Wearable cardiac defibrillator system sounding louder if sensing no bystander nearby
First Claim
1. A wearable cardiac defibrillator (WCD) system, comprising:
- a support structure configured to be worn by a patient;
a power source;
an energy storage module configured to receive an electrical charge from the power source, and to store the received electrical charge;
a discharge circuit configured to be coupled to the energy storage module and configured to discharge the stored electrical charge through the patient while the support structure is worn by the patient;
a proximity detector coupled to the support structure and configured to infer a proximity to the support structure of a person other than the patient and who is not contacting the patient; and
a speaker system coupled to the support structure and configured to output a transmitted sound that has a first intensity if the inferred proximity is closer than a threshold, and a second intensity that is larger than the first intensity otherwise.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wearable cardiac defibrillator (“WCD”) system may include a support structure that a patient can wear, an energy storage module that can store an electrical charge, and a discharge circuit that can discharge the electrical charge through the patient so as to shock him or her, while the patient is wearing the support structure. Embodiments may actively take into account bystanders, both to protect them from an inadvertent shock, and also to enlist their help. In some embodiments, the WCD system includes a speaker system, a memory and a proximity detector. Prompts have been stored in the memory. In case of an emergency, upon inferring that no bystander is nearby, the speaker system may transmit a sound at a higher intensity than otherwise, hoping to attract attention.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A wearable cardiac defibrillator (WCD) system, comprising:
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a support structure configured to be worn by a patient; a power source; an energy storage module configured to receive an electrical charge from the power source, and to store the received electrical charge; a discharge circuit configured to be coupled to the energy storage module and configured to discharge the stored electrical charge through the patient while the support structure is worn by the patient; a proximity detector coupled to the support structure and configured to infer a proximity to the support structure of a person other than the patient and who is not contacting the patient; and a speaker system coupled to the support structure and configured to output a transmitted sound that has a first intensity if the inferred proximity is closer than a threshold, and a second intensity that is larger than the first intensity otherwise. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs which, when executed by at least one processor of a wearable cardiac defibrillator (WCD) system, the WCD system including a support structure configured to be worn by a patient, a power source, an energy storage module configured to receive an electrical charge from the power source, and to store the received electrical charge, a discharge circuit configured to be coupled to the energy storage module, a proximity detector coupled to the support structure and a speaker system coupled to the support structure, they result in operations comprising:
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inferring, from the proximity detector, a proximity to the support structure of a person other than the patient and who is not contacting the patient; outputting, via the speaker system a transmitted sound that has a first intensity if the inferred proximity is closer than a threshold, and a second intensity that is larger than the first intensity otherwise; and controlling the discharge circuit to discharge the stored electrical charge through the patient while the support structure is worn by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A method for a wearable cardiac defibrillator (WCD) system, the WCD system including a support structure configured to be worn by a patient, a power source, an energy storage module configured to receive an electrical charge from the power source, and to store the received electrical charge, a discharge circuit configured to be coupled to the energy storage module, a proximity detector coupled to the support structure and a speaker system coupled to the support structure, the method comprising:
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inferring, from the proximity detector, a proximity to the support structure of a person other than the patient and who is not contacting the patient; outputting, via the speaker system a transmitted sound that has a first intensity if the inferred proximity is closer than a threshold, and a second intensity that is larger than the first intensity otherwise; and controlling the discharge circuit to discharge the stored electrical charge through the patient while the support structure is worn by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification