Network connectivity unit for hospital bed

• US 9,775,519 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Collins, Jr., Williams F., Allen, James M., Huster, Keith A., Riley, Carl W., Glidewell, Patricia A., Vanderpohl, III, Irvin J., Schuman, Richard J., Howell, Benjamin E., Wildman, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US15/332,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20170035295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 34028607, 340 31, 340517, 340521, 34053912, 340506
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A hospital bed is programmable with new firmware that is downloaded to the bed over a network. The firmware is downloaded to the bed automatically from a remote computer device. The remote computer device receives a message from the hospital bed which includes data regarding the version number of the bed'"'"'s current firmware, and if the version number indicates that the firmware is an outdated version, the remote computer device downloads a new version of the firmware to the bed.

Claims

1. An interface unit for use in a healthcare facility having a computer located remotely from a patient room which has a patient bed therein, the interface unit being located in the patient room and spaced from the patient bed, the interface unit comprising:

a first connector which is communicatively coupleable to the hospital bed,

a second connector which is communicatively coupleable to the computer, and

circuitry comprising at least two device connectors for connection to external devices, the circuitry storing a unit identification (ID) that is associated with the patient room of the healthcare facility, the unit ID being transmitted by the circuitry through the second connector without transmitting the unit ID through the first connector and the at least two device connectors.

2. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connectors comprises an Ethernet port for connection of the circuitry to an Ethernet of the healthcare facility.

3. The interface unit of claim 2, wherein the Ethernet port comprises an RJ-45 port.

4. The interface unit of claim 2, wherein the data from the hospital bed is received by the circuitry via the first connector according to a first communication protocol and the circuitry converts the data from the first protocol into an Ethernet protocol.

5. The interface unit of claim 4, wherein the data from the hospital bed is sent to the computer via the second connector according to the first protocol.

6. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the data from the hospital bed is passed through to the computer via the first and second connectors.

7. The interface unit of claim 6, wherein the data from the hospital bed that is passed through to the computer includes a nurse call signal.

8. The interface unit of claim 6, wherein the data from the hospital bed that is passed through to the computer includes a signal for controlling room lighting.

9. The interface unit of claim 6, wherein the data from the hospital bed that is passed through to the computer includes a signal for controlling entertainment.

10. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connectors comprises a JTAG connector.

11. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the first connector is communicatively coupled to the hospital bed via a wired data link.

12. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the first connector is communicatively coupled to the hospital bed via a wireless data link.

13. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the second connector is communicatively coupled to the computer via a wired data link.

14. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the second connector is communicatively coupled to the computer via a wireless data link.

15. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connectors comprises at least one general purpose input/output (GPIO) connector.

16. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the at least two device connectors comprises at least two general purpose input/output (GPIO) connectors.

17. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connector comprises a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connector.

18. The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the at least two device connectors comprises multiple general purpose input/output (GPIO) connectors and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connector.

19. The interface unit of claim 18, wherein the at least two device connectors further comprises a JTAG connector.

20. The interface unit of claim 18, wherein the at least two device connectors further comprises an RJ-45 port.