Portable wireless gateway for remote medical examination

• US 7,761,261 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medic4all AG
• Original Assignee: Medic4all AG
• Inventors: Cohen, Moshe, Shmueli, Ram, Misan, Shai
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee; Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US10/552,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,295 Days
• Field of Search: 702/127, 702/131, 702/139, 702/183, 702/187, 702/188, 34035916-53919, 340/539.22, 340/539.24, 340/539.26, 600/301
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• 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: A61B 5/4261 Evaluating exocrine secretion production A61B3/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A remote monitoring system that includes a portable measuring device that can be coupled to a portable wireless gateway. The portable measuring device obtains measurements including physiological data, movement data and ambient measurements and provides these measurements to the portable wireless gateway. The portable wireless gateway can interface with a networked personal computer through an USB connector. Once interfaced to the computer, the measurement data can be loaded into the computer and delivered to a central system through the networked personal computer. The system enables the monitoring of a user'"'"'s medical information to allow diagnostics of the user.

Claims

1. A system for remote measurements, the system comprising:

(a) a measuring device for measuring at least one medical parameter of a user, wherein the measuring device comprises a communication module for wirelessly transmitting measured parameters and receiving data and instructions;

(b) a portable wireless gateway, wherein the portable wireless gateway comprises a wireless module for wirelessly communicating with the measuring device and a computer interface module for communicating with a computer;

(c) a computer (PC) with a standard port to which the portable wireless gateway is connected to;

wherein the portable wireless gateway stores the following;

software used by the PC for operating the system;

personal information of the user; and

setting parameters for the measuring device;

wherein the portable wireless gateway is configured to load at least one of the software, the personal information, and setting parameters to the computer; and

wherein the computer is configured to download the software from the portable wireless gateway, and, using the software, to receive the measured parameters via the portable wireless gateway, to analyzes measured data and to alert the user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) a central server being operative to communicate with the PC and to store and analyze measured data; and

(e) a computer network between the computer (PC) and the central server for carrying the communication between the two.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the computer network is the Internet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable wireless gateway is connected to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal information stored in portable wireless gateway is used for at least one function selected from a group consisting of:

authentication and encryption.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal information contains medical data of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable wireless gateway emulates a USB flash memory disk device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer (PC) operates the software from the emulated USB flash memory disk device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is wearable by a user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is further comprising a movement sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the movement sensor is adapted for measuring the user'"'"'s breathing.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is further comprising a smoke detector.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is further comprising a burglary alarm.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer standard port is a USB port.

15. A portable wireless gateway suitable for use within a remote medical monitoring system that comprises a measuring unit, and a computer, the portable wireless gateway comprising:

a wireless communication unit operative to communicate with the measuring unit;

a non-volatile memory module containing;

software used by the PC for operating the system, personal information of the user, and setting parameters for the measuring device;

a computer interface module operative to connect to the computer; and

a processing unit,

wherein after connecting the portable wireless gateway to the computer, the portable wireless gateway uploads at least one of the software and the personal information to the computer; and

the portable wireless gateway communicatively coupled via the wireless communication unit with the measuring unit, and in response to instructions, the processing unit being operable to receiving physiological data from the measuring unit through the wireless communication unit;

processing the received physiological data and transferring the processed physiological data to the computer via the computer interface module;

whereby connecting the portable wireless gateway to a computer the computer becomes a part of the remote medical monitoring system during the period of the connection; and

wherein the software loaded and executed by the computer activates the measuring unit, receives medical information from the measuring unit via the portable wireless gateway, analyzes measured data, and alerts the user.

16. The portable wireless gateway of claim 15, wherein the connection between the portable wireless gateway and the computer is USB connection.

17. The portable wireless gateway of claim 15, wherein the non-volatile memory module stores personal information of the user, and wherein the processing unit is operative to process the physiological measurements into medical information.

18. The portable wireless gateway of claim 15, wherein the non-volatile memory module stores the software that will be operated by the computer for operating the remote medical monitoring system while connected to the portable wireless gateway.