Networked system for interactive communication and remote monitoring of individuals

• US 20070016445A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Health Hero Networdk
• Original Assignee: Health Hero Network Incorporated (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,617,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/905 Feedback to patient of biological signal other than brain electric signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A system for remotely monitoring an individual. The system includes a server system for generating a script program from a set of queries. The script program is executable by a remote apparatus that displays information and/or a set of queries to the individual through a user interface. Responses to the queries that are entered through the user interface together with individual identification information are sent from the remote apparatus to the server system across a communication network. The server system also includes an automated answering service for providing a series of questions from a stored set of questions for an individual at the remote apparatus to respond to, storing responses to each provided question in the series of questions and providing a service based on the individual'"'"'s response to the questions.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for communicating with at least one individual, the monitoring system comprising:

a server configured to communicate with at least one remotely situated hand-held apparatus through at least one communication network;

a user interface configured to communicate with the server and adapted for (i) entering, authoring, selecting, or any combination thereof, a set of queries to be answered by the individual and (ii) entering, authoring, selecting, or any combination thereof, corresponding response choices for each of the queries;

a script generator configured to generate a script program to be executed by the remotely situated hand-held apparatus, wherein the script program represents the queries and the response choices to the individual; and

one or more databases accessible by the server for storing the script program and the responses received from the remotely situated apparatus.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, further configured to communicate with a plurality of individuals through the at least one communication network using a corresponding plurality of remotely situated hand-held apparatus, wherein (i) the one or more databases are further configured for storing one or more script programs, (ii) the server further includes a script assignment unit configured to access the one or more databases for assigning to each of the individuals at least one of the script programs, and (iii) the one or more databases are further configured for storing a list of the individuals, and for each of the individuals, a respective pointer to the script program assigned to the individual.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a device configured to communicate with the server via a wireless network.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a cellular phone.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a mobile telephone.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a television remote control.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a virtual image of a hand-held stand alone device presented on a display of a personal computer.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one communication network comprises a network type or a combination of two or more network types selected from the group consisting of wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks, satellite networks, broadcast networks, digital broadcast networks, digital television networks and cable networks.

10. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises at least one monitoring device for collecting one or more measurements of a physiological condition of the individual.

11. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the responses received from the remotely situated hand-held apparatus include one or more measurements of a physiological condition of the individual.

12. The monitoring system according to claim 11, further comprising a report generator configured to generate a report from the responses, one or more measurements, or a combination of the responses and the one or more measurements for presentation to a health care provider.

13. A method for communicating with at least one individual, the method comprising the steps of:

A) entering queries and corresponding response choices into a server;

B) generating a script program in the server using the queries;

C) transmitting the script program to a remotely situated hand-held apparatus through at least one communication network, wherein the script program represents the queries and the response choices to the individual; and

D) receiving the responses through the at least one communication network and storing the responses in the server.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the script program further comprises a connection command to link the hand-held apparatus and the server.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the connection command is configured to link the hand-held apparatus and the server at a prescribed connection time.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the connection command is configured to link the hand-held apparatus and the server at a time prescribed by the individual.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the script program is sent via a first communication link to the remotely situated hand-held apparatus and the script program comprises network commands for establishing a subsequent communication link from the remotely situated hand-held apparatus to the server to transmit the responses.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

entering in the server a plurality of sets of queries;

generating a plurality of script programs such that each of the plurality of script programs corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of sets of queries;

assigning to each of a plurality of individuals at least one of the plurality of script programs;

storing in the server the plurality of script programs, a list of the plurality of individuals, and for each of the plurality of individuals, a respective pointer to the at least one of the plurality of script programs assigned to each of the plurality of individuals; and

transmitting to each of a plurality of remotely situated hand-held apparatus the at least one of the plurality of script programs assigned to each of the plurality of individuals associated with the respective one of the plurality of hand-held apparatus based on an identification code associated with each of the plurality of individuals.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the identification code associated with each of the plurality of individuals is stored in the respective one of the plurality of hand-held apparatus associated with each of the plurality of individuals.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one communication network comprises a network type or a combination of two or more network types selected from the group consisting of wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks, satellite networks, broadcast networks, digital broadcast networks, digital television networks and cable networks.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a device selected from the group consisting of mobile telephones, cellular phones, television remote controls, personal digital assistants (PDA), and a virtual image of a hand-held device presented on a display of a personal computer.

22. A monitoring system configured to allow at least one individual to communicate with a server using a hand-held apparatus remotely situated from the server, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises:

a network interface for establishing a communication link between the apparatus and the server through at least one communication network;

a user interface for presenting queries and response choices provided by a script program received from the server through the at least one communication network and for receiving responses to the queries from the at least one individual;

a memory for storing the script program and the responses; and

a processor connected to the network interface, the user interface and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the script program to present the queries and the response choices, to receive the responses, to establish the communication link, and to transmit the responses to the server through the at least one communication network.

23. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the script program specifies a prescribed connection time for establishing the communication link.

24. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a device interface connected to the processor and configured for receiving measurements from at least one monitoring device for producing measurements of a physiological condition of the individual and for transmitting the measurements to the apparatus;

the script program further includes a collect command to collect the measurements from the at least one monitoring device;

the memory is further configured to store the measurements; and

the network interface is further configured to transmit the measurements to the server for storage in one or more databases.

25. The monitoring system according to claim 24, wherein the at least one monitoring device connects to the apparatus using a standard connection cable.

26. The monitoring system according to claim 24, wherein the at least one monitoring device connects to the apparatus using a wireless network.

27. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus comprises a device configured to communicate with the server via a wireless network.

28. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus is configured as a cellular phone.

29. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus is configured as a mobile telephone.

30. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus is configured as a television remote control.

31. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus is configured as a personal digital assistant (PDA).

32. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus is configured as a virtual image of a stand alone device presented on a display of a personal computer.

33. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held apparatus further comprises one or more monitoring devices for collecting one or more measurements of a physiological condition of the individual.

34. The monitoring system according to claim 33, wherein the one or more monitoring devices receive the one or more measurements from one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of a sensor for measuring a blood-related physiological condition, a sensor for measuring respiratory flow, a sensor for measuring a weight-related condition, a sensor for measuring a heart related condition, a sensor for measuring blood pressure and a sensor for measuring electrical activity of the individual.

35. The monitoring system according to claim 22, wherein the at least one communication network comprises a network type or a combination of two or more network types selected from the group consisting of wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks, satellite networks, broadcast networks, digital broadcast networks, digital television networks and cable networks.

36. The monitoring system according to claim 35, wherein communication from the server to the remotely situated apparatus is transmitted on a first type of network and communication from the remotely situated apparatus to the server is transmitted on a second type of network.