Medical support system including medical equipment case

• US 9,075,906 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund II, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/930,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.14, 206/438, 206/534, 221/2, 312/36, 368/10, 604/67, 700/237, 705/3, 726/17, 200/43.01, 307/62, 340/540, 340/542, 348/14.02, 439/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• 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 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A medical equipment case is provided for containing and transporting at least one article of medical equipment and a two-way audio-visual system. Such equipment may be used, for example, for telemedicine applications by a patient discharged from a hospital, or other subject in need of remote health care monitoring. The medical equipment case may include features that provide for security and facilitate return of the medical equipment case and medical equipment and audio-visual system contained therein, such as machine-readable indicia encoding information for return of the case from a usage location. The medical equipment case and contained medical equipment and two-way audio visual system together form a medical support system that can be used by a patient discharged from a hospital. Methods of controlling the medical support system are also described.

Claims

1. A medical equipment case comprising:

a shell sized and configured for transport by a human;

a first receptacle within the shell sized and shaped to receive at least one article of medical equipment;

a second receptacle within the shell sized and shaped to receive a two-way audio-visual system;

at least one cover adapted to allow access to the at least one article of medical equipment received within the first receptacle when in an open configuration and to enclose and protect the at least one article of medical equipment received within the first receptacle when in a closed configuration;

electrical control circuitry located within the shell and configured for communication with the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system;

communication circuitry for providing wireless communication between the electrical control circuitry and a remote location; and

machine-readable indicia accessible from outside the case when the cover is in a closed configuration, the machine-readable indicia encoding information for return of the case from a usage location to a return location.

2. The medical equipment case of claim 1, further including the two-way audio-visual system mounted in the second receptacle.

3. The medical equipment case of claim 2, wherein the two-way audio-visual system is movably mounted in the second receptacle, and wherein the two-way audio-visual system is movable between a transport position and a use position.

4. The medical equipment case of claim 1, further including at least one electrically controllable lock mechanism configured to lock the cover in the closed configuration.

5. The medical equipment case of claim 4, wherein the electrical control circuitry is configured to control the at least one electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to receipt of an authorization signal from the remote location by the communication circuitry.

6. The medical equipment case of claim 4, further including a position sensing system in communication with the electrical control circuitry, wherein the electrical control circuitry is configured to control the at least one electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to receipt of a signal from the position sensing system indicative of the medical equipment case being in an authorized location.

7. The medical equipment case of claim 4, further including a user input device mounted on an exterior portion of the shell, wherein the electrical control circuitry is configured to control the at least one electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to receipt of an authorization signal from a user via the user input device.

8. The medical equipment case of claim 1, further including at least one of:

a power source mounted within the shell configured to supply power to at least one of the article of medical equipment, the two-way audio-visual system, the electrical control circuitry, and the communication circuitry; and

a position sensing system in communication with the electrical control circuitry.

9. The medical equipment case of claim 1, wherein the electrical control circuitry is mounted within the shell and configured for at least one of wireless communication and wired communication with at least one of the article of medical equipment and the audio-visual system.

10. The medical equipment case of claim 7, wherein the user input device includes at least one of a keyboard, a keypad, a touch sensitive device, a touch operated device, a voice interface, a digital data reader, a bar code reader, a magnetic strip reader, a data tag reader, an RFID reader, and a near field communication device.

11. The medical equipment case of claim 7, wherein the user input device is adapted to do at least one of read a stored identity or access code, receive a password from the user, receive a biometric input indicative of user identification from the user, receive a voice signal, or receive an image.

12. The medical equipment case of claim 1, further including at least one of a sensor for sensing whether the at least one article of medical equipment is present in the first receptacle, and a sensor for sensing whether the two-way audio-visual system is present in the second receptacle.

13. The medical equipment case of claim 12, further including at least one notification system configured to provide a notification to a user responsive to sensing at least one of that the at least one article of medical equipment is not present in the first receptacle and the two-way audio-visual system is not present in the second receptacle.

14. The medical equipment case of claim 1, further including a wireless proximity sensor for determining proximity of at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system to the medical equipment case.

15. The medical equipment case of claim 14, further including at least one notification system configured to provide a notification to a user responsive to sensing that at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is not in proximity to the medical equipment case.

16. A medical support system, comprising:

a medical equipment case including;

a shell sized and configured for transport by a human;

a first receptacle within the shell sized and shaped to receive at least one article of medical equipment;

a second receptacle within the shell sized and shaped to receive a two-way audio-visual system;

at least one cover adapted to allow access to the at least one article of medical equipment received within the first receptacle when in an open configuration and to enclose and protect the at least one article of medical equipment received within the first receptacle when in a closed configuration;

electrical control circuitry located within the shell and configured for communication with the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system;

communication circuitry for providing communication between the electrical control circuitry and a remote location; and

machine-readable indicia accessible from outside the case when the cover is in a closed configuration, the machine-readable indicia encoding information for return of the case from a usage location to a return location;

at least one article of medical equipment receivable in the first receptacle; and

a two-way audio-visual system receivable in the second receptacle.

17. The system of claim 16, further including a power source mounted within the shell configured to supply power to at least one of the article of medical equipment, the two-way audio-visual system, the electrical control circuitry, and the communication circuitry.

18. The system of claim 16, further including an illumination source controllable by the electrical control circuitry.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one article of medical equipment includes at least one of a blood pressure sensor, a stethoscope, a touch probe, a thermometer, a heart rate sensor, a pulse oximeter, an ultrasound probe, a chemical sensor, an endoscopic device, a cardiac monitoring device, a biosensor, a bioelectromagnetic monitoring device, a bioelectromagnetic stimulation device, an electrically controlled medication dispenser, an electrically controlled injection device, and an electrically controlled infusion device.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the two-way audio-visual system includes at least one of a camera, a video display, a microphone, and a speaker.

21. A method of controlling a medical support system comprising:

receiving at least one status signal indicative of an authorization status with a receiving means in a medical equipment case, the medical equipment case including a shell, a movable cover, and an electrically controllable lock configured to lock the medical equipment case in a closed configuration;

generating an electrical lock control signal with electrical control circuitry in the medical equipment case responsive to the at least one status signal;

unlocking the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to the electrical lock control signal to allow access to at least one article of medical equipment within the medical equipment case responsive to the electrical lock control signal by allowing movement of the cover of the medical equipment case from the closed configuration to an open configuration;

receiving a signal from the at least one article of medical equipment with the electrical control circuitry; and

wirelessly communicating information between the electrical control circuitry and a remote location via communication circuitry in the medical equipment case, wherein the information includes audio-visual information from a two-way audio-visual system in the medical equipment case.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one status signal is a signal from a position sensing system, and wherein generating the electrical lock control signal responsive to the at least one status signal includes generating the electrical lock control signal to cause unlocking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to receiving a signal from the position sensing system indicative of the medical equipment case being in an authorized location.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one status signal is an authorization signal from a remote location, and wherein generating the electrical lock control signal responsive to the at least one status signal includes generating the electrical lock control signal to cause unlocking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to receiving an authorization signal from a remote location.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one status signal is a user-generated signal from a user input device, and wherein generating the electrical lock control signal responsive to the at least one status signal includes generating the electrical lock control signal to cause unlocking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to receiving a user-generated signal indicative of the medical equipment case being used by an authorized user.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the information includes at least one of medical data acquired with the at least one article of medical equipment and at least one instruction for controlling the at least one article of medical equipment.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the information is indicative of at least one of an identity of a user of the medical support system and an operational status of the medical support system.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least a portion of the information is indicative of an operational status of the medical support system, wherein the operational status of the medical support system is selected from an unactivated operational status, an activated operational status, a completion-of-use operational status, and a malfunctioning operational status.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one status signal includes at least one of a biometric input indicative of user identity and a password.

29. The method of claim 21, further including detecting whether at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is located within the medical equipment case.

30. The method of claim 29, further including at least one of:

activating a notification system in the medical equipment case to provide a notification to a user responsive to sensing that the at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is not located within the medical equipment case;

generating the electrical lock control signal with the electrical control circuitry in the medical equipment case to cause locking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to sensing that the at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is not located within the medical equipment case; and

generating the electrical lock control signal with the electrical control circuitry in the medical equipment case to prevent locking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to sensing that the at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is not located within the medical equipment case.

31. The method of claim 21, further including sensing proximity of at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system to the medical equipment case.

32. The method of claim 31, further including at least one of:

activating a notification system in the medical equipment case to provide a notification to a user responsive to sensing that the at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is not within a specified proximity to the medical equipment case;

generating the electrical lock control signal with the electrical control circuitry in the medical equipment case to cause locking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to sensing that the at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is within a specified proximity to the medical equipment case; and

generating the electrical lock control signal with the electrical control circuitry in the medical equipment case to prevent locking of the electrically controllable lock mechanism responsive to sensing that the at least one of the at least one article of medical equipment and the two-way audio-visual system is not within a specified proximity to the medical equipment case.