Portable wireless gateway for remote medical examination

• US 20070088521A1
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medic4all AG
• Original Assignee: Medic4all AG
• Inventors: Cohen, Moshe, Misan, Shai, Shmueli, Ram
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/127
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4261 Evaluating exocrine secretion production A61B3/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A remote monitoring system that includes a portable measuring device that can be coupled to a portable wireless gateway. The portable measuring device obtains measurements including physiological data, movement data and ambient measurements and provides these measurements to the portable wireless gateway. The portable wireless gateway can interface with a networked personal computer through an USB connector. Once interfaced to the computer, the measurement data can be loaded into the computer and delivered to a central system through the networked personal computer. The system enables the monitoring of a user'"'"'s medical information to allow diagnostics of the user.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A system for remote measurements, the system comprising:

(a) a measuring device, wherein the measuring device comprises a communication module for wirelessly transmitting measured parameters and receiving data and instructions;

(b) a portable wireless gateway, wherein the portable wireless gateway comprises a wireless module for wirelessly communicating with the measuring device and a computer interface module for communicating with a computer;

(c) a computer (PC) with a standard port to which the portable wireless gateway is connected to;

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising

(d) a central server being operative to communicate with the PC and to store and analyze measured data;

and

(e) a computer network between the computer (PC) and the central server for carrying the communication between the two.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the measuring device measures at least one medical parameter of the at least one user

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the portable wireless gateway is in a shape of a USB flash disc device.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the portable wireless gateway stores personal information of a user of the system.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the personal information stored in portable wireless gateway is used for at least one function selected from a group consist of:

authentication and encryption

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the personal information contains medical data of the user

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the portable wireless gateway emulates a USB flash memory disk device

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the portable wireless gateway stores the software that will be used by the PC for operating the system.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer (PC) operate the software from the USB flash memory disk

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer (PC) does not install the software.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the software analyzes measured data and alerts the user

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the measuring device is wearable by the user.

30. The system of claim 18 wherein the computer networks is the Internet.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein the measuring device is further comprising a movement sensor.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the movement sensor is adapted for measuring the user'"'"'s breathing.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the measuring device is further comprising a smoke detector.

34. The system of claim 17, wherein the measuring device is further comprising a burglary alarm

35. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer standard port is a USB port.

36. A portable wireless gateway suitable for use within a remote medical monitoring system that comprises a measuring unit, a computer connected to a computer network and a central server connected over the computer network, the portable wireless gateway comprising:

a wireless communication unit;

a non-volatile memory module;

a computer interface module; and

a processing unit,

wherein after connecting the portable wireless gateway to the computer the portable wireless gateway communicatively coupled via the wireless communication unit with the measuring unit, and in response to instructions, the processing unit being operable to receiving physiological data from the measuring unit through the wireless communication unit;

processing the received physiological data and transferring the processed physiological data to the computer via the computer interface module,

whereby connecting the portable wireless gateway to a computer the computer becomes a part of the remote medical monitoring system during the period of the connection.

37. The portable wireless gateway of claim 36, wherein the connection between the portable wireless gateway and the computer is USB connection.

38. The portable wireless gateway of claim 36, wherein the portable wireless gateway is in a shape of a USB flash disc device.

39. The portable wireless gateway of claim 36, wherein the non-volatile memory module stores personal information of the user.

40. The portable wireless gateway of claim 36, wherein the non-volatile memory module stores the software that will be operated by the computer for operating the remote medical monitoring system while connected to the portable wireless gateway.