Medical communication and locator system and method

• US 7,348,883 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dale A. Sloan
• Original Assignee: Dale A. Sloan
• Inventors: Sloan, Dale A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/204,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20060033619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/572.1, 340/825.49, 340/286.07, 235/375, 235/376
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

There is disclosed a medical communication and locator system and method including a medical chart communication system and method and a personnel communication system and method for monitoring the location of charts and personnel in a medical environment. The communication and locator systems may be provided with one-way or two-way communication for locating charts or personnel, contacting needed personnel in the event of an emergency, or for communicating with healthcare workers. A docking station for the communication and locator systems is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a. a plurality of charts, each chart comprising;

i. a support;

ii. a chart receiver coupled to said support, said chart receiver comprising a unique electronic chart address, and said chart receiver being operable to receive transmitted data corresponding to said unique chart address;

iii. a chart output device coupled to said support and in communication with said chart receiver, said chart output device being operable to produce an output upon said chart receiver'"'"'s receipt of said transmitted data;

b. a plurality of personnel communicators, each communicator comprising;

i. a body;

ii. a communicator receiver coupled to said body, said communicator receiver comprising a unique electronic communicator address, and said communicator receiver being operable to receive transmitted data corresponding to said unique communicator address;

ii. a communicator output device coupled to said body and in communication with the communicator receiver, said communicator output device being operable to produce an output upon said communicator receiver'"'"'s receipt of said transmitted data; and

c. a computer system configured to receive and retrieve data, comprising;

i. a chart communication transmitter operable to transmit data corresponding to at least one unique chart address of at least one of said plurality of charts; and

operable to transmit data corresponding to at least one unique chart address of at least one of said plurality of charts.

2. A communication system, comprising:

a. at least one chart, each of said at least one chart comprising;

i. a support,

ii. a chart receiver associated with said support, said chart receiver comprising a unique chart address, where said chart receiver is operably configured to receive patient data corresponding to said unique chart address, and

iii. a chart output device associated with said support and said chart receiver, where said chart output device is operably configured to selectively produce an output in response to the receipt of patient data by said chart receiver; and

b. a computer system, comprising;

i. an output device,

ii. an interface operably configured to receive patient data and to communicate patient data to a user via said output device,

iii. a memory medium for storing patient data, and

iv. a chart communication transmitter operably configured to transmit patient data.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein said at least one chart further comprises a chart transmitter associated with said support, where said chart transmitter is operably configured to transmit patient data.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein said chart transmitter and said chart receiver are operably configured to respectively send and receive patient data from devices selected from the group consisting of said at least one chart, a pager, a communicator, a cell phone, said computer system, a dock, an intercom system, and combinations thereof.

5. The communication system of claim 2, wherein said computer system comprises a chart communication receiver operably configured to receive patient data.

6. The communication system of claim 2, further comprising at least one communicator, each of said at least one communicator comprising:

i. a body,

ii. a communicator receiver associated with said body, said communicator receiver comprising a unique electronic communicator address, where said communicator receiver is operably configured to receive patient data corresponding to said unique communicator address, and

iii. a communicator output device associated with said body and configured to communicate with said communicator receiver, where said communicator output device is operably configured to produce an output upon the receipt of patient data by said communicator receiver.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein said at least one communicator is organized into at least one group configured to communicate with said computer system, where patient data may be transmitted to said at least one group via said interface such that said at least one communicator does not have to be accessed individually.

8. The communication system of claim 6, wherein said at least one communicator and said interface are operably configured for two-way verbal communication therebetween.

9. The communication system of claim 6, further comprising a communication transmitter associated with said body configured to communicate with a communicator input accessible by a user, where patient data may be transmitted from each of said at least one communicator via said communication transmitter.

10. The communication system of claim 2, wherein said chart communication transmitter is operably configured to send patient data to devices selected from the group consisting of said at least one chart, a pager, a communicator, a cell phone, said computer system, a dock, an intercom system, and combinations thereof.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein said chart communication transmitter is operably configured to send patient data to each of said at least one chart.

12. The communication system of claim 2, wherein patient data is information selected from the group consisting of clinical information, administrative information, patient name, patient room number, the patient assigned nurse, code information, back-up nursing information, electronic medical charts, billing information, insurance information, medical histories, nursing histories, primary physicians, drug allergies, patient requests, and combinations thereof.

13. The communication system of claim 2, wherein said chart output device is a device selected from the group consisting of a visual output device, an audio output device, a textual output device, a video output device, at least one light, an alarm, an LED screen, a speaker, and combinations thereof.

14. The communication system of claim 2, wherein a plurality of said at least one chart are organized into at least one group associated with said computer system.

15. The communication system of claim 2, wherein said at least one chart and said interface are operably configured for two-way verbal communication therebetween.

16. The communication system of claim 2, wherein said at least one chart comprises a memory medium for storing patient data.

17. A docking system, comprising:

a. at least one chart, each of said at least one chart comprising;

i. a support,

ii. a chart receiver associated with said support, said chart receiver comprising a unique chart address, where said chart receiver is operably configured to receive transmitted patient data corresponding to said unique chart address,

iii. a chart output device associated with said support and configured to communicate with said chart receiver, where said chart output device is operably configured to produce an output upon said chart receiver'"'"'s receipt of patient data, and

iv. a chart transmitter associated with said support, where said chart transmitter is operably configured to transmit patient data; and

b. a docking station, said docking station comprising;

i. at least one dock,

ii. a docking transmitter, where said docking transmitter is associated with said docking station,

iii. a docking receiver, where said docking receiver is associated with said docking station and is operably configured to receive patient data transmitted from said at least one chart, and

iv. a docking output, where said docking output is coupled with said docking station and is operably configured to display patient data received via from said docking receiver.

18. The docking system of claim 17, wherein said docking station includes a power supply operably configured to recharge said at least one chart.

19. The docking system of claim 17, wherein said docking transmitter and said docking receiver are operably configured to communicate with a device selected from the group consisting of said at least one chart, a pager, a communicator, a cell phone, said computer system, a dock, an intercom system, and combinations thereof.

20. The docking system of claim 19, wherein said docking station is operably configured to transmit data to said at least one computer system indicating which of said at least one chart is stationed at said docking station.