Mini-dome, nurse call visual communication system

• US 7,994,900 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West-Com Nurse Call Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: West-Com Nurse Call Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Langstroth, Paul David, Peters, Charlie Lawrence Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/052,912
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 34028606-28608, 340/573.1, 340/332, 340/539.12, 340/326, 340/539.1, 340/311.2, 705/2, 600/300
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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

Abstract

A patient and room status display device used to provide effective communication in healthcare environments. The display device uses a RGB (Red, Green and Blue) LED (Light Emitting Diode) to illuminate a dome light with any color, thus providing signals to healthcare workers representing different patient or room statuses. The display device can be operated through an external web-based interface, a nurse call master station or at least one user controlled actuator located on the display device. Each display device is mounted outside of every patient'"'"'s room to provide multiple status signals for every patient in the hospital wing.

Claims

1. A method for communicating status information using an illuminating status display device comprising the steps of

providing at least one display device, each having a light producing element capable of displaying a plurality of colors and at least one actuator, where each said actuator is electrically connected to the same light producing element;

providing a plurality of distinct visual outputs, where each said visual output communicates a different nurse call status message through the light producing element;

providing a plurality of distinct electronic status change signals, where each said status change signal represents one status message and is associated with one corresponding visual output on said light producing element such that the transmission of any status change signal to the light producing element causes the display of the that status change signal'"'"'s corresponding visual output on the light producing element, each actuator being associated with a distinct status change signal such that manual input to the actuator causes the actuator'"'"'s associated status change signal to be transmitted to the light producing element, and the same light producing element being capable of displaying the associated visual output of any status change signal;

electronically connecting each said display device to a controller, said controller being connected to an electronic data transfer network;

generating at least one of said status change signal through a web interface associated with a computer connected to said network;

causing said status change signal to be transmitted from the computer across said network to a network switch and from said network switch to said controller; and

said controller sending said status change signal to the light producing element of at least one of said display devices, causing said light producing element to display the associated visual output.

2. The method of claim 1, where each said distinct visual output comprises a distinct light color.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the status change signal from said network switch to a database for storage.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the database is an XML.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the light producing element is a unitary RGB LED.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said status messages include patient status information, room status information, and equipment status information, said patient status information including at least data concerning patient fall risk, oral prescriptions, isolation, and pain medication, said room status information including at least data concerning room cleaning and room servicing, and said equipment status information including at least information concerning bed operation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said display device additionally has a dome light and an internal controller, where said internal controller can cause the light producing element in the same display device as the internal controller to emit a desired color of light and utilizes a data storage element and a timing element, said dome light comprising a thin lens made of translucent reflective material, and any light emitted from said light producing element is transmitted into the dome light though an optical fiber.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said internal controller stores one or more status change signals received on said data storage element in the order received and causes the light producing element housed in the same display device to automatically replicate the display of the associated visual output of the one or more status change signals stored in the data storage element after a predetermined time period that is tracked by the timing element.

9. A method for communicating status information using an illuminating a status display device comprising the steps of

providing at least one display device having a light producing element capable of displaying a plurality of colors, and at least one actuator, where each said actuator is electrically connected to the same light producing element;

providing a plurality of distinct visual outputs, where each said visual output communicates a different nurse call status message through the light producing element;

providing a plurality of distinct electronic status change signals, where each said status change signal represents one status message and is associated with one corresponding visual output on said light producing element, such that the transmission of any status change signal to the light producing element causes the display of the that status change signal'"'"'s corresponding visual output on the light producing element, each actuator being associated with a distinct status change signal such that manual input to the actuator causes the actuator'"'"'s associated status change signal to be transmitted to the light producing element, and the same light producing element being capable of displaying the associated visual output of any status change signal;

electronically connecting each said display device to a controller, said controller being connected to an electronic data transfer network;

providing a master station capable of generating new status change signals and terminating existing status change signals;

connecting said master station to the electronic network;

generating at least one of said status change signals through said master station;

causing said status change signal to be transmitted from said master station to a network switch and from said switch to a database for storage and said controller;

receiving and storing the status change signal on the database;

receiving the status message at the controller; and

transmitting the status change signal from the controller to the said light producing element of at least one of display devices, causing said light producing element to display the associated visual output.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

said visual output comprises at least one distinct light color;

and

the light producing, element is an RGB LEDs.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein

said master station includes a graphical user interface;

and

the status message associated with the status change signal transmitted from the master station is displayed on the graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the database is an XML database.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said status messages comprise patient status information, room status information, and equipment status information, said patient status information including at least data concerning patient fall risk, oral prescriptions, isolation, and pain medication, said room status information including at least data concerning room cleaning and room servicing, and said equipment status information including at least information concerning bed operation.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein display device additionally has a dome light and an internal controller, where said internal controller can cause the light producing element in the same display device as the internal controller to emit a desired color of light and utilizes a data storage element and a timing element, said dome light comprising a thin lens made of translucent reflective material, and any light emitted from said light producing element is transmitted into the dome light though an optical fiber.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein internal controller stores one or more status change signals received on said data storage element in the order received and causes the light producing element housed in the same display device to automatically replicate the display of the associated visual output of the one or more status change signals stored in the data storage element after a predetermined time period that is tracked by the timing element.