Electronic ecosystem for medical examination room

• US 9,979,786 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Midmark Corporation
• Original Assignee: Midmark Corporation
• Inventors: Abu-Tarif, Asad, Treon, Thomas L., Cordonnier, Steven K., Castillo, Carlos J., Menke, Robert, Zhang, Ruomei, Wells, Jon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US14/673,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20160294947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 709217
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0437 Trolley or cart-type apparatus
• 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 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system comprises a storage device, a piece of medical equipment, a portable computing device, and a hub portal. The piece of medical equipment has at least one electrically powered feature and comprises either a medical examination table or a storage cabinet. The storage device is operable to store data and is remotely located relative to the first piece of medical equipment and relative to the portable computing device. The hub portal is operable to provide communication of one or both of data or commands between the storage device, the piece of medical equipment, and the portable computing device. A method includes enablement or activation of an electrically powered feature of medical equipment upon entry of a portable computing device into a medical examination room. The method also includes disablement or further activation of the electrically powered feature upon exit of the portable computing device from the medical examination room.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

(a) a storage device, wherein the storage device is configured to store data;

(b) a storage cabinet having an electrically powered lock, wherein the lock is configured to selectively provide or prevent access to contents of the storage cabinet, wherein the storage cabinet is remotely located relative to the storage device, wherein the storage cabinet is located in a room;

(c) a portable computing device, wherein the portable computing device is remotely located relative to the storage device;

(d) a hub portal, wherein the hub portal is configured to transmit communication data between the hub portal and the storage device, wherein the hub portal is configured to transmit communication data between the hub portal and the storage cabinet, wherein the hub portal is configured to transmit communication data between the hub portal and the portable computing device;

wherein the portable computing device or the hub portal is configured to issue a command to the lock of the storage cabinet to selectively provide or prevent access to contents of the storage cabinet based on a presence or absence of the portable computing device in the room.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage cabinet comprises a climate control feature, wherein the hub portal is configured to issue a command to the climate control feature.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a server having a database configured to store patient related data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage cabinet further comprises a climate detection feature, wherein the hub portal is configured to receive climate data from the climate detection feature.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a medical device configured to detect a physiological parameter of a patient, wherein the medical device is configured to communicate the detected physiological parameter to the hub portal or the portable computing device.

6. A system comprising:

(a) a storage device, wherein the storage device is configured to store data;

(b) a first piece of medical equipment, wherein the first piece of medical equipment is remotely located relative to the storage device, wherein the first piece of medical equipment comprises either;

(i) a medical examination table having at least one electrically powered feature, or

(ii) a storage cabinet having at least one electrically powered feature;

(c) a portable computing device, wherein the storage device is remotely located relative to the portable computing device; and

(d) a hub portal, wherein the hub portal is configured to provide communication data between the hub portal and the storage device, wherein the hub portal is configured to provide communication data between the hub portal and the first piece of medical equipment, wherein the hub portal is configured to provide communication data between the hub portal and the portable computing device, wherein the hub portal comprises a platform assembly having a surface configured to receive and support the portable computing device, wherein the hub portal is configured to selectively establish or cease communication with the portable computing device based on the presence or absence of the portable computing device on the surface of the platform assembly.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hub portal further comprises a wireless network router in communication with the platform assembly.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the platform assembly further comprises a plurality of ports, wherein the ports are configured to provide wired coupling with a plurality of kinds of medical equipment including the first piece of medical equipment.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the platform assembly further comprises a mobile cart under the surface.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the first piece of medical equipment comprises a medical examination table, wherein the platform assembly is mounted to either the medical examination table or a wall of a room in which the medical examination table is located.

11. A system comprising:

(a) a storage device, wherein the storage device is configured to store data;

(b) a medical device, wherein the medical device is remotely located relative to the storage device;

(c) a portable computing device, wherein the portable computing device is remotely located relative to the storage device; and

(d) a hub portal, wherein the hub portal is configured to transmit communication data between the hub portal and the storage device, wherein the hub portal is configured to transmit communication data between the hub portal and the medical device, and wherein the hub portal is configured to transmit communication data between the hub portal and the portable computing device, wherein the hub portal comprises a platform assembly having a surface configured to receive and support the portable computing device, wherein the hub portal is configured to selectively establish or cease communication with the portable computing device based on the presence or absence of the portable computing device on the surface of the platform assembly.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the hub portal further comprises a wireless network router in communication with the platform assembly.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the platform assembly further comprises a plurality of ports, wherein the ports are configured to provide wired coupling with a plurality of kinds of medical equipment including the medical device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the platform assembly further comprises a mobile cart under the surface.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the platform assembly is mounted to the medical device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the platform assembly is mounted to a wall of a room in which the medical device is located.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the medical device includes a climate control feature, wherein the hub portal is configured to issue a command to the climate control feature.