Computer mouse system and associated, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for monitoring and improving health and productivity of employees

• US 9,710,788 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Horseman, Samantha J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos-Diaz, Maria C
• Application Number:
  US13/540,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02141 Details of apparatus construction, e.g. pump units or housings therefor, cuff pressurising systems, arrangements of fluid conduits or circuits A61B5/02233, A61B5/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/386 Accessories or supplementary instruments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4561 Evaluating static posture, e.g. undesirable back curvature A61B5/1116 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6897 Computer input devices, e.g. mice or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• 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 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Provided are embodiments of systems, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse including, a temperature sensor, a blood condition sensor and a blood pressure sensor. A method for sensing health characteristics of a user using a computer mouse including receiving, from the temperature sensor, temperature data corresponding to a sensed body temperature of the user, receiving, from the blood condition sensor, blood condition data corresponding to a sensed blood saturation level of the user, receiving, from the blood pressure sensor, blood pressure data corresponding to a sensed blood pressure of the user, and transmitting, to the computer workstation, health data corresponding to the temperature data, the blood condition data, and the blood pressure data for use in determining the body temperature, the blood saturation level, and the blood pressure of the user.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring an employee'"'"'s health while the employee is working at a workstation, the workstation including a workstation surface located above and parallel to a floor, and a computer workstation, the system comprising:

a computer mouse in communication with the computer workstation, the computer mouse comprising a set of health sensors integrated therewith for detecting biometric characteristics of the employee'"'"'s health, the set of health sensors comprising one or more temperature sensors, one or more blood pressure sensors, and one or more blood condition sensors, the set of health sensors configured to output health sensor data comprising of temperature data output by one or more of the temperature sensors that is indicative of a body temperature of the employee, blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors that is indicative of a blood pressure of the employee, and blood condition data output by one or more of the blood condition sensors that is indicative of a blood oxygenation of the employee, the computer mouse further including a computer mouse controller being configured to control receipt of the temperature data output by one or more of the temperature sensors, the blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors, and the blood condition data output by one or more of the blood condition sensors, and remote transmission of the health sensor data corresponding to the received temperature data, blood pressure data, and blood condition data;

wherein the one or more blood pressure sensors comprise a blood pressure cuff comprising a pneumatic tube extending between a body of the computer mouse and a bladder of the blood pressure cuff, wherein an air pump is located in the body of the computer mouse and is configured to supply air via the pneumatic tube to inflate the bladder of the blood pressure cuff, wherein a pressure transducer is located in the body of the computer mouse and is configured to sense air pressure within the pneumatic tube that is indicative of the air pressure within the bladder, and wherein the blood pressure data output by one or more of the blood pressure sensors corresponds to the air pressure sensed within the pneumatic tube;

a database in communication with a communications network and storing health information; and

a computer server configured to perform the steps of;

continuously collecting, via the communications network, the health sensor data output by the set of health sensors of the computer mouse, the collecting including;

identifying a need to initiate a health test responsive to a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the health sensor data needs to be collected from the set of health sensors;

in response to identifying the need to initiate the health test, querying the computer workstation for the health sensor data corresponding to the health test, the computer workstation configured to collect the health sensor data from the set of health sensors of the computer mouse in response to the query; and

receiving, from the computer workstation via the communications network, the health sensor data corresponding to the health test;

determining, in real time, a health profile for the employee using the health sensor data collected, the health profile comprising;

health characteristics for the employee including one or more of the body temperature, the blood pressure, and the blood oxygenation for the employee determined using the health sensor data collected; and

a health plan for the employee based on one or more of the health characteristics determined using the health sensor data collected;

updating, in real time, the health information stored in the database to reflect the health profile for the employee;

serving, in real time to the computer workstation for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the health profile for the employee;

determining a first group health report for a first group of employees working in a first facility, region, division or team, wherein the first group of employees includes the employee, and wherein the first group health report is determined based in part on the health profile for the employee;

determining a second group health report for a second group of employees working in a second facility, region division or team;

determining that a user associated with an employer computer is an employer having permission to review the health information; and

in response to determining that the employer has permission to review the health information, serving, to the employer computer for display to the employer via the employer computer, an interactive reviewer interface, wherein the employer computer is configured to display the interactive reviewer interface, and wherein display of the interactive reviewer interface comprises display of an employee group selection element to enable the employer to select;

the first group of employees; and

the second group of employees;

in response to a selection of the first group of employees via the group selection element, the interactive reviewer interface is configured to display the first group health report for the first group of employees, and wherein the first group health report comprises an indication of whether the first group of employees is experiencing abnormal health conditions, and

in response to a selection of the second group of employees via the group selection element, the interactive reviewer interface is configured to display a second group health report for the second group of employees, and wherein the second group health report comprises an indication of whether the second group of employees is experiencing abnormal health conditions.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more temperature sensors comprise an infrared (IR) sensor disposed on an exterior surface of the computer mouse such that the body temperature is sensed by the IR sensor when the employee grasps the exterior of the computer mouse.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the computer mouse comprises a local memory, and wherein the computer mouse controller is further configured to:

store, in the local memory of the computer mouse, the temperature data, the blood pressure data, and the blood condition data received by the computer mouse controller;

retrieve, from the local memory of the computer mouse, the temperature data, the blood pressure data, and the blood condition data stored in the local memory of the computer mouse; and

transmit, to the computer workstation, the temperature data, the blood pressure data, and the blood condition data retrieved from the local memory of the computer mouse.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the computer server is further configured to:

determine one or more health issues for the first group of employees based at least in part on one or more health profiles associated with the first group of employees; and

provide, for display to the employer, a group alert interface providing an indication of the one or more health issues for the first group of employees.

5. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

determine a first group health characteristic value comprising an average of corresponding health characteristic values for the first group of employees, wherein the first group health report comprises the first group health characteristic value; and

determine a second group health characteristic value comprising an average of corresponding health characteristic values for the second group of employees, wherein the second group health report comprises the second group health characteristic value.

6. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

for each employee in the first group of employees;

receive a first personal health characteristic; and

determine a first personal health characteristic value based on the first personal health characteristic;

for each employee in the second group of employees;

receive a second personal health characteristic; and

determine a second personal health characteristic value based on the second personal health characteristic;

average the first personal health characteristic values for the first group of employees to determine a first group health characteristic value, wherein the first group health report comprises the first group health characteristic value; and

average the second personal health characteristic values for the second group of employees to determine a second group health characteristic value, wherein the second group health report comprises the second group health characteristic value.

7. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

determine that a value for a health characteristic of the first group health report exceeds a threshold value for a health characteristic of the first group; and

in response to determining that the value for the health characteristic of the first group health report exceeds the threshold value for the health characteristic of the first group, providing to the employer computer, an alert indicating an alert condition for the health characteristic of the first group.

8. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

receive, via the interactive reviewer interface, an employer initiated request to conduct a second health test of the employee; and

in response to receiving the employer initiated request to conduct the second health test of the employee, conducting the second health test of the employee, the second health test of the employee comprising;

activating the set of health sensors integrated with the computer mouse to generate a second set of health sensor data;

collecting, via the communications network, the second set of health sensor data;

determining an updated health profile for the employee using the second set of health sensor data;

serving, to the computer workstation for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the updated health profile for the employee;

determining an updated first group health report for the first group of employees working in the first facility, region, division or team, wherein the updated first group health report is determined based on the updated health profile for the employee; and

serving, to the employer computer for display to the employer via the employer computer, an updated interactive reviewer interface comprising the updated first group health report.

9. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

determine that the employee is experiencing a health crisis based on the health sensor data;

in response to determining that the employee is experiencing the health crisis;

presenting, to the employer via the employer computer, an alert indicating that the employee is experiencing the health crisis; and

presenting, to emergency response personnel, an alert indicating that the employee is experiencing the health crisis.

10. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

determine that the employee is experiencing a health crisis based on the health sensor data;

in response to determining that the employee is experiencing the health crisis, prompting the employee to override sending an alert within a given period of time;

in response to receiving, in the given period of time, a selection to override sending the alert, not sending the alert to emergency response personnel; and

in response to not receiving, in the given period of time, the selection to override sending the alert, sending the alert to the emergency response personnel.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer mouse comprises a location sensor configured to sense movement of the computer mouse relative to the workstation surface on which the computer mouse is located, and wherein the computer mouse is configured to output mouse movement data corresponding to the movement of the computer mouse relative to the workstation surface on which the computer mouse is located;

and

the computer server further configured to;

receive the mouse movement data;

determine a length of time that the employee is interacting with the computer mouse based on the mouse movement data; and

determine that the employee is experiencing muscle tension based on the length of time determined, wherein the health profile for the employee comprises indication that the employee is experiencing the muscle tension.

12. The system of claim 1, the computer server further configured to:

receive chair health data from a set of chair sensors positioned in a chair located in the workstation and configured to be used by the employee, wherein the set of chair sensors comprises a chair temperature sensor configured to sense a second body temperature of the employee, wherein the chair health data comprises chair temperature data output by the chair temperature sensor that is indicative of a second body temperature of the employee, and wherein the health profile for the employee and the first group health report are both based on the chair health data.

13. The system of claim 12, the computer server further configured to:

receive floor mat health data from a set of floor mat sensors positioned in a floor mat located on the floor in the workstation adjacent to the chair, wherein the set of floor mat sensors comprises a floor mat temperature sensor configured to sense a third body temperature of the employee, wherein the floor mat health data comprises floor mat temperature data output by the floor mat temperature sensor that is indicative of the third body temperature of the employee, and wherein the health profile for the employee and the first group health report are both based on the floor mat health data.

14. A system comprising:

a first computer mouse located in a first employee workstation and configured to be used by a first employee to interact with a first computer located in the first employee workstation, wherein the first employee is a member of a first group of employees working in a first employer facility, region, division, or team, the first computer mouse comprising a first set of sensors integrated therewith, wherein the first set of sensors comprises;

a first temperature sensor;

a first blood pressure sensor; and

a first blood condition sensor,

wherein the first blood pressure sensor comprises a first blood pressure cuff comprising a first pneumatic tube extending between a body of the first computer mouse and a first bladder of the first blood pressure cuff, wherein a first air pump is located in the body of the first computer mouse and is configured to supply air via the first pneumatic tube to inflate the first bladder, and wherein a first pressure transducer is located in the body of the first computer mouse and is configured to sense air pressure within the first pneumatic tube that is indicative of the air pressure within the first bladder

wherein the first computer mouse is configured to transmit, to the first computer, first health data comprising;

first temperature data output by the first temperature sensor indicative of a body temperature of the first employee;

first blood pressure data output by the first blood pressure sensor that corresponds to the air pressure sensed within the first pneumatic tube and that is indicative of a blood pressure of the first employee; and

first blood condition data output by the first blood condition sensor indicative of a blood oxygenation of the first employee;

a second computer mouse located in a second employee workstation and configured to be used by a second employee to interact with a second computer located in the second employee workstation, wherein the second employee is a member of a second group of employees working in a second employer facility, region, division, or team, the second computer mouse comprising a second set of sensors integrated therewith, wherein the second set of sensors comprises;

a second temperature sensor;

a second blood pressure sensor; and

a second blood condition sensor,

wherein the second blood pressure sensor comprises a second blood pressure cuff comprising a second pneumatic tube extending between a body of the second computer mouse and a second bladder of the second blood pressure cuff wherein a second air pump is located in the body of the second computer mouse and is configured to supply air via the second pneumatic tube to inflate the second bladder, and wherein a second pressure transducer is located in the body of the second computer mouse and is configured to sense air pressure within the second pneumatic tube that is indicative of the air pressure within the second bladder;

wherein the second computer mouse is configured to transmit, to the second computer, second health data comprising;

second temperature data output by the second temperature sensor indicative of a body temperature of the second employee;

second blood pressure data output by the second blood pressure sensor that corresponds to the air pressure sensed within the second pneumatic tube and that is indicative of a blood pressure of the second employee; and

second blood condition data output by the second blood condition sensor indicative of a blood oxygenation of the second employee;

a computer server configured to;

receive, from the first computer, the first health data;

receive, from the second computer, the second health data;

determine, based on the first health data, a first group health report for the first group of employees working in the first employer facility, region, division, or team;

determine, based on the second health data, a second group health report for the second group of employees working in the second employer facility, region, division, or team;

determine that a user associated with an employer computer is an employer having permission to review employee health information; and

in response to determining that the employer has permission to review the employee health information, serve, to the employer computer for display to the employer via the employer computer, an interactive reviewer interface, wherein the employer computer is configured to display the interactive reviewer interface, and wherein display of the interactive reviewer interface comprises display of an employee group selection element to enable the employer to select;

the first group of employees; and

the second group of employees,

wherein in response to a selection of the first group of employees via the group selection element, the interactive reviewer interface is configured to display the first group health report for the first group of employees such that the employer can determine whether the first group of employees is experiencing abnormal health conditions via the interactive reviewer interface; and

wherein in response to a selection of the second group of employees via the group selection element, the interactive reviewer interface is configured to display the second group health report for the second group of employees such that the employer can determine whether the second group of employees is experiencing abnormal health conditions via the interactive reviewer interface.

15. The system of claim 14, the computer server further configured to:

determine a first group health characteristic value comprising an average of first health characteristic values for the first group of employees, wherein the first group health report comprises the first group health characteristic value; and

determine a second group health characteristic value comprising an average of second health characteristic values for the second group of employees, wherein the second group health report comprises the second group health characteristic value.

16. The system of claim 14, the computer server further configured to:

for each employee in the first group of employees;

receive a first personal health characteristic; and

determine a first personal health characteristic value based on the first personal health characteristic;

for each employee in the second group of employees;

receive a second personal health characteristic; and

determine a second personal health characteristic value based on the second personal health characteristic;

average the first personal health characteristic values for the first group of employees to determine a first group health characteristic value, wherein the first group health report comprises the first group health characteristic value; and

average the second personal health characteristic values for the second group of employees to determine a second group health characteristic value, wherein the second group health report comprises the second group health characteristic value.

17. The system of claim 14, the computer server further configured to:

determine that a value for a health characteristic of the first group health report exceeds a threshold value for the health characteristic; and

in response to determining that the value for the health characteristic of the first group health report exceeds the threshold value for the health characteristic, provide to the employer computer for display via the employer computer, an alert indicating an alert condition for the health characteristic.

18. The system of claim 14, the computer server further configured to:

receive, via the interactive reviewer interface, an employer initiated request to conduct a health test of the first employee, and

in response to receiving the employer initiated request to conduct the health test of the first employee, conducting the health test of the first employee, the health test of the first employee comprising;

activating the first set of sensors integrated in the first computer mouse to generate updated first health data;

determining an updated health profile for the first employee using the updated first health data;

serving, to the computer workstation for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the updated health profile for the first employee;

determining an updated first group health report for the first group of employees working in the first facility, region, division or team, wherein the updated first group health report is determined based on the updated health profile for the first employee; and

serving, to the employer computer for display to the employer via the employer computer, an updated interactive reviewer interface comprising the updated first group health report.

19. The system of claim 14, the computer server further configured to:

determine a first health profile for the first employee based on the first health data; and

serve the first health profile to the first computer for display via the first computer.

20. A system for monitoring health of employees working at a plurality of employee workstations comprising:

a plurality of computer mice comprising health sensors, wherein each computer mouse of the plurality of computer mice is located in a respective employee workstation of the plurality of employee workstations each associated with a different employee of an employer, wherein each computer mouse of the plurality of computer mice comprises a set of computer mouse sensors comprising;

a temperature sensor;

a blood pressure sensor; and

a blood condition sensor,

wherein the blood pressure sensor comprises a blood pressure cuff comprising a pneumatic tube extending between a body of the computer mouse and a bladder of the blood pressure cuff wherein an air pump is located in the body of the computer mouse and is configured to supply air via the pneumatic tube to inflate the bladder of the blood pressure cuff and wherein a pressure transducer is located in the body of the computer mouse and is configured to sense air pressure within the pneumatic tube that is indicative of the air pressure within the bladder

wherein each computer mouse of the plurality of computer mice is configured to output mouse health data comprising temperature data output by the temperature sensor that is indicative of a body temperature of each employee, blood pressure data output by the blood pressure sensor that corresponds to the air pressure sensed within the pneumatic tube and is indicative of a blood pressure of each employee, and first blood condition data output by the blood condition sensor that is indicative of a blood oxygenation of each employee

wherein a first group of the employees work in a first facility, region division or team and a second group of the employees work in a second facility, region division or team;

for each computer mouse provided in a respective employee workstation;

receiving, respective mouse health data;

determining a respective employee health profile based on the respective mouse health data; and

displaying, via a respective computer workstation, the respective employee health profile;

determining a first group health report for the first group of employees working in the first facility, region, division or team, wherein the first group health report is determined based on the respective employee health profiles associated with the first group of employees;

determining a second group health report for the second group of employees working in the second facility, region, division or team, wherein the second group health report is determined based on the respective employee health profiles associated with the second group of employees;

determining that a user associated with an employer computer is an employer having permission to review employee health information; and

in response to determining that the user associated with the employer computer has permission to review employee health information, providing, to the employer computer for display via the employer computer, an interactive reviewer interface comprising an employee group selection element to select;

the first group of employees; and

the second group of employees,

wherein in response to a selection of the first group of employees via the group selection element, the interactive reviewer interface is configured to display the first group health report for the first group of employees, and

wherein in response to a selection of the second group of employees via the group selection element, the interactive reviewer interface is configured to display the second group health report for the second group of employees.