Systems and methods to provide two-way communications

• US 8,795,172 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonitus Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Kassayan, Reza, Abolfathi, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US11/952,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20090149722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,433 Days
• Field of Search: 600300-301, 434/112
• 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 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4504 Bones A61B5/4547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/682 Mouth, e.g., oral cavity; tongue; Lips; Teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

An electronic and transducer device can be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance or other oral device to form a two-way communication assembly. In another embodiment, the device provides an electronic and transducer device that can be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance or other oral device to form a medical tag containing patient identifiable information. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device fabricated from a thermal forming process utilizing a replicate model of a dental structure obtained by conventional dental impression methods. The electronic and transducer assembly may receive incoming sounds either directly or through a receiver to process and amplify the signals and transmit the processed sounds via a vibrating transducer element coupled to a tooth or other bone structure, such as the maxillary, mandibular, or palatine bone structure.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a. an actuatable transducer disposed within or upon a first portion of a housing which is secured and in vibratory communication with a first surface of at least one tooth of a subject, the housing having a second portion which is secured along a second surface of the at least one tooth opposite to the first surface such that an occlusal surface is unobstructed by the first and second portions of the housing;

b. one or more body sensors positioned within or upon the body of the subject; and

c. an electronic assembly disposed within or upon the housing, wherein the one or more body sensors are in communication with the electronic assembly.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a linking unit coupled to the housing and the one or more body sensors.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the linking unit is adapted to communicate with a remote station.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises one or more sensors embedded therein or thereon.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a data storage device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the data storage device is encrypted.

7. The device of claim 2, further comprising a local transceiver coupling the housing with the one or more body sensors and the linking unit.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the local transceiver transmits encrypted data.

9. The device of claim 2, further comprising a wireless local area network (LAN) or a wired LAN coupling the housing with the one or more body sensors and the linking unit.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the linking unit is coupled to a wide area network (WAN).

11. The device of claim 3, wherein the remote station is chosen from:

a satellite, a cellular tower, or a relay station.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a beacon coupled to the housing to identify a person in need of assistance.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the beacon comprises an audible signal, a location signal, or a visible signal.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more body sensors senses a vital sign or-an environmental.parameter.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more body sensors senses one or more of:

body temperature, environment temperature, hydration, heart rate, EKG, EEG, pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory cycle, air flow velocity, and pH level.

16. The device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone to pick up sound.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the microphone comprises one or more of:

an intraoral microphone, and an extraoral microphone.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the microphone is configured to transmit a user'"'"'s voice.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is used by one of:

workers in loud environments, an entertainer, an athlete, support personnel, a soldier, a medic, a fireman, and an emergency worker.

20. The device of claim 2, comprising a wireless sensor network coupled to the housing, the one or more body sensors, or the linking unit.

21. The device of claim 3, wherein the linking unit wirelessly communicates with other linking units to form a network.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the network is a local area network or a wide area network.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a wireless communication transceiver coupled to the transducer to provide received sound to the user and to provide communication for the user.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises an oral appliance having a shape which conforms to the at least one tooth.

34. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is custom fitted to one or more teeth of the subject.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured as a mouth wearable communicator.

36. The device of claim 2, wherein the device is configured for two way communication between the device and the linking unit.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein the actuatable transducer is a piezoelectric transducer.

25. A method for sensing one or more body or environmental parameters, comprising:

a. placing a device within the mouth of a subject, the device comprising a an actuatable transducer disposed within or upon a first portion of a housing such that the actuatable transducer is secured and in vibratory communication with a first surface of at least one tooth of the subject, the housing further having a second portion which is secured along a second surface of the at least one tooth opposite to the first surface such that an occlusal surface is unobstructed by the first and second portions of the housing;

b. sensing one or more body parameters or environmental parameters via one or more body sensors positioned within or upon the body of the subject, where the one or more body sensors are in communication with an electronic assembly disposed within or upon the housing; and

c. linking the device with the one or more body sensors.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the actuatable transducer is a piezoelectric transducer.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the device is a custom fitted oral device.

28. The method of claim 25, comprising embedding one or more sensors in the device.

29. The method of claim 25, comprising storing medical or environmental data in the device.

30. The method of claim 25, comprising storing data in the device as a secured black box device for subsequent forensic analysis.

31. The method of claim 25, comprising monitoring user activity.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein at least one of the one or more body sensors is an accelerometer.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein linking comprises linking the device and the one or more body sensors to a remote station.