System, method and apparatus for performing real-time virtual medical examinations

• US 10,694,144 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Solutions IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Fawzi B Shaya Living Trust
• Inventors: Shaya, Fawzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nganga, Boniface N
• Application Number:
  US15/655,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20170324930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02233 Occluders specially adapted therefor tourniquets A61B17/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1468 using chemical or electrochemical methods, e.g. by polarographic means A61B5/1486 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 : between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for permitting a real-time virtual medical examination using a patient device and at least one diagnostic device including receiving, at the patient device, a signal transmitted from the at least one diagnostic device; generating diagnostic information based on the received signal; encrypting the diagnostic information; establishing communication over a network between the patient device and a first remote server; establishing a video conferencing session via a second remote server; and transmitting the encrypted diagnostic information to the first remote server.

Claims

1. A method for permitting a real-time virtual medical examination using a handheld patient device and at least one diagnostic device, comprising:

receiving, at the handheld patient device, a signal transmitted from the at least one diagnostic device;

generating, by the handheld patient device, diagnostic information based on the received signal;

encrypting, by the handheld patient device, the diagnostic information;

establishing communication over a network between the handheld patient device and a remote server;

establishing communication over the network between the handheld patient device and a video conferencing server comprised in a plurality of geographically distributed video conferencing servers;

establishing a video conferencing session via the video conferencing server in communication with the handheld patient device;

encrypting and transmitting, by the handheld patient device, first voice and video signals generated during the video conferencing session to the video conferencing server, the first voice and video signals being encrypted using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method;

receiving and decrypting, by the handheld patient device, encrypted second voice and video signals generated during the video conferencing session from the video conferencing server, the second voice and video signals being encrypted using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method; and

transmitting, by the handheld patient device, the encrypted diagnostic information to the remote server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the encrypted diagnostic information further comprises:

concurrently conducting the video conferencing session while transmitting the encrypted diagnostic information to the remote server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein encrypting the diagnostic information comprises encryption using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one diagnostic device is a spirometer, a stethoscope, a sphygmomanometer, a blood pressure monitor, a blood chemistry analyzer, a pulse oximeter, an electrocardiograph, an ultrasound probe or a scale.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld patient device is at least one of a personal computer, a tablet computer, a personal data assistant or a cellular telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting diagnostic information within the handheld patient device using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote server is separate from the video conferencing server.

8. A patient device for receiving a real-time virtual medical examination using at least one diagnostic device, comprising:

a memory;

at least one processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to;

receive a signal transmitted from the at least one diagnostic device;

generate diagnostic information based on the received signal;

encrypt the diagnostic information;

establish communication over a network between the patient device and a remote server;

establish communication over the network between the patient device and a video conferencing server comprised in a plurality of geographically distributed video conferencing servers;

establish a video conferencing session via the video conferencing server in communication with the patient device, the video conferencing session being conducted in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant encrypted environment;

encrypt and transmit first voice and video signals generated during the video conferencing session to the video conferencing server and receive and decrypt second encrypted voice and video signals generated during the video conferencing session from the video conferencing server, the first and second voice and video signals being encrypted using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method; and

transmit the encrypted diagnostic information to the remote server.

9. The patient device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

concurrently conduct the video conferencing session while the at least one processor is further configured to execute instructions to transmit the encrypted diagnostic information to the remote server.

10. The patient device of claim 8, wherein the signal from the at least one diagnostic device is transmitted to the patient device via one of a wireless connection and a wired connection.

11. The patient device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor encrypts the diagnostic information using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method.

12. The patient device of claim 8, wherein the at least one diagnostic device is a spirometer, a stethoscope, a sphygmomanometer, a blood pressure monitor, a blood chemistry analyzer, a pulse oximeter, an electrocardiograph, an ultrasound probe or a scale.

13. The patient device of claim 8, wherein the patient device is a handheld patient device.

14. The patient device of claim 8, wherein the remote server is separate from the video conferencing server.

15. A method for permitting a real-time virtual medical examination by a health care provider using a handheld health care provider device on a patient using a handheld patient device, comprising:

establishing communication over a network between the handheld health care provider device and a video conferencing server comprised in a plurality of geographically distributed video conferencing servers;

establishing communication over the network between the handheld patient device and the video conferencing server;

establishing a video conferencing session via the video conferencing server in communication with the handheld health care provider device and the handheld patient device, the video conferencing session being over the network comprising the video conferencing server, the handheld health care provider device and the handheld patient device, the video conferencing session being conducted in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant encrypted environment;

encrypting and transmitting, by the handheld patient device, first voice and video signals generated during the video conferencing session over the network, the first voice and video signals being encrypted using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method;

receiving and decrypting, by the handheld health care provider device, the encrypted first voice and video signals;

encrypting and transmitting, by the handheld health care provider device, second voice and video signals generated during the video conferencing session over the network, the second voice and video signals being encrypted using a hypertext transfer protocol secure method;

receiving and decrypting, by the handheld patient device, the encrypted second voice and video signals;

receiving, by the handheld health care provider device from the handheld patient device, encrypted diagnostic information related to the patient, the encrypted diagnostic information generated from at least one diagnostic device; and

transmitting, by the handheld patient device, the encrypted diagnostic information to the handheld health care provider device.