Method for monitoring and communicating biomedical electromagnetic fields

• US 8,594,772 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Eggenberger, Christian, Malkin, Peter K., Sorenson, Paul T., Hietler, Esther
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stice, Paula J
• Application Number:
  US12/132,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 607/509, 607/60, 463/23, 463 36- 37
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and a method of monitoring and communicating biomedical data to a remote receiver. Specifically, the present invention provides a system and method that can monitor a biomedical-based electromagnetic field, e.g., heart rate variability (HRV) field, emitted from a human user (“sender”), and/or communicate the biomedical-based electromagnetic field to a remote receiver by measuring the biomedical-based electromagnetic field emitted from the sender, creating an electronic signal corresponding to the field and transmitting or broadcast and/or apply the signal to a remote receiver.

Claims

1. A method of communicating an electromagnetic signal associated with Heart Rate Variability (HRV) fields of two or more users collaborating in an on-line environment via respective client nodes over a network via a server node, the method comprising:

recording, at client nodes of said two or more users, the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) field of the respective user while participating in the online environment;

encoding, at each of two or more user'"'"'s client node, the recorded Heart Rate Variability (HRV) field as data;

transmitting, from each of two or more user'"'"'s client node, the encoded HRV field data together with a message to the server node;

receiving, at said server node, the encoded HRV field data with the respective message from each of the two or more user'"'"'s client nodes;

decoding, at said server node, the encoded HRV field data received from each of the user'"'"'s client node;

summing, at said server node, each decoded HRV field of two or more users currently participating in the online environment and encoding said summed HRV field;

transmitting the encoded summed HRV field to each user client node in the collaborative online environment;

decoding, at each user client node, the encoded summed HRV field data to obtain a summed HRV field of said two or more users;

displaying, at each user client node in the collaborative online environment, the message from said two or more users; and

simultaneously broadcasting, at each client node, the decoded summed HRV field of said two or more users as an electromagnetic signal for application to the user at each client node to influence a physical state of each user participating in said collaborative online environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising digitally signing the encoded electromagnetic field and the message, the digital signing occurring prior to the transmitting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further includes location data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further includes scene information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the encoded HRV field data with a symbol indicating a state of emotion of said sender at a time of recording said HRV field; and

,

transmitting the encoded HRV field data and said associated symbol together with the message to the receiver,

said message and symbol being displayed at said receiver thereby informing said second user about a corresponding emotive state of said sender.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

selecting by said second user, via said receiver, said displayed symbol; and

, in response, broadcasting said decoded HRV field data of the sender being broadcast for direct application to the second human user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing in a memory storage device associated with said sender, one or more symbol definitions, each respective symbol definition including a different encoded HRV field data of said sender corresponding to a respective different physical state of the sender and a respective different associated symbol;

generating, for said sender, a display interface adapted to indicate said stored symbol definitions configured for selection by said sender when generating a message,

wherein said transmitted message includes the encoded HRV field data and said symbol of the emoticon definition selected by said sender.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said stored emoticon definitions are adapted for reuse by said sender when sending subsequent messages to remote second human users.