Remote-medical-diagnosis system method

• US 8,630,867 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Precision Biosensor Inc.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Yoo, Jae-chern
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Neha
• Application Number:
  US12/596,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,093 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Provided are a remote medical-diagnosis system including: a bio-disc or a biochip performing biological, chemical or biochemical reactions with a sample, and having a barcode or a RF IC; a bioanalytical device analyzing results of reactions performed by the bio-disc or the biochip and including a reader reading the barcode or the RF IC to authenticate the bio-disc or the biochip or recording the measured data to the RF IC regardless of a connection with a remote diagnosis server; a virtual doctor as a software in a user'"'"'s terminal, the virtual doctor providing a user with guidelines and instructions as how to use the bioanalytical device, and providing the user with a consulting service, a diagnosis unit self-analyzing the measured data using mathematical calculations and outputing results of a diagnosis; a user'"'"'s terminal providing the user with a consulting service from a medical expert or a virtual doctor; a medical expert'"'"'s terminal providing the user with a consulting service; and a remote diagnosis server connecting the user with the medical expert during periodic medical consultations, connecting the user with the virtual doctor during non-periodic medical consultations, blocking connection between the user and the virtual doctor if a periodic medical consultations term has elapsed; and a method of performing the remote medical-diagnosis.

Claims

1. A remote medical-diagnosis system comprising:

a bio-disc or a biochip performing biological, chemical or biochemical reactions with a sample, and having a barcode or a radio frequency integrated circuit (RF IC);

a bioanalytical device comprising;

a first authentication unit analyzing results of reactions performed by the bio-disc or the biochip and including a reader reading the barcode or the RF IC to authenticate a product ID of the bio-disc or the biochip, and a recording unit recording measured data corresponding to the results to the RF IC;

a user'"'"'s terminal comprising a transmitter transmitting the measured data and the product ID of the bioanalytical device to a remote diagnosis server via a communication network, and a first consulting service unit providing a consulting service from a medical expert;

a virtual doctor residing as a software on the user'"'"'s terminal, the virtual doctor comprising a guideline unit to provide a user with guidelines and instructions as how to use the bioanalytical device, and a diagnosis unit self-analyzing the measured data using mathematical calculations and outputting results of a diagnosis;

a medical expert'"'"'s terminal comprising a receiver receiving the measured data via the communication network, and a second consulting service unit providing the user with a consulting service; and

a remote diagnosis server comprising a second authentication unit authenticating a product ID of the bioanalytical device, an ID registration unit registering and storing the product ID of the bioanalytical device authenticated by the second authentication unit, an expert selecting unit connecting the user with the medical expert during periodic medical consultations and connecting the user with the virtual doctor except during the periodic medical consultations, a connection blocking unit blocking a connection between the user and the virtual doctor when a periodic medical consultation term has elapsed, and a priority connection unit connecting the user with the medical expert upon receiving a signal requesting for a priority connection even during non-periodic medical consultations,

wherein the user'"'"'s terminal or the remote diagnosis server further comprises a monitoring unit which monitors processes of sampling blood and injecting the sample into the bioanalytical device in real time, or monitors the status of serum separation of the blood injected into the bio-disc or bio-chip, and

wherein serum separation is monitored including;

determining whether serum separation is normally performed by monitoring the state of serum centrifuged or separated using a serum separation device; and

sending a warning message to the user or recording the abnormal serum separation in a history management list if the serum separation is not normally performed.

2. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the recording unit saves the product ID of the corresponding bioanalytical device used for obtaining the measured data into the RF IC, saves a cumulative history of a past diagnosis results made by the virtual doctor or the medical expert as received from the remote diagnosis server into the RF IC, saves the diagnosis results obtained from the virtual doctor or the medical expert and the corresponding ID of the medical expert into the RF IC, or stores an ID and a password of the user, which are essential for signing up and authentication of the remote diagnosis server, in the RF IC.

3. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the signal requesting for a priority connection is a signal requested by the user, a signal indicating abnormal conditions based on the data obtained by the virtual doctor, or a signal representing an excess of the number limit on the consulting services by the virtual doctor.

4. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal further comprises a display which displays the status of operation and progress of the bioanalytical device in real time, displays a rate of progress of the bioanalytical device, or displays the measured data in terms of numbers, in a graph, or a high-medium-low form.

5. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal comprises a control assignment button in order to assign a remote control right to the medical expert.

6. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising at least one apparatus for medical examination connected to the user'"'"'s terminal.

7. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising an assay stop process unit which requests an ID and a password of the user upon a request for stopping an assay by the user while performing an assay of the sample using the bio-disc or the biochip, records a historical fact of the assay stop to the RF IC if the assay is stopped since the ID and password of the user match the stored value, or transmits the historical fact of the assay stop to the remote diagnosis server.

8. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the medical expert'"'"'s terminal further comprises a prescription generating unit which generates a medical prescription by the medical expert, and

the remote diagnosis server further comprises a medicine preparation request unit which receives the prescription and requests a pharmacist to prepare medicine according to the prescription and transmit the medicine, and a payment unit by which the user pays fees for the preparation and transmission of the medicine with electronic money or a card.

9. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal or the remote diagnosis server further comprises an automatic notifying device which notifies the user with information on a medical examination schedule, a hospital visit schedule, or a medicine intake schedule.

10. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal further comprises a validity checking unit which notifies the user of invalid use of the bio-disc or the biochip when the validity period is over, or stores the invalid use in the RF IC as a history management list or transmits the invalid use to the remote diagnosis server.

11. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal further comprises a humidity checking unit which notifies the user of excess humidity by sending a warning message when the bio-disc or the biochip is exposed to excess humidity, or stores the excess humidity in the RF IC as a history management list or transmits the excess humidity to the remote diagnosis server.

12. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal further comprises a RF IC reader which provides the user with information, read from the RF IC, selected from the group consisting of the types, a version, a date of manufacture, a validity period, and a diagnosable disease list of the bio-disc or the biochip loaded on the bioanalytical device, user precautions, details of a history management list, medical data, and next examination date after an authentication of a password by matching a password stored in the RF IC.

13. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s terminal further comprises an information access unit which transmits a product ID read from the RF IC of the bio-disc or the biochip loaded on the bioanalytical device to the remote diagnosis server, and provides the user with information, received from the remote diagnosis server, selected from the group consisting of the types, a version, a date of manufacture, a validity period, and a diagnosable disease list of the products corresponding to the product ID, user precautions, details of a history management list, medical data, and next examination date, after an authentication of a password by matching a password stored in the remote diagnosis server.

14. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the bioanalytical device further comprises a sanitation grade display unit which tests food-born pathogens in food establishments or restaurants and transmits test data corresponding to the food-born pathogens to the remote diagnosis server, and displays a sanitation level of food graded by the environmental expert connected to the remote diagnosis server or food poisoning analysis software residing on the remote diagnosis server, based on the test data.

15. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the bioanalytical device further comprises a positional information receiver which receives positional information using a global positioning system (GPS) by connecting the bioanalytical device with a cellular phone.

16. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein

the measured data is read and the product ID of the bioanalytical device from the RF IC when a used bio-disc or a used biochip is loaded on the bioanalytical device;

the measured data is transmitted and the product ID of the bioanalytical device to the remote diagnosis server; and

the measured data is regarded as invalid if the product ID of the bioanalytical device used to obtain the measured data is not registered in the remote diagnosis server.

17. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising providing the medical expert with a cumulation of the medical data made by the virtual doctor before the periodic medical consultations during the periodic medical consultations.

18. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising providing the user with guidelines and instructions from the virtual doctor or medical expert about sampling blood and injection of the blood into the bioanalytical device in real time.

19. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising monitoring operation and progress of the bioanalytical device in real time, displaying a rate of progress of the bioanalytical device, and displaying the measured data in terms of numbers, in a graph, or a high-medium-low form.

20. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a prescription by the medical expert;

receiving the prescription and requesting medicine preparation according to the prescription and transmittance of the medicine; and

paying fees for the preparation and transmittance of the medicine using electronic money or a card.

21. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the user by identifying information on the user'"'"'s health insurance.

22. The remote medical-diagnosis system of claim 1, further comprising notifying the user with information on a medical examination schedule, a hospital visit schedule, or a medicine intake schedule.