station is a healthcare provider station and wherein said audio and video data is used to conduct a two-way audio/video healthcare session between a healthcare professional located at said healthcare provider station and said patient.

4. The interface device of claim 2, wherein said remotely located provider station is a caregiver provider station and wherein said audio and video data is used to conduct a two-way audio/video caregiver session between a caregiver located at said caregiver provider station and said patient.

5. The interface device of claim 1, wherein said home health system further includes a remotely located management station and wherein audio and video data originating at said remotely located management station is used to remind said patient of a scheduled two-way audio/video session between a provider located at said remotely located provider station and a patient located at said patient station and wherein audio and video data originating at said remotely located provider station is used to conduct said scheduled two-way audio/video session between said provider located at said remotely located provider station and said patient.

6. The interface device of claim 5, wherein said remotely located provider station is a healthcare provider station and wherein said audio and video data originating at said remotely located provider station is used to conduct a scheduled two-way audio/video healthcare session between a healthcare professional located at said healthcare provider station and said patient.

7. The interface device of claim 5, wherein said remotely located provider station is a caregiver provider station and wherein said audio and video data originating at said remotely located provider station is used to conduct a scheduled two-way audio/video caregiver session between a caregiver located at said caregiver provider station and said patient.

8. The interface device of claim 5, wherein said audio/video data originating at said remote management station may be used, by said audio/video manager, to construct a first type of reminder message requiring a response by said patient or a second type of reminder message not requiring a response by said patient.

9. The interface device of claim 8, and further comprising:

a reminder manager coupled to said audio/video manager, said reminder manager being notified, by said audio/video manager, whenever said audio/video manager constructs a reminder message of said first type;

said reminder manager issuing a potential emergency notification message to said home health system if said patient does not respond, within a predetermined period of time, to a reminder message requiring a response.

10. The interface device of claim 9, wherein said home health system further includes a remotely located emergency response station for receiving potential emergency notification messages issued by said reminder manager and wherein monitoring personnel located at said emergency response station establish a two-way audio, video or audio/video link with said patient station in response to receipt of said potential emergency notification message from said patient station.

11. The interface device of claim 10, wherein said remote provider station is a healthcare provider station and wherein said audio and video data originating at said remote provider station is used to conduct a scheduled two-way audio/video healthcare session between a healthcare professional located at said healthcare provider station and said patient.

12. The interface device of claim 10, wherein said remote provider station is a caregiver provider station and wherein said audio and video data originating at said remote provider station is used to conduct a scheduled two-way audio/video caregiver session between a caregiver located at said caregiver provider station and said patient.