Apparatus and method for wirelessly transferring and storing medical data

• US 9,289,149 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Peterson, James R., Alme, Sarah
• Primary Examiner(s): Heller, Tammie K
• Application Number:
  US11/746,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,239 Days
• Field of Search: 600/508, 600/523, 600/544, 607/32
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/335 using integrated circuit memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling

Abstract

A medical diagnostic/monitoring system is disclosed herein. The medical diagnostic/monitoring system includes a data acquisition device having a first near field communication device, and a data storage device wirelessly connected to the data acquisition device. The data storage device includes a second near field communication device. The first near field communication device and the second near field communication device are collectively configured to wirelessly transfer power and data from the data acquisition device to the data storage device.

Claims

1. A method for wirelessly transferring physiological data to a data storage device comprising:

obtaining physiological data with a transducer of a data acquisition device, the transducer configured to obtain the physiological data from a body of a patient;

generating an electromagnetic field between a first near field communication device of the data acquisition device and a second near field communication device of a data storage device;

transferring power from the data acquisition device to the data storage device across the electromagnetic field;

transferring the physiological data from the data acquisition device to the data storage device across the electromagnetic field and

storing the physiological data at the data storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing the electromagnetic field to wirelessly transfer information from a radio frequency identification memory card of the data storage device to the data acquisition device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transducer is an electrode and the physiological data is a cardiac electrical signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising implementing the electrode to generate an analog signal proportional to the sensed cardiac electrical signal, and providing the analog signal from the electrode to the data acquisition device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the physiological data at a radio frequency identification memory card of the storage device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data storage device comprises a radio frequency identification memory card comprising a plurality of alphanumeric characters configured to visually convey a selectable type of information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data storage device comprises a radio frequency identification memory card comprising graphic image configured to visually convey information pertaining to the identity of a patient.