Measurement support system and measurement support method

• US 7,630,923 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Kawatahara, Masanao, Kai, Akinori, Harada, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US11/033,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20050123448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/10, 705/22
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/08 with provision for safeguarding the apparatus, e.g. against abnormal operation, against breakdown
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A measurement support system includes a measurement device and a management device connected to the measurement device via a communications network. When the measurement device uses consumable materials such as reagents, the management device manages the stock of consumable materials, supplies the consumable materials, and corrects measured data in accordance with the state of the consumable materials. Thus, the measurement support system can reduce the burden on users of the measurement device. The reagents that are used in measurement by a personal measuring instrument (3) located at each of patients'"'"' homes (B, C, . . . ) are assigned a reagent ID number beforehand. This reagent ID number and measured data are transmitted to a host computer (1) of a medical institution (A). The host computer (1) determines the stock of reagents based on the consumable material identifier received from the personal measuring instrument (3) and ships the reagents to the patient'"'"'s home when the stock is running low. The host computer (1) also corrects the measured data in view of a calibration curve and degradation based on the production lot information of the reagents stored in correspondence with the reagent ID number.

Claims

1. A measurement support method for supporting measurement performed by a personal measurement device, used for a measurement of biological data, using consumable materials,

the personal measurement device being connected to a management device via a communications network, and the management device collecting and managing measured data of the personal measurement device,

the method comprising:

storing an expiration date of consumable materials in correspondence with a consumable material identifier that identifies the consumable materials in the management device;

sending the consumable material identifier of consumable materials to be consumed during the measurement from the personal measurement device to the management device before starting the measurement;

allowing the management device to retrieve the expiration date of the consumable materials that corresponds to the consumable material identifier received from the personal measurement device and to send the expiration date to the personal measurement device; and

allowing the personal measurement device to determine for every measurement whether the consumable materials to be consumed during the measurement axe past the expiration date based on the expiration date received from the management device;

wherein the consumable materials is one of a reagent, a test paper, or a sensor used for the measurement of biological data.

2. The measurement support method according to claim 1, wherein when the consumable materials are manufactured, the consumable material identifier is assigned uniquely to each unit of supply of the consumable materials to a user of the personal measurement device, and a recording medium that contains information about the consumable materials for each consumable material identifier is prepared and attached to each unit of supply of the consumable materials, the information including the expiration date of the consumable materials, and

the management device reads the information from the recording medium to store the expiration date.

3. The measurement support method according to claim 1, wherein when the consumable materials to be consumed during the measurement are past the expiration date, the personal measurement device sends an order for the consumable materials to the management device.

4. The measurement support method according to claim 1, wherein the management device further stores degradation correcting information of measured data derived from measurement that uses the consumable materials for each consumable material identifier,

the personal measurement device allows a user to choose whether to perform measurement or not when the consumable materials to be consumed during the measurement are past the expiration date, and

the management device corrects measured data that are included in the measurement information received from the personal measurement device by using the degradation correcting information that corresponds to the consumable material identifier in the measurement information.