Apparatus and method for providing remote medical services via an API and an open IPTV platform apparatus

• US 8,830,297 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Eung-Ha, Kim, Sun-Joong, Park, Won-Joo, Cho, Kee-Seong, Ryu, Won
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US12/877,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20110154419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 725/106, 725/117, 725/110, 725/61, 725/51, 348/14.03, 348/14.04, 348/14.07, 348/14.1, 348/143, 715/771, 715/970, 709/224, 709/205, 709/218, 719/328
• US Class Current: 348/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

An Open Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform is provided. By providing remote medical services to users in the Open IPTV environment using a remote medical service providing apparatus including: an application programming interface (API) calling unit to call, when receiving a request for receiving a remote medical service from a counselor'"'"'s terminal, an API of an Open Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform; and a service provider to provide the remote medical service to a user through the API, it is possible to provide remote medical service operators with environments where they can develop and share various remote medical to services and content.

Claims

1. A remote medical service providing apparatus comprising:

an application programming interface (API) calling unit, executed by a processor, to call, when receiving a request for receiving a remote medical service from a counselor'"'"'s terminal, a call setup API, an information providing API, and a media API of an Open Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform, such that the calling of the APIs is performed according to the request received from the counselor'"'"'s terminal; and

a service provider to provide the remote medical service to a user through the API using video telephony, when the call setup API is called,

wherein each of the call setup API, the information providing API, and the media API corresponds to a different application service than the other APIs.

2. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a measurement information storage to store measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal,

wherein the service provider comprises a measurement information manager to receive the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal from the user'"'"'s terminal and store the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal in the measurement information storage.

3. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the service provider comprises an information provider to call, when receiving a request for receiving information from the counselor'"'"'s terminal, an information providing API through the API calling unit in order to provide the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal stored in the measurement information storage to the counselor'"'"'s terminal or the user'"'"'s terminal.

4. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 2, wherein when receiving a request for receiving the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal from the user'"'"'s terminal, the measurement information manager extracts the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal from the measurement information storage and provides the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal to the user'"'"'s terminal.

5. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service provider comprises a counselor connector to call, when receiving a request for receiving a remote medical service from the counselor'"'"'s terminal, the call setup API through the API calling unit to try to establish a video telephony call setup between the counselor'"'"'s terminal and the user'"'"'s terminal.

6. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal received from the user'"'"'s terminal is not within a predetermined normal range, the counselor connector automatically transmits information about the user to the counselor'"'"'s terminal.

7. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein when receiving a request for receiving exercise media from the counselor'"'"'s terminal, the service provider calls a media API through the API calling unit in order to provide the received exercise media to the counselor'"'"'s terminal or the user'"'"'s terminal.

8. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 7, wherein when other exercise VoD content is additionally selected, the media enabler transmits information on a location at which the additionally requested exercise VoD content is stored to both the counselor'"'"'s terminal and user'"'"'s terminal, so that the counselor'"'"'s terminal and user'"'"'s terminal simultaneously display the additionally requested exercise VoD content.

9. The remote medical service providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the API calling unit calls a corresponding API of an application gate, provided by the Open IPTV platform, according to a service type activated by a service provider.

10. An Open Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform apparatus comprising:

an application gateway, provided by a processor, to provide a call setup application programming interface (API) an information providing API, and a media API of the IPTV platform for providing remote medical services; and

an enabler to perform a function for providing the remote medical service according to a request from the APIs,

wherein the remote medical service is provided via video telephony when the call setup API is called, and

wherein each of the call setup API, the information providing API, and the media API corresponds to a different application service than the other APIs.

11. The Open IPTV platform apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a video telephony call setup API to try to establish a call setup between terminals,

wherein the enabler comprises a call setup enabler to try to establish the call setup between the terminals using the call setup API.

12. The Open IPTV platform apparatus of claim 11, wherein the application gateway comprises an information providing API to provide measurement information on a user'"'"'s biometric signal to at least one terminal,

wherein the enabler comprises an information providing enabler to provide the measurement information on the user'"'"'s biometric signal to the at least one terminal using the information providing API.

13. The Open IPTV platform apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a media API to provide media content to at least one terminal,

wherein the enabler comprises a media enabler to provide information on a location at which exercise media content is stored, to at least one terminal, through the media API, according to a request for receiving the exercise media content.

14. A remote medical service providing method comprising:

calling, when receiving a request for receiving a remote medical service from a counselor'"'"'s terminal, a call setup API, an information providing API, and a media API of an Open Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform, such that the calling of the APIs is performed according to the request received from the counselor'"'"'s terminal; and

establishing a video telephony call setup between a user'"'"'s terminal and a counselor'"'"'s terminal using the call setup API, when the call setup API is called,

wherein each of the call setup API, the information providing API, and the media API corresponds to a different application service than the other APIs.

15. The remote medical service providing method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving measurement data on a user'"'"'s biometric signal from the user'"'"'s terminal;

databasing and storing the received measurement data on the user'"'"'s biometric signal;

comparing the received measurement data with a pre-stored reference value; and

analyzing a result of the comparing.

16. The remote medical service providing method of claim 15, further comprising:

extracting, when receiving a request for receiving information from the counselor'"'"'s terminal, the measurement data on the user'"'"'s biometric signal from stored measurement data on biometric signals;

calling an information providing API; and

providing the measurement data on the user'"'"'s biometric signal to both the user'"'"'s terminal and the counselor'"'"'s terminal using the information providing API.

17. The remote medical service providing method of claim 14, further comprising:

calling a media API according to a request for receiving exercise media content;

detecting, a location at which the exercise media content is stored, using the media API; and

transmitting the location at which the exercise media content is stored to both the user'"'"'s terminal and the counselor'"'"'s terminal using the media API.