Independent readiness determination for automated external defibrillator deployment

• US 10,806,939 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2019
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Galibots Inc.
• Original Assignee: Galibots Inc.
• Inventors: Malott, Charles L., Lister, Terence, Mansfield, Charles, Mansfield, Richard, Robertson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US16/422,796
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An apparatus for independent readiness determination for AED deployment includes a controller configured to detect an AED enclosure event corresponding to an AED registered to be disposed within an AED enclosure, where the controller is configured to communicate data for classifying an AED enclosure event into a predetermined event category, and further includes a communication interface configured to communicate a response action in response to data of the AED enclosure event satisfying a predetermined criteria for the predetermined event category. A method and a computer program product also perform the functions of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to detect an automated external defibrillator (“

AED”

) enclosure event corresponding to an AED registered to be disposed within an AED enclosure, wherein the controller is configured to communicate data for classifying an AED enclosure event into a predetermined event category, wherein the controller is configured to collect one or more AED readiness parameters selected from;

an individual enclosure identifier for linking the AED enclosure to an individual AED identifier of the AED registered to be disposed within the AED enclosure;

an enclosure access indicator that indicates whether the AED enclosure is open;

an AED-presence indicator that indicates whether the AED is correctly disposed with the AED enclosure;

an audible readiness indicator of the AED;

a visual readiness indicator of the AED; and

a storage environment indicator comprising one or more of temperature, humidity within the AED enclosure; and

a communication interface configured to communicate a response action in response to data of the AED enclosure event satisfying a predetermined criteria for the predetermined event category.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to collect the one or more AED readiness parameters using one or more of:

a sensor that is physically separate from and electrically unconnected to the AED; and

a user interface of a mobile communication device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the individual enclosure identifier is externally coupled to the AED enclosure, internally stored in a tangible memory, or a combination thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sensor is disposed inside the AED enclosure.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with an access sensor configured to determine whether an access door of the AED enclosure is open.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is configured to wake the controller from a dormant mode to an active mode in response to the access sensor determining that the access door is open.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further communicates with an object sensor configured to determine whether the AED is disposed correctly within the AED enclosure.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the object sensor comprises a time-of-flight sensor configured to measure a reflected signal distance to determine whether the AED is disposed within the AED enclosure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller communicates with an input transducer configured to collect audio data of the audible readiness indicator.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a filter that distinguishes the audible readiness indicator from sounds that fail to satisfy predetermined parameters for the audible readiness indicator.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the filter performs frequency domain processing and time domain processing on the audio data captured by the input transducer to distinguish the audible readiness indicator from the sounds that fail to satisfy the predetermined parameters for the audible readiness indicator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises part of a communication device external to the AED enclosure, the communication device comprising a user interface configured to collect the one or more AED readiness parameters through the user interface.