Medical device and method with improved biometric verification

• US 8,679,012 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cleveland Medical Devices Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cleveland Medical Devices Inc.
• Inventors: Kayyali, Hani
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): JIAN, SHIRLEY XUEYING
• Application Number:
  US12/228,461
• Time in Patent Office: 2,050 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1172 using fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The present invention is both a device and a method for verifying a subject'"'"'s identity while using a medical device or undergoing a medical diagnostic or therapeutic procedure, particularly at home or at a remote location. The method and device can be used for inpatient and remote sleep and signal analysis with biometric identification. The present invention is further related to the devices and sensors used in executing the method, and includes various embodiments of a method of inpatient and remote sleep analysis.

Claims

1. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least three sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has a sleep disorder, and at least one biometric sensor for identifying the subject wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested, and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with at least one of the at least three sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject and authentication of subject identity by said biometric sensor is performed at random times.

2. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least three sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has a sleep disorder, and at least one biometric sensor for identifying the subject wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested, and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with at least one of the at least three sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject and the at least one biometric sensor further comprises an internal processor and is used to collect biometric data from a subject, and wherein the processor compares the collected biometric data with biometric data previously collected from the subject and outputs verification of the identity of the subject without outputting the subject'"'"'s biometric data.

3. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least three sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has a sleep disorder, and at least one biometric sensor for identifying the subject wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested, and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with a fingertip pulse oximeter, the biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor and attachment of the fingerprint sensor to the fingertip pulse oximeter is accomplished by placing the fingerprint sensor and fingertip pulse oximeter in a common housing in such a manner as to require that fingerprint verification and pulse oximetry be performed on adjacent fingers of the subject'"'"'s hand.

4. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least four sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has a sleep disorder wherein the at least four sensors for measuring physiological parameters are used to measure airflow, respiratory effort, ECG or heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation and at least one biometric sensor wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with at least one of the at least four sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject and authentication of subject identity by said biometric sensor is performed at random times.

5. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least four sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has asleep disorder wherein the at least four sensors for measuring physiological parameters are used to measure airflow, respiratory effort, ECG or heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation and at least one biometric sensor wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with at least one of the at least four sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject and the at least one biometric sensor further comprises an internal processor and is used to collect biometric data from a subject, and wherein the processor compares the collected biometric data with biometric data previously collected from the subject, and outputs verification of the identity of the subject without outputting the subject'"'"'s biometric data.

6. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least seven sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has a sleep disorder wherein the at least seven sensors for measuring physiological parameters are used to measure airflow, respiratory effort, ECG or heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, EEG, EOG, and EMG and at least one biometric sensor wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with at least one of the at least seven sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject and authentication of subject identity by said biometric sensor is performed at random times.

7. A sleep diagnostic device comprising at least seven sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject for analysis to determine if the subject has a sleep disorder wherein the at least seven sensors for measuring physiological parameters are used to measure airflow, respiratory effort, ECG or heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, EEG, EOG, and EMG, a processor internal to the device and at least one biometric sensor wherein the at least one biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested and wherein the at least one biometric sensor is attached to or integrated with at least one of the at least seven sensors for measuring physiological parameters of a subject;

the processor is used to determine a sleep onset time for the subject based at least in part on at least one physiological parameter and further measures the subject'"'"'s heart rate as acquired using ECG, and compares the heart rate acquired using ECG to the heart rate acquired using the pulse oximeter about the sleep onset time to determine whether the subject on whom the pulse oximeter is placed is the same subject from whom heart rate was measured using ECG; and

the biometric sensor is used to authenticate the identity of the subject being tested about the sleep onset time.