Automatic determination of location for ethernet devices

• US 8,610,562 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Weiner, Herbert S., Petersen, Eric G., Moons, Brian T.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/697,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20110187526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.12, 340/8.1, 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method for automatically locating an Ethernet patient monitor in one or more buildings includes querying, by a computing device of a central monitoring system, a switch using a Media Access Control address of the patient monitor, and receiving a port number to which the patient monitor is connected from the switch. The method also includes consulting a configuration file to determine a location of the patient monitor, and displaying a representation of the location of the patient monitor on a user interface representing at least a portion of the one or more buildings.

Claims

1. A method for automatically locating an Ethernet patient monitor in one or more buildings, the method comprising:

querying, by a computing device of a central monitoring system, a switch comprising a plurality of ports, the patient monitor being connected to one of the plurality of ports, a Media Access Control address of the patient monitor being included in the query;

receiving from the switch a port number of the switch to which the patient monitor is connected, the port number being associated with the Media Access Control address;

using first coordinates in a configuration file to determine a location of the patient monitor based on the port number;

displaying a representation of the location of the patient monitor on a user interface representing at least a portion of the one or more buildings;

using second coordinates in the configuration file to identify a route from the central monitoring system to the location of the patient monitor, the second coordinates being different from the first coordinates; and

displaying the route on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a rendezvous request from the patient monitoring device; and

consulting the configuration file to determine whether or not the switch is handled by the central monitoring system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing communication with the patient monitor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising consulting the configuration file to determine whether or not the port is handled by the central monitoring system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the switch further comprises sending a Simple Network Management Protocol Management Information Base using the Media Access Control address of the patient monitor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering a state of the representation of the location of the patient monitor on the user interface based on the status of the patient monitor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically querying the switch to identify any ports of the switch having a new patient monitor with a new Media Access Control address associated therewith.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying the new patient monitor based upon the new Media Access Control address returned by the switch.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

consulting the configuration file to determine a second location of the new patient monitor; and

displaying a second representation of the second location of the new patient monitor on the user interface.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically querying the switch to identify when the patient monitor is disconnected from a port associated with the port number of the switch.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating the representation of the patient monitor on the user interface to indicate disconnection of the patient monitor.

12. A method for automatically locating an Ethernet patient monitor in one or more buildings, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device of a central monitoring system, a rendezvous request from a patient monitoring device;

consulting a configuration file to determine whether or not a switch is handled by the central monitoring system;

querying the switch by sending a Simple Network Management Protocol Management Information Base using a Media Access Control address of the patient monitor received in the rendezvous request;

receiving a port number to which the patient monitor is connected from the switch;

consulting the configuration file to determine whether or not the port is handled by the central monitoring system;

establishing communication with the patient monitor;

using first coordinates in a configuration file to determine a location of the patient monitor using coordinates in the configuration file;

displaying a representation of the location of the patient monitor on a user interface representing at least a portion of the one or more buildings;

using second coordinates in the configuration file to identify a route from the central monitoring system to the location of the patient monitor, the second coordinates being different from the first coordinates, and the second coordinates including a string of two or more numbers, with each of the numbers representing a position on the map and the numbers being used to plot a path from the central monitoring system to the patient monitor;

displaying the route on the user interface; and

altering a state of the representation of the location of the patient monitor on the user interface based on the status of the patient monitor.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising periodically querying the switch to identify any ports of the switch having a new patient monitor with a new Media Access Control address associated therewith.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising identifying the new patient monitor based upon the new Media Access Control address returned by the switch.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

consulting the configuration file to determine a second location of the new patient monitor; and

displaying a second representation of the second location of the new patient monitor on the user interface.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

periodically querying the switch to identify when the patient monitor is disconnected from a port associated with the port number of the switch; and

updating the representation of the patient monitor on the user interface to indicate disconnection of the patient monitor.