Vital data vtilization system, method, program and recording medium

• US 20060155580A1
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Tatsurou
• Granted Patent: US 8,147,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

In a vital data utilization system (100), (i) measurement systems (110) include a measurement unit (111) for measuring the vital data of subjects, a clock unit for detecting each measurement time at which vital data is measured and a communication unit (112) for sending the vital data including measurement time to a server (120), (ii) a server (120) includes a communication unit (121) for receiving pieces of vital data from measurement systems (110), a vital data storage unit (126) in which vital data are stored, a value-added information making unit (123) for making the value-added information indicating the geographical distribution of the vital data or the changes over time of the geographical distributions of the vital data based on vital data stored in the vital data storage unit (126) and a communication unit (121) for providing the made value-added information to the measurement systems (110) and the PCs of service destinations, and (iii) PCs (130) and mobile phones (1200) output, by presenting, the provided value-added information to users.

Claims

1. A vital data utilization system comprising:

a server;

a receiving apparatus; and

a plurality of measurement instruments,

wherein said server, said receiving apparatus and said measurement instruments are connected to each other via a communication network,

each of said measurement instruments includes;

a vital data measurement unit operable to measure vital data of a subject; and

a sending unit operable to send, to said server, the measured vital data,

said server includes;

a receiving unit operable to receive, from said plurality of measurement instruments, a plurality of vital data, one of which being the vital data;

a storage unit operable to hold each vital data in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating a position of said each measurement instrument and (ii) residence information indicating a position of each subject'"'"'s residence at which said each measurement instrument is placed;

a database making unit operable to store the received plurality of vital data into said storage unit and operable to make a database;

a value-added information making unit operable to compute the respective vital data of a plurality of subjects stored in the database based on at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information, and operable to make value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data; and

a value-added information providing unit operable to provide said receiving apparatus with the made value-added information, and

said receiving apparatus includes;

an output unit operable to receive the value-added information provided by said value-added information providing unit, and operable to output, by presenting, the value-added information.

2. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said measurement instruments further includes

a clock unit operable to detect measurement time at which the vital data is measured,

said sending unit is operable to send, to said server, a set of information including the measured vital data and further the measurement time,

wherein, in said server,

said receiving unit is operable to receive, from said plurality of measurement instruments, a plurality of sets of information,

said storage unit is operable to hold the plurality of sets of information including the vital data and the measurement time in association with at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information,

said database making unit is operable to store the received plurality of sets of information into said storage unit, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to compute the vital data of the plurality of subjects stored in the database in association with the measurement time and operable to make value-added information indicating changes over time of the geographical distributions of the subjects'"'"' vital data.

3. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said vital data measurement unit is operable to quantitatively measure the subjects'"'"' vital data.

4. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said sending unit is operable to further add, to respective sets of information, measurement instrument identification information for identifying a corresponding measurement instrument and operable to send the respective sets of information including the identification information to said server,

said storage unit is operable to store at least one of the (i) measurement position information indicating the position of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating the positions of the subjects'"'"' residence at which the respective measurement instruments are placed, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to read out, from said storage unit, at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information based on the received measurement instrument identification information, and operable to compute the respective vital data based on at least one of the read-out information.

5. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said sending unit is operable to further add, to respective sets of information, at least one of the (i) measurement position information indicating the positions of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating the positions of the subjects'"'"' residence at which the respective measurement instruments are placed, and operable to send the resulting respective sets of information to said server, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to compute the respective vital data based on at least one of the (i) received measurement position information and (ii) residence information.

6. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said database making unit is operable to update the database each time of receiving at least one new set of information, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to update the value-added information based on the updated database.

7. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said receiving apparatus is placed in at least one of a hospital, a public facility except a hospital and subject'"'"'s house.

8. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said vital data measurement unit is operable to measure vital data that is an indicator of an infection.

9. The vital data utilization system according to claim 8,

wherein the vital data which is an indicator of an infection is at least one of body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, cardiograph, oxygen saturation in blood, accelerated pulse wave velocity, the number of white blood cells, C-reactive protein concentration in blood (CRP), protein concentration in urine, glucose concentration in urine, amino acid concentration in urine and feces viscosity.

10. The vital data utilization system according to claim 9,

wherein the protein in urine is at least one of albumin, globulin, hemoglobin and myoglobin.

11. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said vital data measurement unit is placed at housing equipment in the subject'"'"'s house.

12. The vital data utilization system according to claim 11,

wherein the housing equipment is a toilet apparatus or a bed, and

said vital data measurement unit includes at least one of a thermometer, a blood-pressure meter, a pulsimeter, an electrocardiograph and a meter of oxygen saturation in blood that are for measuring the vital data, and said vital data measurement unit measures the vital data at the time when the subject uses the toilet apparatus or the bed.

13. The vital data utilization system according to claim 11,

wherein the housing equipment is a toilet apparatus, and

said vital data measurement unit includes a urine analyzer and measures the vital data at the time when the subject uses the toilet apparatus.

14. The vital data utilization system according to claim 13,

wherein the urine analyzer mixes urine of the subject and a reagent including an antibody that specifically combines with an analysis target component, measures turbidity of a resulting mixed solution, and measures the analysis target component in the urine.

15. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said server further includes

a charging unit operable to calculate a charge for value-added information provided to said receiving apparatus.

16. The vital data utilization system according to claim 15,

wherein said server further includes

an incentive calculation unit operable to calculate an incentive to each subject.

17. The vital data utilization system according to claim 16,

wherein said incentive calculation unit is operable to add, to a charge calculated by said charging unit, a value of the incentive to each subject.

18. The vital data utilization system according to claim 16,

wherein said incentive calculation unit is operable to calculate points to be exchanged for at least one of (i) a right to receive the value-added information, (ii) a right to receive a discount from a rate of the value-added information, (iii) a right to receive a free distribution of or a discount from a sale price of a commodity to be used by said vital data measurement unit, (iv) a right to receive another service, and (v) a right to receive a free distribution of or a discount from a sale price of another commodity.

19. The vital data utilization system according to claim 1,

wherein said receiving apparatus is a mobile type apparatus and further includes a present position detection unit operable to detect a present position, and

said output unit is operable to receive value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data of the subjects who are at the detected present position and a peripheral part of the detected present position, and operable to output, by presenting, the value-added information.

20. A server in a system in which said server, a receiving apparatus and measurement instruments are connected to each other via a communication network, comprising:

a receiving unit operable to receive, from a plurality of measurement instruments, a plurality of sets of information including measured vital data and measurement time;

a storage unit operable to hold the plurality of sets of information in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating a position of the each measurement instrument and (ii) residence information indicating a position of each subject'"'"'s residence at which the each measurement instrument is placed;

a database making unit operable to store the received plurality of sets of information into said storage unit and operable to make a database;

a value-added information making unit operable to compute the respective vital data of a plurality of subjects stored in the database in association with the measurement time, and operable to make value-added information having an additional value indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data or changes over time of the geographical distributions based on at least one of the measurement position information and the residence information; and

a value-added information providing unit operable to provide the receiving apparatus with the made value-added information.

21. The server according to claim 20,

wherein said receiving unit is operable to receive, from the respective measurement instruments, sets of information to which measurement instrument identification information for identifying respectively corresponding measurement instruments are further added,

said storage unit is operable to previously hold at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating positions of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating positions of subjects'"'"' residences at which the respective measurement instruments are placed, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to read out, from said storage unit, at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information based on the received measurement instrument identification information, and operable to compute the respective vital data based on at least one of the read-out information.

22. The server according to claim 20,

wherein said receiving unit is operable to receive, from the respective measurement instruments, the sets of information to which at least one of the (i) measurement position information indicating the position of the each measurement instrument and (ii) residence information indicating the position of each subject'"'"'s residence is further added, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to compute the each vital data based on at least one of the (i) received measurement instrument position information and (ii) residence information.

23. The server according to claim 20,

wherein said database making unit is operable to update the database each time of receiving at least one new set of information, and

said value-added information making unit is operable to update the value-added information based on the updated database.

24. A vital data utilization method used for a system in which a server, a receiving apparatus, and a plurality of measurement instruments are connected to each other via a communication network, said vital data utilization method comprising:

in the measurement instruments,

measuring vital data of a subject;

detecting measurement time at which the vital data is measured; and

sending, to the server, a set of information including the measured vital data and the measurement time,

in the server including a storage unit operable to hold a plurality of sets of information, one of which being the set of information

receiving, from the plurality of measurement instruments, the plurality of sets of information, one of which being the set of information;

storing the received plurality of sets of information into the storage unit in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating positions of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating positions of subjects'"'"' residences at which the respective measurement instruments are placed and making a database;

making value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data or changes over time of the geographical distributions based on at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information included in the sets of information of a plurality of subjects that are stored in the database; and

providing the receiving apparatus with the made value-added information, and

in the receiving apparatus,

outputting the value-added information provided in said providing of the value-added information.

25. A vital data utilization method for a server in a system in which the server, a receiving apparatus, and a plurality of measurement instruments are connected to each other via a communication network, the server further including a storage unit operable to hold sets of vital data, the vital data utilization method comprising:

receiving, from the plurality of measurement instruments, a plurality of sets of information including measured vital data and measurement time;

storing the received plurality of sets of information into the storage unit in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating positions of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating positions of subjects'"'"' residences at which the respective measurement instruments are placed and making a database;

making value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data or changes over time of the geographical distributions based on at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information included in the sets of information of the plurality of subjects that are stored in the database; and

providing the receiving apparatus with the made value-added information.

26. A program for a server in a system in which the server, a receiving apparatus, and a plurality of measurement instruments are connected to each other via a communication network, the server including a storage unit operable to hold plurality of sets of information, the program causing a computer to execute:

receiving, from the plurality of measurement instruments, the plurality of sets of information including measured vital data and measurement time;

storing the received plurality of sets of information into the storage unit in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating positions of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating positions of subjects'"'"' residences at which the respective measurement instruments are placed and making a database;

making value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data or changes over time of the geographical distributions based on at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information included in the sets of information of a plurality of subjects that are stored in the database; and

providing the receiving apparatus with the made value-added information.

27. A computer-readable recording medium on which a computer-executable program is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute:

receiving, from a plurality of measurement instruments, a plurality of sets of information including measured vital data and measurement time;

storing the received plurality of sets of information into the storage unit in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating positions of the respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating positions of subjects'"'"' residences at which the respective measurement instruments are placed and making a database;

making value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data or changes over time of the geographical distributions based on at least one of the (i) measurement position information and (ii) residence information included in the sets of information of a plurality of subjects that are stored in the database; and

providing the receiving apparatus with the made value-added information.

28. Data comprising information specifying each predetermined geographical area and an average value of vital data of a plurality of subjects calculated for each predetermined geographical area, the information and the average value being associated with each other.

29. A receiving apparatus in a system in which a server, said receiving apparatus and a plurality of measurement instruments are connected to each other via a communication network, said receiving apparatus comprising

an output unit operable to receive information provided by the server, and operable to output, by presenting, the information,

wherein, in the system,

each of the measurement instruments includes:

a vital data measurement unit operable to measure vital data of a subject;

a clock unit operable to detect measurement time at which the vital data is measured; and

a sending unit operable to send, to the server, a set of information including the measured vital data and the measurement time,

the server includes;

a receiving unit operable to receive, from a plurality of measurement instruments, a plurality of sets of information, one of which being the set of information;

a storage unit operable to hold the plurality of sets of information in association with at least one of (i) measurement position information indicating positions of respective measurement instruments and (ii) residence information indicating positions of subjects'"'"' residences at which the respective measurement instruments are placed;

a database making unit operable to store the received plurality of sets of information into the storage unit and operable to make a database;

a value-added information making unit operable to compute the vital data of a plurality of subjects stored in the database in association with the measurement time and operable to make value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data or changes over time of the geographical distributions; and

a value-added information providing unit operable to provide said receiving apparatus with the made value-added information,

wherein said output unit is operable to receive the value-added information provided by said value-added information providing unit, operable to output, by presenting, the value-added information.

30. The receiving apparatus according to claim 29, the receiving apparatus being a mobile type apparatus and further comprising

a present position detection unit operable to detect a present position,

wherein said output unit is operable to receive value-added information indicating a geographical distribution of the vital data of the plurality of subjects who are at the detected present position and a peripheral part of the detected present position, and operable to output, by presenting, the value-added information.