Telepresence robot with a printer

• US 8,116,910 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2007
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Walters, Derek, Pinter, Marco, Southard, Jonathan, Jordan, Charles S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/895,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 700/259, 700/245, 700/248, 700/260, 434/262, 434/267, 600/595, 318/628, 345/156, 345/184
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A remote controlled robot system that includes a robot and a remote controlled station. The robot includes a camera and a printer coupled to a mobile platform. The remote control station may display one or more graphical user interfaces with data fields. The graphical user interfaces allow a user to enter information into the data fields. The information is then transmitted to the robot and printed by the robot printer. The information may include a medical prescription and the name of the patient. Providing a robot printer allows the user to directly provide a medical prescription while remotely observing and interacting with the patient.

Claims

1. A remote controlled telepresence robot system, comprising:

a robot that includes a mobile platform, a camera that captures a robot image, a monitor, a speaker and a microphone coupled to said mobile platform;

a printer coupled to said robot; and

,

a remote control station that controls said robot and provides information to said robot that is printed by said printer, said remote control station including a monitor coupled to said robot camera to display said robot image, a camera that captures an operator image that is displayed by said robot monitor, a speaker coupled to said robot microphone and a microphone coupled to said robot speaker.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote control station includes one or more graphical user interfaces with a plurality of data fields.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one of said data field includes a user password.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein one of said data fields is a prescription order field.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein one of said data fields includes a patient field.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot monitor and said camera move together in at least two degrees of freedom.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a medical prescription printed by said printer.

8. A method for remotely printing information with a remote controlled telepresence mobile robot, comprising:

transmitting information from a remote control station to a mobile robot, the mobile robot including a mobile platform, and a camera that captures a robot image, a monitor, a speaker and a microphone coupled to the mobile platform, the remote station including a monitor coupled to the robot camera to display said robot image, a camera that captures an operator image that is displayed by the robot monitor, a speaker coupled to the robot microphone and a microphone coupled to the robot speaker; and

,

printing the information from a printer coupled to the mobile robot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the remote control station displays one or more graphical user interfaces with a plurality of data fields.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a user enters a user password into one or more of the data fields.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a user enters a prescription order into one or more of the data fields and the prescription order is printed by the robot printer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a user enters patient information into one or more of the data fields and the patient information is printed by the robot printer.